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.
Generally, yes. Some departments may have policies that restrict the use of discretion.
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What happens depends on what happened. For example, if an elderly person or someone suffering from a known medical condition is found dead inside their home, and there are no signs of criminal activity, a cursory investigation is done to document that information.
If a person is found dead in other circumstances, say with a gunshot wound or ligature marks, the situation is investigated as a homicide. The results of the investigation could lead to a ruling of wrongful death/murder, suicide, accidental homicide, justified homicide, or undetermined cause of death. Keep in mind these are all just generalities, and specific determinations vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
Generally, the primary investigative agency will be the one where the body is located. There are provisions in the law that would allow another agency to handle the investigation in certain circumstances. For example, if a person was kidnapped in county A, was taken through county B, was killed in county C, and was dumped in county D, any of the jurisdictions where the crime took place (all four) could assume control of the investigation. However, this is governed by state law (which varies) and common sense almost always applies. For example, county B in the above case would not try to take control of the investigation. Keep in mind that each state has its own set of laws that may be different that what I described. Also, transporting someone across state lines during the commission of a crime can now involve two different sets of state laws plus federal law since it is an interstate crime.
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If the woman made a report with the local law enforcement agency, you should contact them for the status of the criminal investigation. If she did not, is there any evidence he committed a crime? If so, that should be taken to the local law enforcement agency.
Criminals cannot be arrested and adjudicated without victims and witnesses contacting law enforcement and being willing to participate in the investigation and prosecution.
While tragic, if this is a case of:
- a woman who did not approach the police,
- there are no witnesses, and
- the only evidence that the ex-boyfriend sexually abused the woman at some point in the past were statements by the victim made to friends,
then I would expect that there is a lack of probable cause to arrest the ex-boyfriend for anything related to that abuse.
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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.
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Employment Lawyer
Can I be sued for asking a co-worker on a date?
Track and Field Coach
Do you let your athletes play another sport in the off-season?
Hotel Employee
Can you give guests room upgrades at your sole discretion?
I don't know. How can someone get picked up for public intoxication...oh nevermind.
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I'm no life coach :) but in my opinion, anything that teaches marketable skills and not merely theories. For example, I love history, but unless there is a specific niche I can move into, its a degree that won't pay the bills.
Business degrees are good - especially if they have any type of entrepreneurial program. Anything related to vets or medical skills, computer/IT/coding degrees, agriculture programs all would be great in my opinion. Two other areas of study that would be excellent and apply to nearly any industry are communications and language studies.
Consider what kind of law enforcement you are interested in (city cop, game and wildlife officer, marine patrol, FBI, etc.) and your personal interests. Then see if there is a program that you can get into that is interesting to you, will provide you with marketable skills outside of law enforcement, and might help with a law enforcement career.
For example, foreign language studies will help in almost all areas of law enforcement. Accounting might help with federal law enforcement (FBI, IRS, etc.). Agricultural sciences could help with Dept of Natural Resources/Wildlife officers.
I hope this helps. Ultimately, find something that works for you and go for it.
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I believe all states require a police officer to be at least 18 years old and have a high school diploma or GED as an absolute minimum. Most departments have more requirements than that (21+, college or military) to be employed.
I would suggest getting involved in the Explorers program at your local department. It is perfect for someone who is still in high school.
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