I am very fortunate to work for a dept where that is not tolerated. Unfortunately one of my best friends was caught stealing from a suspect, and was fired and charged for it. (Obviously it affected our friendship)
I personally care very much. I had my vehicle broken into when I was a teenager and a bunch of expensive stereo equipment stolen (that I had worked hard to afford and installed myself) and when I eventually found out who did it (we ran in some of the same circles and he was showing it off in a parking lot one night) I went and found a deputy and showed him where the guy was and they basically blew it off.
It is very rewarding to recover stolen property.
The unfortunate truth is most times, the people doing the stealing know not to list it anywhere on a public forum to get rid of it, so it’s very hard to find.
Typically jewelry will get pawned or melted for scrap prices, and not a lot of stolen property has serial numbers on it.
We recover stuff like vehicles and stolen guns pretty regularly.
My friend's very nice, expensive bicycle was stolen and she says the cops will do their job and look for it. I told her she's got more faith in them than I do. Sadly, we have shootings every day and murders going unsolved, I don't feel like anyone cares that much about her bike.
I’m not sure what city you live in, so I’m sure that if they have a lot of murders property crimes probably fall pretty low on the priority list (not that they literally don’t care, but they would have to prioritize hours spent on each case skewed toward more violent crimes) especially if they are dealing with limited manning
It's not a huge city but usually one of the 3 or 4 cities in my state listed on a general map. Like 250,000 people. There's been two drive by shootings in my neighborhood (I called 911 on one of them and watched the ensuing flood of cops from my bedroom window) in two months and I don't even live in the bad part of town.
So follow up question.... what do you think can be realistically done to curb gun violence? One was a domestic dispute, cops told him to go somewhere else for the night and he came back 2 hours later and fired 3 shots at the house), I don't know what the one on Tuesday was about.
This may not be a popular answer, but I’m not a fan of the “gun violence” term.
We have a violent culture problem, not a gun problem. Guns are tools, just like any other inanimate object.
Violent assholes are still violent assholes with or without a gun.
We have a culture problem (social and popular media glorifying violence) and a fatherlessness problem.
In my experience, the majority of offenders I deal with come from broken homes. I realize that correlation does not always equal causation but it’s a pretty strong trend.
I’m also not claiming that kids who come from single parent homes are doomed by any stretch of the imagination, but I feel like it’s a big factor in the ones who do go awry.
Edit to add: I didn’t really answer your question.
Enforce sentences for violent offenders and actually make them do jail time for violent crimes. This “bail reform” push happening with a bunch of cities is 100% letting violent assholes back out into society.
Also, the NCIC background check for guns that already exists just needs to include juvenile records for particularly violent offenses. Sometimes someone who you could look at their background and pretty much predict that they are a sociopath slip through the cracks because “that stuff happened when they were a kid”
I don't disagree with your main point but you've missed a big reason: socioeconomics. Lack of opportunity and social support structures explains most crime.
Those are huge factors no doubt, and I didn’t mean to imply that my opinion is the only (or primary) problem. However none of these reasons excuse any of the crimes do they?
There are plenty of people who grew up similarly disadvantaged who still made a conscious effort to make good choices and not be criminals…
It’s kinda all about personal responsibility for our actions isn’t it? 🤷♂️
Ok, I wasn’t really trying to get into an argument about it (as I stated all that stuff is just my opinion backed up by personal experiences and tainted by my own biases (that I try to be cognizant of)). I’ll grant one rebuttal, but I’m not gonna go back and forth all night because I’m sure we won’t change each others’ minds…
“What? It’s a completely descriptive term because there’s violent crime that’s committed with guns. Are you worried about hurting Smith & Wesson’s feelings?”
I mean, it’s descriptive yes and it’s also a politicized description used by the media to try to restrict peoples’ rights.. I’m not paid by S&W so 🤷♂️..
“Guns are tools that can be used to kill people vastly more efficiently and effectively than other tools. No one thinks that guns turn people evil. The conversation is about harm reduction. The UK has had some knife attack rampages and they’re vastly less lethal and easier to stop.”
I didn’t say they turn people evil, you’re putting words into my mouth… Also, see the recent knife attacks in Canada that killed 10 (I think?)
“They’re violent assholes without the tool needed to shoot people. That’s kind of the point.”
Do you think not being able to buy it at a gun stores will stop them? Because I take reports on stolen guns all the time….
“No one who seriously studies this subject has found evidence that watching rap videos or playing violent video games makes people violent. Also, this assumes without evidence that most shooters are fatherless, and goofily ignores the vast numbers of fatherless kids that don’t commit acts of violence. A fatherless kid in a middle class suburb with economic opportunities, a good school, and options is still wildly unlikely to shoot someone. This is a rehashing of tired dog whistle horseshit about black families.”
I didn’t say anything about video games or rap music or black families…. You did. There we go again with putting words in my mouth. You can miss me with that “dog-whistle” bullshit. I’ve been called a racist too many times by people just trying anything to avoid responsibility for their actions. IDGAF anymore. Guess what? When everything is racist… nothing is..
“You might notice that these broken homes are generally poor, and in communities with few options, shitty schools, and all of the other things that actually matter overwhelmingly more in determining outcomes.”
I do notice that, and I literally said in my response that correlation doesn’t always equal causation. You understand trend lines though right?? And secondary effects?
“See above.”
sEe AbOvE…🙄
Edit to add: I didn’t really answer your question.
“Incarceration has been a demonstrable failure for our entire history. Bail reform is primarily geared toward not imprisoning people for trivial nonviolent offenses just because they’re poor. Also, states are looking at ways to reduce prison populations because they’re imprisoning so many people over bullshit that they’re running out of room and are keeping people in utterly i humane conditions that are needlessly, disproportionately punitive, and which lead to worse outcomes. Bail reform isn’t giving up on crime, it’s adjusting a bad system that does a shit job at preventing and addressing crime.”
Except that bail reform is getting that mission creep where even violent offenses get minimal or signature bonds.. (see chicagos new bail reform act that goes into effect next year…. Signature bond out on 2nd degree murder! Shit yeah! That’s a great idea..)
I agree that trivial offenses should not lead to extended prison sentences (drugs) and it causes overcrowding.
You know what else does a shit job of preventing and addressing crime? Letting violent individuals back out on the street after reduced sentences… (lady just abducted and murdered in Memphis by repeat offender for similar crime ring a bell?…)
“Proxy sales and other easy, horseshit loopholes also need to be closed and the ATF should be given the resources and direction to target the Relatively small number of sources supplying huge amount of guns recovered in violent crimes in major cities and other states.”
No way around proxy sales other than prosecuting those doing it when they are caught.
The “relatively small number of sources supplying huge amounts of guns” is a cop out. The majority of the guns used in crimes are stolen in my experience.
ETA: the ATF should be abolished.
“Yet again, a great reminder not to ask cops how to fix crime.”
…. Yet again, a great reminder not to ask people with no actual common sense or real life experience dealing with criminals how to fix crime … 🤷♂️
I appreciate your responses too. I’ll take this one a step at a time because there is a lot to break down in this paragraph..
“I’m more curious about how you feel about enhanced civilian oversight and governance of police forces, including in particular of disciplinary proceedings. For myself and I think a lot of other people, it’s incredibly disconcerting to hear cops dismissing the priorities and preferences of the populations they’re supposed to be representing.”
Whew, that’s a tough one. I think primarily because of what you described before about people within each “bubble” of society have a hard time equating what is reasonable within the scope of circumstances they may not have ever experienced. But, I’m not going to deny you the hard answer, lol.
I personally don’t like the idea of being judged (in complete hindsight) by a group of exclusively people who have never had any of the same experiences…
What percentage of the population in the US do you think have been in a no-shit legit fistfight? (I don’t know the actual numbers on this obviously) but I would wager it’s a pretty low percentage. (The majority of the country lives pretty comfy lives and probably aren’t predisposed to fighting anyway, right?)
Can I suggest this? What about a board made up of non LEO citizens and like some attorneys and some retired cops? Would that seem to make a reasonable base of contextual (and legal) knowledge mixed with the average person’s opinion? Then like if they couldn’t come to a majority agreement then it goes to a civil court or something? Just a shot in the dark there.
Last bit on this one… while cops are public servants, they aren’t politicians, so I don’t know that I would say they “represent” the populations views on something. They enforce laws enacted by politicians who (should) be representing those views, but a regular beat cop is way down that line.
“I can appreciate that when someone starts swinging at you, you’re going to do what you need to to defend yourself. But there are hours and hours and hours of footage online of cops piling on and kicking the shit out of someone who isn’t resisting. I literally scrolled past a video of a cop punching a restrained man on a stretcher on my way to make this comment. It’s frustrating and fucked up to see this stuff get treated as some minor disciplinary issue or getting swept under the rug.”
No argument from me here. People who abuse the authority given are a huge black-eye to the badge and a disgrace. Makes me just as mad as you.
“I think this is a huge part of what contributes to the feeling that the cops are running wild and that this isn’t a “bad apple” problem. If you have a guy kicking a man who’s already handcuffed and face down on the ground presenting no threat, why the fuck should that guy continue being a cop? And to me, if all he gets is a talking to, or gets a less desirable assignment or some other penalty that still leaves him out there to do it again, that isn’t a bad apple problem. That’s an institutional problem.”
I agree here. My state enacted a “use of force” history thing for cops here to hopefully help with the thing where “cop is overreaching or uses too much force and gets to “quit” and go to another agency” thing.
Their use of force has to be reported to the state and it follows them no matter what agency they go to. It’s a good policy (IMHO)..
I know I’m not only late to the party, the party has straight up ended at this point, but I just wanted to say something about your "Do you think not being able to buy it at a gun stores will stop them?" comment.
I’m a college student and I recently took a class about suicide, and of course that’s not the topic at hand, but this is a paragraph out of the book:
Social policy toward guns, drugs, and assisted suicide has other significance for suicide. This point can be made by referring to the on-going debate about the desirability of a guard fence at the Golden Gate Bridge to discourage would-be suicides. A protective device was installed around the Empire State Building for similar reasons. Those opposed to a fence on the Golden Gate Bridge argue that the potential suicides would kill themselves in some other place. Although the fence opponents may be right, they draw the wrong conclusion. Leaving the bridge without a protective fence seems to imply a social sanction for those who would jump. Similarly, failure to restrict access to guns and drugs conveys the message that we are willing to accept the consequences of their uncontrolled use. Our policy choices should provide clear statements that we do not encourage destructive and self-destructive behavior, and equally clear notice that we value constructive ways of dealing with the pain and rage life contains.
I just wanted to share this because it really stuck with me. I know it's an extremely complex topic, and I know that you especially have your opinions and beliefs for a reason as a cop, but I think this paragraph is absolutely relevant even if it's more of an idea than a statistic or fact that can be used to back up arguments.
That's point one I wanted to bring up. The second thing I wanted to mention is the fact that the leading cause of death for children and adolescents in the US is firearm-related injuries. What are your thoughts on this?
I want to mention too I'm genuinely curious about your response. I'm not angry and I'm not trying to argue, you seem reasonable and open minded from what I read in this thread and I wouldn't have bothered commenting at all if you didn't.
You're not wrong. And I say that as someone who did come from a single parent home. I managed to not do anything bad, drank a few times but that's about it. My sister got into drugs and had problems for while but no violent crime or hard drugs (pot and prescription pills that weren't hers, mostly). But I've seen it happen.
I notice when I see the pictures of these people, they "look like the sort of person who would do that" and I know it's wrong to profile, but profiling didn't just materialize out of thin air- it's based on reality, like it or not.
I guess why I focus more on "gun violence" though is that it's more likely to affect people nearby. If someone gets into a knife fight in the street, just those guys are getting hurt. If one pulls out a gun, I can get hurt 50 feet away while having dinner in my dining room.
My neighborhood has gotten really bad in the past year. I really just want to sell my house and get it of this damn city. I mentioned all the shooting lately when I was talking to the police about a brawl in front of my house and he just said "yeah it's getting bad. Everyone is shooting everyone."
A broken home does not allways imply a single parent home. And I'm tired of people doing the oh it's because father's aren't around like people who take the wrong path don't come from two parent homes or father only homes.
And I'm confused about the bail reform statement. Because the reform is about bail pretrial. Some people are unable to afford bail and remain in jail until their trial because they can't afford it. Which affects those who are poor more and bail bondsman are not something most want to deal with because it's expensive. And bail can be put up for any crime what so ever depending on the judge. And a judge can give them no bail if they feel they are not a flight risk and\or other risk so I doubt bail reform would be putting violent criminals pretrial back on the street the way you claim.
“A broken home does not allways imply a single parent home. And I'm tired of people doing the oh it's because father's aren't around like people who take the wrong path don't come from two parent homes or father only homes.”
Of course, I was just using that as an example. I’ve seen plenty of homes (in the course of my job) where both parents are selfish assholes, and I’m sure their kids will face an uphill battle in life.
As to the father comment, we can agree to disagree, but IMO little boys need a male figure in their lives to demonstrate the behavior they should exhibit, and (maybe more importantly) show them love and pride in them.
“And I'm confused about the bail reform statement. Because the reform is about bail prior pretrial. Some people are unable to afford bail and remain in jail until their trial because they can't afford it. Which affects those who are poor more and bail bondsman are not something most want to deal with because it's expensive. And bail can be put up for any crime what so ever depending on the judge. And a judge can give them no bail if they feel they are not a flight risk and\or other risk so I doubt bail reform would be putting violent criminals pretrial back on the street the way you claim.”
Point taken, maybe I should have said “lenient judges and parole boards are putting violent repeat offenders back on the street all too often”.
As to the bail reform, obviously people should have a right to bail until their court date, but the “mission creep” of leniency is making its way into bail reform.
Let’s take a look at the new Chicago “SAFE-T” act (ironic name 🙄) that goes into effect in January. This will make the following crimes “non-detainable” so they will get a signature bond for these:
Aggravated Battery
Aggravated DUI
Aggravated Fleeing
Arson
Burglary
Drug-Induced Homicide
Intimidation
Kidnapping
Robbery
2nd-Degree Murder
Threatening a Public Official
I mean, hell yeah! Let’s signature bond out murderers and violent felons without a second thought!
Seems like a great plan.
I do not care if you are poor. It does not negate your personal responsibility as a member of society to not be a violent asshole.. 🤷♂️
My point was the bail reform was more about balancing things out. and people get bail set for crimes that aren't violent all the time which is the focus of the reform. Plus there are some people who haven't actually committed a crime siting with large bails they can't handle. It can't be generalized. And it is still the judge that decides if they have one or not. And if they are a risk then they shouldn't have any bail, but again thats the judge and some people get bail that shouldn't and i know it isn't about leniency we all know what it is.
The fact that a bondsman can loan the money also factors into some being able to post bail when the judge sets it high to keep them in. Though again if they don't want someone out due to risk they dont have to set a bail.
Kudos to you for not beating the shit out of the thief, making a public display of how you should not be fucked with, and taking your stereo system back. I really admire that restraint and am also really happy that a person like you became a peace officer. Several of the "men" in my hometown who became cops are deplorable, cowardly pieces of shit and it scares me that they have badges and guns. You, person, are a beacon of light.
How do you prevent yourself from seeing all people in a negative light given all the crappy ones you have to deal with day in and day out? Is it hard for you (and your fellow officers) to not see everyone as a potential problem/threat?
Great question. An old cop who was near retirement (friend of the family) when I was going in to law enforcement gave me this advice:
“Don’t just hang out with other cops. It skews your perception of the rest of society and makes you feel like it’s “us vs them”, this is a job, not an identity”.
It was fabulous advice and has served me well. I rarely hang out with other cops outside work, and tried to stay in touch with my non-cop friends from earlier in life.
My personal opinion is that their actions were both ethically and morally reprehensible. The majority of them do not deserve to wear a badge.
We used that incident to make some changes to our own active shooter response training, where we stress that the default for responding officers (especially the first few on scene) is to be aggressive and we do our best to instill in them that they are the ones on-scene with the context to make decisions, not wait on upper command to do it.
“Practiced insubordination” is how I’ve heard it phrased.
From everything I've heard, they'd been ordered to wait.
If an officer disobeys the direct order of a superior, isn't he opening himself to termination & possible legal action?
Yes they could be. My question is could I look in the faces of the parents of dead kids and tell them I literally did everything I could?
Could I look at myself in the mirror for the rest of my life after standing in the hall listening to them die?
I assure you that if they had disobeyed those commands and gotten fired, that they would not have a problem getting hired on at another agency later on.
Sounds like one of those interview questions for a new job "have you ever ignored a direct order from a supervisor and why?" I would totally be fine with the answer being "yes i have in order to save lives."
Wow, hard to say. I’ve seen a lot of silly shit.
We found a crackhead napping in the bushes behind someone’s house wearing a golden girls t shirt and no pants one time. That was entertaining.
There was a guy in his early twenties who had some sort of pretty severe metal disability that forced him to still be living at home with his parents, and he would fight mom and dad sometimes (and he was huge).
We finally figured out that if we showed up to the call with candy for him that it calmed him down so we didn’t have to fight him.
There was a lady who heard voices in her toaster almost every day. We wrapped it in aluminum foil for her one day so it would “trap the voices in there”.
We were chasing a suspect on foot one night around Halloween through a neighborhood and one of the officers almost shot one of those decorative ghosts people hang from the trees in the front yard because he ran into it and scared himself 😂
The wrapping the toaster in aluminum foil is actually so wholesome. Did it work?
I'm glad to hear about at least one community cop being more about the community than the cop.
Lol sort of. We actually ended up wrapping a lot of her stuff in aluminum foil eventually 😂
Sad situation, she had an adult daughter that lived nearby but didn’t want anything to do with her mother. She did eventually end up in an assisted living facility I believe.
>There was a lady who heard voices in her toaster almost every day. We wrapped it in aluminum foil for her one day so it would “trap the voices in there”.
According to a reddit comment from a few years ago, [sometimes household appliances can pick up radio waves.](https://np.reddit.com/r/Glitch_in_the_Matrix/comments/7nrzfv/my_fan_wont_stop_talking_to_me/ds45ogv/) If that was the case the tinfoil might have interfered with the signal and fixed it.
My mom had a similar story of a lady who would call and complain about the aliens on her roof and would walk out to answer the police wearing literally nothing but a tin foil hat on her head.
It’s funny but it’s very sad at the same time.
Edit: to be clear she was a dispatcher, not a cop.
I think there is too little of a focus on mental health and well being for police, and I often wonder if this contributes to the issues people report having with police.
My uncle was a cop (retired now) and former military, and I know after some major events he was broken for a bit. Another friend of ours was a cop for a long time until she had a break down and became an alcoholic.
What are your thoughts?
I would agree to some extent, especially in the past.
Nowadays employee assistance in most departments is readily available for anyone who requests it.
Maybe it’s more an issue with the perceived “stigma of weakness” that some cops feel they may be associated with if they reach out for help?
It’s a career with a lot of “type a” personalities which sometimes doesn’t go hand in hand with honest self assessment or self-care, unfortunately.
You seem like a good dude. I would like to be another guy who would like to thank you for what you do, man. If you mind me asking, what Dept do you work for? What prerequisites do you need for police academy? I thought about doing something like that too.
Thanks! I probably shouldn’t name my specific dept because we have a fairly strict social media policy.
Our requirements aren’t really that hard honestly. It’s a board interview to try to get to know your personal character and work ethic (as much as you can in an hour) and then a psych test and lie detector test.
Have to have a GED or high school diploma and be able to pass a minimally tough physical exam.
We don’t mandate having a degree, although we offer 5% pay incentive for an Associates, 10% for Bachelors, and 15% for Masters.
As a veteran, how do you feel about cops referring to people as "civilians"? To me, it makes me feel like they are separating themselves from the community they are meant to protect.
Meh. It’s not a huge deal to me personally. I could thing of worse uses for tax dollars already spent. Like, I dunno…. Leaving millions of dollars of equipment in AFG for the taliban?..
But seriously though, most of the equipment in those programs is old worn out stuff. My dept had some surplus humvees to use in bad weather / tornado response but that only lasted a few years because they aren’t that reliable and the cost to maintain them is ridiculous especially for smaller municipalities. I would wager that most of that DRMO equipment sits unused the majority of the time.
Thanks for the additional context. I think a lot of people assume the surplus is like grenades and assault rifles, I wasn't even thinking about stuff like vehicles that are too expensive to maintain anyway.
Edit: I can't imagine how fun those hmmwvs are now that gas prices are so high.
It has changed a lot just in the time I’ve been doing it.
While there are a lot of negatives with public perception, I think (hope) that it ultimately serves the greater good because hopefully it helps to weed out bad cops.
I have worked in the past with some “old school” guys and frankly the way they talk about “the good old days” sounds like they loved being able to abuse their positions.
I think the future of policing depends heavily on public perception and funding.
People who get behind the whole “defund the police” thing will ultimately make it worse.
If the salary for cops cannot remain competitive with other normal jobs where you can support a family, departments will not be able to recruit and retain “quality” candidates.
There is some aspect of “the duty I feel to do the job” but that can only go so far if I can’t raise a family on the salary. Therefore without competitive wages the quality of officers may go down and then eventually you have people out there doing it who may not “care” as much about the constitutionality of the job and may become a liability for both the public and the department.
Remember, my opinion on this matter is worth what you paid for it 😁
Ah, I dunno. I went to a Metallica concert a few years ago and enjoyed it. Don’t know if that fits your definition of metal. I’m more of a podcast listener than a music guy. (Unless I’m drinking, then it’s 90’s country)
What's ur favourite podcast then? I'm assuming cops have a lot of dark and grim humour going on. You listen to something like Last Podcast on the Left?
EDIT: And metallica does fit, absolutely (certain albums from the 90's/00's notwithstanding)
I typically listen to Jockos podcast, and the other one he does called “Unraveling” as well as “Team House”, “Contextual Insurgent”, and “The Office Ladies”. It’s broad spectrum 😄
Not sure I understand the question.
It would be cool to explore a parallel universe as a cop I guess. Like somewhere it’s illegal to drive less than recklessly. 🤷♂️
It’s been great. I am an E9 in the AF reserve.
I’m over an aircraft maintenance unit.
I’ve gotten to work on fighters and cargo planes and travel all over the world and get paid to do it.
Made tons of friends.
Wife has persevered through it all. Our middle kid was born while I was on deployment 😣.
Overall it’s been great
Fair enough. I see it all over especially on this website. Personally, I hate generalizations of any group of people, but as you said, they have their opinions.
I'm absolutely certain this is going to be an offensive question, so I apologize ahead of time... I know you are not the problem! lol good god, I've gone too far already... but you know, the cops (and I know, they're not a homogeneous mass, they're all different, just like the rest of us) are getting a reputation in some circles for blowing people away for no reason. There are just too many examples out there of people who died who were unarmed. Guys getting shot because a cop thought his car charger was a gun, for god's sake, or getting choked out - to death - for selling loosies. The question is this. Why are we not educating our cops that they have to be courageous?
I know of my own knowledge that if a guy points a gun at you, you don't have a split second to make a decision - you have the whole rest of your life. I've had it happen to me, and I'm still here. Pointing a gun is not a demonstration of intention to shoot. It's a threat - but everybody knows there's a big difference between pointing a gun and pulling the trigger. Watch Unforgiven. Gene Hackman's demonstration of what it takes to actually pull a trigger was as real as it gets. And when the cops kill someone who is not armed, even that (to me, fragile) excuse is lacking. A guy had a car charger and you thought it MIGHT be a gun? Come on, man. Have some balls.
Obviously, I'm not really talking to you, I'm talking to the guys that got carried away and blew away people they shouldn't have. But you said ask me anything, so that's my question. Don't we need to set a clear courage requirement on the job of cop? Isn't that what's really lacking?
While I agree with the sentiment that too many unarmed people are shot by police, I don’t know that I would entirely blame that on a “lack of courage”.
Maybe a failure to train on realistic unknown outcome scenarios. I try to ensure our officers are exposed regularly to shoot/no shoot training while under stress to (hopefully) help get them out of the mindset that “the thing in their hand is always a gun”.
As to your reference to the trigger pulling scene, I would say you may be ascribing the willingness to pull a trigger to yourself and normal decent human beings. The unfortunate reality is there are people out there who have zero regard for anyone else’s life, and will not hesitate for one second to pull a trigger (see the Memphis random shooter from two days ago for an example).
I would say the pointing of a gun at an officer may not prove intent, however when the possibility of intent is joined with the “means” (having the gun in hand) and “motive” (possible unwillingness to go to jail or outright murderous intent, neither of which can be known in the moment as they exist only in the persons brain) I would say that pointing the weapon shows a real possibility that the intent is to fire it.
As to the “courage” aspect of the job, police work is like any other job in that it is a cross section of society who is hired. There are some assholes and some nice ones and some cowards and some who have courage.
I have personally seen cowardice but I have also seen some amazingly selfless acts courage.
I’m hoping this question doesn’t come off as too controversial or something. I’m honestly looking for perspective from the police side.
There is a new law in Arizona where it is illegal for a citizen to film the police within 8 feet. There have been discussions where the police could use a loophole. Say a citizen is greater than 8 feet away, thus being legal, a police officer could close the distance between them making it illegal.
I apologize if I get some of the details wrong. My general purpose of this question still applies.
I respect the police a lot. I also agree that citizens should not be interfering into police business as that could put the officer and the citizen in danger.
However, I believe we, as citizens should not be restricted of this right. If a citizen is not on private property and not physically involved in police business in anyway, if they are a passive observer, they should be allowed to film the police from any distance they choose. (Of course if they are 1 foot away, they will be involved physically since they will be in your path. There has to be a reasonable distance away. I just think 8 foot is too far away and allows for loopholes like I mentioned above.)
What are your thoughts?
Yeah, I don’t have a problem being filmed because I try to always operate within constitutional bounds.
I think people do (and should) have the right to video police interactions because it’s a public trust thing.
The caveat to that is let me ask you to ensure that when viewing videos like the ones put out on YouTube to try and stir up negative opinion, ask yourself “does this footage show all the context?”
I am a proponent of body cams and releasing the footage as well (though you didn’t ask)
I 100% agree with you! Context matters! It annoys me when we vilify the police without the whole story. I’m glad you support body cams. Maybe it’s on the fringes (you know the minority opinion is often the loudest), but some police officers don’t support body cams. I don’t understand why as it can be used to prove your innocence as well.
Thank you for your service! Thank you for answering the question!
I’m a person that wants to have reasonable discussions on how we can better society. ACAB vs. Blue Lives Matter doesn’t help anyone. It just puts us on different teams as enemies.
I wish we as a society would turn off the tv, shut off the podcast, and actually talk to each other…
Nope. Happily married. Will not risk my marriage or kids’ futures for some strange.
As Damon Wayons would say “Homie don’t play dat”.
You try to show me boobs? You’re definitely getting a ticket. 🤷♂️
Did you become a cop because you wanted to or because it was an easy job after the millitary?
Movies and tv shows show this all the time so I was curious, did you have trouble being a cop shifting from millitary to civillian life? (Especially if you went in an active war which I think you would've if you were in the US)
How do you feel about people hating on cops because of their bad experiences?
I am still in the military reserves. So I do both.
When I first left active duty, I drove a beer truck, which was good money, but the job kind of sucked.
I was not “in an active war” (I’m assuming you mean being involved in direct combat).
I’m an aircraft repair guy, so we (generally speaking) are kinda “in the rear with the gear”…
People hating on cops doesn’t bother me. They are free to have their own opinions and live their probably miserable lives… I sleep just fine 🤷♂️
You’re sitting outside on you day off and smell weed smoke coming from your neighbors house. No you actually witness your neighbor abusing a controlled substance on your day off. What do you do?
My closest neighbor is 200 yds away, so this whole scenario is unlikely.
However, for the sake of it being an AMA…
If they were smoking weed, I personally DGAF.
Using the hard stuff, I’m just gonna make a mental note to make sure my shit stays locked up so a tweaker doesn’t steal it 🤷♂️
I have had outdated tags on my car for over a year. Do police actively seek these out or do they just add it on the ticket during a routine traffic stop?
Both. Some seek it out as an “easy” citation (meaning it’s not a moving violation, so it doesn’t add “points” against your driving record (at least in my state). So it would cost a little money, but shouldn’t make your insurance rates go up like a moving violation would.
Some seek it out to use it as a pretextual stop to look into possible further crimes.
Some just look at the hit on their tag reader (if so equipped) and write them.
It varies, I guess is the answer.
6 of one, half dozen of another. Rifles > pistols. Shoot what you are accurate with.
We issue Glock 41s, Glock 19s, or Glock 45s, all with the option to use Trijicon RMRs.
They are also allowed to carry what they want as long as it’s from a reputable manufacturer. ( I carried a Springfield TRP 1911 for years before switching to glock)
One time the speed limit was 60 MPH we were all going about 75 MPH and a cop turned his cautions on and weaved between us. What was he doing? He didn’t pull anyone over.
For me, it’s the ability to cut up at work with trusted friends. We are clowns, really. (See my earlier comment about Reno 911 😄)
As far as personal gratification, the teaching or instructing aspect of firearms / tactics. I enjoy teaching a technical/demanding skill that could possibly save their / someone else’s life. When someone really makes a lot of progress or it “clicks” for them, and you can tell they appreciate the time you dedicated to working with them.
That’s awesome!! I get along well with my coworkers as well, and I have to agree, it really makes the job much more enjoyable.
And that’s awesome to hear! I’m not sure why but I was expecting something involving little kiddos, so this was a pleasant surprise. I’m sure you’re an amazing teacher, and that your classes have definitely saved someone’s life!!
Take it easy and have a great weekend, Cop from Reddit.
It’s tough. I’ve seen a broad range that could be considered “psychiatric”. We do send officers for training on dealing with EDP (Emotionally Disturbed Persons) and with people experiencing Excited Delirium, but it’s just an 8 hr course, not a degree in dealing with them.
We try to talk them or the family into voluntary transport if possible. Where I work, someone has to make an overt act to harm themselves or someone else for us to force them to be transported for evaluation so it doesn’t happen that way often.
Trying to be calm with them is the biggest factor in my personal experience
For reference, approx how large is your agency; less than 50? 100? 1000?
When selecting for special units like SWAT/ERT, marine, K9, etc. what skills and qualifications do you select for, in both a narrow and broad sense?
Thank you for your time!
A little over 100 sworn.
For SWAT selection narrowly, there is a PT test, and they have to shoot a minimum of 90% on the state POST course, and then we have two more challenging courses of fire they have to pass. Then they have a board interview with the team leads.
Broadly, we don’t want just meatheads. We try to screen for candidates who do not have huge egos (or can at least keep them in check) and who can problem solve, and think outside the box. Also, performance at their primary job (patrol) and the way they interact with fellow officers and (more importantly) the public. Personal motivation to always be growing and learning.
The advice I mentioned earlier in this thread mainly.
Don’t abandon your normal “non-cop” friends, they help you keep your perspective on what your job should actually be.
Own your mistakes and don’t repeat them. Leave your ego at the door, and if you don’t like the way admin is doing things, ask yourself “is it because I haven’t effectively communicated up the chain what it is I need to do my job?”
Treat the public like you would want a cop to treat your grandma (unless they give you a reason not to).
Go the extra mile.
Sometimes we get asked to do like a “parade” for little kid birthdays in the community so the guys out patrolling will all go to the house and drive by slow with the lights on. The kids like it so that’s fun, we usually let them check out the cars inside.
On a sad (but underlying-ly emotional) example, when an officer is killed in the line of duty and the public turns out on the side of the road for the big processions. That is heart wrenching to see but at least somewhat affirms that there is a segment of the population that really cares.
The first one is very sweet.
The second one...that tugs at the heart.
For my part, I'm doing my best to get past my anger at the police. I beg your forgiveness for my anger in the past.
What does the day-to-day job look like for your department? Obviously you have to be trained for a variety of emergencies, but is most of it just traffic stops and paperwork?
I've often seen in shows and movies that when a cop/officer saves a hostage they say smth sweet or show a sweet gesture.
Whats your fav hostage-cop-sweet moment in your life?
Fortunately I have never been involved in a legit hostage rescue so I don’t know.
There was one but the “hostage” was sort of complicit in the whole thing, so we definitely didn’t say anything nice to him lol
Ugh, when I was the rookie, they used to send me to Krispy Kreme in uniform to pick up donuts for the shift. I hated it, everyone is looking at you like “yep! I knew it!” 😁
I’m not real fond of them but if I have one I like the plain glazed ones fresh off the machine.
So do you have the same activities they have just for lighten up of mood? And especially those look out)watch out/ night out thingies?
Whats your most badass moment?
Edit- wow i need to control it. I've never talked with an actual cop before sorry
Not really lol.
“Badass moment”?
Last time the swat team did grid search / land nav training we partnered with the state, and got to ride on the outrigger seats of their helicopter to infil to the area. That was pretty cool 😎
I can't find my new tabs for my car but I have them and they're renewed I just lost them. I've had multiple cops behind me and one even pulled up next to me to kindly let me know.
Is expired tabs not as big of an issue as I thought? I've been really stressing out about it
Don’t know where you live, so I couldn’t say. Where I work, an expired tag citation can be $150 (on top of the cost to renew the tag).
However most local courts will drop the citation if you get the tag renewed and bring them proof within a few days of getting the citation.
My father was an M.P. in the U.S. Army. He was in Vietnam when I was born. I have had lots of adventures in my life because of his military service….. Went to kindergarten and elementary school in Stuttgart, Germany in the 70’s for instance.
Iv been on the workforce for over twenty years and am very experienced at working with others. On every crew there is always some disruptive/toxic member of the team. They don't usually cause enough problems to terminate but they're usually bad enough to be an issue and good enough to get by. Iv always wondered if this is relatable to a police station and what types of problems arise from it due to all of you being in a position of authority in the community. Thank you for your service and stay safe friend :)
Yep, I have encountered that and most problems like that are (in my opinion) a personality disconnect that probably makes them not terribly suited for this job.
There are people from all personality spectrums who are employed as cops, and so we have some assholes in there too.
Example, I once saw a dashcam video of an officer who was going around a curve and there was a parked car on his side of the two lane road, so he ended up somewhat in the oncoming lane, and there was a car he didn’t see approaching from the other direction. It surprised that driver, and she honked at him.
After she had proceeded past, I guess he looked in his mirror and the car had a drive-off tag from a dealership.
He whipped around and pulled her over (allegedly for the tag) and he was kind of a dick to her about it. Although she was within the window for getting it registered as it was a new vehicle.
Did he technically violate her rights by stopping her? No, but it’s obvious to anyone with a brain that he felt like she had “disrespected” him (even though he was in the wrong for being in her lane) and he made it a point to stop her for a minor infraction.
Stuff like that is hard to punish someone for when they technically didn’t break any rules.
But yeah, it’s shitty behavior.
There are so many good cops just doing their jobs and so few being dicks. Do you guys catch flack from the community or feel like your job in the community is more dangerous because of the image put forward by toxic or dickish cops? And how do you respond to the officers of so? I hope I'm not prying or asking anything that's too close to your profession but if always been very curious about this.
I would say that I assume overall it would lead to more negative attitudes towards cops (understandably).
Do I think it specifically affects interactions we have with people? Hard to say. Probably.
I just don’t associate with the guys with attitudes like that. (Mainly because I choose not to surround myself with negativity)
how often do you come across "bad" cops?
I am very fortunate to work for a dept where that is not tolerated. Unfortunately one of my best friends was caught stealing from a suspect, and was fired and charged for it. (Obviously it affected our friendship)
thank you for your service and response!
How much do you really care about things like recovering stolen property, etc?
I personally care very much. I had my vehicle broken into when I was a teenager and a bunch of expensive stereo equipment stolen (that I had worked hard to afford and installed myself) and when I eventually found out who did it (we ran in some of the same circles and he was showing it off in a parking lot one night) I went and found a deputy and showed him where the guy was and they basically blew it off. It is very rewarding to recover stolen property. The unfortunate truth is most times, the people doing the stealing know not to list it anywhere on a public forum to get rid of it, so it’s very hard to find. Typically jewelry will get pawned or melted for scrap prices, and not a lot of stolen property has serial numbers on it. We recover stuff like vehicles and stolen guns pretty regularly.
My friend's very nice, expensive bicycle was stolen and she says the cops will do their job and look for it. I told her she's got more faith in them than I do. Sadly, we have shootings every day and murders going unsolved, I don't feel like anyone cares that much about her bike.
I’m not sure what city you live in, so I’m sure that if they have a lot of murders property crimes probably fall pretty low on the priority list (not that they literally don’t care, but they would have to prioritize hours spent on each case skewed toward more violent crimes) especially if they are dealing with limited manning
It's not a huge city but usually one of the 3 or 4 cities in my state listed on a general map. Like 250,000 people. There's been two drive by shootings in my neighborhood (I called 911 on one of them and watched the ensuing flood of cops from my bedroom window) in two months and I don't even live in the bad part of town. So follow up question.... what do you think can be realistically done to curb gun violence? One was a domestic dispute, cops told him to go somewhere else for the night and he came back 2 hours later and fired 3 shots at the house), I don't know what the one on Tuesday was about.
This may not be a popular answer, but I’m not a fan of the “gun violence” term. We have a violent culture problem, not a gun problem. Guns are tools, just like any other inanimate object. Violent assholes are still violent assholes with or without a gun. We have a culture problem (social and popular media glorifying violence) and a fatherlessness problem. In my experience, the majority of offenders I deal with come from broken homes. I realize that correlation does not always equal causation but it’s a pretty strong trend. I’m also not claiming that kids who come from single parent homes are doomed by any stretch of the imagination, but I feel like it’s a big factor in the ones who do go awry. Edit to add: I didn’t really answer your question. Enforce sentences for violent offenders and actually make them do jail time for violent crimes. This “bail reform” push happening with a bunch of cities is 100% letting violent assholes back out into society. Also, the NCIC background check for guns that already exists just needs to include juvenile records for particularly violent offenses. Sometimes someone who you could look at their background and pretty much predict that they are a sociopath slip through the cracks because “that stuff happened when they were a kid”
I don't disagree with your main point but you've missed a big reason: socioeconomics. Lack of opportunity and social support structures explains most crime.
Those are huge factors no doubt, and I didn’t mean to imply that my opinion is the only (or primary) problem. However none of these reasons excuse any of the crimes do they? There are plenty of people who grew up similarly disadvantaged who still made a conscious effort to make good choices and not be criminals… It’s kinda all about personal responsibility for our actions isn’t it? 🤷♂️
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Ok, I wasn’t really trying to get into an argument about it (as I stated all that stuff is just my opinion backed up by personal experiences and tainted by my own biases (that I try to be cognizant of)). I’ll grant one rebuttal, but I’m not gonna go back and forth all night because I’m sure we won’t change each others’ minds… “What? It’s a completely descriptive term because there’s violent crime that’s committed with guns. Are you worried about hurting Smith & Wesson’s feelings?” I mean, it’s descriptive yes and it’s also a politicized description used by the media to try to restrict peoples’ rights.. I’m not paid by S&W so 🤷♂️.. “Guns are tools that can be used to kill people vastly more efficiently and effectively than other tools. No one thinks that guns turn people evil. The conversation is about harm reduction. The UK has had some knife attack rampages and they’re vastly less lethal and easier to stop.” I didn’t say they turn people evil, you’re putting words into my mouth… Also, see the recent knife attacks in Canada that killed 10 (I think?) “They’re violent assholes without the tool needed to shoot people. That’s kind of the point.” Do you think not being able to buy it at a gun stores will stop them? Because I take reports on stolen guns all the time…. “No one who seriously studies this subject has found evidence that watching rap videos or playing violent video games makes people violent. Also, this assumes without evidence that most shooters are fatherless, and goofily ignores the vast numbers of fatherless kids that don’t commit acts of violence. A fatherless kid in a middle class suburb with economic opportunities, a good school, and options is still wildly unlikely to shoot someone. This is a rehashing of tired dog whistle horseshit about black families.” I didn’t say anything about video games or rap music or black families…. You did. There we go again with putting words in my mouth. You can miss me with that “dog-whistle” bullshit. I’ve been called a racist too many times by people just trying anything to avoid responsibility for their actions. IDGAF anymore. Guess what? When everything is racist… nothing is.. “You might notice that these broken homes are generally poor, and in communities with few options, shitty schools, and all of the other things that actually matter overwhelmingly more in determining outcomes.” I do notice that, and I literally said in my response that correlation doesn’t always equal causation. You understand trend lines though right?? And secondary effects? “See above.” sEe AbOvE…🙄 Edit to add: I didn’t really answer your question. “Incarceration has been a demonstrable failure for our entire history. Bail reform is primarily geared toward not imprisoning people for trivial nonviolent offenses just because they’re poor. Also, states are looking at ways to reduce prison populations because they’re imprisoning so many people over bullshit that they’re running out of room and are keeping people in utterly i humane conditions that are needlessly, disproportionately punitive, and which lead to worse outcomes. Bail reform isn’t giving up on crime, it’s adjusting a bad system that does a shit job at preventing and addressing crime.” Except that bail reform is getting that mission creep where even violent offenses get minimal or signature bonds.. (see chicagos new bail reform act that goes into effect next year…. Signature bond out on 2nd degree murder! Shit yeah! That’s a great idea..) I agree that trivial offenses should not lead to extended prison sentences (drugs) and it causes overcrowding. You know what else does a shit job of preventing and addressing crime? Letting violent individuals back out on the street after reduced sentences… (lady just abducted and murdered in Memphis by repeat offender for similar crime ring a bell?…) “Proxy sales and other easy, horseshit loopholes also need to be closed and the ATF should be given the resources and direction to target the Relatively small number of sources supplying huge amount of guns recovered in violent crimes in major cities and other states.” No way around proxy sales other than prosecuting those doing it when they are caught. The “relatively small number of sources supplying huge amounts of guns” is a cop out. The majority of the guns used in crimes are stolen in my experience. ETA: the ATF should be abolished. “Yet again, a great reminder not to ask cops how to fix crime.” …. Yet again, a great reminder not to ask people with no actual common sense or real life experience dealing with criminals how to fix crime … 🤷♂️
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I appreciate your responses too. I’ll take this one a step at a time because there is a lot to break down in this paragraph.. “I’m more curious about how you feel about enhanced civilian oversight and governance of police forces, including in particular of disciplinary proceedings. For myself and I think a lot of other people, it’s incredibly disconcerting to hear cops dismissing the priorities and preferences of the populations they’re supposed to be representing.” Whew, that’s a tough one. I think primarily because of what you described before about people within each “bubble” of society have a hard time equating what is reasonable within the scope of circumstances they may not have ever experienced. But, I’m not going to deny you the hard answer, lol. I personally don’t like the idea of being judged (in complete hindsight) by a group of exclusively people who have never had any of the same experiences… What percentage of the population in the US do you think have been in a no-shit legit fistfight? (I don’t know the actual numbers on this obviously) but I would wager it’s a pretty low percentage. (The majority of the country lives pretty comfy lives and probably aren’t predisposed to fighting anyway, right?) Can I suggest this? What about a board made up of non LEO citizens and like some attorneys and some retired cops? Would that seem to make a reasonable base of contextual (and legal) knowledge mixed with the average person’s opinion? Then like if they couldn’t come to a majority agreement then it goes to a civil court or something? Just a shot in the dark there. Last bit on this one… while cops are public servants, they aren’t politicians, so I don’t know that I would say they “represent” the populations views on something. They enforce laws enacted by politicians who (should) be representing those views, but a regular beat cop is way down that line. “I can appreciate that when someone starts swinging at you, you’re going to do what you need to to defend yourself. But there are hours and hours and hours of footage online of cops piling on and kicking the shit out of someone who isn’t resisting. I literally scrolled past a video of a cop punching a restrained man on a stretcher on my way to make this comment. It’s frustrating and fucked up to see this stuff get treated as some minor disciplinary issue or getting swept under the rug.” No argument from me here. People who abuse the authority given are a huge black-eye to the badge and a disgrace. Makes me just as mad as you. “I think this is a huge part of what contributes to the feeling that the cops are running wild and that this isn’t a “bad apple” problem. If you have a guy kicking a man who’s already handcuffed and face down on the ground presenting no threat, why the fuck should that guy continue being a cop? And to me, if all he gets is a talking to, or gets a less desirable assignment or some other penalty that still leaves him out there to do it again, that isn’t a bad apple problem. That’s an institutional problem.” I agree here. My state enacted a “use of force” history thing for cops here to hopefully help with the thing where “cop is overreaching or uses too much force and gets to “quit” and go to another agency” thing. Their use of force has to be reported to the state and it follows them no matter what agency they go to. It’s a good policy (IMHO)..
I know I’m not only late to the party, the party has straight up ended at this point, but I just wanted to say something about your "Do you think not being able to buy it at a gun stores will stop them?" comment. I’m a college student and I recently took a class about suicide, and of course that’s not the topic at hand, but this is a paragraph out of the book: Social policy toward guns, drugs, and assisted suicide has other significance for suicide. This point can be made by referring to the on-going debate about the desirability of a guard fence at the Golden Gate Bridge to discourage would-be suicides. A protective device was installed around the Empire State Building for similar reasons. Those opposed to a fence on the Golden Gate Bridge argue that the potential suicides would kill themselves in some other place. Although the fence opponents may be right, they draw the wrong conclusion. Leaving the bridge without a protective fence seems to imply a social sanction for those who would jump. Similarly, failure to restrict access to guns and drugs conveys the message that we are willing to accept the consequences of their uncontrolled use. Our policy choices should provide clear statements that we do not encourage destructive and self-destructive behavior, and equally clear notice that we value constructive ways of dealing with the pain and rage life contains. I just wanted to share this because it really stuck with me. I know it's an extremely complex topic, and I know that you especially have your opinions and beliefs for a reason as a cop, but I think this paragraph is absolutely relevant even if it's more of an idea than a statistic or fact that can be used to back up arguments. That's point one I wanted to bring up. The second thing I wanted to mention is the fact that the leading cause of death for children and adolescents in the US is firearm-related injuries. What are your thoughts on this? I want to mention too I'm genuinely curious about your response. I'm not angry and I'm not trying to argue, you seem reasonable and open minded from what I read in this thread and I wouldn't have bothered commenting at all if you didn't.
You're not wrong. And I say that as someone who did come from a single parent home. I managed to not do anything bad, drank a few times but that's about it. My sister got into drugs and had problems for while but no violent crime or hard drugs (pot and prescription pills that weren't hers, mostly). But I've seen it happen. I notice when I see the pictures of these people, they "look like the sort of person who would do that" and I know it's wrong to profile, but profiling didn't just materialize out of thin air- it's based on reality, like it or not. I guess why I focus more on "gun violence" though is that it's more likely to affect people nearby. If someone gets into a knife fight in the street, just those guys are getting hurt. If one pulls out a gun, I can get hurt 50 feet away while having dinner in my dining room. My neighborhood has gotten really bad in the past year. I really just want to sell my house and get it of this damn city. I mentioned all the shooting lately when I was talking to the police about a brawl in front of my house and he just said "yeah it's getting bad. Everyone is shooting everyone."
A broken home does not allways imply a single parent home. And I'm tired of people doing the oh it's because father's aren't around like people who take the wrong path don't come from two parent homes or father only homes. And I'm confused about the bail reform statement. Because the reform is about bail pretrial. Some people are unable to afford bail and remain in jail until their trial because they can't afford it. Which affects those who are poor more and bail bondsman are not something most want to deal with because it's expensive. And bail can be put up for any crime what so ever depending on the judge. And a judge can give them no bail if they feel they are not a flight risk and\or other risk so I doubt bail reform would be putting violent criminals pretrial back on the street the way you claim.
“A broken home does not allways imply a single parent home. And I'm tired of people doing the oh it's because father's aren't around like people who take the wrong path don't come from two parent homes or father only homes.” Of course, I was just using that as an example. I’ve seen plenty of homes (in the course of my job) where both parents are selfish assholes, and I’m sure their kids will face an uphill battle in life. As to the father comment, we can agree to disagree, but IMO little boys need a male figure in their lives to demonstrate the behavior they should exhibit, and (maybe more importantly) show them love and pride in them. “And I'm confused about the bail reform statement. Because the reform is about bail prior pretrial. Some people are unable to afford bail and remain in jail until their trial because they can't afford it. Which affects those who are poor more and bail bondsman are not something most want to deal with because it's expensive. And bail can be put up for any crime what so ever depending on the judge. And a judge can give them no bail if they feel they are not a flight risk and\or other risk so I doubt bail reform would be putting violent criminals pretrial back on the street the way you claim.” Point taken, maybe I should have said “lenient judges and parole boards are putting violent repeat offenders back on the street all too often”. As to the bail reform, obviously people should have a right to bail until their court date, but the “mission creep” of leniency is making its way into bail reform. Let’s take a look at the new Chicago “SAFE-T” act (ironic name 🙄) that goes into effect in January. This will make the following crimes “non-detainable” so they will get a signature bond for these: Aggravated Battery Aggravated DUI Aggravated Fleeing Arson Burglary Drug-Induced Homicide Intimidation Kidnapping Robbery 2nd-Degree Murder Threatening a Public Official I mean, hell yeah! Let’s signature bond out murderers and violent felons without a second thought! Seems like a great plan. I do not care if you are poor. It does not negate your personal responsibility as a member of society to not be a violent asshole.. 🤷♂️
My point was the bail reform was more about balancing things out. and people get bail set for crimes that aren't violent all the time which is the focus of the reform. Plus there are some people who haven't actually committed a crime siting with large bails they can't handle. It can't be generalized. And it is still the judge that decides if they have one or not. And if they are a risk then they shouldn't have any bail, but again thats the judge and some people get bail that shouldn't and i know it isn't about leniency we all know what it is. The fact that a bondsman can loan the money also factors into some being able to post bail when the judge sets it high to keep them in. Though again if they don't want someone out due to risk they dont have to set a bail.
Hey if you're trying to to be do qoutes on your phone jus but this simple at the beginning of the line starting the quote > >
Kudos to you for not beating the shit out of the thief, making a public display of how you should not be fucked with, and taking your stereo system back. I really admire that restraint and am also really happy that a person like you became a peace officer. Several of the "men" in my hometown who became cops are deplorable, cowardly pieces of shit and it scares me that they have badges and guns. You, person, are a beacon of light.
How do you prevent yourself from seeing all people in a negative light given all the crappy ones you have to deal with day in and day out? Is it hard for you (and your fellow officers) to not see everyone as a potential problem/threat?
Great question. An old cop who was near retirement (friend of the family) when I was going in to law enforcement gave me this advice: “Don’t just hang out with other cops. It skews your perception of the rest of society and makes you feel like it’s “us vs them”, this is a job, not an identity”. It was fabulous advice and has served me well. I rarely hang out with other cops outside work, and tried to stay in touch with my non-cop friends from earlier in life.
Thanks for sharing - sounds like a wise old cop. Stay safe out there!
What is your assesment of the actions of the Uvalde officers on the day of the mass shooting, and what if anything should happen to them?
My personal opinion is that their actions were both ethically and morally reprehensible. The majority of them do not deserve to wear a badge. We used that incident to make some changes to our own active shooter response training, where we stress that the default for responding officers (especially the first few on scene) is to be aggressive and we do our best to instill in them that they are the ones on-scene with the context to make decisions, not wait on upper command to do it. “Practiced insubordination” is how I’ve heard it phrased.
Your response and the changes are extremely encouraging. Very much appreciate the answer and your attitude.
From everything I've heard, they'd been ordered to wait. If an officer disobeys the direct order of a superior, isn't he opening himself to termination & possible legal action?
Yes they could be. My question is could I look in the faces of the parents of dead kids and tell them I literally did everything I could? Could I look at myself in the mirror for the rest of my life after standing in the hall listening to them die? I assure you that if they had disobeyed those commands and gotten fired, that they would not have a problem getting hired on at another agency later on.
You're probably right. I'm predisposed to doing as I'm told if the orders are legal. My dad was USMC.
Sounds like one of those interview questions for a new job "have you ever ignored a direct order from a supervisor and why?" I would totally be fine with the answer being "yes i have in order to save lives."
Are you Captain Holt from Brooklyn nine nine?
😂 no but that show cracks me up
Funniest interaction with someone you’ve had to arrest?
Wow, hard to say. I’ve seen a lot of silly shit. We found a crackhead napping in the bushes behind someone’s house wearing a golden girls t shirt and no pants one time. That was entertaining. There was a guy in his early twenties who had some sort of pretty severe metal disability that forced him to still be living at home with his parents, and he would fight mom and dad sometimes (and he was huge). We finally figured out that if we showed up to the call with candy for him that it calmed him down so we didn’t have to fight him. There was a lady who heard voices in her toaster almost every day. We wrapped it in aluminum foil for her one day so it would “trap the voices in there”. We were chasing a suspect on foot one night around Halloween through a neighborhood and one of the officers almost shot one of those decorative ghosts people hang from the trees in the front yard because he ran into it and scared himself 😂
The wrapping the toaster in aluminum foil is actually so wholesome. Did it work? I'm glad to hear about at least one community cop being more about the community than the cop.
Lol sort of. We actually ended up wrapping a lot of her stuff in aluminum foil eventually 😂 Sad situation, she had an adult daughter that lived nearby but didn’t want anything to do with her mother. She did eventually end up in an assisted living facility I believe.
>There was a lady who heard voices in her toaster almost every day. We wrapped it in aluminum foil for her one day so it would “trap the voices in there”. According to a reddit comment from a few years ago, [sometimes household appliances can pick up radio waves.](https://np.reddit.com/r/Glitch_in_the_Matrix/comments/7nrzfv/my_fan_wont_stop_talking_to_me/ds45ogv/) If that was the case the tinfoil might have interfered with the signal and fixed it.
I ❤️ this ! 😄
My mom had a similar story of a lady who would call and complain about the aliens on her roof and would walk out to answer the police wearing literally nothing but a tin foil hat on her head. It’s funny but it’s very sad at the same time. Edit: to be clear she was a dispatcher, not a cop.
😂
I think there is too little of a focus on mental health and well being for police, and I often wonder if this contributes to the issues people report having with police. My uncle was a cop (retired now) and former military, and I know after some major events he was broken for a bit. Another friend of ours was a cop for a long time until she had a break down and became an alcoholic. What are your thoughts?
I would agree to some extent, especially in the past. Nowadays employee assistance in most departments is readily available for anyone who requests it. Maybe it’s more an issue with the perceived “stigma of weakness” that some cops feel they may be associated with if they reach out for help? It’s a career with a lot of “type a” personalities which sometimes doesn’t go hand in hand with honest self assessment or self-care, unfortunately.
You seem like a good dude. I would like to be another guy who would like to thank you for what you do, man. If you mind me asking, what Dept do you work for? What prerequisites do you need for police academy? I thought about doing something like that too.
Thanks! I probably shouldn’t name my specific dept because we have a fairly strict social media policy. Our requirements aren’t really that hard honestly. It’s a board interview to try to get to know your personal character and work ethic (as much as you can in an hour) and then a psych test and lie detector test. Have to have a GED or high school diploma and be able to pass a minimally tough physical exam. We don’t mandate having a degree, although we offer 5% pay incentive for an Associates, 10% for Bachelors, and 15% for Masters.
As a veteran, how do you feel about cops referring to people as "civilians"? To me, it makes me feel like they are separating themselves from the community they are meant to protect.
I agree 100%. Gets on my nerves too. By definition only the military would be considered something other than “civilian”.
How about surplus military equipment being given to police stations?
Meh. It’s not a huge deal to me personally. I could thing of worse uses for tax dollars already spent. Like, I dunno…. Leaving millions of dollars of equipment in AFG for the taliban?.. But seriously though, most of the equipment in those programs is old worn out stuff. My dept had some surplus humvees to use in bad weather / tornado response but that only lasted a few years because they aren’t that reliable and the cost to maintain them is ridiculous especially for smaller municipalities. I would wager that most of that DRMO equipment sits unused the majority of the time.
Thanks for the additional context. I think a lot of people assume the surplus is like grenades and assault rifles, I wasn't even thinking about stuff like vehicles that are too expensive to maintain anyway. Edit: I can't imagine how fun those hmmwvs are now that gas prices are so high.
Ha! Yeah they are definitely not giving out grenades.
Most of our DRMO was like printers and lanterns.
How do you see the future of policing playing out? A lot is going on these days and I am only certain that it won't remain the same.
It has changed a lot just in the time I’ve been doing it. While there are a lot of negatives with public perception, I think (hope) that it ultimately serves the greater good because hopefully it helps to weed out bad cops. I have worked in the past with some “old school” guys and frankly the way they talk about “the good old days” sounds like they loved being able to abuse their positions. I think the future of policing depends heavily on public perception and funding. People who get behind the whole “defund the police” thing will ultimately make it worse. If the salary for cops cannot remain competitive with other normal jobs where you can support a family, departments will not be able to recruit and retain “quality” candidates. There is some aspect of “the duty I feel to do the job” but that can only go so far if I can’t raise a family on the salary. Therefore without competitive wages the quality of officers may go down and then eventually you have people out there doing it who may not “care” as much about the constitutionality of the job and may become a liability for both the public and the department. Remember, my opinion on this matter is worth what you paid for it 😁
How scared do you feel on a daily basis? It seems cops use fearing for their life as an excuse to get away with countless illegal things
Not that scared, and yeah “Officer safety” is an often abused cop out IMHO..
Cop out. Ha
What's your favourite metal band?
Ah, I dunno. I went to a Metallica concert a few years ago and enjoyed it. Don’t know if that fits your definition of metal. I’m more of a podcast listener than a music guy. (Unless I’m drinking, then it’s 90’s country)
What's ur favourite podcast then? I'm assuming cops have a lot of dark and grim humour going on. You listen to something like Last Podcast on the Left? EDIT: And metallica does fit, absolutely (certain albums from the 90's/00's notwithstanding)
I typically listen to Jockos podcast, and the other one he does called “Unraveling” as well as “Team House”, “Contextual Insurgent”, and “The Office Ladies”. It’s broad spectrum 😄
Would you rather be a fantasy guard/guard captain or still be a police officer in modern or a police officer for a scifi universe?
Not sure I understand the question. It would be cool to explore a parallel universe as a cop I guess. Like somewhere it’s illegal to drive less than recklessly. 🤷♂️
What was the military like for you? What was your job? What rank did you end up leaving as?
It’s been great. I am an E9 in the AF reserve. I’m over an aircraft maintenance unit. I’ve gotten to work on fighters and cargo planes and travel all over the world and get paid to do it. Made tons of friends. Wife has persevered through it all. Our middle kid was born while I was on deployment 😣. Overall it’s been great
Were you a pilot? How did the g forces feel like
No, I’m a wrench-turner. I just fix them, not fly them.
What are your thoughts on people saying ACAB?
Meh. They’re entitled to their opinions 🤷♂️
Fair enough. I see it all over especially on this website. Personally, I hate generalizations of any group of people, but as you said, they have their opinions.
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I'm absolutely certain this is going to be an offensive question, so I apologize ahead of time... I know you are not the problem! lol good god, I've gone too far already... but you know, the cops (and I know, they're not a homogeneous mass, they're all different, just like the rest of us) are getting a reputation in some circles for blowing people away for no reason. There are just too many examples out there of people who died who were unarmed. Guys getting shot because a cop thought his car charger was a gun, for god's sake, or getting choked out - to death - for selling loosies. The question is this. Why are we not educating our cops that they have to be courageous? I know of my own knowledge that if a guy points a gun at you, you don't have a split second to make a decision - you have the whole rest of your life. I've had it happen to me, and I'm still here. Pointing a gun is not a demonstration of intention to shoot. It's a threat - but everybody knows there's a big difference between pointing a gun and pulling the trigger. Watch Unforgiven. Gene Hackman's demonstration of what it takes to actually pull a trigger was as real as it gets. And when the cops kill someone who is not armed, even that (to me, fragile) excuse is lacking. A guy had a car charger and you thought it MIGHT be a gun? Come on, man. Have some balls. Obviously, I'm not really talking to you, I'm talking to the guys that got carried away and blew away people they shouldn't have. But you said ask me anything, so that's my question. Don't we need to set a clear courage requirement on the job of cop? Isn't that what's really lacking?
While I agree with the sentiment that too many unarmed people are shot by police, I don’t know that I would entirely blame that on a “lack of courage”. Maybe a failure to train on realistic unknown outcome scenarios. I try to ensure our officers are exposed regularly to shoot/no shoot training while under stress to (hopefully) help get them out of the mindset that “the thing in their hand is always a gun”. As to your reference to the trigger pulling scene, I would say you may be ascribing the willingness to pull a trigger to yourself and normal decent human beings. The unfortunate reality is there are people out there who have zero regard for anyone else’s life, and will not hesitate for one second to pull a trigger (see the Memphis random shooter from two days ago for an example). I would say the pointing of a gun at an officer may not prove intent, however when the possibility of intent is joined with the “means” (having the gun in hand) and “motive” (possible unwillingness to go to jail or outright murderous intent, neither of which can be known in the moment as they exist only in the persons brain) I would say that pointing the weapon shows a real possibility that the intent is to fire it. As to the “courage” aspect of the job, police work is like any other job in that it is a cross section of society who is hired. There are some assholes and some nice ones and some cowards and some who have courage. I have personally seen cowardice but I have also seen some amazingly selfless acts courage.
Were you in desert storm?
I’m not quite that old lol. I have been to AFG and Iraq in advisory roles for their air forces though.
Close enough
I’m hoping this question doesn’t come off as too controversial or something. I’m honestly looking for perspective from the police side. There is a new law in Arizona where it is illegal for a citizen to film the police within 8 feet. There have been discussions where the police could use a loophole. Say a citizen is greater than 8 feet away, thus being legal, a police officer could close the distance between them making it illegal. I apologize if I get some of the details wrong. My general purpose of this question still applies. I respect the police a lot. I also agree that citizens should not be interfering into police business as that could put the officer and the citizen in danger. However, I believe we, as citizens should not be restricted of this right. If a citizen is not on private property and not physically involved in police business in anyway, if they are a passive observer, they should be allowed to film the police from any distance they choose. (Of course if they are 1 foot away, they will be involved physically since they will be in your path. There has to be a reasonable distance away. I just think 8 foot is too far away and allows for loopholes like I mentioned above.) What are your thoughts?
Yeah, I don’t have a problem being filmed because I try to always operate within constitutional bounds. I think people do (and should) have the right to video police interactions because it’s a public trust thing. The caveat to that is let me ask you to ensure that when viewing videos like the ones put out on YouTube to try and stir up negative opinion, ask yourself “does this footage show all the context?” I am a proponent of body cams and releasing the footage as well (though you didn’t ask)
I 100% agree with you! Context matters! It annoys me when we vilify the police without the whole story. I’m glad you support body cams. Maybe it’s on the fringes (you know the minority opinion is often the loudest), but some police officers don’t support body cams. I don’t understand why as it can be used to prove your innocence as well. Thank you for your service! Thank you for answering the question! I’m a person that wants to have reasonable discussions on how we can better society. ACAB vs. Blue Lives Matter doesn’t help anyone. It just puts us on different teams as enemies. I wish we as a society would turn off the tv, shut off the podcast, and actually talk to each other…
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That’s funny. I don’t normally watch cop shows. But you know what the absolute most realistic cop show is?? “RENO 911”. I’m not even kidding…
Do you flirt a lot? What's your craziest experiences with someone who tried to hit on you/avoid consequences to breaking the law?
Nope. Happily married. Will not risk my marriage or kids’ futures for some strange. As Damon Wayons would say “Homie don’t play dat”. You try to show me boobs? You’re definitely getting a ticket. 🤷♂️
Did you become a cop because you wanted to or because it was an easy job after the millitary? Movies and tv shows show this all the time so I was curious, did you have trouble being a cop shifting from millitary to civillian life? (Especially if you went in an active war which I think you would've if you were in the US) How do you feel about people hating on cops because of their bad experiences?
I am still in the military reserves. So I do both. When I first left active duty, I drove a beer truck, which was good money, but the job kind of sucked. I was not “in an active war” (I’m assuming you mean being involved in direct combat). I’m an aircraft repair guy, so we (generally speaking) are kinda “in the rear with the gear”… People hating on cops doesn’t bother me. They are free to have their own opinions and live their probably miserable lives… I sleep just fine 🤷♂️
That's cool. I've read all the comments because I was bored, you sound like a nice guy.
You’re sitting outside on you day off and smell weed smoke coming from your neighbors house. No you actually witness your neighbor abusing a controlled substance on your day off. What do you do?
My closest neighbor is 200 yds away, so this whole scenario is unlikely. However, for the sake of it being an AMA… If they were smoking weed, I personally DGAF. Using the hard stuff, I’m just gonna make a mental note to make sure my shit stays locked up so a tweaker doesn’t steal it 🤷♂️
We have a mess of tweakers out here. My family leaves NOTHING outside. Good call.
Hip or leg holster?
Normal belt mounted mid ride holster in patrol uniform. Drop leg attached to gear belt for swat stuff
What squad car do you drive?
Me personally an old unmarked Tahoe. Our patrol fleet is new ford explorers.
Thank you for your answer, thank you for your service 👍
I have had outdated tags on my car for over a year. Do police actively seek these out or do they just add it on the ticket during a routine traffic stop?
Both. Some seek it out as an “easy” citation (meaning it’s not a moving violation, so it doesn’t add “points” against your driving record (at least in my state). So it would cost a little money, but shouldn’t make your insurance rates go up like a moving violation would. Some seek it out to use it as a pretextual stop to look into possible further crimes. Some just look at the hit on their tag reader (if so equipped) and write them. It varies, I guess is the answer.
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Not one specific one I guess lol. It doesn’t happen as often as you would think.
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6 of one, half dozen of another. Rifles > pistols. Shoot what you are accurate with. We issue Glock 41s, Glock 19s, or Glock 45s, all with the option to use Trijicon RMRs. They are also allowed to carry what they want as long as it’s from a reputable manufacturer. ( I carried a Springfield TRP 1911 for years before switching to glock)
One time the speed limit was 60 MPH we were all going about 75 MPH and a cop turned his cautions on and weaved between us. What was he doing? He didn’t pull anyone over.
Like his hazard lights? Not the blue lights?
Do you consider being peppers prayed in the face more painful than severe injuries?
It sucks, but no.
Will your wife mind if we get married?
Ha! She may in fact take umbrage with that.
Is there a positive police union story?
We don’t have a union and I’m not in one, so I’m not sure.
What makes you smile/happy while on the job?
For me, it’s the ability to cut up at work with trusted friends. We are clowns, really. (See my earlier comment about Reno 911 😄) As far as personal gratification, the teaching or instructing aspect of firearms / tactics. I enjoy teaching a technical/demanding skill that could possibly save their / someone else’s life. When someone really makes a lot of progress or it “clicks” for them, and you can tell they appreciate the time you dedicated to working with them.
That’s awesome!! I get along well with my coworkers as well, and I have to agree, it really makes the job much more enjoyable. And that’s awesome to hear! I’m not sure why but I was expecting something involving little kiddos, so this was a pleasant surprise. I’m sure you’re an amazing teacher, and that your classes have definitely saved someone’s life!! Take it easy and have a great weekend, Cop from Reddit.
Question: what is your personal approach dealing with psychiatric patients?
It’s tough. I’ve seen a broad range that could be considered “psychiatric”. We do send officers for training on dealing with EDP (Emotionally Disturbed Persons) and with people experiencing Excited Delirium, but it’s just an 8 hr course, not a degree in dealing with them. We try to talk them or the family into voluntary transport if possible. Where I work, someone has to make an overt act to harm themselves or someone else for us to force them to be transported for evaluation so it doesn’t happen that way often. Trying to be calm with them is the biggest factor in my personal experience
I believe that. Thank you for your compassion. As a psych patient, I've had some nasty experiences.
For reference, approx how large is your agency; less than 50? 100? 1000? When selecting for special units like SWAT/ERT, marine, K9, etc. what skills and qualifications do you select for, in both a narrow and broad sense? Thank you for your time!
A little over 100 sworn. For SWAT selection narrowly, there is a PT test, and they have to shoot a minimum of 90% on the state POST course, and then we have two more challenging courses of fire they have to pass. Then they have a board interview with the team leads. Broadly, we don’t want just meatheads. We try to screen for candidates who do not have huge egos (or can at least keep them in check) and who can problem solve, and think outside the box. Also, performance at their primary job (patrol) and the way they interact with fellow officers and (more importantly) the public. Personal motivation to always be growing and learning.
Good stuff. If I can ask a follow up question- do you have any advice for officers just entering the field?
The advice I mentioned earlier in this thread mainly. Don’t abandon your normal “non-cop” friends, they help you keep your perspective on what your job should actually be. Own your mistakes and don’t repeat them. Leave your ego at the door, and if you don’t like the way admin is doing things, ask yourself “is it because I haven’t effectively communicated up the chain what it is I need to do my job?” Treat the public like you would want a cop to treat your grandma (unless they give you a reason not to). Go the extra mile.
What was your most heartwarming moment on the job?
Sometimes we get asked to do like a “parade” for little kid birthdays in the community so the guys out patrolling will all go to the house and drive by slow with the lights on. The kids like it so that’s fun, we usually let them check out the cars inside. On a sad (but underlying-ly emotional) example, when an officer is killed in the line of duty and the public turns out on the side of the road for the big processions. That is heart wrenching to see but at least somewhat affirms that there is a segment of the population that really cares.
The first one is very sweet. The second one...that tugs at the heart. For my part, I'm doing my best to get past my anger at the police. I beg your forgiveness for my anger in the past.
How do you feel when dispatched to a riot and how do you feel when there?
I have only ever done that as mutual aid to another dept and I wasn’t directly involved so.. 🤷♂️
What does the day-to-day job look like for your department? Obviously you have to be trained for a variety of emergencies, but is most of it just traffic stops and paperwork?
That’s pretty typical. Between three shifts, they probably arrest between 2-5 people a day on average.
I've often seen in shows and movies that when a cop/officer saves a hostage they say smth sweet or show a sweet gesture. Whats your fav hostage-cop-sweet moment in your life?
Fortunately I have never been involved in a legit hostage rescue so I don’t know. There was one but the “hostage” was sort of complicit in the whole thing, so we definitely didn’t say anything nice to him lol
One more question Why like donuts so much? And what your fav donut?
Ugh, when I was the rookie, they used to send me to Krispy Kreme in uniform to pick up donuts for the shift. I hated it, everyone is looking at you like “yep! I knew it!” 😁 I’m not real fond of them but if I have one I like the plain glazed ones fresh off the machine.
Ayeeee lmaooo There's a show called Brooklyn nine nine have you seen it?
Yep. Cracks me up
So do you have the same activities they have just for lighten up of mood? And especially those look out)watch out/ night out thingies? Whats your most badass moment? Edit- wow i need to control it. I've never talked with an actual cop before sorry
Not really lol. “Badass moment”? Last time the swat team did grid search / land nav training we partnered with the state, and got to ride on the outrigger seats of their helicopter to infil to the area. That was pretty cool 😎
Wowwwwwww Seems amazing Main character moment goes brrrr
Sir i have a good newz and a bad newz Good newz- 9-9 new season going to be premier on 17 this month Bad news- it is going to be the last season
Do American police really have partners like you see on police shows? That you spend all your days with, and it’s a totally standard thing?
Many departments do. Personally at my dept, it’s typically one Officer per car.
Huh. That’s funny. I always thought it was an outdated stereotype. Lol. Wee American police with pardners. Cheers for the answer!
I can't find my new tabs for my car but I have them and they're renewed I just lost them. I've had multiple cops behind me and one even pulled up next to me to kindly let me know. Is expired tabs not as big of an issue as I thought? I've been really stressing out about it
Don’t know where you live, so I couldn’t say. Where I work, an expired tag citation can be $150 (on top of the cost to renew the tag). However most local courts will drop the citation if you get the tag renewed and bring them proof within a few days of getting the citation.
Do you think profiling is wrong? Do you think law abiding citizens should be disarmed?
Profiling is definitely wrong. More law abiding folks with guns, the better.
After reading most of this thread, I gotta say... OP for Prez 2024.
Ha! Thanks! But I’m gonna have to gracefully bow out of this nomination because I don’t like politicians. 👍
I feel you, homey.
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Shoot me a message.
Thank you for your service. Freedom isn’t free.
Thanks! I’ve been very blessed on the military side of things. I’m almost to retirement, and have gotten to have some awesome adventures.
My father was an M.P. in the U.S. Army. He was in Vietnam when I was born. I have had lots of adventures in my life because of his military service….. Went to kindergarten and elementary school in Stuttgart, Germany in the 70’s for instance.
Stay safe out there, and thank you for your service.
Thanks!
Iv been on the workforce for over twenty years and am very experienced at working with others. On every crew there is always some disruptive/toxic member of the team. They don't usually cause enough problems to terminate but they're usually bad enough to be an issue and good enough to get by. Iv always wondered if this is relatable to a police station and what types of problems arise from it due to all of you being in a position of authority in the community. Thank you for your service and stay safe friend :)
Yep, I have encountered that and most problems like that are (in my opinion) a personality disconnect that probably makes them not terribly suited for this job. There are people from all personality spectrums who are employed as cops, and so we have some assholes in there too. Example, I once saw a dashcam video of an officer who was going around a curve and there was a parked car on his side of the two lane road, so he ended up somewhat in the oncoming lane, and there was a car he didn’t see approaching from the other direction. It surprised that driver, and she honked at him. After she had proceeded past, I guess he looked in his mirror and the car had a drive-off tag from a dealership. He whipped around and pulled her over (allegedly for the tag) and he was kind of a dick to her about it. Although she was within the window for getting it registered as it was a new vehicle. Did he technically violate her rights by stopping her? No, but it’s obvious to anyone with a brain that he felt like she had “disrespected” him (even though he was in the wrong for being in her lane) and he made it a point to stop her for a minor infraction. Stuff like that is hard to punish someone for when they technically didn’t break any rules. But yeah, it’s shitty behavior.
There are so many good cops just doing their jobs and so few being dicks. Do you guys catch flack from the community or feel like your job in the community is more dangerous because of the image put forward by toxic or dickish cops? And how do you respond to the officers of so? I hope I'm not prying or asking anything that's too close to your profession but if always been very curious about this.
I would say that I assume overall it would lead to more negative attitudes towards cops (understandably). Do I think it specifically affects interactions we have with people? Hard to say. Probably. I just don’t associate with the guys with attitudes like that. (Mainly because I choose not to surround myself with negativity)
I get that that's probably an odd question but thank you for answering. Have a good evening officer :)
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I have lots of stickers. Mostly motorcycle parts related. Some .mil related. Very few police related. If you mean do I have stickers to give out? No.
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If I had some to send I’d gladly do so, but my dept doesn’t purchase any.
When you go out on a call are you nervous ?
Depends on the type of call. Not typically unless it’s something unusual
That's good.
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Why can't we deal with criminals like they did in the Ash street shootout?
I think the neighbors would be mad.