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.
Compassion is an absolute necessity to be a good police officer. If you cannot be compassionate, I don't care to work with you. It is a tough thing, though, as we are constantly encountering people who need help - day in and day out. Where the average person may only experience strong feelings of compassion when watching a TV program or when a friend or family member needs help, we deal with it daily. It is very draining, physically and psychologically. For example, most people will never have to try to comfort a toddler after she had been abused by a parent. On a recent shift, I did that plus work with a mother who's son was missing and suicidal, deal with multiple homeless people, and work with an elderly man who is exceptionally lonely after his wife's death. And that is a pretty typical day. A number of psychologists developed the term "compassion fatigue" that describes what happens to cops when exposed to this environment long-term. Officers can internalize much of the despair and pain they see, and develop a more callous attitude.
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I don't know what the DEA might be looking for, but I'd suggest a business degree or something else that has practical applications. Criminology degrees are useless.
You might want to talk with a DEA recruiter to see what they are looking for in an applicant.
Personally, I'd suggest 4+ years of military service, then college, then DEA. You will be a much better candidate for the position.
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Outside of the TV shows, I've never seen a department use a psychic. I'm sure there are occasional incidents, but as a general rule, no.
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I've interviewed people at the department's main HQ many times. For serious felonies (rape, murder, etc.) an assigned detective would usually take over the investigation. For less serious crimes such as theft, counterfeiting, domestic violence, etc. usually the patrol officer would handle the interview.
A lot of criminals do incriminate themselves when they should probably shut up. I guess many of them figure they are smarter than everyone else, or that they can talk their way out of anything.
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Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon
How often do people wake up during surgery?
Call Center Employee (Retail)
When do your policies allow you to hang up on a rude caller?
Bouncer
What's the best way to "get in good" with the bouncer at the door?
I'm always concerned that someone I have dealt with will try to find and hurt me. There are plenty of examples of that exact thing happening throughout the US. I even had someone try to do so once. They are back in prison, but have an upcoming release date. I do say that anyone who finds me better be ready for a fight though. I'm never unarmed, and the people around me are armed and trained as well.
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At my department (a city agency) we frequently work with the surrounding cities and the sheriff's department on cases. We rarely have any problems, but you sometimes run into an idiot. I'm pretty sure that's the same in any job. We also work with agencies at the state level fairly frequently. I've rarely butted heads with anybody here either. For street cops, we don't deal with the feds too often. If you are in a specialized unit, it is more common. For example, our narcotics unit, gang unit, and detectives work with the feds on various cases. While I've never had any significant problems with any of the guys at the federal level, I have seen a greater tendency for their people to be a little too self-assured. I suspect that is from a lack of working the street. I've found the best investigators at the federal level started life as a street cop somewhere. Other officers at different departments may have different experiences.
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Driving drunk to get someone to the hospital is a pretty ignorant move. You should just call 911 and have paramedics respond to you. By driving while intoxicated not only are you putting the injured party at greater risk, but also putting a lot of other people in danger.
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