2543arvin;1687775 said:
^^^^Ive been in the Marine Corps for almost 7 years now. Why did you choose to go into law enforcement?
First, thank you sir for your service.
I chose this carreer for a few reasons. I watched cops religiously growing up and thought to myself how fun it looked. My uncle is a retired Sgt. with LAPD. He always had good stories to tell about work. He made the job sound fun, and interesting. I've always been the kind of person that wanted to help people. Law enforcement just seemed to be the career that balled all of my interests together the best.
max-89supra(t);1687777 said:
Ive always wondered why police don't state your rights before they ask you questions, only after. It seems a little stupid to me that they only say you have the right to remain silent after they already got everything they could out of you.
When an Officer asks you questions, and the contact is not social but rather Terry (there are differences between social contacts and Terry contacts), he/she is trying to develop PC (probable cause) that a crime has been committed. So the Officer will ask you, in essence, what happened. As soon as that Officer has developed PC that a crime has been committed, he/she should then stop the questioning, and read you your rights.
For example, I had this situation yesterday; Dispatchers send me to a house where brother and sister are fighting. 911 calltakers heard brother yell, "If you don't give me the phone I'm going to beat the shit out of you like I did before." Officers arrive, and separate the brother and sister. Sister tells me, "my brother and I were arguing over a teddy bear. I wouldn't give it to him so he kicked me." Sister told me it was more than a playful kick, and that it caused pain, and she was in fear of being beaten up. I contact brother. I ask, "Why don't you tell me why I am here, and what happened? Why is your sister crying and why does she have a red mark on her thigh?" Brother tells me they were arguing and that he kicked her. Right there I told him to stop talking, and that he was under arrest for assault. Then I read him his rights, and asked him more specific questions directly related to the assault (crime). As soon as I knew a crime was committed, I read him his rights. I didn't need to before then, cause I couldn't charge him with a crime before then.
The reason I didn't just go into reading Miranda, was because I needed to develope PC that a crime did occur. She might have just fallen. I dunno. I also have to try to get a witness. There are alot of factors that go into turning an interview into an interrogation.
Enraged;1687783 said:
honest question: why are police officers less likely (at least percieved less likely) to be criminally charged? example being the cop in washington state that shot and killed the aborginal carver, or more recently a cop in vancouver ran a red, killed 2 people, and pled down to driving without due care, and got a $1500 fine.
You have to remember, the media has a way of twisting stories, and making up the news. So you have to ask yourself, is what was reported, what really happened. I can't comment on why those Officers did what they did. I wasn't there, and don't know the facts. For whatever reason, that Officer felt it was necessary to shoot. I'm sorry I can't give you much more than that. And I haven't heard about the Officer running the light and killing 2, so...? I can tell you that, and it sucks, but politics play a role as well. Example; City/County/State prosecutor is up for re-election. Say that prosecutor has a huge police backing. You think that prosecutor is going to bite the hand that feeds him just before election time? Any idea what a City/County/State prosecutor makes /year? But you are right, the public's perception is that LEO are treated differently. Probably because some are, for whatever the reason.
There are some though, that are not. If the deputy had been a regular shitbag, he would have been out in a week. Because he is/was a deputy, he was held in jail on a half million dollar bond since the incident in Oct. of last year.
te72;1687845 said:
why is it when someone is a friend/family/related to an LEO, they can pull some of the most boneheaded things this side of a Jackass skit without consequence?
Exactly. It's percieved that just because the idiot is related to a LEO, he gets away with shenanigans. Did you read that part in my first post where I let a random guy go that had cocain on his person? We've had Officers fired for doing stupid things off duty. So it's just that, a perception. Some do get let go, but some get hammered. We just don't hear about them as often.
SupraMario;1687846 said:
Let me ask you...if you got paid to sit and eat donunts all day would you?
Lol. It sounds great, but in all honesty, I would say no. I'm way too motivated to sit and do nothing.
MDCmotorsports;1687844 said:
Why do you guys sit around and eat donuts all day long? Pigs.
The media, and hollywood do a great job of stereotyping. We eat chineese.
max-89supra(t);1687918 said:
One more thing, the guys and I were talking about this at work. Police are supposed use their sirens and speed etc only in a emergency right? then why do I see it done in non emergency situations all the time?
Ever see an Officer turn on his lights and sirens, and see a person in a vehicle just, stop...right in the middle of the road? Or merge LEFT? When an Officer runs code, he is accelerating the odds of causing an accident, or being in one himself. His liability goes through the roof. So I only run code if I feel it is an emergency, i.e. a person is in serious danger of being hurt, or is badly injured already and needs help. And obviously if I am in pursuit. I will not put my life or anyone else's in greator jeopardy by running code to a fight that has already been broken up. Now, I can see why you have this question. I've probably caused a few people to question the same thing. Lol. Let's say my fellow Officer just pulled over a car. He does a driver's check and dispatch answers over the radio that the person he is talking to has a warrant. The person is going to overhear that. Now that person knows he/she is going to jail. If you have ever been to jail, you probably don't want to go back. So as a fellow Officer who is a half mile away, I want to get there as quick as I can, but without putting lives in danger. In that case I would probably do 15-20mph over the limit without lights or sirens. If I come to an intersection, then I'll activate lights and sirens so I don't have to wait. I'll get through the intersection and turn them off proceeding on my way, quickly, but safely. To a random citizen stopped at that intersection, they probably think I came to the intersection, and just didn't feel like waiting. And I can understand why.
Another example: People see Officer driving normal, all of the sudden, lights and sirens are on and the cop accelerates quickly, and goes through an intersection, or around a vehicle then shuts them off and goes back to the speed limit. People see that and think, WTF? He just wanted around that car or didn't want to wait at that intersection. What they don't know, is that a fellow Officer is out on a traffic stop. Dispatch calls the Officer over the radio, but he doesn't answer. Dispatch calls again...No answer. Dispatch calls again...No answer. Now I'm thinking, "Oh shit!" I look on the computer to see his location and start to haul ass over there. 4 seconds after I turn my lights and sirens on, he answers back, he is fine, and didn't hear the radio. At that point, there is no need to continue with lights and sirens, as everything is fine.
max-89supra(t);1687918 said:
the cops should be the first to follow the law and set an example.
I completely agree.
FullNelson;1687954 said:
How do you or other colleagues deal with cops that have power trips, or enlarged egos?
I ignore them. I will absolutely back them, and help them if needed, but otherwise, I don't associate with them.
FullNelson;1687954 said:
Do you find most police are more effective in investigating if they are jerks or attitudinal?
That can go both ways, and I have a hat for each. I can be a complete asshole if I want to be, and have been. It really depends on the kind of person you are talking to. Some people don't respond to "Officer friendly" because he might be perceived as a pushover. Some don't respond well when being yelled at. Psychology plays a big part when talking to people. If you portray the same mannerisms as the person you are talking to, you will get further. How to gangsters talk? They use slang, and cuss. So when talking to a banger, I'll assume the role of a banger. If I'm talking to grandma, I'll be polite, and smile alot.
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wiseco7mgt;1687990 said:
I'm also certain in Australia they have a quota to fill each week and look intently at motorists for even the smallest of violations and then fine accordingly when once a warning may have been given.
That's a popular misconception here too. I can assure you it's false. We don't have a set number of tickets that must be written in a certain cycle. We do however, must show that we are doing our jobs. My performance is going to reflect poorly if I stop 10 vehicles per month and not write one ticket. Part of what a Police Officer's duties are, is traffic enforcement. If I'm not stopping vehicles and writing tickets, I'm not doing my job. With that said, there are alot of stupid laws I will NOT enforce. Talking on the phone while driving is a stupid law. I will NEVER stop someone for that. Not wearing a seatbelt - if you are an adult - is a stupid law. If you are an adult, and you don't want to wear it, I don't think you should have to. You know the consequences. I don't have any problems washing your brains off of the roadway. I think people who don't wear it are taking a huge risk, but whatever.
