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.
Carrying a fake gun may or may not be illegal depending on your jurisdiction. You should either contact a criminal defense lawyer for your area or the local law enforcement agency.
I'm not sure what kind of "protection" a fake gun provides. If attacked by a criminal, a fake gun isn't going to offer you any protection. The notion that you will see a known criminal approaching you and that you will have time to draw the weapon AND that the criminal will suddenly be struck by fear upon seeing it is not a realistic one based on my experiences with both violent encounters and the mentality of predator criminals.
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First question - Absolutely. There are no prohibitions or requirements for any specific religion or absense thereof to be a police officer. Of course, any religious biases that prevent you from impartially and effectively enforcing the laws of your state should prevent you from pursuing a career in law enforcement. For example, if you believe sharia law trumps the laws of your state, you have no place in police work.
Second question - I sure hope rules are not changed to allow police officers to wear a hijab. Police officers are required to wear uniforms, and that means a standard way of dressing. Clothing visibly worn for religious purposes should not be part of a police officer's uniform. A law enforcement officer is expected to impartially enforce the law for all citizens, and when there is an obvious bias it undermines the public's trust in the officer and agency.
If you believe you should be able to wear a hijab at work, then law enforcement is not the job for you.
Keep in mind that the nature of law enforcement does not allow you to regularly take off holy days. This is the same for Christians have to work Easter, and Jews who work on Yom Kippur.
Faith is very important, and if your faith will cause you conflict in a law enforcement career, you might want to consider an alternative job path.
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Get good grades, stay physically fit and stay away from drugs/alcohol/trouble. I was in high school too, but all of those things will play a role in your hiring process.
If your local department has an explorer program, check on joining that. It will give you a good amount of experience around police officers and get you some training (plus a foot in the door when you apply for a job.)
Personally, I'd avoid any kind of criminal justice/criminology degree. Stick to some kind of degree that can make you money - business, computer science, etc. Don't waste time and money on an expensive degree or go into debt for it. College debt is a trap.
Can you take college classes while in high school? I know here in Florida, juniors and seniors can often take college classes and get dual credit: high school and college for the one class. I managed to get several of my college classes done for free before I ever left high school that way.
Joining the military (any branch) will help you get hired later and will help pay for advanced education.
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Detectives can participate in a warrant service, and frequently do.
A high risk warrant service is usually handled by a SWAT team, which can have detectives on the team. Once the scene is secure, non-SWAT officers/detectives will frequently be responsible for the securing and documenting of evidence.
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Forensic Scientist
When did you know you wanted to work with the dead?
CPR Trainer
Are men better at CPR than women because they're generally stronger?
"The Onion" Contributors
What's your favorite Onion headline of all time?
It depends on state laws and department policy. For example, on the above charge I would have to complete an arrest affidavit for the court, an incident report for my department, a use of force report for my internal affairs division and a evidence submission form for any and all evidence I was submitting. Additionally, each item of evidence would have to be tagged and bagged and then submitted to the property division.
Of course, there is likely another charge that would go along with the above charge. For example, in the course of investigating a domestic violence call the subject assaulted me. I would also have to complete an arrest affidavit for each additional charge (such as battery on his wife) plus complete a domestic violence supplemental report. For something like a DUI, I would also have to complete a variety of additional paperwork including a field sobriety worksheet and any traffic tickets I was giving, in addition to the charging documents for the DUI.
If the assauit occurred when I was conducting a DUI investigation as part of a motor vehicle accident investigation, I would also need to complete a multi-page accident form plus criminal supplements to that form.
If during the course of the investigation I was injured, there would be additional paperwork.
I think you are starting to get the idea. There is a lot of paperwork associated with being a cop. Unfortunately, most of the forms are created by people who don't have to do the job so they wind up being very cumbersome.
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Thanks for the question. This has been addressed twice before, so to save a little time, here is one of the answers from above:
"In what context? If an officer is taking enforcement action, then at a reasonable time he or she should identify him- or herself in a reasonable manner. That will likely include a badge and ID card.
If someone knocks on your door and asks to speak with you it is certainly reasonable to request to see identification. Call the local law enforcement agency and confirm the officer's identity if you have any doubts.
Asking an officer to show you his or her badge in the middle of a fight, chase or in the middle of some other dangerous situation might not be feasible. It is all situationally dependent. Unfortunately, everone looks for a simple black and white answer, but life's not that easy. Reasonableness is the key to everything."
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Patrol officers are assigned to zones or beats. These are specific geographic areas that the officer is responsible for. A non-emergency call in that zone will be held for the zone officer to handle. Emergency calls will typically fall to the officer assigned to that zone, or if he/she is unavailable, the next closest unit.
Certain calls may be held for certain officers. For example, a department with officers who receive specialized training in dealing with the mentally ill may dispatch one of those officers outside of his or her zone to handle an incident that involves someone who is mentally ill.
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