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.
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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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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Nope. I am presuming the question comes from the recent debate surrounding the spree killer who murdered many children at a school recently. I'll try to address some of the issues (as I see them) surrounding the proposals offered. More Gun Control: Banning/outlawing the possession of certain kinds of guns that look or sound scary does not lessen the likelihood of future murders or even reduce the number of deaths. I know it sounds cliched, but it seems many people don't understand that laws do not prevent crime. We have laws making it criminal to commit murder, yet that law was violated more than two-dozen times in that one incident. We even have laws against bringing firearms onto a school campus, yet that did not prevent the murders. Plus, many people seem to gloss over the fact that Connecticut already has an "assault weapon" law in place: http://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/Chap943.htm#Sec53-202c.htm So even an "assault weapon" law did not prevent the crime. Guns are not the root problem anyway, as shown by other mass murders. For example, Timothy McVeigh killed 168 people, including 19 children, with nothing more than a rental truck, fertilizer and fuel. Terrorists killed nearly 3000 people on September 11, 2012 with nothing more than box cutters. And in a buried story, the same day of the Sandy Hook murders, 22 children were violently attacked by a knife-weilding man in China, a place where there are extremely few guns in the hands of the citizens. Evil is evil and gun control laws have never been shown to reduce crime - only increase tyranny. Armed Guards - The NRA (full disclosure: I am a member) recently proposed an initiative that calls for armed guards/police to be in all schools. While I appreciate the sentiment, and the effort may actually be helpful in some instances, it is not a plan I like. I can foresee a Federal government run program like the TSA to put pseudo-police into every school for the appearance of security. Much like the "real" TSA, it would be for show only and would be a huge money pit. Never mind the civil rights violations. I guess I'm with Ron Paul on this one. Possibilities Not Talked About Many of the current school plans help murderers carry out their bloody attacks. First of all, most schools are considered "gun free zones." That means no law abiding person is carrying a firearm on campus. So, the murderer will be unmolested when they begin killing. Secondly, teachers are frequently taught to move all of their children into a confined location and have them sit and wait. Maybe it will be the murderer...maybe it will be the police...but sit and wait for someone to show up they will. Lastly, people are taught to be passive. "Just give them what they want" is what everyone is taught when confronted by violent criminals. Well, what happens if that criminal wants to kill you? In my opinion, three things can be done to enhance security on campus without spending much money at all. 1. Allow people with a CCW permit, teachers and parents, to carry on campus. These folks have gone through an FBI background check, have been through some type of training, many have law enforcement and military backgrounds and they are ON SCENE when the killing starts. They can end the murders RIGHT NOW rather than waiting on me and my fellow cops to show up some two to five minutes later. How many children will die waiting on a cop to show up? 2. Teach children and teachers to get the hell out of the area when some nutjob shows up. If a killer is shooting people across the hall, your odds of surviving go up dramatically if you and your kids run like hell to get out of the area. Sitting in a classroom and waiting to see who shows up is foolish. 3. If confronted by a killer, don't expect mercy. He wants to kill you. Don't go out without a fight. Not fighting will get you killed, whereas fighting only might get you killed. Yep, you might get shot and you might get killed, but you might also save yourself by taking the bastard out. Don't sit there waiting for the bullet, DIE WITH YOUR BOOTS ON so to speak. Bottom Line: Evil exists. You may not want to believe it, but it does. Violence is the only thing that can stop evil. People who say violence is never acceptable are fools. Violence might just save your life.
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CrossFit Coach
Are Crossfit gyms profitable right out of the gate?
Programmer
Why are most developers socially withdrawn?
EMT
Does your crew ever fake an emergency to slice through traffic?
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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Some are - it depends on the department. Some agencies, mine for example, do not allow a beard except for undercover officers. Other agencies allow them. One Florida department I know doesn't allow a beard generally, but will allow them for officers that raise a certain amount of money for charitable organizations. A small perk for some that go "above and beyond" in helping others.
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Generally departments have a process that includes pass/fail portions (such as criminal background, polygraph) and scored portions (interviews, oral boards, physical fitness, written testing, job history, veterans preference, etc.)
Everyone must pass the pass/fail, but then acrues a rank/score based on the other testing. Then the hiring is done from the list. Chances are that agency would offer jobs to the top 100, but not all of them would accept. So, the top 150-200 might get offers depending on how many are still looking for employment with the department.
There are a lot of other factors that can come into play. I'd suggest talking to your recruiter and asking them for more information on the department's process.
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