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.
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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Depends on the department. There could be a desk officer, detectives and dispatchers in addition to any officers at the station taking a meal break, submitting evidence or completing paperwork. At other departments, there may be no one at the station. It just depends.
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I'm no life coach :) but in my opinion, anything that teaches marketable skills and not merely theories. For example, I love history, but unless there is a specific niche I can move into, its a degree that won't pay the bills.
Business degrees are good - especially if they have any type of entrepreneurial program. Anything related to vets or medical skills, computer/IT/coding degrees, agriculture programs all would be great in my opinion. Two other areas of study that would be excellent and apply to nearly any industry are communications and language studies.
Consider what kind of law enforcement you are interested in (city cop, game and wildlife officer, marine patrol, FBI, etc.) and your personal interests. Then see if there is a program that you can get into that is interesting to you, will provide you with marketable skills outside of law enforcement, and might help with a law enforcement career.
For example, foreign language studies will help in almost all areas of law enforcement. Accounting might help with federal law enforcement (FBI, IRS, etc.). Agricultural sciences could help with Dept of Natural Resources/Wildlife officers.
I hope this helps. Ultimately, find something that works for you and go for it.
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It depends on the laws of your state. If I understand your question, it is legal for one officer to issue a citation based on another officer's observations (in at least some states - if not all states.)
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Professional Gamer
Is the stereotype of gamers as overweight dudes living in parents' basements accurate?
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Do most poll staffers agree that the ballots are REALLY confusing?
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Can I be a successful P.I. if I'm hardworking but don't have any connections in law enforcement or politics?
What happens depends on what happened. For example, if an elderly person or someone suffering from a known medical condition is found dead inside their home, and there are no signs of criminal activity, a cursory investigation is done to document that information.
If a person is found dead in other circumstances, say with a gunshot wound or ligature marks, the situation is investigated as a homicide. The results of the investigation could lead to a ruling of wrongful death/murder, suicide, accidental homicide, justified homicide, or undetermined cause of death. Keep in mind these are all just generalities, and specific determinations vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
Generally, the primary investigative agency will be the one where the body is located. There are provisions in the law that would allow another agency to handle the investigation in certain circumstances. For example, if a person was kidnapped in county A, was taken through county B, was killed in county C, and was dumped in county D, any of the jurisdictions where the crime took place (all four) could assume control of the investigation. However, this is governed by state law (which varies) and common sense almost always applies. For example, county B in the above case would not try to take control of the investigation. Keep in mind that each state has its own set of laws that may be different that what I described. Also, transporting someone across state lines during the commission of a crime can now involve two different sets of state laws plus federal law since it is an interstate crime.
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It varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. There are no rules, and I doubt anyone can make any accurate generalizations.
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Every state uses different terminology. If you are talking about a domestic violence situation, it will likely be called an 'temporary protection order' or something very similar to it. I'd suggest contacting a victim advocate in the jurisdiction where your novel is taking place.
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