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.
In general, a police officer can use that force which is reasonable to defend himself or another, to prevent a crime or to detain a subject. Refer to http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=490&invol=386 and http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=471&invol=1 as a starting point for this body of work.
I cover this information further up the page. Good luck.
You should contact the local police department. I am not an active officer, nor is this a law enforcement agency. Dial 911 if there is a true emergency.
Call your local police department and ask for their assistance. They will know what to do.
Programmer
Hotel Front Desk Agent
Firefighter
In a smaller department, only one officer may be assigned to a specific area. In that case, the back up officer will come from another area. In medium or larger agencies, there may be two or more officers assigned to a specific area. In that case the backup officer will probably come from inside that area.
The desire to help people - to make a difference. All of those things I mentioned above suck the life out of you. But with good friends, family and faith in God supporting you, the job can be done.
There were many times that I was going to a call that I would have preferred avoid, but I knew I had the skills and disposition to handle it. Who wants to go to the call where a man just committed suicide in front of his wife by sticking a gun in his mouth and pulling the trigger? No one. But, as I often questioned myself, "if not me, then who?"
There are upsides to the job, though they are rarely visible to, or understood by, anyone outside of law enforcement.
It depends on the agency. Some departments require no college, while others might require a two or four year degree. Read through the prior posts and you can get additional information on college and hiring.
-OR-
(max 20 characters - letters, numbers, and underscores only. Note that your username is private, and you have the option to choose an alias when asking questions or hosting a Q&A.)
(A valid e-mail address is required. Your e-mail will not be shared with anyone.)
(min 5 characters)
By checking this box, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to Jobstr.com’s Terms and Privacy Policy.
-OR-
(Don't worry: you'll be able to choose an alias when asking questions or hosting a Q&A.)