BlueSheepdog
10 Years Experience
Around the Way, FL
Male, 40
Cheating death and fighting communism: that is how a fellow officer once described our job. It was meant to be funny, but as time went on it seemed all too true.
I spent more than ten years in law enforcement, all of it on the street in uniform patrol. I've been a patrol officer, instructor, sergeant and lieutenant.
Do not report crimes here. Nothing here should be considered legal advice. All opinions are my own.
Whether or not to shoot someone. It has happened many times. One time in particular, my partner and I ran on a home invasion call. A woman called at about 1 am saying a man way trying to kick down her front door. When I arrived, I saw the man trying to force entry on the residence. Pointing my Glock at him, I ordered him to stop and put his hands in the air. Instead, he looked at me and jammed a hand into his pocket, which is a move consistant with going for a weapon. Considering that he appeared to be committing a felony, I was in uniform and he had obviously seen me, he refused to obey my lawful order, and was making a move consistant with drawing a weapon, it was definitely a situation when deadly force could be reasonably applied. For those who know the Glock pistol, you know there isn't much slack in that trigger. However, I definitely recall taking up the slack on the trigger while screaming at him to stop. Just prior to discharging the firearm, he stopped moving and got an "Oh, crap" look on his face. He stopped, and ater a few tense moments, my partner and I were able to get him into custody. As it turns out, he was just an angry drunk trying to get into a residence that he thought was his own. I never knew what he was thinking when he looked at me and then made a move like he was going for a gun. If he was trying to bluff me into thinking he had a gun, he succeeded and almost paid for it with his life. Incidents like this are all too common in police work.
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Nope. I am presuming the question comes from the recent debate surrounding the spree killer who murdered many children at a school recently. I'll try to address some of the issues (as I see them) surrounding the proposals offered. More Gun Control: Banning/outlawing the possession of certain kinds of guns that look or sound scary does not lessen the likelihood of future murders or even reduce the number of deaths. I know it sounds cliched, but it seems many people don't understand that laws do not prevent crime. We have laws making it criminal to commit murder, yet that law was violated more than two-dozen times in that one incident. We even have laws against bringing firearms onto a school campus, yet that did not prevent the murders. Plus, many people seem to gloss over the fact that Connecticut already has an "assault weapon" law in place: http://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/Chap943.htm#Sec53-202c.htm So even an "assault weapon" law did not prevent the crime. Guns are not the root problem anyway, as shown by other mass murders. For example, Timothy McVeigh killed 168 people, including 19 children, with nothing more than a rental truck, fertilizer and fuel. Terrorists killed nearly 3000 people on September 11, 2012 with nothing more than box cutters. And in a buried story, the same day of the Sandy Hook murders, 22 children were violently attacked by a knife-weilding man in China, a place where there are extremely few guns in the hands of the citizens. Evil is evil and gun control laws have never been shown to reduce crime - only increase tyranny. Armed Guards - The NRA (full disclosure: I am a member) recently proposed an initiative that calls for armed guards/police to be in all schools. While I appreciate the sentiment, and the effort may actually be helpful in some instances, it is not a plan I like. I can foresee a Federal government run program like the TSA to put pseudo-police into every school for the appearance of security. Much like the "real" TSA, it would be for show only and would be a huge money pit. Never mind the civil rights violations. I guess I'm with Ron Paul on this one. Possibilities Not Talked About Many of the current school plans help murderers carry out their bloody attacks. First of all, most schools are considered "gun free zones." That means no law abiding person is carrying a firearm on campus. So, the murderer will be unmolested when they begin killing. Secondly, teachers are frequently taught to move all of their children into a confined location and have them sit and wait. Maybe it will be the murderer...maybe it will be the police...but sit and wait for someone to show up they will. Lastly, people are taught to be passive. "Just give them what they want" is what everyone is taught when confronted by violent criminals. Well, what happens if that criminal wants to kill you? In my opinion, three things can be done to enhance security on campus without spending much money at all. 1. Allow people with a CCW permit, teachers and parents, to carry on campus. These folks have gone through an FBI background check, have been through some type of training, many have law enforcement and military backgrounds and they are ON SCENE when the killing starts. They can end the murders RIGHT NOW rather than waiting on me and my fellow cops to show up some two to five minutes later. How many children will die waiting on a cop to show up? 2. Teach children and teachers to get the hell out of the area when some nutjob shows up. If a killer is shooting people across the hall, your odds of surviving go up dramatically if you and your kids run like hell to get out of the area. Sitting in a classroom and waiting to see who shows up is foolish. 3. If confronted by a killer, don't expect mercy. He wants to kill you. Don't go out without a fight. Not fighting will get you killed, whereas fighting only might get you killed. Yep, you might get shot and you might get killed, but you might also save yourself by taking the bastard out. Don't sit there waiting for the bullet, DIE WITH YOUR BOOTS ON so to speak. Bottom Line: Evil exists. You may not want to believe it, but it does. Violence is the only thing that can stop evil. People who say violence is never acceptable are fools. Violence might just save your life.
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Generally departments have a process that includes pass/fail portions (such as criminal background, polygraph) and scored portions (interviews, oral boards, physical fitness, written testing, job history, veterans preference, etc.)
Everyone must pass the pass/fail, but then acrues a rank/score based on the other testing. Then the hiring is done from the list. Chances are that agency would offer jobs to the top 100, but not all of them would accept. So, the top 150-200 might get offers depending on how many are still looking for employment with the department.
There are a lot of other factors that can come into play. I'd suggest talking to your recruiter and asking them for more information on the department's process.
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Generally speaking, yes. Judges have a lot of discretion when handing down sentences, and many factors come into play. The cooperation of the defendant can result in a less-harsh punishment.
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Hospice Nurse
Ever heard any crazy deathbed confessions or family secrets revealed?
Bouncer
How often would you find yourself in real danger?
Physical Therapist
What's the most dramatic "before-and-after" improvement you've ever seen with a patient?
Thanks for reading Mark!
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If you are asking "Can I ask the officer why he pulled me over," the answer is yes. Most folks probably have a pretty good idea when they see the red/blue lights.
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I'm stumped on this one. Different officers place a different emphasis on different enforcement activities based on a wide range of experiences and motivations. For example, an officer who works my area of the world is more likely to be concerned about jaywalking due to the extremely high number of pedestrian fatalities we work every year. In other areas of the country/state/country jaywalking probably isn't enforced vigorously, if at all. I wish I could give you a good answer, but I can't think of any law that is universally ignored by officers.
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