Police Officer

Police Officer

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.

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Last Answer on October 29, 2014

Best Rated

Hi I'm in college pursuing my criminal justice degree but I'm worried about getting hired because I used to smoke marijuana and tried ecstasy and cocaine once in high school, does that automatically disqualify me?

Asked by Jessica over 12 years ago

Depends on the department.  Cocaine and ecstacy are serious drugs and can have serious long-term consequences on your brain.  I would suggest contacting the department(s) you are insterested in applying to and speak to one of the recruiters about your situation.  Any department would require a long interval (several years at least) between hiring and your last use of the drug.

I received a text from someone claiming to be a detective from an out of state department (Florida) and claimed to be on a nation wide task force. Is there a way of verifying this information? I don't believe I have done anything wrong.

Asked by person about 12 years ago

Yes, call the department he/she works for to confirm his/her identity.  It could be a scam.

Are big city police stations more likely to be smaller than suburban stations? Because in the NYPD for example, there are many of them, so they can spread units out. Whereas a suburb has to have all its units working in a few or one station.

Asked by Ryan almost 12 years ago

It varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.  There are no rules, and I doubt anyone can make any accurate generalizations.

I was driving home the spend limit 25mph... a truck had his brights on and was tailgating me... he was very close to my car. he then pulled over to the right of me almost hitting my car on purpose. what should I do?

Asked by Devon about 12 years ago

Follow the advice of the officers who responded to the incident when you called them.

My sister tried to choke me today ! If I call 911 can she get arrested

Asked by Michelle over 11 years ago

Yes

Who takes the call from a 911 dispatcher? How do 911 dispatchers relay info to cops? If a 911 call happens at night who is there to take it? Are off duty members of the force contacted as well?

Asked by Writer23 over 12 years ago

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.

Is it illegal to fill an application giving fake phone number and name or have post redirected to another adress so they can not send out bills

Asked by Wolf girl over 12 years ago

Yes, it is called fraud.  It is a kind of theft - taking something (a service or property) that doesn't belong to you.  Oftentimes it is a felony.