The official "Ask a cop/deputy anything!" thread

[vreihen16]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

Interesting. I hadn’t heard that one. We normally run the car prior to conducting the traffic stop and the BWC is already recording, so there’s no denying the vehicle description nor the driver.

They show it on that TV show a lot in various jurisdictions. It was apparently SOP and trained in the days before BWC's and dashcams, to leave a fingerprint on the car in case the officer was ambushed as evidence when the car was recovered. Some places use the tail light, some touch the trunk lid (which is also handy to ensure that it is closed so nobody pops out unexpectedly), but most of the time its the rear fender. I ASSume that every officer/detective in the jurisdiction knows where they all leave their fingerprint, to dust for it if there's a tragedy and they need the evidence.....

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by vreihen16

They show it on that TV show a lot in various jurisdictions. It was apparently SOP and trained in the days before BWC's and dashcams, to leave a fingerprint on the car in case the officer was ambushed as evidence when the car was recovered. Some places use the tail light, some touch the trunk lid (which is also handy to ensure that it is closed so nobody pops out unexpectedly), but most of the time its the rear fender. I ASSume that every officer/detective in the jurisdiction knows where they all leave their fingerprint, to dust for it if there's a tragedy and they need the evidence.....

I personally only tug on the trunk. It’s interesting how different places do things so differently. I often find myself cringing at certain tactical decisions on traffic stops, but I have to remind myself that we’re not all trained the same way.

[UncleWede]

WHY is the 210 always such a shite-show???

Thursday night we had to leave late (9pm) to go to Temecula Valley. Home to destination was 2:15. But any other time I have to drive thru there, it's a mess. Took 4:35 to drive home leaving Temecula at 1:30 on Sunday.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

WHY is the 210 always such a shite-show???

Thursday night we had to leave late (9pm) to go to Temecula Valley. Home to destination was 2:15. But any other time I have to drive thru there, it's a mess. Took 4:35 to drive home leaving Temecula at 1:30 on Sunday.

It is a really congested corridor. That and the 10 suck.

[gabriel.psd]

👀

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by gabriel.psd

👀

‘Sup homie!?! You’ve been MIA for a millennium.

[unluky]

The vehicles are often touched to determine if they are running, in motion, etc. We also tug on the trunk as we approach the driver/passenger to see if it’s open and/or if anybody is poised to try to ambush from the trunk.

I love little things like this. I can imagine all the things that go thru your head on certain stops at certain hours of the day. After 5 years or so I can imagine what my crazy check list would be.

At night I always turn all the interior lights on, roll down my window and put my writs up on the steering wheel with my fingers splayed up. I've had many passengers think this is strange as hell. I always say "can you imagine walking up to a car in the middle of the night with no idea who or how many are in there and what their intentions are while by yourself on a lonely stretch of highway with back up 10-15 minutes away at best?"

F that - and I am going to do my part to make that experience as easy as possible - especially when they are only going thru it because I am a habitual speeder...............

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by unluky

The vehicles are often touched to determine if they are running, in motion, etc. We also tug on the trunk as we approach the driver/passenger to see if it’s open and/or if anybody is poised to try to ambush from the trunk.

I love little things like this. I can imagine all the things that go thru your head on certain stops at certain hours of the day. After 5 years or so I can imagine what my crazy check list would be.

At night I always turn all the interior lights on, roll down my window and put my writs up on the steering wheel with my fingers splayed up. I've had many passengers think this is strange as hell. I always say "can you imagine walking up to a car in the middle of the night with no idea who or how many are in there and what their intentions are while by yourself on a lonely stretch of highway with back up 10-15 minutes away at best?"

F that - and I am going to do my part to make that experience as easy as possible - especially when they are only going thru it because I am a habitual speeder...............

There are so many things I “take in”, and so many things I ask myself as I’m conducting a stop, including, but not limited to:

1. I’m taking a snap shot of my surroundings (…e.g. people, cameras on buildings, the streets/or the hard address numbers on a building, my proximity to passing traffic, etc.). I also check the mapper on the car’s mobile computer to see how close my nearest partners are.

2. I never take my eyes off the car once I start approaching. I’m laser focused!

3. I ask…”If the driver/passenger jumps out, what will be my course of action?” ….”If the driver takes off, does it meet the criteria to chase?”….etc.

All of this takes place in a matter of seconds.

[unluky]

The focus would be intense. When I hear people bitch when cops "get it wrong" in situations like that where one of a thousand reactions could happen in less than a second that decides if you live or die - I scoff.

Do a ride along. I have. You wanna see the people these guys deal with every day all day long? Try it.

One of the things that shocked me on my first one years ago - seemed like on 1/2 of the calls the cops knew the people and the people knew the cops BY NAME. I've never had the occasion to call the police to my house (and hope that stays the case) but if they have been to your house enough that you know them by name - that should be your sign right there. I'm sure that 2% of the people cause 80% of the problems is fairly accurate. LOL

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by unluky

The focus would be intense. When I hear people bitch when cops "get it wrong" in situations like that where one of a thousand reactions could happen in less than a second that decides if you live or die - I scoff.

Do a ride along. I have. You wanna see the people these guys deal with every day all day long? Try it.

One of the things that shocked me on my first one years ago - seemed like on 1/2 of the calls the cops knew the people and the people knew the cops BY NAME. I've never had the occasion to call the police to my house (and hope that stays the case) but if they have been to your house enough that you know them by name - that should be your sign right there. I'm sure that 2% of the people cause 80% of the problems is fairly accurate. LOL

We call those people the frequent flyers or the regulars. There are always a handful of gangsters and regular people who you know by name and who know you by name. You’ve contacted them dozens of times and are called to their homes on an almost weekly basis. You roll your eyes when a call for service at their address pops up in your box, and as soon as you see them you say, “So what’s the issue today Jane? Is John still stealing your soap and are the neighbors still spying on you through your TV?”

[spazzyfry123]

What “authority” does an LEO outside of their jurisdiction have? As an example, I frequently see patrol vehicles driving in areas that are not theirs. My assumption is that they are off-duty heading to work to start a shift or home after their shift. On highways, people suddenly refuse to pass clogging up traffic (because everyone is going 10 over generally), and I’ve always wondered if they could/should pull someone over if this out-of-jurisdiction LEO that was going the speed limit was passed by someone going 5 over or something.

I imagine there are some general intervention “rules” (read: common sense) that even if you are off duty or out of jurisdiction and something ridiculous happens you would step in. Say a dude just blows the cop’s doors off going 30 over or something.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by spazzyfry123

What “authority” does an LEO outside of their jurisdiction have? As an example, I frequently see patrol vehicles driving in areas that are not theirs. My assumption is that they are off-duty heading to work to start a shift or home after their shift. On highways, people suddenly refuse to pass clogging up traffic (because everyone is going 10 over generally), and I’ve always wondered if they could/should pull someone over if this out-of-jurisdiction LEO that was going the speed limit was passed by someone going 5 over or something.

I imagine there are some general intervention “rules” (read: common sense) that even if you are off duty or out of jurisdiction and something ridiculous happens you would step in. Say a dude just blows the cop’s doors off going 30 over or something.

The common misconception is that an officer/deputy only has power in their immediate jurisdiction. Peace Officers with general arrest powers per 83X.X P.C. (…the California penal code range that defines an Officer/Deputy’s powers, a Parole Officer’s powers, Correctional Officer powers, etc.) in any given state have powers throughout that entire state. So, for example, a San Francisco Police Officer in uniform and a marked black & white patrol vehicle can still pull someone over in San Diego and cite them. When this is done, they will call the local jurisdiction - in that example, a San Diego agency or the CHP - to figure out which court to use for the area they are in. The main reason an officer might not cite out-of-area is due to not wanting to go to court out-of-area. So, in my San Diego example, the San Francisco officer isn’t going to want to travel down to San Diego for a 30-minute traffic court session, thus, writing the ticket is pointless because the cited motorist would win by default if the officer no-shows. Jurisdiction, is all about the reporting court(s) and the areas in which your agency responds to calls for service. Correctional/Probation/Parole officers do not have the same arrest powers as a municipal cop, county deputy or state patrolman.

[spazzyfry123]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

The common misconception is that an officer/deputy only has power in their immediate jurisdiction. Peace Officers with general arrest powers per 83X.X P.C. (…the California penal code range that defines an Officer/Deputy’s powers, a Parole Officer’s powers, Correctional Officer powers, etc.) in any given state have powers throughout that entire state. So, for example, a San Francisco Police Officer in uniform and a marked black & white patrol vehicle can still pull someone over in San Diego and cite them. When this is done, they will call the local jurisdiction - in that example, a San Diego agency or the CHP - to figure out which court to use for the area they are in. The main reason an officer might not cite out-of-area is due to not wanting to go to court out-of-area. So, in my San Diego example, the San Francisco officer isn’t going to want to travel down to San Diego for a 30-minute traffic court session, thus, writing the ticket is pointless because the cited motorist would win by default if the officer no-shows. Jurisdiction, is all about the reporting court(s) and the areas in which your agency responds to calls for service. Correctional/Probation/Parole officers do not have the same arrest powers as a municipal cop, county deputy or state patrolman.

Super answer!

What if the LEO is off-duty?

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by spazzyfry123

Super answer!

What if the LEO is off-duty?

I would imagine unless it's egregious, it is something like when sailors are walking on the pier to/from the ship. When we would see an officer approach, we (and the officer) would look up at the ship we were passing so either of us didn't have to salute; don't see each other, don't have to salute.

It's the Sgt Shultz mantra.. I see nothing, I see nothing

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by spazzyfry123

Super answer!

What if the LEO is off-duty?

Off duty, an LEO is only likely to react/respond in an effort to protect themselves or someone else (…e.g. family) from immediate harm that could result in death or serious bodily injury. Otherwise we will just make very good witnesses. Now that said, our natural inclination is to run toward the danger and get the bad guy, however, a litigious society full of civil lawsuits will prevent that in all but the most extreme cases. Being the good guy/hero backfires more often than you think.

[spazzyfry123]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

Off duty, an LEO is only likely to react/respond in an effort to protect themselves or someone else (…e.g. family) from immediate harm that could result in death or serious bodily injury. Otherwise we will just make very good witnesses. Now that said, our natural inclination is to run toward the danger and get the bad guy, however, a litigious society full of civil lawsuits will prevent that in all but the most extreme cases. Being the good guy/hero backfires more often than you think.

The litigious piece was my anticipation. Threat of frivolous judgment outweighs common sense all too often…

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by spazzyfry123

The litigious piece was my anticipation. Threat of frivolous judgment outweighs common sense all too often…

It sucks because standing by idly while a crime - especially one against persons - is committed in front of us is VERY hard to do.

[unluky]

I took a work CPR class once and the instructor said the same thing. He said he carried CPR barriers in his car all the times, but said he really didn't know why because anyone he was willing to help would be friends and family who he knew were "ok" and anyone that was not he would unfortunately never help again due to the litigious nature of Americans.

The fact so many people sue for broken ribs when given CPR - when you basically usually HAVE to break ribs to do it correctly - means he just does not do it anymore unless on duty and covered or friends and family only.

He said he hoped he would never have to watch someone die who he was pretty sure he could have saved, but he would.

What a sad fucking world. People wiling to act incentivized not to.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by unluky

I took a work CPR class once and the instructor said the same thing. He said he carried CPR barriers in his car all the times, but said he really didn't know why because anyone he was willing to help would be friends and family who he knew were "ok" and anyone that was not he would unfortunately never help again due to the litigious nature of Americans.

The fact so many people sue for broken ribs when given CPR - when you basically usually HAVE to break ribs to do it correctly - means he just does not do it anymore unless on duty and covered or friends and family only.

He said he hoped he would never have to watch someone die who he was pretty sure he could have saved, but he would.

What a sad fucking world. People wiling to act incentivized not to.

You know, I never considered it from the off-duty EMT/Paramedic side, but he’s so right.

[Maynard]

This is a common, but untrue assumption. Good Samaritan laws protect well-intentioned bystanders who attempt to help unless they commit gross negligence (i.e. don't jam a pen into their voicebox or try to do open-chest cardiac massage). They might try to file a lawsuit, but it won't go anywhere.

So the litigious state of things f's things up even when it doesn't really apply.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by Maynard

This is a common, but untrue assumption. Good Samaritan laws protect well-intentioned bystanders who attempt to help unless they commit gross negligence (i.e. don't jam a pen into their voicebox or try to do open-chest cardiac massage). They might try to file a lawsuit, but it won't go anywhere.

So the litigious state of things f's things up even when it doesn't really apply.

It’s not an assumption. It happens all the time, you just aren’t privy to it. Look at how many Good Samaritan’s end up in court, dragged through the media circus, etc. (…cough…Daniel Penny…cough), for trying to help save lives….and don’t let the antagonist be black and die in the process. There are many you don’t ever hear about on the news.


Furthermore, even if the case “didn’t go anywhere”, the person defending their actions would still need to obtain a lawyer, etc. etc., which costs money, causes significant stress, etc. You’re really naive about how things actually work.

[vreihen16]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

Furthermore, even if the case “didn’t go anywhere”, the person defending their actions would still need to obtain a lawyer, etc. etc., which costs money, causes significant stress, etc.

I had a friend who went through EMT training for a volunteer ambulance corps many moons ago. They were all advised during training to go to the ambulance building and not directly to the scene of the call...even if it was on the street where you lived. If you arrive with the ambulance, the corps' insurance covers you 100%. If you arrive on your own, you have no insurance coverage from the corps' policy and were at the mercy of good samaritan laws...even if you were logged on-call with the volunteer ambulance department and carrying a pager/radio.

Sadly, there's a reason why people here in NY just keep on walking whenever they see a person in distress.....