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

[Fly320s]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

It's an interesting phenomenon, isn't it?!?! I still haven't quite figured out the human psyche as it pertains to this behavior.

George Carlin had that figured out years ago. "Everyone going slower than me is an idiot and everyone passing me is a maniac."

[UncleWede]

Originally Posted by G35POPPEDMYCHERRY

I live in a township outside princeton, back in the day cops always used to pull people over for minor traffic infaractions. Now I rarely see anyone pulled over, or any type of speed enforcement. Ideas why?

My local little town of 200,000+ every single FB post regarding Felon with a weapon begins with a Vehicle code infraction stop. Then they find parolees, and guns, and drugs, and . . .

If you are going out to do a drive-by, or sell dope, make sure all your lights are working - SMH

[ezaircon4jc]

Will having an "LAPD Air Support Division" ball cap on the rear deck of my car help me get a warning?

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by ezaircon4jc

Will having an "LAPD Air Support Division" ball cap on the rear deck of my car help me get a warning?

It very well could. At a minimum it’s a conversation starter.

[UncleWede]

Originally Posted by ezaircon4jc

Will having an "LAPD Air Support Division" ball cap on the rear deck of my car help me get a warning?

WHAT, no thin blue line sticker? B A N

[HerkHealer]

I have a question:
Why do PO's wait to turn on the emergency lights and sirens during a high speed pursuit?
I'm "addicted" to these types of videos on YT, and there are LOTS of them as you know.
In this video, a Mustang GT passes a PO on the highway doing in excess of 100mph.
The PO chases, gets to over 100mph going through traffic before activating the lights/sirens. WHY? This happens quite a lot on these videos. Sometimes they dont have the lights on going 150mph passing other cars on the Highway.

Is there a legit reason why Police do this? Is it to not alert the speeding car you're behind them? To me, it seems unsafe. I would think you should have your lights on before going over 100mph to catch someone, for safety of other drivers.

Here's the video.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by HerkHealer

I have a question:
Why do PO's wait to turn on the emergency lights and sirens during a high speed pursuit?
I'm "addicted" to these types of videos on YT, and there are LOTS of them as you know.
In this video, a Mustang GT passes a PO on the highway doing in excess of 100mph.
The PO chases, gets to over 100mph going through traffic before activating the lights/sirens. WHY? This happens quite a lot on these videos. ]b\Sometimes they dont have the lights on going 150mph passing other cars on the Highway[/b].

Is there a legit reason why Police do this? Is it to not alert the speeding car you're behind them? To me, it seems unsafe. I would think you should have your lights on before going over 100mph to catch someone, for safety of other drivers.

Here's the video.

What is often the case is we will wait to initiate red lights and sirens until we are in a position to apprehend. If we alert the suspect too early, it basically gives them the upper hand in a pursuit situation. In short, it's a tactical consideration. It's the same reason why we'll turn off red lights and sirens once we're getting close to a location in an effort not to alert the suspects that we have arrived.


P.S. I can assure you that no police issue Ford Explorer, Ford Crown Victoria, etc. is getting anywhere near 150mph during a pursuit. We're lucky if these things will comfortably hit 120mph without feeling unstable; the average pursuit speeds on highways is around 80mph, but will spike for short periods of time. Police issue vehicles aren't shod with performance tires, performance brakes, etc. and they are extremely heavy. On surface streets our policy states that we shall not exceed 20 mph above the prima facie speed limit. I'm sure most other departments are similar. It becomes too much of a risk to chase beyond those speeds. Our police bikes start tapping out around 100-110mph (..and they don't accelerate like a modern sport bike), so any yahoo who doesn't want to be caught on a sport bike can easily outrun a cop on a police issue BMW, Kawasaki, Harley, etc. Motor officers have to employ certain tactics to catch a speeding motorcycle rider off guard, too. We call it "buzzing" the rider. "Buzzing" is a tactic where you follow the motorcyclist out of his/her line of sight, ride up alongside the rider quickly/abruptly, move into their path of travel and slow down. It catches them off guard and is just enough to gain the yield...........most of the time.

[HerkHealer]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

What is often the case is we will wait to initiate red lights and sirens until we are in a position to apprehend. If we alert the suspect too early, it basically gives them the upper hand in a pursuit situation. In short, it's a tactical consideration. It's the same reason why we'll turn off red lights and sirens once we're getting close to a location in an effort not to alert the suspects that we have arrived.


P.S. I can assure you that no police issue Ford Explorer, Ford Crown Victoria, etc. is getting anywhere near 150mph during a pursuit. We're lucky if these things will comfortably hit 120mph without feeling unstable; the average pursuit speeds on highways is around 80mph, but will spike for short periods of time. Police issue vehicles aren't shod with performance tires, performance brakes, etc. and they are extremely heavy. On surface streets our policy states that we shall not exceed 20 mph above the prima facie speed limit. I'm sure most other departments are similar. It becomes too much of a risk to chase beyond those speeds.

Thank you for your reply.
There are several YT videos showing PO's passing every day citizens on the highway going way past 100mph with zero emergency lights and sirens until they "feel" it is necessary IMO. Often times these YT videos are way above 100mph.

For clarification, im PRO Police as my Dad was a Cop for 33 years.
I just feel situations like this can be easily fixed for ALL our safety.
Such as, immediately turn on you lights/sirens during 100+ MPH pursuits.
Seems like the right way to do this to me..instead of "waiting" for the bad guy to know.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by HerkHealer

Thank you for your reply.
There are several YT videos showing PO's passing every day citizens on the highway going way past 100mph with zero emergency lights and sirens until they "feel" it is necessary IMO. Often times these YT videos are way above 100mph.

For clarification, im PRO Police as my Dad was a Cop for 33 years.
I just feel situations like this can be easily fixed for ALL our safety.
Such as, immediately turn on you lights/sirens during 100+ MPH pursuits.
Seems like the right way to do this to me..instead of "waiting" for the bad guy to know.

What the speedometer may read isn't the true speed. Trust me, I drive these vehicles day in and day out. They aren't that fast and they surely aren't that stable at high speeds (...and I've never been in a pursuit that went above 120mph-ish at any given moment). It's just not really a regular occurrence here in So.Cal, and we average 3-5 pursuits a week at my station alone.

I agree that safety is paramount, but it's a balance we have to strike. We are in a business where there is never an optimal time for anything; not a use of force, not deadly force, not a pursuit, not a PIT maneuver, etc. There's never a "good time" to be involved in any of those things as there is always a risk.

Thank your father for me. Respect is always given to those who came before and did the dirty work.

[Sedan_Clan]

Oh this was fun!


I was monitoring traffic at an intersection for 22450(a) CVC violations when I heard screeching tires in the distance. I crept into the mall parking lot and observed a silver '98 Honda Civic HX with milk crates under the two rear tires performing donuts. I lit them up and had every right to tow that car, arrest the driver and make the three passengers walk home. Fortunately I'm in a good mood and I'm tired, so I let them off with a warning for 23109(a) CVC.

[Dino GT]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

Oh this was fun!


I was monitoring traffic at an intersection for 22450(a) CVC violations when I heard screeching in the distance. I crept into the mall parking lot and observed a silver '98 Honda Civic HX with milk crates under the two rear tires performing donuts. I lit them up and had every right to tow that car, arrest the driver and make the three passengers walk home. Fortunately I'm in a good mood and I'm tired, so I let them off with a warning for 23109(a) CVC.

They probably saw cmyx6go post in the "You know you're old when" thread .
No RWD car, and couldn't find any snow, so they improvised

[UncleWede]

With the new paper plates requirement, is there still a need for the dealer to fold up my temp registration and TRY to stick it to the window? I was less than 2 weeks into my new truck when the sticker started slopping off. Since they didn't pay me to advertise their dealership, I removed the sticker pouch and put the registration in my glove box with my insurance.

How long is it taking DMV to issue plates these days?

[cmyx6go]

A 22 year old NYPD rookie shot himself in the head last night at his home. His father, a retired Sgt, found him. He’s from a family of NYPD. In addition to his father, His 2 uncles and his grandfather are/were also on the job. Two of which were high up. The grandfather is a neighbor. I know the grandfather, father and uncles. My nieces and nephews know the kid.

I have high regard for LEO but I can’t imagine anyone wanting their kids to join the force right now. My heart goes out to the family. How do you go on? Rest in peace.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by cmyx6go

A 22 year old NYPD rookie shot himself in the head last night at his home. His father, a retired Sgt, found him. He’s from a family of NYPD. In addition to his father, His 2 uncles and his grandfather are/were also on the job. Two of which were high up. The grandfather is a neighbor. I know the grandfather, father and uncles. My nieces and nephews know the kid.

I have high regard for LEO but I can’t imagine anyone wanting their kids to join the force right now. My heart goes out to the family. How do you go on? Rest in peace.

That is incredibly sad. Has anything been revealed about what may have been weighing on him? When somebody commits suicide it always causes me to dive deep into thought because I couldn't ever bring myself to do that. A person has to be in a very dark place to even entertain the thought. My condolences go out to his family.

Many of my partners have talked their children out of following the law enforcement path simply because it's just not worth it anymore. I love the field; I couldn't see myself doing anything else (...and this was my career goal), but society has declined so significantly that politicians/law makers have made it clear catching the bad guy is not their priority.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

With the new paper plates requirement, is there still a need for the dealer to fold up my temp registration and TRY to stick it to the window? I was less than 2 weeks into my new truck when the sticker started slopping off. Since they didn't pay me to advertise their dealership, I removed the sticker pouch and put the registration in my glove box with my insurance.

How long is it taking DMV to issue plates these days?

The timeframe is still a couple of months. If you decide to opt for a personalized plate, the current timeframe is approximately 6 months.

[cmyx6go]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

That is incredibly sad. Has anything been revealed about what may have been weighing on him? When somebody commits suicide it always causes me to dive deep into thought because I couldn't ever bring myself to do that. A person has to be in a very dark place to even entertain the thought. My condolences go out to his family.

Many of my partners have talked their children out of following the law enforcement path simply because it's just not worth it anymore. I love the field; I couldn't see myself doing anything else (...and this was my career goal), but society has declined so significantly that politicians/law makers have made it clear catching the bad guy is not their priority.

He was involved in a fatal shooting of a perp late last year. 911 was called and as the patrol car pulled up, perp opened fire. He and his partner returned fire killing perp. Of course perps family said not my boy, excessive force, bla, bla, bla. Internal Affairs investigation…. His identity has not yet been released but my sister saw brass at grandfather’s house and my niece confirmed his identity from IG posts. I imagine the scrutiny had something to do with it but that is speculation. So sad regardless.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by cmyx6go

He was involved in a fatal shooting of a perp late last year. 911 was called and as the patrol car pulled up, perp opened fire. He and his partner returned fire killing perp. Of course perps family said not my boy, excessive force, bla, bla, bla. Internal Affairs investigation…. His identity has not yet been released but my sister saw brass at grandfather’s house and my niece confirmed his identity from IG posts. I imagine the scrutiny had something to do with it but that is speculation. So sad regardless.

That is incredibly unfortunate. The pressure likely tipped him over the edge. The family members of those who commit criminal acts never acknowledge that the wrongdoings of the deceased led to their untimely death(s). It's always the fault of law enforcement.

[cmyx6go]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

That is incredibly unfortunate. The pressure likely tipped him over the edge. The family members of those who commit criminal acts never acknowledge that the wrongdoings of the deceased led to their untimely death(s). It's always the fault of law enforcement.

It’s heartbreaking. 22 years old. He was a baby. I just hope he was doing what HE wanted to do being a police officer and not following in family footsteps because he thought he had to.

[Sedan_Clan]

I just want to add that vilifying officers and blaming them for everything makes people not want to do the job. When you create a lack of desire to serve, you end up with departments that become really desperate and lower the hiring standards. When you combine desperation with lower standards, and you start hiring felons (...like Tennessee did because they couldn't get anybody to apply for the job), you get problematic officers like the five black officers caught up in the recent controversy. No process is fool-proof and bad people always slip through, but more of them slip through when you become desperate.

[jamesinaz]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

I just want to add that vilifying officers and blaming them for everything makes people not want to do the job. When you create a lack of desire to serve, you end up with departments that become really desperate and lower the hiring standards. When you combine desperation with lower standards, and you start hiring felons (...like Tennessee did because they couldn't get anybody to apply for the job), you get problematic officers like the five black officers caught up in the recent controversy. No process is fool-proof and bad people always slip through, but more of them slip through when you become desperate.

I'm happy to vilify cops who abuse their position and power we accord our police. Problem is many want to vilify ALL cops for the actions of a few.

And I wonder these days how we get anyone to join the force. I get it people already in getting closer to retirement pensions but why would someone with no skin in the game choose that profession the way it's treated today.

[Sedan_Clan]

The chase today was bananas. That guy let it all hang out there, shooting rifle rounds at law enforcement and all. ‘Tis California!!!!


P.S. There’s a new development. Apparently the man killed during the beating by the five Tennessee Officers was sleeping with an ex-girlfriend of one of the involved parties. Such a stupid reason to end a life and ruin your career.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by Soul_Glo

One of my employees, a nurse at my clinic. Came in the other day and showed me bruises on her wrists and forearms. She said she couldn’t complete the shift as she was in pain. I arranged for another nurse to accompany her to her mom’s place as she didn’t want to go home. When I asked if her partner did it she sobbed. I’m in a moral dilemma. How far do I get involved in her business? Is this something I should file a report on? I don’t want to make things worse for her. Then I don’t want him to get away with it either.

Edit. I’m not her immediate boss. The practice manager is. Who reports into a regional manager. I own the group of practices and the regional reports into me. The more I think about it the more it’s one for the practice manager to monitor. Any thoughts still welcome.

DV seems to be a trend right now at work and with friends! ����

I would not get involved. This isn't a mandated reporter type of situation and you don't know what kind of environment she is currently living in (..and the extent of the romantic partner's behavior, willingness to become more violent, etc.). You also do not want to potentially put yourself in the crosshairs. My advice is to offer your support and make yourself available should she decide to reach out for help. At the end of the day, until we, as law enforcement, have a confirmed victim (..who is willing to come forward, testify, etc.), we don't have a crime (...even though it may seem there is evidence of abuse).


P.S. You are also only aware of one side of the story. I have investigated situations where the woman was the dominant aggressor or who regularly was the initiator of the abuse.