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.
In the academy, it seems like most people fail out because of firearms or academics (not passing tests) rather than just giving up. In field training (the initial on-the-job training), encountering violence is often what causes a lot of people to rethink their career choice. Law enforcement can be an ugly business and the environment is very toxic. Discovering that evil is something real, and not just stuff from a bad movie, is a real eye-opener. Most people never get into a fight as an adult. Depending on where you work, fighting people on a daily basis is part of the job. For some new officers, they can't handle the physical danger. Most of them decide on their own to move on. It doesn't mean they aren't great people, just not suited for police work. I don't think most people are prepared to encounter violence on a daily basis.
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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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Help Desk Technician
Does it get aggravating answering people's dumb questions all day long?
EMT
What was the most gruesome trauma you witnessed while on the job?
Stand-Up Comedian
How do you fend off hecklers?
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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