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

From the perspective of a police officer, does it worry you or calm you to know that some citizens can legally carry firearms? Sure, they can help stop a shooting before the police show up, but should ordinary citizens have the power to end a life?

Asked by Hello over 12 years ago

Yes - Every citizen is entitled to self-defense, including the use of deadly force when they are in reasonable fear for their life or the life of another person.  What difference does it make if they use a firearm, knife, baseball bat or their own hands/feet?  The difference is that the weak can defend themselves from stronger, younger predators.  No law abiding citizen should be disbarred the use of arms for the defense of themselves and their family.

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Asked by jayzia over 11 years ago

No.

What do o do if my email was hack

Asked by eric almost 12 years ago

Change your password.

When I was 13 I was caught for breaking and entering but I never went to court and I never has to go to Juvy. Or any other punishment but I did sign a paper and now I want to be a Maine state trooper can I become one?

Asked by Vincent Wade Hehl over 12 years ago

Possibly.  Contact the recruiting division of the Maine State Police.  They will answer all of your questions and assist you with the application process.

When a police officer is not on patrol, what are they doing at the police station?

Asked by Ryan over 12 years ago

Any number of things including:  processing evidence, contacting witnesses, writing reports, picking up supplies, talking to a seargent, filling out school requests, showering after being exposed to blood or other bodily fluids, returning a phone call, sending out a subpoena, printing off reports for court, conducting a suspect interview, using the restroom, eating lunch, swapping radio batteries, entering stolen articles into NCIC, completing online or inservice training, submitting to a drug test, being inspected, picking up an item for delivery to another agency or court, etc, etc, etc.

I'm not sure if you're still interested in answering questions, but what's the procedure if a police officer pulls over a car and has to arrest multiple people? Would you call for backup or try to handle four hefty lawbreakers on your own?

Asked by ImaginaryNinja about 12 years ago

If backup is available, only a fool would try to arrest more than one person at a time.  Even with only one suspect, it is foolish to try to make an arrest without assistance.  This all assumes that there is not an emergency requiring immediate action and that the officer isn't working alone in a remote area.

(Background for my last question regarding education and how you value it): You previously said that you think an Ivy league degree shows someone who can't be trusted to handle PD money properly. Also, assume that this person had a full scholarship)

Asked by ROB about 12 years ago

Education and college degrees are not the same thing.  Education is highly valued and has little to do with college.  A college degree is an expensive piece of paper that shows you stuck around long enough to get one.  I guess that could be called determination, but I'd much rather hire the guy who showed determination by humped a pack up and down mountains in Afghanistan, rescued idiot boaters as a Coastie or worked the catapult on a carrier for 12+ hours/day.  Those folks have learned hard lessons and know how to make sensible decisions under pressure.

If Uncle Sam paid your way via ROTC, that is a reasonable approach.  Assuming you are active duty upon graduation, you have a paid-for degree and a real education.  If you instead dropped $100k+ at Yale to get a $40-50k/year job as a cop - well, I'd question your reasoning and problem solving skills.  Even more if you went into debt to do it.

All other things being equal, a college degree is better on the application than not having one.  But, all things are not equal.  Few colleges teach anything about real life.  Take a look at the professors in economics and business schools, for example.  How many of them have run a successful business?  How many of the law school professors have spent any time in a courtroom?  

The sad reality is that college is a black hole in which money disappears, but little is returned for it.