BlueSheepdog
10 Years Experience
Around the Way, FL
Male, 40
Cheating death and fighting communism: that is how a fellow officer once described our job. It was meant to be funny, but as time went on it seemed all too true.
I spent more than ten years in law enforcement, all of it on the street in uniform patrol. I've been a patrol officer, instructor, sergeant and lieutenant.
Do not report crimes here. Nothing here should be considered legal advice. All opinions are my own.
Most frequent question: "Shoot anybody?"
The most annoying thing people do is loudly announce "I didn't do it!" when you walk into any store or business in uniform. The folks making these announcements seem to think it is both original and funny. What they don't realize is it is hardly original: I probably would hear it 10 times a day. At that point it is about as funny as a toothache.
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Unless the responding officers were lazy, yes a report would be made. Uninvited people entering your hom when you are not present is criminal. Depending on AZ law, it would likely be a form or trespass or burglary. Depending on the circumstances and evidence available, probable cause may or may not exist for the officer(s) to make an immediate arrest.
In the third incident, did the victim make an actual report over the phone? Many callers start to report something, then decide they don't want a report. Reports for many not-in-progress calls can be taken by an officer over the phone depending on department policies. Depending on how you want your story to run, you might want to make it obvious to the reader what the victim chose to do. Was he/she frightened and insisted on a report? Were they largely unconcerned and minimized the event?
I hope this helps.
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Seriously, who writes these questions...? If you want to have a backpack with images of marijuana all over it, knock yourself out. I always like the folks who advertise their recreational activities.
If you want to decorate your backpack with actual "weed all over," be my guest. Depending on where you are in the world, that could be anything from completely legal to a capital offense (death penalty). Laws inside the US vary, and unless the actual marijuana was significant in quantity, you are probably looking at a misdemeanor arrest.
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The impacts have been studied by many researchers for several decades. The influence of the job on the personal life is significant, and few people are really prepared for it.
Many friends, and even some family, will no longer associate with the new police officer because of the job. The officer's spouse and other family will live in fear that this shift could be the one where the officer is killed or horrifically injured. The officer is confornted by violence, death and evil every shift and begins to worry constantly about the safety of his/her family and loved ones.
It is a high-stress job and you are never really "off duty." Officers with a very strong faith and solid family support tend to fare better than others, but the job has a very strong impact on all relationships, the health of the officer and every other aspect of the officer's life.
You may have heard that officers have high divorce rates and high instances of alcohol abuse. One of the dirty secrets of police work is a relatively high incidence of suicide as well. All of these things obviously impact the family in a severe way.
There is a lot of research out there, but here are a few places to look:
https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles/163175.pdf
http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1218&context=honors
http://www.policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display_arch&article_id=120&issue_id=102003
http://www.emich.edu/cerns/downloads/papers/PoliceStaff/Shift%20Work,%20%20Stress,%20%20Wellness/Police%20Stress%20and%20the%20Effects%20on%20the%20Family.pdf
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TV Meteorologist
Do most meteorologists believe global warming exists?
MBA Student
How many years of work experience do you REALLY need before applying?
Sr. Software Engineer
Is it basically impossible for a skilled programmer to be out of work these days?
You should probably contact a family attorney in Utah.
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Different departments have different regulations regarding tattoos. Many have in place policies prohibiting visible tattoos, while others have policies about the kinds or locations of tattoos (nothing obscene, nothing on the face or neck, etc.) The more visible tattoos you have, the fewer agencies that will employ you. Something under your shirt, on your back, etc. will not hurt you.
Being a member of the US Navy Reserve will greatly enhance your application and overall success in a law enforcement agency.
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Depends. If you keep them all handy having them already isn't a bad idea. If you are going to have to dig for them, leave them where they are and when the officer asks for them, explain what you are doing. For example, "Officer, my registration is in my glove box. Is it ok to reach in there and grab it?" It just lets him or her know what you are doing and prevents any unexpected movement.
When in doubt, just sit tight and ask the officer to tell you what he or she would like for you to do. It is a courtesy that can help reduce the tension. The officer doesn't know who you are - good citizen or murderous fugitive - when he or she stops you.
Politeness and helping to reduce the tension have even been known to change a ticket into a warning. :)
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