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.
The availablility and use of helicopters vary widely from area to area. Some departments have access to helicopters in a relatively short amount of time, while other departments never have access to their assistance.
At my former agency, I worked in a very urban area with dozens of cities and counties in the immediate area. We had access to a helicopter that was operated by the sheriff's department, and was normally only up during the evening hours. It was available during other parts of the day, but would often take some time to get up and to you.
For a vehicle or foot pursuit, we would generally want the assistance of the helicopter, and most often they would be enroute to us before we even asked. They monitored our radio channels and would start our way if they could be of assistance. If we had to call for one, that would be cleared through a supervisor.
To be a K-9 handler you will need to be in great shape. I daresay that handlers have to be in better shape than the average SWAT cop because they (the handler) is often running through the dark every night chasing his/her dog who is chasing a suspect. Then the handler has to be able to fight once the suspect is located. Imagine running three miles and then getting into a fight for your life. You need a lot of cardio work to get ready for that.
I'd suggest being involved in sports and finding a local explorer unit to join would be the best two things to do now. College classes are completely up to you. Other than certain federal agencies, I'm not aware of any department that requires any specific major or classes in college.
I value them all. If you are asking me to arbitrarily rank them in order of importance, I cannot. What duty is the officer trying to perform? Every task is different and requires varying degrees of each of the above. Also time in grade does not equate to experience. Also, experiences vary widely. Are the experiences in roles as a trainer, investigator, narcotics officer, or what? A highly educated homicide investigator with ten years of violent crime investigations may get his butt kicked the first night he rotates back to patrol and goes to a bar disturbance, while the two-year officer with nothing more than a high school diploma saves him. There is no neat way of quantifying police officers.
All use of force, including a dog bite, is governed by federal and state law. There can be civil and/or criminal repercussions for the unlawful application of force. Graham v. Connor (490 U.S. 386 (1989)) is a landmark case that is instructive on this issue. http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=490&invol=386
Air Traffic Controller
What was it like in the tower on 9/11?
CBP Officer
Do you catch less marijuana at the border now that it's being decriminalized in some States?
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon
Do you ever operate on guys who get their jaws busted in a fight?
I don't know. Contact a police or sheriff's department in Texas.
I have no idea. You should contact a police officer in the state of Washington about those laws.
If I understand your statement correctly, you have not described any crime.
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