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.
It depends on the size of the department. For any agency of more than about 15-20 officers, the chief is not likely to be involved in any case other than as a spokesperson in a high-profile incident.
For small agencies, a chief may patrol and handle calls like the rest of the officers. There are many departments in the US where there are fewer than five officers. In those areas, the chief handles a lot of the calls and investigations.
Saftey checkpoints are a useful tool for helping to reduce drunk driving, accidents, and removing criminals from the roadways. Driving on public roadways is a licensed privledge, not a right, and therefore is subject to limited intrusion. The specific rules on how they are to be run vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and are controled by law, court opinions and department policies.
When adequately staffed so undue delays are not generated, I have no problem with them.
I'm not familiar with Colorado law in that respect. If you call the local Sheriff's Department, they should be able to tell you.
No, stopping someone without reasonable articulable suspicion would be a violation of the 4th Amendment of the US Constitution and a bunch of state laws and department policies.
Speeding, even if "everyone does it" is still illegal, hence the reason why you were stopped.
Programmer
Is Mark Zuckerberg really a genius programmer? Or was he just lucky?
Basketball Referee
Ever get into a physical altercation with a crazed parent?
CBP Officer
Why are so many customs officers huge jerks?
I was a sgt at one department and a lieutenant at another. The duties of the ranks were different at each of the two agencies. For example, one of my duties at both jobs was being the commander of the field training and evaluation program. Yet one department assigned that to a sergeant and the other agency to a lieutenant. There are no hard and fast rules.
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.
A detective will generall drive an unmarked car provided by the agency. The type of vehicle varies greatly. I've seen everything from a Prius to a Mustang. Most departments will go with a domestic sedan, though that is not always the case. Sometimes the detective's job will dictate the need for a different kind of car. For example, a narcotics officer will not be driving a Crown Vic. Sometimes a vehicle might be seized through civil forfeiture and be used by detectives. Unless you think the car is integral to the story go with a Ford Taurus or Chevy Impala.
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