Police Officer

Police Officer

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.

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Last Answer on October 29, 2014

Best Rated

I have a grad level question which I at first thought was a basic & silly for MS type work but here goes... U are a rookie cop under the control of a FTO & on your route the FTO stops & sucks down 4 beers, what should you do?

Asked by Renate over 11 years ago

Ask me a serious question.

i want to go back to my country. i come from kenya in africa. i want to go back but my mom doesnt have enough money

Asked by wema over 11 years ago

Ok. I hope you are not looking for someone to hand you a wad of money because you want something. That's not how life works.

i had some threatening texts of my half sister, and my mum went to the police about them they asked if i wanted to give a statment but my mum said i dont and not to say anything whats going to happen? will they leave us alone?

Asked by Roxy over 11 years ago

Nothing is going to happen if you don't do anything.  Why contact the police if you don't want to cooperate with the investigation?

(Background for my last question regarding education and how you value it): You previously said that you think an Ivy league degree shows someone who can't be trusted to handle PD money properly. Also, assume that this person had a full scholarship)

Asked by ROB over 11 years ago

Education and college degrees are not the same thing.  Education is highly valued and has little to do with college.  A college degree is an expensive piece of paper that shows you stuck around long enough to get one.  I guess that could be called determination, but I'd much rather hire the guy who showed determination by humped a pack up and down mountains in Afghanistan, rescued idiot boaters as a Coastie or worked the catapult on a carrier for 12+ hours/day.  Those folks have learned hard lessons and know how to make sensible decisions under pressure.

If Uncle Sam paid your way via ROTC, that is a reasonable approach.  Assuming you are active duty upon graduation, you have a paid-for degree and a real education.  If you instead dropped $100k+ at Yale to get a $40-50k/year job as a cop - well, I'd question your reasoning and problem solving skills.  Even more if you went into debt to do it.

All other things being equal, a college degree is better on the application than not having one.  But, all things are not equal.  Few colleges teach anything about real life.  Take a look at the professors in economics and business schools, for example.  How many of them have run a successful business?  How many of the law school professors have spent any time in a courtroom?  

The sad reality is that college is a black hole in which money disappears, but little is returned for it.  

I have just recently found out that a man that moved in to our neighborhood over a year ago is a convicted sex offender. Is it required for the police department to inform us somehow?

Asked by Concerned Dad over 11 years ago

Probably not.  Laws vary from state to state, but law enforcement has no duty to protect you.  Law enforcement has a duty to provide general protection to a community, but not to individuals.  Most (all?) states provide a sex offender database online that you can access to check things for yourself.  For example, this is the one in Florida:  https://offender.fdle.state.fl.us/

I understand that a detective cannot search or seize anything unless he has a warrant or exigent circumstances. Does that also apply to a burn down house? Does an officer need a warrant to search a house that is burnt to the ground?

Asked by Petal over 11 years ago

I would assume so, but there may be statutory or case law that says otherwise.  I'd suggest contacting a lawyer if this is more than a theoretical query.

How do i find about trying to become a state dot. cop

Asked by Butch over 11 years ago

Go to the department's website and find the recruiting information there.  You can also call them for information.