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.
Only you can make the decision on what to do. If you want to be a police officer, be a police officer. If money is a motivating factor, try private enterprise. Neither the Navy nor police work is a path to riches. If a LT's salary is considered "high," you might be surprised at what is available if you started your own business or used your degree & experience to land a good career in the private sector.
If you are looking for the best salary in law enforcement, take a look at the federal agencies. Local departments in the northeast and west coast pay the best, but also have outrageous taxes and costs of living.
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Out of service means different things to different agencies. Do you mean off duty? On break? On a call? If you are referring to a break, then yes - a department will likely have some type of policy on that. Each department will be different.
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Police screening should be mandatory. It should start when they apply to attend the academy or apply for a job with a department (depending on what the proceedures are for your state.) Any earlier is called spying; any later would be foolish.
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Programmer
Why are most developers socially withdrawn?
Chef
Do you get offended when a customer sends back a dish?
Birthday Party Clown
What's the meanest thing a kid ever said to you during a party?
Depends on the department. There could be a desk officer, detectives and dispatchers in addition to any officers at the station taking a meal break, submitting evidence or completing paperwork. At other departments, there may be no one at the station. It just depends.
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Essentially, officers take turns. It is a team sport and everyone has to share the radio. Many agencies have more than one channel, so when something comes up, officers can move to different channels if needed. But fundamentally, everyone has to take turns and officers give right of way to anyone that has emergency or urgent traffic.
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While I cannot speak to the precise policy of NYPD, I can say that almost every agency would send an officer to the spouse/family. That's really not news someone should get over the phone, and they aren't likely to be safe to drive themselves to the hospital.
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