Ask a Police Officer anything

615 Questions

Last Answer on October 29, 2014

i have multiple questions for a school project to ask?

Asked by Alicea over 11 years ago

Ok.

what is the importance of math to a police?

Asked by shun over 10 years ago

Math is important for a variety of reasons. Everything from budgeting to accident reconstruction requires math. Street officers investigating any number of financial crimes have to be able to do simple to advanced math.

604 Votes

My wife gave our old car to my brother-in-law. But I want the car and the registration is under her name. How could I get the car? We are still married and he didn't want to give me the car. Should I report to police as stolen car?

Asked by Shwange almost 11 years ago

I don't know if you should. You can certainly call the police and talk to them about your circumstances.

603 Votes

i live in oregon and im 17 , im kinda shy so this is a big step for me. if i run away from home, now , will i get into legal trouble? will they send me home? back to the place i want to leave?

Asked by derika almost 11 years ago

If you are not an adult, you have to obey your parents. If you leave without permission, you can be detained, returned to your parents or taken to a juvenile detention facility (jail).

603 Votes

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Why are cops rarely held criminally responsible for police brutality?

Asked by Shannon R almost 11 years ago

An interesting, but loaded, question.

The term "police brutality" is a subjective one that is likely to inflame the conversation. I'll presume that you are referring to the unlawful use of force, which is any time a police officer uses force - regardless of the perceived brutality - when it is not legally permissible.

Police officers are permitted to use that force which is reasonable during the performance of their duties. Many people do not understand what is reasonable because they do not have the training in, or understanding of, the dynamics of a violent encounter. I'd suggest looking at credible sources such as the Force Science Institute ( http://www.forcescience.org/ ) for a better understanding of the application of force. Anything you've seen in the movies is likely crap, by the way.

For a better understanding of when officers may use force, a review of the case law is an excellent starting point. Graham v. Connor [490 U.S. 386 (1989)] is typically cited as being the defining case regarding police use of force. Although the case clarified a number of issues, the court essentially said that things were pretty clearly stated in their earlier decision in Tennessee v. Garner [471 U.S. 1 (1985)]. Both cases offer remarkably insightful opinions, and they should be read in full. Summaries of the cases in Wikipedia and elsewhere fail to give the true scope and color of the opinions.

An additional problem with your question is the unstated assumption that there are frequent incidents of police officers unlawfully using force. I believe the premise is false, and every credible study on police use of force I have seen shows that officers are very hesitant to use force. In fact studies have shown that even when clearly justified, officers still are slow to use force.

Are there times when an officer unlawfully uses force and are not criminally prosecuted? Sure. There are a variety of reasons this may be true. For example, the unlawful use of force may be charged at the federal level if the officer was acting under "color of law," or at the state level for the charge of battery (or similar). Just like any other case, the prosecution must be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused officer committed the crime and that he or she intended to commit the crime (mens rea). Lacking the ability to prove those things, the prosecution will not proceed.

603 Votes