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.
I'm not sure I understand your terminology, but if you are asking if you and your friend could be assigned as partners at the same police agency, yes. However, this would not happen until both of you had a few years of experience on the job. No sergeant in his or her right mind would assign two inexperienced officers together.
Thanks for the compliments. I am not an ethical expert, but I have always tried to do the right thing. Teaching me that is one of the many things I thank my father for, and hope to impart to my own children.
If the situation is a casual encounter, and the officer is not involved in some type of enforcement activity (traffic stop, investigating your involvement in a domestic dispute, etc.) I don't see it as a problem. I see it similar to a UPS driver who is grabbing a soda at a store and talks to someone in the parking lot. As with all social encounters, discretion and tact are important.
Of course, some departments might have more restrictive policies. But, I don't see it as being an ethical problem.
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.
Every department has their own protocol. First duty is to protect life: citizens, officers, criminals (and in that order.) Until the scene is made safe, no investigation can begin. Once everything is safe, medical aid is rendered for anybody that is injured. By this time, a sergeant or lieutenant is on scene and takes command. Depending on the agency, either they or an outside department will handle the investigation of the use of force. A CSI unit would probably be involved, but they are only a support unit to document and collect evidence. They don't do any investigation.
The involved officers give a brief statement to the responding supervisor about what happened and are separated from the other officers who are investigating the incident. How/when the officers are interviewed varies from department to department. Officers are entitled to legal counsel as is anyone being investigated for potential criminal acts.
Emergency Room Manager
What's the best time to arrive at an ER to avoid waits?
Sommelier
Do you occasionally get a little turned off by wine snobbery?
Claims Adjuster
I suspect the requirements are very similar. Click here for the Tampa PD recruiting page.
In my state, the crimes you have described could result in multiple years in prison plus fines and resitution. I do not know the laws of your country, but I'm sure it is equally serious. I strongly suggest contacting a criminal defense attorney.
No exact routes are ever taken/repeated. It would be a good way to be ambushed and that's never a good day.
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