Bob Walsh
Stockton, CA
Male, 60
I worked for the California state system, starting as a Correctional Officer and retiring as a Lieutenant in 2005. I now write for the PacoVilla blog which is concerned with what could broadly be called The Correctional System.
I don't know if you will get a response from Virginia. I can tell you that, as long as that person is under the jurisdiction of the department (i.e. on probation or parole) it would be a serious no-no. The California rules (Title 15 of the California Code of Regulations) are available on line, I strongly suspect whatever they call the prison rule book in Virginia is also on line. You might want to do a little web surfing and you may be able to find it chapter and verse. Good hunting.
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I have never been a street cop so I am not sure I can help much. Since you are dealing with Drivers Ed you might ask him/her about the department pursuit policies. That should be moderately interesting.
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The most noticable ones were within the profession. The academy lengthened from 3 weeks to 16 weeks. (It shrank back down to 14 after I retired). We started using papper spray and side-handle batons. Firearms polciies changed so there was fewer discharges of firearms at the institutions. Cell extractions are more controlled and less frequent. They are also video recorded now except in case of emergencies. Custody staff now have the right under the law to carry weapons off duty, before that was a department controlled thing. The entire medical operation is now run thru the federal courts. The overall level of violence in the system has lowered.
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We did not use them when I was working. They are obviously temporary devices and not a long-term solution and it can be a problem getting the prisoner into them. Once that is accomplished they are very effective and if you need to move a non-compliant prisoner from point a to point b without hurting him or staff, they work. I think they are a very useful tool.
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Firefighter
How can you tell if a fire was arson?
Aircraft Mechanic
Did you ever catch something critical right before a plane was about to take off?
Emergency Room Manager
What is the most bizarre thing you've seen in your ER?
I don't know. It used to be not more than 3 years. It has, I understand, gone up to 5 since I retired and maybe even has moved further.
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I am afraid I do not have a good answer for you. In custody, I would say NO. In certain types of non-custody positions I would say MAYBE. If you are doing something relatively benign in an area where you would have assistance if necessary (i.e. clerical) it might work. If you had to operate dangerous machinery or work in an isolated area, I would be very dubious.
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Depends. In CA there is, at least in some areas, a lot of friction between the CHP and CDCR and the chippies cut CDCR officers no slack. In most areas (as far as I know) the locals cut CDCR some slack, as long as the officer in question isn't acting like an idiot. My way of dealing with it is simpler, obey the traffic laws and avoid being stopped.
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