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.
Dealing with a violent person is a fluid and dynamic sitation. There is no easy, one-size-fits-all answer. Generally speaking, a police officer is authorized to use any force, up to and including deadly force, when he or she believes it is reasonably necessary to stop an armed person who poses an imminent threat to the lives of others. That may include shooting the violent criminal.
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I don't know Virginia law, but in many (most?) states, you can pass all of the tests and still not be hired. If you think about it, say 100 people pass all of the tests but there are only 10 positions open. 90 people passed but won't be hired.
I have no idea what your department's background investigation requirements are. If he/she was convicted of domestic assault or domestic battery, he/she is not allowed to be in possession of firearms by federal (and probably Virginia) law. A department might not want their firearms to be around a prohibited person. You should probably talk to your recruiter about your situation for more information.
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It depends on the size of the department. For any agency of more than about 15-20 officers, the chief is not likely to be involved in any case other than as a spokesperson in a high-profile incident.
For small agencies, a chief may patrol and handle calls like the rest of the officers. There are many departments in the US where there are fewer than five officers. In those areas, the chief handles a lot of the calls and investigations.
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Every department has their own protocol. First duty is to protect life: citizens, officers, criminals (and in that order.) Until the scene is made safe, no investigation can begin. Once everything is safe, medical aid is rendered for anybody that is injured. By this time, a sergeant or lieutenant is on scene and takes command. Depending on the agency, either they or an outside department will handle the investigation of the use of force. A CSI unit would probably be involved, but they are only a support unit to document and collect evidence. They don't do any investigation.
The involved officers give a brief statement to the responding supervisor about what happened and are separated from the other officers who are investigating the incident. How/when the officers are interviewed varies from department to department. Officers are entitled to legal counsel as is anyone being investigated for potential criminal acts.
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I suspect the requirements are very similar. Click here for the Tampa PD recruiting page.
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On duty generally means he/she is currently being paid by the agency as part of regularly assigned duties. So, it would sound like the officer was off duty.
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It is impossible for me to tell you where you might like to work. If you've never lived in a large city, you might love - or hate- it. Same thing about working in a smaller area.
From my personal experience, I would prefer a smaller department of 50-75 officers if I was starting all over. Ideally, it would be suburban to rural. I've worked for a very urban area and for a smaller department in a suburban bordering on rural area. You get a lot more of the exciting calls in a short amount of time in the urban areas, but you can also burn out much quicker.
The upside to a large agency is you get a lot of opportunity to work in specialized units that you don't have in smaller areas/departments. For example, a marine unit, aviation unit, SWAT unit, etc. But smaller areas will sometimes pool resources for multi-jurisdictional units (like SWAT teams formed with officers from several regional departments.)
I'd suggest doing a few ride-alongs with different departments in different areas and get a feel for what things are like.
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