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.
You should contact a criminal defense attorney in that state. Just because you see something as the "right" thing, doesn't mean there isn't the potential of having criminal charges filed against you.
You can get out and help the police officer. Sitting in the car while an injured police officer is laying in a lane of traffic is unconscionable.
Possibly. If the child is in actual danger, then yes, you can take reasonable actions to protect the life of the child. However, the preumption is that you are damaging someone else's property. You need to be able to prove that your actions were reasonable and necessary to protect the life of the child. Calling 911 is probably the best bet in the specific scenario you described. As stated elsewhere on this page - this is not legal advice.
Thanks for the question. This has been addressed twice before, so to save a little time, here is one of the answers from above:
"In what context? If an officer is taking enforcement action, then at a reasonable time he or she should identify him- or herself in a reasonable manner. That will likely include a badge and ID card.
If someone knocks on your door and asks to speak with you it is certainly reasonable to request to see identification. Call the local law enforcement agency and confirm the officer's identity if you have any doubts.
Asking an officer to show you his or her badge in the middle of a fight, chase or in the middle of some other dangerous situation might not be feasible. It is all situationally dependent. Unfortunately, everone looks for a simple black and white answer, but life's not that easy. Reasonableness is the key to everything."
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Probably - It depends on the crime and the laws of your state.
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.
Homicide investigators attend specialized training in investigations techniques, interviewing techniques and specialized classes on just death investigations. They also have a great deal of experience as a street cop and general investigator prior to being promoted to homicides. Once in homicides, a new investigator will be paired with a more experienced detective who will guide the on-the-job training.
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