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.
If you go to work for a local police department, you will go to uniform patrol. It is there that you will learn a lot about the job and people. If you become really good at your job, you can earn your way into a specialized position. Some people are really good but enjoy patrol, so they stay in uniform.
When you first get to the department, you go through a field training & evaluation program that will help get you the very basic level of proficiency in doing the job.
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Blackmail is illegal, regardless of who the victim is. State laws vary on what constitutes blackmail.
Depending on the nature of the photos and how someone came into their possession there could be other criminal activity. For example, did someone hack into your computer and steal data (illegal) or photograph you in a public location (legal)?
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You need to contact an attorney for clarification. If he has access to them, and since you know he is a felon, then -you- could be exposed to criminal liability.
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Many 911 centers have call takers who answer the phones. They enter information into a computer (often called a call screen because it shows information about all of the active calls for service).
A dispatcher pulls the information from the call screen and relays it to the patrol officers. This can be done via computer (many agencies use computer aided dispatching), by voice transmission on the radio, or through a combination of both.
As the call taker gets more information, the call screen is updated in real time.
Depending on the size of the agency, call takers and dispatchers may be separate positions or all of the communication staff may be cross-trained and do all of the jobs. At a small department, only one or two people may be on duty and have to do all of the call taking and dispatching. Other departments may employ dozens or even hundreds of communications employees.
Off duty officers are rarely contacted. In those cases it is typically because of manpower shortages and/or emergencies. For example, a hostage situation requires the presence of a large number of officers, so off-duty officers could be called in to assist with normal patrol calls. This tends to be uncommon at most departments.
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School Bus Driver
Why don't school buses have seat belts?
CPR Trainer
Are you supposed to perform CPR differently on a man vs. a woman?
Debate Coach
Are presidential debates actually "debates", by the traditional definition?
I'm no life coach :) but in my opinion, anything that teaches marketable skills and not merely theories. For example, I love history, but unless there is a specific niche I can move into, its a degree that won't pay the bills.
Business degrees are good - especially if they have any type of entrepreneurial program. Anything related to vets or medical skills, computer/IT/coding degrees, agriculture programs all would be great in my opinion. Two other areas of study that would be excellent and apply to nearly any industry are communications and language studies.
Consider what kind of law enforcement you are interested in (city cop, game and wildlife officer, marine patrol, FBI, etc.) and your personal interests. Then see if there is a program that you can get into that is interesting to you, will provide you with marketable skills outside of law enforcement, and might help with a law enforcement career.
For example, foreign language studies will help in almost all areas of law enforcement. Accounting might help with federal law enforcement (FBI, IRS, etc.). Agricultural sciences could help with Dept of Natural Resources/Wildlife officers.
I hope this helps. Ultimately, find something that works for you and go for it.
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Out of service means different things to different agencies. Do you mean off duty? On break? On a call? If you are referring to a break, then yes - a department will likely have some type of policy on that. Each department will be different.
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If a police officer can develop reasonable, articulable suspicion that you are involved in criminal activity, you can be detained. You are not free to leave in this case.
Any police officer can walk up and start talking to you, including asking for ID, without any articulable suspicion. However, you are free to leave in this circumstance.
If you want to leave, and don't know if you are able to, politely ask the officer if you may leave. He or she will let you know.
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