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.
If a police officer can develop reasonable, articulable suspicion that you are involved in criminal activity, you can be detained. You are not free to leave in this case.
Any police officer can walk up and start talking to you, including asking for ID, without any articulable suspicion. However, you are free to leave in this circumstance.
If you want to leave, and don't know if you are able to, politely ask the officer if you may leave. He or she will let you know.
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I don't know why they are withholding information. It is very possible that it is an open investigation and exempt from open records laws.
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Most definitely. Since there is a pattern of fraudulent activity, this could be treated as a much more serious criminal enterprise akin to organized crime. The specific laws vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
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Out of service means different things to different agencies. Do you mean off duty? On break? On a call? If you are referring to a break, then yes - a department will likely have some type of policy on that. Each department will be different.
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Day Trader
In trading, does an educated person have an advantage over an uneducated one?
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What's the best way to get a bartender's attention?
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As gender roles continue to evolve, are you seeing a rise in the % of male nurses?
Run for the office during the next general election. Becoming a deputy is a little easier, and you should contact the local department and inquire about employment if you would like to give that a go.
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Both are full time jobs and it is not reasonable to do both. You can be an MD working for the FBI in a variety of capacities, though endercover work is not likely to be one of them.
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Many 911 centers have call takers who answer the phones. They enter information into a computer (often called a call screen because it shows information about all of the active calls for service).
A dispatcher pulls the information from the call screen and relays it to the patrol officers. This can be done via computer (many agencies use computer aided dispatching), by voice transmission on the radio, or through a combination of both.
As the call taker gets more information, the call screen is updated in real time.
Depending on the size of the agency, call takers and dispatchers may be separate positions or all of the communication staff may be cross-trained and do all of the jobs. At a small department, only one or two people may be on duty and have to do all of the call taking and dispatching. Other departments may employ dozens or even hundreds of communications employees.
Off duty officers are rarely contacted. In those cases it is typically because of manpower shortages and/or emergencies. For example, a hostage situation requires the presence of a large number of officers, so off-duty officers could be called in to assist with normal patrol calls. This tends to be uncommon at most departments.
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