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615 Questions

Last Answer on October 29, 2014

When you were a sergeant and lieutenant what was your job assignment? I know it depends on the PD, but for you, how did the change in rank change what you did during your work?

Asked by Ryan about 11 years ago

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.

675 Votes

Does a Cop have to show a badge or can he just Identify himself as a Police officer?

Asked by 6721dd7a@opayq.com over 11 years ago

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."

674 Votes

If I see a child alone in a car on a hot day.....and notice that the child is struggling....can I break a window in that car to give the child some relief?

Asked by Klondike Cat almost 11 years ago

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.

674 Votes

There is a visible spade of law enforcement officials engaging in unnessessary violance or other abuse of powers. It is no longer outlandish to conclude that some police may be a threat to my survival. When am I allowed to resist or flee?

Asked by Khannea almost 11 years ago

"spade" - I do not think that word means what you think it means.

Oh, and your premise is false.

674 Votes

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I have a few questions. When just getting out of the police academy what are your options for what department you work for? (like homicide, vice,ect) Also when you get a job at a police department do you have to go through specific training?

Asked by April over 10 years ago

If you go to work for a local police department, you will go to uniform patrol. It is there that you will learn a lot about the job and people. If you become really good at your job, you can earn your way into a specialized position. Some people are really good but enjoy patrol, so they stay in uniform.

When you first get to the department, you go through a field training & evaluation program that will help get you the very basic level of proficiency in doing the job.

672 Votes

If you're traveling in the fast lane of a 3 lane thru-way, and you're passed on the right hand side by a vehicle in the middle lane. The vehicle that passed brakes hard after noticing a trooper, And you get pulled over and ticketed, What can you do?

Asked by Hilliary M. almost 12 years ago

You didn't mention if you were speeding. I'd suggest paying the ticket if you were. Other people were speeding worse than I was doesn't generate much sympathy from a judge.

If the trooper was using laser, then you were definitely the person he measured going whatever speed was on the citation. If he/she was using radar, there could be some doubt that an experienced traffic attorney could bring up in trial.

The above is not legal advice, of course.

Did you know that speed is the #1 contributing factor to traffic fatalities?

672 Votes

Hi I'm in college pursuing my criminal justice degree but I'm worried about getting hired because I used to smoke marijuana and tried ecstasy and cocaine once in high school, does that automatically disqualify me?

Asked by Jessica almost 12 years ago

Depends on the department. Cocaine and ecstacy are serious drugs and can have serious long-term consequences on your brain. I would suggest contacting the department(s) you are insterested in applying to and speak to one of the recruiters about your situation. Any department would require a long interval (several years at least) between hiring and your last use of the drug.

671 Votes

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Police Officer

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

When you were a sergeant and lieutenant what was your job assignment? I know it depends on the PD, but for you, how did the change in rank change what you did during your work?

Does a Cop have to show a badge or can he just Identify himself as a Police officer?

If I see a child alone in a car on a hot day.....and notice that the child is struggling....can I break a window in that car to give the child some relief?

There is a visible spade of law enforcement officials engaging in unnessessary violance or other abuse of powers. It is no longer outlandish to conclude that some police may be a threat to my survival. When am I allowed to resist or flee?

Also on Jobstr...

I have a few questions. When just getting out of the police academy what are your options for what department you work for? (like homicide, vice,ect) Also when you get a job at a police department do you have to go through specific training?

If you're traveling in the fast lane of a 3 lane thru-way, and you're passed on the right hand side by a vehicle in the middle lane. The vehicle that passed brakes hard after noticing a trooper, And you get pulled over and ticketed, What can you do?

Hi I'm in college pursuing my criminal justice degree but I'm worried about getting hired because I used to smoke marijuana and tried ecstasy and cocaine once in high school, does that automatically disqualify me?

Police Officer

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

When you were a sergeant and lieutenant what was your job assignment? I know it depends on the PD, but for you, how did the change in rank change what you did during your work?

Does a Cop have to show a badge or can he just Identify himself as a Police officer?

If I see a child alone in a car on a hot day.....and notice that the child is struggling....can I break a window in that car to give the child some relief?

There is a visible spade of law enforcement officials engaging in unnessessary violance or other abuse of powers. It is no longer outlandish to conclude that some police may be a threat to my survival. When am I allowed to resist or flee?

Also on Jobstr...

I have a few questions. When just getting out of the police academy what are your options for what department you work for? (like homicide, vice,ect) Also when you get a job at a police department do you have to go through specific training?

If you're traveling in the fast lane of a 3 lane thru-way, and you're passed on the right hand side by a vehicle in the middle lane. The vehicle that passed brakes hard after noticing a trooper, And you get pulled over and ticketed, What can you do?

Hi I'm in college pursuing my criminal justice degree but I'm worried about getting hired because I used to smoke marijuana and tried ecstasy and cocaine once in high school, does that automatically disqualify me?

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