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.
Yes, I suppose I am biased in this. But, here is what experience (from my side of the badge) has shown me. Talking to the cops is generally a bad idea if you have engaged in illegal activity. However, being honest with the officers can help lessen the seriousness of the situation. I have genuinely worked to help out people who have committed crimes when there were mitigating circumstances and they were honest about what happened. For example, I worked a property crime recently where the accused called me because he wanted to do the right thing. Based on his honesty and willingness to turn himself in, I asked the jail to give him a lower bond (bail) and talked to the prosecutor about reducing or dropping the charges. I wouldn't have done any of that if he had not been up-front and honest. Yes, I have not arrested many people who talked to me. A perfect example is when I responded to an assault recently. The complainant advised the accused beat him down for no reason. There were marks on the complainant consistant with being attacked. A passerby advised the accused hit the complainant. So it sounds like the accused should go to jail. However, against your friend's advice, the accused talked to me and explained that the complainant had just stolen his bike. The accused advised he approached the complainant to get the bike back, and the complainant spun around to hit him. The accused said he then defended himself and was able to get back his bike. Eventually, I was able to confirm his story based on some of the particulars the accused gave me. The end result was the accused did not go to jail, but would have had he not talked to me. (FYI, the accused chose not to prosecute the complainant for theft. He felt justice had already be served.) Not talking to the cops is a personal choice. I talk to people all day; it is my job. How can I know what is going on in my patrol area if I don't talk to people, and they talk to me? Not talking to each other does nothing good - it just reinforces mistrust and barriers. I'd much rather work WITH the community than against it.
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I started shooting a long time before I went into police work. Shooting has always been fun and relaxing for me. I don't recall the first time I shot a gun, though it was likely one of my dad's .22 rifles. BB guns before that.
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Thanks for the comment about this thread. There is a very friendly rivalry between the cops and hose draggers (errr...firefighters) in my area. We work together all the time, and the firefighters in our city are top notch. Sometimes there are practical jokes back and forth, and always a funny jibe, but it is always friendly. Several of our officers have relatives on the fire department.
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As far as I know the Arizona law is about nationality, not race.
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Forensic Scientist
When did you know you wanted to work with the dead?
Nail Technician
How sanitary are the pedicure basins really?
Inner City English Teacher
What was the saddest student journal entry you've read?
Depends. Some misdemeanors will automatically disqualify you, such as anything related to perjury or domestic violence. Others will not necessarily exclude you (like a bad check when you were in college, for example). However, any criminal record is going to make it difficult for you to get hired. If you have multiple arrests, it will be very difficult indeed.
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Depends on where you live. Different states have different laws on the subject. Generally, there are legal repercussions for refusing the state administered chemical tests (breathalyzer, etc). Sorry I cant be more specific.
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No. Politeness and honesty are your best friends in a traffic stop. Many officers already have an idea of what enforcement action they will take when they stop you. However, honesty and good manners are so refreshing that many officers will cut you some slack. Rudeness, on the other hand, can turn a warning into a court appearance. On a sparate note, the folks doing the soliciting for the PBA and other law enforcement organizations are often telemarketing companies who only give a small portion of the money they collect to the organization they claim to represent. If you want to donate to a law enforcement charity, consider Concerns of Police Survivors http://www.nationalcops.org/ They help the families of police officers killed in the line of duty.
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