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.
If a police officer can develop reasonable, articulable suspicion that you are involved in criminal activity, you can be detained. You are not free to leave in this case.
Any police officer can walk up and start talking to you, including asking for ID, without any articulable suspicion. However, you are free to leave in this circumstance.
If you want to leave, and don't know if you are able to, politely ask the officer if you may leave. He or she will let you know.
You need to contact an attorney for clarification. If he has access to them, and since you know he is a felon, then -you- could be exposed to criminal liability.
Blackmail is illegal, regardless of who the victim is. State laws vary on what constitutes blackmail.
Depending on the nature of the photos and how someone came into their possession there could be other criminal activity. For example, did someone hack into your computer and steal data (illegal) or photograph you in a public location (legal)?
Many 911 centers have call takers who answer the phones. They enter information into a computer (often called a call screen because it shows information about all of the active calls for service).
A dispatcher pulls the information from the call screen and relays it to the patrol officers. This can be done via computer (many agencies use computer aided dispatching), by voice transmission on the radio, or through a combination of both.
As the call taker gets more information, the call screen is updated in real time.
Depending on the size of the agency, call takers and dispatchers may be separate positions or all of the communication staff may be cross-trained and do all of the jobs. At a small department, only one or two people may be on duty and have to do all of the call taking and dispatching. Other departments may employ dozens or even hundreds of communications employees.
Off duty officers are rarely contacted. In those cases it is typically because of manpower shortages and/or emergencies. For example, a hostage situation requires the presence of a large number of officers, so off-duty officers could be called in to assist with normal patrol calls. This tends to be uncommon at most departments.
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I don't know if there is a law in any of the states specifying what happens to a fallen officer's badge. Typically, this is covered in the department's standard operating procedures. Most departments provide the badge to the next of kin.
Generally, yes. Some departments may have policies that restrict the use of discretion.
Not necessarily. Psychological screenings and polygraph examinations are standard portions of the hiring process, so be honest about things and things should work out.
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