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.
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.
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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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Ok.
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Personal Injury Lawyer
How do I get out of jury duty?
Special Education Teacher
How come it often takes years to figure out that a kid is dyslexic?
Toymaker
With all the high-tech kids toys, is there still a demand for traditional ones?
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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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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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.
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