Questions for Law Enforcement IRL

[Scofield]

1) Are cops allowed to run over suspects (for example, if there is an active shooter on a street targeting people, and if you get out, he will almost defiantly hit you, are you allowed to drive into him to stop him)
2) Why do cops go for center mass shots? Wouldn't it be less lethal to shoot them in the leg?
3) Do you guys get to choose what cars you have, and how are they assigned
4) Why are 10 codes used, why say 10-80 instead of just saying '80' 'or Im in pursuit'
5) Do all police cars have rifles in the front seat? I've seen police cars really up close in San Fransico, and it looks like they have automatic rifles by the driver seat. Isnt that really dangerous, as if a suspect tries to jump into a police car and run, he would have access to automatic weapons. Shouldn't they be stored in the trunk?
6) What do SWAT and Tactical teams do from day to day? Situations that require a tactical team certainly won't occur every day or even often, so isn't it a waste to pay for SWAT officers salary if they are forced to be in base until a situation occurs?
7) Are all police officers trained to the same standard? For example, will officers from a small town in Iowa be trained to the same standard as Baltimore, LAPD or NYPD cops, where there is a higher chance of riskier situations occurring?
8) At what point to you taze a suspect if they are unarmed? I have seen bodycam footage of cops trying to tackle a suspect when they flee, and other times I have seen cops taze a suspect for running. How do you know wether you should taze or tackle a suspect?
9) How often are air units dispatched? Are they immediately called for any 10-80s, or does it have to be in a certain situation?
10) What is the different between a police department and a sherrifs office? I was in Downtown LA a couple of weeks ago, and the LE there were LAPD, as you would expect. However, when I was in hollywood, the LE there were Los Angeles County Sherrifs, and they had a different uniform to the blue LAPD officers. Does the Sherrifs office have different authorization or are they restricted in anything compared to the LAPD? Why is the sherrifs dept. not merged with the PD like it is in Europe?
11) Do you guys decide how you patrol? Do you decide whether you do speed check on the highway, foot patrol, or vehicle patrol, or do you get assigned them?
12) In police bodycam videos, why is there no audio during the first 30 seconds?
13) If a suspect crosses state boundaries, are you no longer able to pursue them?
14) How long do police stay on scene during a shootout? If the cops shot dead a suspect pulling a gun, what happens next? Do all officers who repsonded have to remain on scene even if it is a code 4?
15) If you are an officer off duty, can you still arrest people? If you are an officer in TX, and you see teenagers smoking pot, are you able to arrest them or not?
16) Do officers have an arrest quota that they need to fill? What there to prevent an officer from turning a blind eye if he smells weed during a traffic stop, as it will take a lot of time and paperwork to process someone.
17) Do you get to decide if you ride with a partner or by yourself?
18) How long does police training last for
19) How strict are fitness requirements? I've seen videos of the academy where officers have to run laps, and do push ups, and sit ups e.t.c., but I still see a lot of heavily overweight officers.
20) Are you responsible if your car gets damaged. If a suspect hits your car or you pit a car and your car gets damaged, will you be in hot water?

Anyway, thats my questions, it would be appriciated if someone could answer a couple of them. Feel free to ask other questions in the comments!

 

[Stuvi]

I don't mean to sound rude but literally 90% of your questions, Google would have the perfect answer - even for your department you intent to apply to.

 

[SKuLLzSKiLLz]

Not a real cop but a big nerd, here is some stuff. Keep in mind i am from the UK so some may relate to UK law, i will put US if i know for certain this is to do with US law.

1) Yes you can:

- US
2) Officers are only meant to take a shot if they are endangering the lives of the officers or the others so the order would be shoot to kill which is a two tap shot to the body - US
3) You will be given a class of vehicle so an IRV then you will be able to chose which one you are best able to drive or want to drive
4) 10-10 is a fight in progress a 10-80 is a chase in progress - US
5) Weapons should be left in the trunk and secured in a case. However, they could of been running a test off officer response time or on a certain state of alert
6) SWAT officers are often just normal police officers day to day but they are trained in specialist tactics when they are called for - US
7) All police officers have to know certain criteria but laws are different and so are procedures so training is adapted for those differences - US
8) A tazer can be used as a long range tackle so if the officer is unlikely or has a lower chance of being able to tackle them a tazer should be used however the officer may consider the health risks of deploying it and the reason in his report - US
9) Air units are deployed: if avaliable + if it calls for it, they can be withdrawn from a case though if a higher priority call comes in - US
10) A police officer is reponsible for enforcing the law within a city whereas a deputy sheriff is reponsible for the county which is a number of cities and much more land - US

I will try answer the other 10 some time.

 

[Funtimedoom]

16) Do officers have an arrest quota that they need to fill? What there to prevent an officer from turning a blind eye if he smells weed during a traffic stop, as it will take a lot of time and paperwork to process someone.

This actually not allowed in most US states and it the same thing for tickets, because it can lead to false arrest and false tickets to complete the quota.

 

[A Sack O' Salt]

2) Why do cops go for center mass shots? Wouldn't it be less lethal to shoot them in the leg? Center mass is a lot easier to hit than a leg, and is the least lethal spot on the torso.
3) Do you guys get to choose what cars you have, and how are they assigned? No, you cannot choose your patrol car, they get assigned to you.
4) Why are 10 codes used, why say 10-80 instead of just saying '80' 'or Im in pursuit"? 10 Codes can be easier to understand if there's bad radio quality.
5) Do all police cars have rifles in the front seat? I've seen police cars really up close in San Fransico, and it looks like they have automatic rifles by the driver seat. Isnt that really dangerous, as if a suspect tries to jump into a police car and run, he would have access to automatic weapons. Shouldn't they be stored in the trunk? They're locked with a special key the officer has. So no, it would be harder to access in the trunk.
6) What do SWAT and Tactical teams do from day to day? Situations that require a tactical team certainly won't occur every day or even often, so isn't it a waste to pay for SWAT officers salary if they are forced to be in base until a situation occurs? SWAT are usually "on-call" much like how nurses and surgeons are.
7) Are all police officers trained to the same standard? For example, will officers from a small town in Iowa be trained to the same standard as Baltimore, LAPD or NYPD cops, where there is a higher chance of riskier situations occurring? All LEOs have the same basic training.
8) At what point to you taze a suspect if they are unarmed? I have seen bodycam footage of cops trying to tackle a suspect when they flee, and other times I have seen cops taze a suspect for running. How do you know wether you should taze or tackle a suspect? It's all under the officers discretion. If someones running, and you have a chance to tankle them instead of attempting to hit them with a taser, go for it.
9) How often are air units dispatched? Are they immediately called for any 10-80s, or does it have to be in a certain situation? When the situation calls for it, like Skullz said. Usually when it's a high speed pursuit and PD vehicles pull back to make the suspect think he's in the clear, and possibly have the suspect stop driving so dangerously, while an air unit follows.
11) Do you guys decide how you patrol? Do you decide whether you do speed check on the highway, foot patrol, or vehicle patrol, or do you get assigned them? Most officers are assigned patrol routes and areas depending on the amount of officers on duty.
12) In police bodycam videos, why is there no audio during the first 30 seconds? When a Police Officer starts his bodycam to record, it'll record the previous 15 seconds before he hit the button, except without audio. This could also be 30 seconds.
13) If a suspect crosses state boundaries, are you no longer able to pursue them? I believe there was a court case long ago regarding exactly this. It's called the "hot pursuit doctrine" or something like that. Yes, the LEO can still pursue until the respective state PD arrives.
14) How long do police stay on scene during a shootout? If the cops shot dead a suspect pulling a gun, what happens next? Do all officers who repsonded have to remain on scene even if it is a code 4? When an OIS takes place, all officers that discharged their weapons are investigated by administration, and taken much like how someone who's arrested gets taken off scene. Usually officers will remain on scene (that didn't discharge their firearms) and control traffic, police boundaries (ya know like the caution tape), etc.
15) If you are an officer off duty, can you still arrest people? If you are an officer in TX, and you see teenagers smoking pot, are you able to arrest them or not? This Quora post explains it perfectly: "
In every US state, as far as I know, a sworn law enforcement officer is a sworn officer all the time, and has the full authority that a law enforcement officer would have whenever they’re in the jurisdiction to which they are sworn, whether or not on duty.

However, officers are obliged to comply with the regulations of their agency, and if their agency requires them to follow specific procedures when they’re off duty, they must do so. The rules that agencies make for their officers vary considerably, and so the authority of an off-duty officer will also vary considerably."
16) Do officers have an arrest quota that they need to fill? What there to prevent an officer from turning a blind eye if he smells weed during a traffic stop, as it will take a lot of time and paperwork to process someone. LEO's do not have arrest quotas. This is illegal and promotes bad policing.
17) Do you get to decide if you ride with a partner or by yourself? No
18) How long does police training last for. Usually, 6 months depending on the academy.
19) How strict are fitness requirements? I've seen videos of the academy where officers have to run laps, and do push ups, and sit ups e.t.c., but I still see a lot of heavily overweight officers. Fitness requirements in the academy are stringent, but once you pass the academy, police departments (some) do yearly fitness checkups, which aren't a "pass" or "fail" test. LEO's get fat because they sit in patrol cars for 12-hour shifts and eat shitty food around town.
20) Are you responsible if your car gets damaged? If a suspect hits your car or you pit a car and your car gets damaged, will you be in hot water? There's nothing you can do to stop someone from throwing something at your vehicle or damage taken from doing a pit maneuver. No, police officers are responsible for their vehicles up to a standard. If something happens relating to their police work, they're not reliable to repair or do anything. If they get into an accident and they're at fault, then yes, they'll be in hot water.

 

[frankybullcranky]

OK let’s break this down. I have a lot of friends in the force, a lot in the US and some internationally. I'm not actually in the force myself but I'll go ahead and answer a lot of these from what I know.


1) Are cops allowed to run over suspects (for example, if there is an active shooter on a street targeting people, and if you get out, he will almost defiantly hit you, are you allowed to drive into him to stop him)

Depends on protocol and state. While you’re able to use lethal force when necessary, the risks of driving into someone and what’s associated with it usually outweighs using that method of taking a suspect down. It HAS happened before and will happen but it’s usually not the officers first choice neither is it the choice of the supervisors/department

2) Why do cops go for center mass shots? Wouldn't it be less lethal to shoot them in the leg?

Easy. It’s real hard to shoot 2 tiny moving targets. You have to account every single round that comes out of your weapon morally so if you miss shits coming for you.

Secondly, your femoral artery is in your leg. It’s the biggest artery and if severed it is most likely you will bleed out and die before any help.


3) Do you guys get to choose what cars you have, and how are they assigned

Depends on rank or process but for the most part, no. You’re given a vehicle with a designated unit number and in some departments you ride-along with another officer if extra vehicles aren’t available. The only people customizing their vehicles are generally detectives and higher-ups. It comes generally straight from their funds as a department will not fund customization as it is not necessary.

4) Why are 10 codes used, why say 10-80 instead of just saying '80' 'or Im in pursuit'

To formalize and simplify radio transmissions. It takes a lot longer to say “I’m in pursuit” than to say “10-80”. And some departments won’t prefix that 10 and will just say the 10-code without said prefix.

It also makes it so that radio transmissions are harder to understand if you’re not in the force as each state and department has their own 10-codes.

5) Do all police cars have rifles in the front seat? I've seen police cars really up close in San Fransico, and it looks like they have automatic rifles by the driver seat. Isnt that really dangerous, as if a suspect tries to jump into a police car and run, he would have access to automatic weapons. Shouldn't they be stored in the trunk?

No. Not all. Again depends on rank and state. There have been cases that I will link if you’re interested where the perp got into the front of a cruiser and attempted to drive away. The officer emptied a couple rounds into the driver side disabling the perp. The only reason he did so was because he had his service rifle in the front seat.

6) What do SWAT and Tactical teams do from day to day? Situations that require a tactical team certainly won't occur every day or even often, so isn't it a waste to pay for SWAT officers salary if they are forced to be in base until a situation occurs?

Not really. SWAT is all about refined tactics and only good training can provide this. Think of it as a reserve military, you could argue the same thing about how useless reserve is until you get invaded.

7) Are all police officers trained to the same standard? For example, will officers from a small town in Iowa be trained to the same standard as Baltimore, LAPD or NYPD cops, where there is a higher chance of riskier situations occurring?

No. They have their own ways of training, yes, there are standard things that all departments do, however it is all different as even different states have different laws and regulations.

8) At what point to you taze a suspect if they are unarmed? I have seen bodycam footage of cops trying to tackle a suspect when they flee, and other times I have seen cops taze a suspect for running. How do you know wether you should taze or tackle a suspect?

Officer discretion. Learn this term. You’re trained to use any tool necessary to stop a threat. Some officers prefer to go hands on and tackle and others would rather tase at a distance. Dependent again, too, on department policy.


9) How often are air units dispatched? Are they immediately called for any 10-80s, or does it have to be in a certain situation?

Most states cannot fund air units in most simple pursuits, instead utilizing news and media channels and their helicopters instead. Air units are generally only deployed in state of emergencies or when a situation dictates it.


10) What is the different between a police department and a sherrifs office? I was in Downtown LA a couple of weeks ago, and the LE there were LAPD, as you would expect. However, when I was in hollywood, the LE there were Los Angeles County Sherrifs, and they had a different uniform to the blue LAPD officers. Does the Sherrifs office have different authorization or are they restricted in anything compared to the LAPD? Why is the sherrifs dept. not merged with the PD like it is in Europe?

It’s jurisdiction. The idea being to delegate units to certain areas. For example, LAPD will not drive 45 minutes to Orange County to deal with something there when you can base a separate department that specializes in that area specifically, a la Orange County PD.


11) Do you guys decide how you patrol? Do you decide whether you do speed check on the highway, foot patrol, or vehicle patrol, or do you get assigned them?

It is all assigned. You have an assigned area and it is communicated each day on what is expected of you. However in terms of doing specific things that, again, is your discretion. If you see someone do something that sketches you out, you investigate, regardless of whether or not that’s your assigned area. However it is a given that you’re expected to stay in your area.


12) In police bodycam videos, why is there no audio during the first 30 seconds?

Many body cams have a pre-record feature, much like how screen recording software works, where you’re able to capture things 1-2+ minutes before hitting record, however, audio is a different story and takes time to buffer as well as the microphone is not always on to prevent the microphone from not working when needed.


13) If a suspect crosses state boundaries, are you no longer able to pursue them?

Yes. You contact the local department and have them take over. It’s jurisdiction and that’s important here in the states. However, if a supervisor says so and has the all clear to station or continue a pursuit, then the pursuit can continue.

14) How long do police stay on scene during a shootout? If the cops shot dead a suspect pulling a gun, what happens next? Do all officers who repsonded have to remain on scene even if it is a code 4?

Code 4 is actually misunderstood here on Monolith. It means, in most departments, that no additional units are necessary. NOT that the situation is over. So when a code 4 is called out, all additional units are cancelled and the units on scene stay on scene to fill out paperwork and clean up.


15) If you are an officer off duty, can you still arrest people? If you are an officer in TX, and you see teenagers smoking pot, are you able to arrest them or not?

Most officers don’t arrest for smoking pot and again that’s officer discretion. However, yes, they can and it’s called a citizens arrest at that point. They have to contact the department like any other citizen but they have the fundamental right as an American to legally detain someone as a citizen.

16) Do officers have an arrest quota that they need to fill? What there to prevent an officer from turning a blind eye if he smells weed during a traffic stop, as it will take a lot of time and paperwork to process someone.

Depends again on the state. A lot of your questions are broad and make it seem like America has a federal police force that mandates every state, which is not at all true.


17) Do you get to decide if you ride with a partner or by yourself?

You can petition but for most states and departments you are either assigned a partner or made to patrol alone. It depends, again, on a lot of factors and state/department policies.

18) How long does police training last for

Year+ Not only do you go through Police Academy, even after you graduate and become a deputy/officer you have an assigned FTO (field-training officer) that you have to report most, if not everything you do, to them. That means every traffic stop, every ID-check, everything.

19) How strict are fitness requirements? I've seen videos of the academy where officers have to run laps, and do push ups, and sit ups e.t.c., but I still see a lot of heavily overweight officers.

Again, dependent on state and department. Generally the requirements vary. Small town America for example might not care about fitness requirements as much as Chicago PD does.

20) Are you responsible if your car gets damaged. If a suspect hits your car or you pit a car and your car gets damaged, will you be in hot water?

You fill out paperwork. The vehicle given to you is not your vehicle, is it the government's. Whether or not the damage is justified, the vehicle/equipment gets replaced regardless of your input, even as the assigned "owner" (I use quotations, because again, it is NOT your vehicle). Say, the situation is justified and the vehicle was damaged in the act of duty, then your vehicle is repaired and/or replaced.