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

i let my sister use my debit card once but new she won't give it back what should i do

Asked by camelia over 11 years ago

Call your local police department and ask for their assistance. They will know what to do.

I am the in the process of hiring in Virginia my question is if I passed my polygraph can I still not get hired? also my spouse has a assault and battery charge cause she was involved in a domestic does that play a role in my background check??

Asked by Mr Frazier almost 13 years ago

I don't know Virginia law, but in many (most?) states, you can pass all of the tests and still not be hired.  If you think about it, say 100 people pass all of the tests but there are only 10 positions open.  90 people passed but won't be hired.

I have no idea what your department's background investigation requirements are.  If he/she was convicted of domestic assault or domestic battery, he/she is not allowed to be in possession of firearms by federal (and probably Virginia) law.  A department might not want their firearms to be around a prohibited person.  You should probably talk to your recruiter about your situation for more information.

I'm thinking about becoming a police officer. Should I join a small suburban department, or should I join the LAPD, NYPD, or CPD?

Asked by AZlift over 12 years ago

It is impossible for me to tell you where you might like to work.  If you've never lived in a large city, you might love - or hate- it.  Same thing about working in a smaller area.

From my personal experience, I would prefer a smaller department of 50-75 officers if I was starting all over.  Ideally, it would be suburban to rural.  I've worked for a very urban area and for a smaller department in a suburban bordering on rural area.  You get a lot more of the exciting calls in a short amount of time in the urban areas, but you can also burn out much quicker.

The upside to a large agency is you get a lot of opportunity to work in specialized units that you don't have in smaller areas/departments.  For example, a marine unit, aviation unit, SWAT unit, etc.  But smaller areas will sometimes pool resources for multi-jurisdictional units (like SWAT teams formed with officers from several regional departments.)

I'd suggest doing a few ride-alongs with different departments in different areas and get a feel for what things are like.

I bought alcohol for my roommate once, I don't plan on ever doing it again, but can I get in trouble for something i did over a week ago?

Asked by Aleria over 12 years ago

I assume your roommate is underage.  If so, you can still get in trouble, but probably only if he/she does something stupid such as gets alcohol poisoning, gets hurt while intoxicated, is DUI, etc.  There could be some pretty heavy reprecusions for that.

When police officers patrol, do they decide on their own when to turn and where to go within their patrol area? Or is there usually/sometimes/rarely an exact route that they generally follow through their area?

Asked by Ryan almost 12 years ago

No exact routes are ever taken/repeated.  It would be a good way to be ambushed and that's never a good day.

what can the police do to stop an armed person

Asked by deuntae winston over 12 years ago

Dealing with a violent person is a fluid and dynamic sitation.  There is no easy, one-size-fits-all answer.  Generally speaking, a police officer is authorized to use any force, up to and including deadly force, when he or she believes it is reasonably necessary to stop an armed person who poses an imminent threat to the lives of others.  That may include shooting the violent criminal.

I have a young son interested in becoming an officer. What are some of the steps I can take as a mom to point him in the right direction?

Asked by sweetbutsassy over 11 years ago

Keep him in school. Ensure he learns self discipline. Get him involved in things like Boy Scouts and martial arts. Teach him about the Constitution and what the underlying principles of freedom are.

It sounds like you are a concerned mother, and that goes a long way to ensuring he is on the right track.