Police Officer

Police Officer

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.

SubscribeGet emails when new questions are answered. Ask Me Anything!Show Bio +

Share:

Ask me anything!

Submit Your Question

615 Questions

Share:

Last Answer on October 29, 2014

Best Rated

Thank you for this site. I will recommend it to others. These are solid answers, and we appreciate it.
Mark

Asked by Mark Mitchell almost 11 years ago

Thanks for reading Mark!

I recently started dating someone who says he is a cop however he works in a jail I'm assuming as a correctional officer. This does not mean he is a Police officer correct? What questions can I ask him, or how do I find out if he really is a cop?

Asked by Demison over 10 years ago

Different jurisdictions have different rules & laws.  Some deputies or officers who work in a jail setting are fully sworn law enforcement officers who have the power of arrest, etc.  Some deputies or officers who work in a jail have powers limited to the jail setting.  You should probably ask him your specific questions, and if something doesn't sound right you can always check with his employing agency to confirm his employment.

What's a law that people are careful not to break but in reality, the cops hardly care about? (e.g. jaywalking, talking on cell phones while driving)

Asked by JT III about 11 years ago

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.

Do police officers eat for free at local restaurants?

Asked by Tripp over 11 years ago

Not typically. Many restaurant owners choose to offer certain people discounts, such as members of the military, firefighters, paramedics, police officers, etc. Those are individual choices a business owner makes and there is no hard and fast rule. Some businesses do offer a free meal to officers, but they are an exception. Some kind of discount is more common, and most places do not offer that. I have been honored to have my meal purchased for me by a kind (and always anonymous) citizen on occasion. Those are always appreciated and humbling.

Well ok, but do your arrest people for driving 66 in a 65? Point being, when you witness a minor infraction (like smoking a joint in a park) where no one's in real danger, wouldn't your time be better spent addressing more serious crimes in your area?

Asked by Cheech Jr. (again) over 11 years ago

Speeding is not a crime, so no, I do not arrest anyone for speeding. Its not my job function to make value judgements on what is and is not a crime. Society does that through its elected officials. If you think marijuana should be de-criminalized, then I would encourage you to contact your elected officials and like minded citizens to work to change the laws.

On an episode of 48 Hours an interrogator says to a kid "we know you weren't the shooter, so that's good for you," to get him to admit he drove the car (enough for a murder charge!) Not a "lie" but clearly exploiting the kid's ignorance. Is that OK?

Asked by twotimes about 11 years ago

Not having seen the show in question, nor the actual interview (not the cut down for TV version), I don't know. However, depending on the circumstances, there are certainly times when a lie is an acceptable interviewing technique.

Do you need to get a person's consent before you test his DNA looking for a match? Or if the person is in a public place and, for example, discards gum or a cigarette can that be collected and tested without his consent?

Asked by twotimes about 11 years ago

The collection of DNA evidence is still an evolving body of case law, so there are few absolutes on obtaining it.  Its admissibility into a court of law is beyond my area of expertise.  Generally, however, discarded items are considered abandoned property and can be collected, tested, etc. without anyone's consent.