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.

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Last Answer on October 29, 2014

Best Rated

My dad is verbally abusive person and sometimes physically but this only involves pushing my mother against a wall and holding her back. I don't want anything else to happen to her. what can i do in order to make him stop with the abuse towards us?

Asked by Anna almost 12 years ago

Call the police if violence occurs.

In the state of arkansas can a 17 year old move out of her parents house and can the cops do anything about it since she is close enough to 18

Asked by brooklyn almost 12 years ago

I do not know what the age of majority is in Arkansas.  You should probably contact the local law enforcement agency.

Oh, and "close enough" is not a legal term that will be recognized by a court or law enforcement officer.

If something requiring a lot of officer-to-officer communication happens, will officers involved switch to another channel than what officers who are not involved are using?

Asked by Asd over 11 years ago

Yes, that frequently happens.

Thanks for taking the time to help me out sir. Is there a specific subject I should be majoring in? I noticed in earlier questions you regarded a criminal justice degree as being pretty much useless.

Asked by Chris about 12 years ago

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.

Can off duty officer call in on duty officer to issue speeding ticket without showing ID to driver? Can off duty officer leave scene (when on duty office arrives) and not sign ticket. How far does an officer have to track to issue speeding ticket?

Asked by Steve Davis about 12 years ago

It depends on the laws of your state.  If I understand your question, it is legal for one officer to issue a citation based on another officer's observations (in at least some states - if not all states.)

A big police station will have some interview rooms, meeting rooms, and rooms dedicated to different teams such as a gang unit room. What will a typical small police station have? (What is the minimum?)

Asked by Ryan over 11 years ago

There is no minimum standard.  It depends on the size of the building and the needs of the agency.  It may have dozens of rooms with lots of specialized spaces or just a single desk.

What would you say are bully characteristics evident in an offender? What are preventions of recidivism? What recommendations do you have for preventing bullying behavior in children? What about for strategies dealing with parents of bullies?

Asked by Lisa Simmons over 12 years ago

I'm not an expert on child behavior, nor on bullying.  There is likely a lot of research on the topic that you can find via Google.  I'd treat it all with a serious grain of salt though.  A lot (most?) research is funded by groups with specific goals in mind.

I can tell you from my exeprience, which is not scientific at all and should not be taken as such, that behavior is largely learned.  Kids imitate what they see, so both bullies AND victims are largely learned behavior.  Unfortunately, many parents, schools and even society is teaching people that being a victim is morally superior than standing up for one's self.  Sad really.