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

Did you also interrogate people at the station, or is that someone else's job? Are you ever amazed at how many people waive their right to have a lawyer present and end up incriminating themselves?

Asked by Canucks4Cup over 13 years ago

I've interviewed people at the department's main HQ many times.  For serious felonies (rape, murder, etc.) an assigned detective would usually take over the investigation.  For less serious crimes such as theft, counterfeiting, domestic violence, etc. usually the patrol officer would handle the interview.

A lot of criminals do incriminate themselves when they should probably shut up.  I guess many of them figure they are smarter than everyone else, or that they can talk their way out of anything.

What does someone have to do in order to get arrested for "disturbing the peace"? Can't you basically use that as a catch-all to nail anyone?

Asked by Luiz over 13 years ago

For the elements of any crime, including disturbing the peace, I would suggest you research your state's laws and local ordinances. Every state has different elements for every crime and this is one law where there is a lot of variation. Additionally, many local jurisdictions have ordinances that cover this topic as well. It is impossible for me to give you the elements of this crime. In fact there is so much variance from jurisdiction to jurisdiction on this topic, that it is hard for me to even provide a general definition. Most breach of the peace type crimes involve some type of boisterous activity that serves no legitimate purpose which is likely to, or actually does, disturb the peacefulness of the citizens in the area. There may be certain activities that are specifically listed as examples, or even certain activities that are exempted from these statutes. In the past, some states and local jurisdictions have written these laws to be a "catch-all," and have been subsequently ruled unconstitutional as being too vague. Many/most of the disturbing the peace laws on the books today have withstood constitutional scrutiny. Exercising common courtesy will prevent anyone from being arrested and charged under these laws. Or as Michael Bane once said "Don't do stupid things in stupid places with stupid people."

Hello Im 17 an finishing high school in 2014 well I'm going off to college in about a year and u want to know what to major or minor in.
Ps I want to be a DEA

Asked by Jose over 13 years ago

I don't know what the DEA might be looking for, but I'd suggest a business degree or something else that has practical applications.  Criminology degrees are useless.

You might want to talk with a DEA recruiter to see what they are looking for in an applicant.

Personally, I'd suggest 4+ years of military service, then college, then DEA.  You will be a much better candidate for the position.  

Do the police ever use psychics to assist with investigations? Sounds crazy to me but have heard this more than once before.

Asked by The Missing Link over 13 years ago

Outside of the TV shows, I've never seen a department use a psychic. I'm sure there are occasional incidents, but as a general rule, no.

Do you keep tabs on the release dates of violent offenders you help convict? Have you ever been worried that one would try to track you down?

Asked by darrynscholes almost 14 years ago

I'm always concerned that someone I have dealt with will try to find and hurt me. There are plenty of examples of that exact thing happening throughout the US. I even had someone try to do so once. They are back in prison, but have an upcoming release date. I do say that anyone who finds me better be ready for a fight though. I'm never unarmed, and the people around me are armed and trained as well.

Most entertainment usually depicts tension between law enforcement agencies when they have to work together. How often do law enforcement agencies work together (e.g. federal and state, city and state, etc.), and is there tension?

Asked by Ron Mexico over 13 years ago

At my department (a city agency) we frequently work with the surrounding cities and the sheriff's department on cases. We rarely have any problems, but you sometimes run into an idiot. I'm pretty sure that's the same in any job. We also work with agencies at the state level fairly frequently. I've rarely butted heads with anybody here either. For street cops, we don't deal with the feds too often. If you are in a specialized unit, it is more common. For example, our narcotics unit, gang unit, and detectives work with the feds on various cases. While I've never had any significant problems with any of the guys at the federal level, I have seen a greater tendency for their people to be a little too self-assured. I suspect that is from a lack of working the street. I've found the best investigators at the federal level started life as a street cop somewhere. Other officers at different departments may have different experiences.

If you pulled someone over for drunk driving, but he only doing so because he was rushing someone to the hospital, would he still get arrested?

Asked by Tripp over 13 years ago

Driving drunk to get someone to the hospital is a pretty ignorant move. You should just call 911 and have paramedics respond to you. By driving while intoxicated not only are you putting the injured party at greater risk, but also putting a lot of other people in danger.