Ask a Police Officer anything

615 Questions

Last Answer on October 29, 2014

is it fun saving people lives

Asked by tayshaun king almost 12 years ago

It is gratifying to know you make a difference.

Can I get in trouble if I have a backpack that is decorated with weed all over?

Asked by Santi.. over 12 years ago

Seriously, who writes these questions...? If you want to have a backpack with images of marijuana all over it, knock yourself out. I always like the folks who advertise their recreational activities.

If you want to decorate your backpack with actual "weed all over," be my guest. Depending on where you are in the world, that could be anything from completely legal to a capital offense (death penalty). Laws inside the US vary, and unless the actual marijuana was significant in quantity, you are probably looking at a misdemeanor arrest.

821 Votes

is there a law for under age swimming

Asked by james about 12 years ago

There may be one somewhere. Where and what it says...well, I have no idea. Try using Google to find laws for your state/locality. You should be able to find something pretty quickly.

821 Votes

Could I be in trouble for owning a electric cigaret and under the age of 18 but does not contain nicotine ?

Asked by Jerammy about 12 years ago

I have no idea what the laws of your jurisdiction may be. Contact your local law enforcement agency.

820 Votes

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Im curious about something, I often see people pulled over by two police cars. Is it because they have a yellow or red card? Thus backup is needed?

Asked by Aleria about 12 years ago

I don't understand the yellow card/red card reference.

Police officers do not know the driver/occupants of a vehicle when stopped. They could be a nice family or it could be a murderous robbing crew. Unit criminals start wearing signs that clearly identify themselves, police officers will back each other up on traffic stops and other calls. It is a safety thing.

819 Votes

(2/2) the aunt then proceeded to ask my friend and I our first names we told her them and then she put it in her phone. We left right after that happened. Can she do anything with this info? She was off duty at the time.

Asked by Butch almost 12 years ago

If you lie to a law enforcement officer about your age, you could be charged with providing false information to the officer. (The exact name of the crime varies from state to state.) Sounds like you took a minor issue and made it into a crime due to your lack of honesty.

817 Votes

How does being a police officer impact a workers personal and family life?

Asked by Megan almost 12 years ago

The impacts have been studied by many researchers for several decades. The influence of the job on the personal life is significant, and few people are really prepared for it.

Many friends, and even some family, will no longer associate with the new police officer because of the job. The officer's spouse and other family will live in fear that this shift could be the one where the officer is killed or horrifically injured. The officer is confornted by violence, death and evil every shift and begins to worry constantly about the safety of his/her family and loved ones.

It is a high-stress job and you are never really "off duty." Officers with a very strong faith and solid family support tend to fare better than others, but the job has a very strong impact on all relationships, the health of the officer and every other aspect of the officer's life.

You may have heard that officers have high divorce rates and high instances of alcohol abuse. One of the dirty secrets of police work is a relatively high incidence of suicide as well. All of these things obviously impact the family in a severe way.

There is a lot of research out there, but here are a few places to look:

https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles/163175.pdf

http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1218&context=honors

http://www.policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display_arch&article_id=120&issue_id=102003

http://www.emich.edu/cerns/downloads/papers/PoliceStaff/Shift%20Work,%20%20Stress,%20%20Wellness/Police%20Stress%20and%20the%20Effects%20on%20the%20Family.pdf