Now Ye're Talking to a US Police Officer III

cena · 29-08-2022 3:31pm

How can an guy in Ireland become a police office in the states?

I'm a US police officer, AMA · 29-08-2022 7:22pm

The mood this time round is not very nice towards you. It’s a bit “all US cops are bad”.

Oh, I'd say its about the same really. People form their perceptions from however they consume information. Bad news stories outrun the good ones, as good news is boring. I don't think there is a media bias, I just know "if it bleeds, it leads". I have two reporter friends, and they agree with me on that one.

How is the mood in the police department with regard to “defund the police”. Does the general public understands the concept of what they are asking for and it’s consequences for their safety. Is there a mood in the cops for change or is it just noise ?

Well morale is down right now and has been for a while. Don't get me wrong, it's not like we'll all depressed, muttering and kicking rocks. It does however wear ya down from the relentless onslaught. Protests and pickets go away once people make their point and get bored but the name calling & stuff can get old. I really don't care personally, if I did I would have quit years ago. Look at this AMA, that's the sort of tone we deal with daily and it does get tiring.

There is a lot of appetite for "police reform" but that is a loosely defined term with no real meaning. What is "police reform"? Yes, more oversight is useful, and so is more training & resources, but the larger structural issues are way beyond the control of the police. I'll use homelessness as an example. What is the police role in dealing with the homeless? Being homeless is not a crime, but in some places sleeping on the sidewalks is. So do we make an arrest for a crime or are the police responsible for finding this person food, shelter, healthcare and so on? Remember, society (be it city/county/state) passed a law of some kind making sleeping on the streets a crime. So, where does that fall in the remit of police reform?

There has been a slow move to shifting some resources away from police into things like mental health & social services which I submit is a good thing. I'm not a mental health professional, so good. 911 callers are asked "police/fine/EMS/mental health?" and there is a Mobile Crisis Outreach Team (MCOT) of mental health professionals who respond. But if the mental health consumer (the current preferred term), turns violent, MCOT calls us. So is this a LE problem, a mental health problem or a social problem? And the answer is "yes, all of the above". We work with MCOT with dedicated officers, but it won't solve a larger society problem.

Locally, as part of "defunding the police" we didn't hire for two and an half years. Resources were diverted to the MCOT and some other programs. However, we're now 100's of officer short. Violent crime, especially gun crime has surged since the pandemic, murders are way up locally as are deaths from fentanyl as are traffic fatalities. Now there is increasingly vocal pressure for "the police to do something about crime". We've gutted all our specialty units, disbanded the traffic corps, we have detectives working patrol (while not working their child abuse, family violence or property crimes, auto theft) and we're struggling to answer calls for service. If you house is burgled, and the perp has left, 911 takes a phone report, gives you a case number and suggest calling your insurance company. Eventually, weeks later, you might hear from a detective, but you won't get a patrol response. We just dont have the resources. I know I sound "pro-police" but reality is, this is what a defunded police department looks like.

Racism and prejudice in LE do exist, I'm not stupid. And I'm all for more training & screening, and when this happens, those bad apples deserve to be punished. Put another way, after the Rodney King beating in the late 1980's, the Christopher Commission dug into the LAPD. They found out of something like 8000 officers, 183 officers had more than two excessive force complaints from 1986 to 1990. Empirically, a reasonable person would say, "well lets focus on the bad actors, and take care of them". However, there was no way in hell the city was ever going to say, "Oh, we looked, it's just 183 bad cops". Why? As a society, we don't always want uncomfortable truths do we? A lot easier politically to say "we had a commission, we're taking all these steps, and have revamped our training". You get my point.

Do cops want change? Most of us don't have strong feelings one way or another. Cops are generally suspicious of changes, it can be a conservative culture. Change is sometimes perceived as "Oh, here we go again, we're getting screwed". What is see lacking in some cases, is involving police and/or their unions in the change process, you'll get buy in that way. We live this sh*t every day, so we do have opinions, ask us, we can help. Sadly, there is a mood in some quarters of keeping the "evil cops" at arms length because "they are the problem". You wouldn't try and determine best way to repair your car by assembling a group that didn't include a mechanic would you?

Just wondering are cop shootings down your way common ? Guards have had there fair share of it over the years but I'd imagine there's no comparison to the US unfortunately.

Reality is, cop shootings arn't that common. Most of us will never hear a shot fired in anger, but then it does happen. And that's why we're careful, I'm not risking my life or the publics on the statistics that it will probably be ok.

I only recently seen the video of Darian Jarrott in New Mexico and found it horrifying. It's also opened my eyes as to why cops are so cautious and nervous when carrying out traffic stops in the states.

Yep, thats why you stay cautious. And I get it, our approach can seem robotic and overly tactical. This is why, will it happen, most likely no, could it happen that day, that call, maybe....what would you do>

I'm a US police officer, AMA · 29-08-2022 7:25pm

I suppose the flip side to YouTube, Twitter ect when people aren't trying to portray cops as bad is that people can see just as much the **** yous put up with.

I guess, I think in the 21 century, people curate what they WANT to see more so than whats out there. Interestingly, in the UK, North Yorkshire Police tweeted out every 999 call they received in a 24 hour period by call nature. The amount of "no, people don't call the cops for that do" responses was funny. It's just another day for us.

On a lighter note. Charger, Explorer, Taurus or Tahoe ? I thought read somewhere a while ago the Explorers are giving lots of trouble compared to the others. Should probably go with Hyundai tbh 😂

Personally I prefer the Tahoe, just roomier, but we've gone to the Hybrid Explorers. They are ok, no real issue, just cramped compared to the Tahoe. But ya can't beat the mileage on them.

I'm a US police officer, AMA · 29-08-2022 7:59pm

You see a car next to you at say 8pm on a Saturday night while out on patrol, no stolen vehicle report or suspicious owner reports, you decide to stop and search it, what makes you decide that you need to stop the car and search it?

Not that simple. If there is no violation of the law, I have no reason to stop them. Before I can do anything I have to have at least reasonable suspicion or Probable Cause (PC) to make the stop. I can't stop someone just because I want to. If the vehicle breaks a traffic law, then I can pull them over to investigate the traffic violation, say illegal lane change, speeding, whatever. I make my approach, talk to the driver, figure out what's the deal. At this point, I still can't search the car, unless I have probable cause to search the car. And probable cause is not "I think you've committed a crime". I have to have very clearly articulable facts I can explain to a judge in my Affidavit as to why I searched the car.

Now, I can ask the driver for permission, if they give it, then I'm free and clear, that's a lawful search. If they say no, then, off they go. A hunch is not PC. Now I can follow them for a bit, if they violate traffic law, then I can make the stop and see how it goes as above. But I'll need more than the hunch.

1 . I wonder if you see much evidence of right wing extremist views among your colleagues? Across Europe in recent years there has been a rise in right-wing extremist views in police forces, particularly in Germany and the UK.

I think its out there. Some off duty cops got rolled up in the JAN 6th fiasco at the US Capitol. And I'm not naïve, I'm sure they are out there. It's very tricky though, especially for the agency. Where do you draw the line between protected, free political speech and extremism? Most of us keep our politics to ourselves. Those groups are under a lot of scrutiny, so it's likely cooled a desire to be members at least openly. But, I'd bet they are out there.

2 . I also often wonder how much of the violence we see from US police is the result of PTSD and a reaction to years of serving in situations where you feel physically under threat on a daily basis?

There are some thoughtful studies linking a career in public safety (police/fire/EMS) to chronic PTSD. And yes, it does make you cynical as we tend to see humanity at its worst and dumbest. I'm not qualified to speak to a connection between a violent officer and PTSD, it's too individual. There was an analysis some years back discussion how one study determined that 40% of retired police officers die at their own hands within 10 years of retirement. As a profession, we're only beginning to address mental health.

In Ireland the police very very rarely come across a person with a gun and life threatening situations are dramatically less likely to be encountered than in the US. It's just hard to believe that these US cops that wildly overreact are ALL "bad guys". Do you all receive much psychological support for dealing with the pressures of policing in the US? I actually feel very sorry for US cops. I can't imagine getting up everyday to encounter situations of the gravity you tend to. It must take a hell of a toll on every aspect of your life.

I'm not saying they are all bad apples, but it's a complex problem. Our training relentlessly stresses officer safety because of incidents like the Darian Jarrett above. Some advocate that training be shifted to make it less confrontational, but it's striking the balance where the rub lies. It's hard not to be constantly on your guard when your life has been threatened. And life/death decisions have to be made in seconds, it's a tough nit to crack. Do we get much support, it depends, we have a pretty piss poor Officer Mental Health Program here. Chief barely supports it, she is "old school" and doesn't believe in "that touch, feely stuff". Sure, she'll talk it up in public, but try and take a "mental health day" and you'll be asked for doctors notes and explanations. We have a dept. psychologist, but she doesn't get agency support. We can do better.

Over time it does take it's toll. I have an amazingly supportive spouse who gets it (she's a retired firefighter), and I've used private mental health for my PTSD to help work though things. It's not easy, but I'm ok. As a profession, we're just now starting to understand mental health.

How can an guy in Ireland become a police office in the states?

If you can sort through the immigration/citizenship and otherwise meet the agency requirements, sure.

I'm a US police officer, AMA · 29-08-2022 8:42pm

From my time in Child Abuse. In my agency we also investigate crimes against the elderly & handicapped.

Six open cases:

Disabled person assaulted by roommate (both in their 60's)

Two teenage sexting cases

alleged abuse of twin brothers by father (accusation made after divorce papers filed)

alleged sexual assault of a 12yo female by 22 yo family friend

alleged choking of 9yo female by 11 yo cousin

Disabled person assaulted by roommate (both in their 60's)

Took phone statement from witness, victim is non-verbal, so can't talk to me. No interview possible, took written statement. Tried to reach suspect for interview, he's apparently left town. Victim or witness can't positively ID suspect, only "kinda know him". Was working up a photo lineup when all parties moved out of town with no working phones/email. Case suspended for now as victim is none hours away. Time spent: 7.5 hours.

Two teenage sexting cases.

One: Two teens aged 16 sexting & sending each other nudes. They break up, one threatens to send nudes to whole class at school. Victims parents in uproar. Interview victim, she's not thrilled about this, parents apoplectic discovering their daughter is sexually active. Suspect won't talk, parents lawyered up. After a few weeks of back & forth, case suspended in the interest of justice by DA. Ultimately while in bad taste, it was all consensual sexual encounters and she agreed to posing for the pictures. Suspect never did send them to anyone and allegedly deleted them form device. Time spent: 19 hours

Two: 16 yo boy sends nudes to person he met on Instagram who demands money. He sends $100, then gets scared & tells parents. Speak to parents, look at the screenshots from his account, suspect Insta account already suspended, screenshots reveal suspect's phone showed "Nigeria Wireless". Case suspended, nothing we can do with that. Time spent: 2 hours

Alleged abuse of twin brothers by father (accusation made after divorce papers filed)

Interviewed mom, decided to Forensically Interview boys, (twins aged 12), FI was inclusive, no outcry or claim of abuse, father lawyered up, refused to talk, interviewed family doctor, family therapist, boys teacher, researched kids entire medical history from various hospitals, (300 plus pages), reviewed social media videos provided by mother showing father in drunken rage (he won't win dad of the year award any time soon), reviewed social services reports, interviewed neighbours. No outcry or any evidence to support allegations, case suspend by DA for lack of any evidence. Mom & her lawyer furious at me, tried to subpoena me for custody hearing. Time spent: 120 hours

Alleged sexual assault of a 12 yo female by 22 yo family friend

Interviewed parents & family friend. No other witnesses to allegation. FI the victim, she alleges he kissed her briefly on the lips, nothing else. Tracked down suspect eventually. He's an illegal immigrant, convinced his dad to have both of them come in for interview after repeated assurances we are not connected to Immigration. Interview him with assistance of bilingual officer, he disputes victims version of events. Send him on his way, case suspended for lack of evidence. Time spent: 12 hours.

Another day at work, eh?

PCeeeee · 29-08-2022 9:17pm

Could you expand more on the pay please? You said 45k earlier? That sounds incredibly low. But most of my experience of the US is California so perhaps TX is different?

29-08-2022 9:43pm

What's your opinion on border controls in the USA and IRELAND

In ireland we basically have no border and we are letting in untold amounts of refugees unvetted. Do you think this is going to lead to bigger problems down the line? Would you like to be policing these people in ten or 15 year's time?

I imagine Texas gets alot of action in terms of people coming to the border.

cena · 29-08-2022 10:00pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119539113#Comment_119539113

What kind of requirement would I need to meet? I know in new york you have to live in New York and be a citizen.

I would love to be a cop

martingriff · 29-08-2022 10:17pm

Hope these question are not stupid and hopefully not answered before and may come from police shows sorry

1. Is there much cross cooperation cases between different eg local police state police etc and if so how does it work. I am guessing you don't work together in 1 place and have you been part of one.

2. Is Internal affairs a thing and are they hated

3. Have you heard of many cases of swatting. I saw 1 on twitter where the cop came in realised the mistake quick said sorry and appeared on screen to say hello. If that one is true would they be in trouble.

4. I look at instant karma clips of YouTube of a convient cop (also a reddit forum) have you ever caught someone like this and is it as satisfying for ye as the ones who watch

I'm a US police officer, AMA · 29-08-2022 11:29pm

Could you expand more on the pay please? You said 45k earlier? That sounds incredibly low. But most of my experience of the US is California so perhaps TX is different?

Pay is hyperlocal, you really have to look at it though local living expenses, cost of health insurance (we have to pay for that here), where ya want to live, lifestyle, family etc. Then add in local bonuses, specialty pay, language pay, degree pay, rent assistance, take home car, etc.) Policing in America is not a monolith. A random sampling of starting salaries:

Local city PD: $60K, small town north of here: $50K, Small city in our county, $45K, State police $45K, LAPD $74K, our county sheriff, $60. NYPD $42K. Yes, that's $42 000/year to be a day 1 beat cop in New York City!!!!!! FBI Special Agent, $51K. Think about this.... the FBI agents who served the Trump warrant were on about $60K/year...now they are being doxed, harassed, and cyber stalked, all for $60K a year. And people wonder why we're short cops....

These are all starting salaries, and like I said, it's hyper local. If you want to be rich, don't be a cop, but we do get to wear cool polyester uniforms and get slagged off near daily for doing our job, don't we. :-)

What's your opinion on border controls in the USA and IRELAND

Complex question. And it's very political. I'm generally of the opinion that any country should have a degree of control over its borders. Easier said than done of course. I don't think it's unreasonable, being a compassionate society to accept refugees from conflict/whatever. How many, tough call. I submit, overall, a diverse population is a better one. How do ya get there, different story.

I'd also offer that the US is too focused on race-based immigration policies focused on trying to secure a very porous, land border of thousands of miles. I'd be for a more structured legal migration process, allow people as vetted as one can, to come in, work legally, pay into tax & social security without being able to benefit from it. This way we take money from human smugglers & cartels, move a huge amount of money from the black, cash economy to the regular economy and take the crime out of being in immigrant. I'd add caveats, of commit crime, you are deported, etc. We spend billions on trying to stem a problem that is as old as time, so why not regulate it and have our economy profit from it. I assure you, immigrants are not "taking our jobs", they are doing all the shi**y farm, labor & service jobs we don't want to do.

In Ireland we basically have no border, and we are letting in untold amounts of refugees unvetted. Do you think this is going to lead to bigger problems down the line? Would you like to be policing these people in ten- or 15-years' time?

I'm policing them now. There are third & fourth generation immigrants everywhere. Like anything else, most of them are fine, law abiding, some aren't. I've meet plenty of illegals who've been here over 30 years, they own houses, have cash businesses, and send their kids to school. All while terrified they are one traffic stop from deportation. Are some criminals, sure, just like the rest of the population.

I imagine Texas gets a lot of action in terms of people coming to the border.

Yep, border is busy. I was detailed to a border task force in a non-front-line role. Basically, a liaison between local LE and US Customs & Border Patrol (USCBP) AKA "la migra". It's depressing TBH, these people get treated like garbage all the way to the US side, then if apprehended, are sent back to the misery that is south of the border. But, a note of caution, immigration is a very political issue be it Ireland or the US, and I won't be drawn into the political debate beyond what I've said.

What kind of requirement would I need to meet? I know in New York you have to live in New York and be a citizen. I would love to be a cop

You have to be legally able to work in the US however that works for your situation. Most LE agencies require you be a US citizen too. Beyond that, each agency has its own terms & conditions, IE age, residency status, background, blah, blah, blah, blah....checck out the recruiting sites.

I'm a US police officer, AMA · 29-08-2022 11:44pm

1. Is there much cross cooperation cases between different e.g., local police state police etc. and if so, how does it work. I am guessing you don't work together in 1 place and have you been part of one.

I've been part of a border task force compromised of state, local & federal agencies as above. And we have officers detailed to work with the DEA & state police here locally. It's cooperative, we share information, follow leads, divide up the work. I might use my local resources to say facilitate a traffic stop to gather intel, pass that on to the feds. State might have a lead they are working in a different part of the state connected to our case, so they'll work that and bring the info to support the larger case. Likewise with the feds, they'll work angles at the national level. Had a colleague working stolen & fake car number plates on a task force, he ended up helping NYPD bust a fake plate ring up there. And, no, he did 't get to go up there....no way was the agency paying for that!! :-)

2. Is Internal affairs a thing and are they hated.

Locally, they are fine. We don't have as strong a culture as like NYPD/Chicago about being a "rat". And I sense generationally that is sllloowwwlllyyy changing across the nation. Emphasis on slow. Most of what they do is deal with all the complaints about us being rude, or "not doing our jobs", sort of thing. Sure, they've busted some cops over the years, otherwise it's just part of the furniture. Only had to deal with them once, polite, professional. Fine.

3. Have you heard of many cases of swatting. I saw 1 on twitter where the cop came in realised the mistake quick said sorry and appeared on screen to say hello. If that one is true, would they be in trouble.

Heard of it, yes, personal experience no. Don't see why the cop would get in trouble, people take our pictures all the time, be it filming us, kids wanting pictures with officer friendly, drunk girls at a festival who seem to inherently think getting a pic with a cop is a thing.

4. I look at instant karma clips of YouTube of a convenient cop (also a redirect forum) have you ever caught someone like this and is it as satisfying for ye as the ones who watch.

Sure, although I had to look it up. But yes, of course it's satisfying when someone does patently illegal stuff right in front of you, its handed to ya pn a plate really. Only time it's a pain in the arse is when you are desperately trying to get off shift on time for a family event and get stuck dealing with it. Otherwise, its just as satisfying for us as anyone else.

martingriff · 30-08-2022 2:05am

Thanks for the replies ya I say the incident that just before your meant to clock off can get fustrating. Also that should have said Reddit not redirect.

1 last question I am on a wheelchair can I be stopped for drinking and driving!!!.

Not a serious question btw

Sexual Chocolate · 30-08-2022 8:59am

Do the Texas Rangers play a big part in LE in Texas ? Have you ever worked with them ?

Does your agency require you to purchase your own equipment such as sidearm, vest, boots etc and is there a strict criteria to follow if that's the case ?

The area that you police or have jurisdiction in, would it be as big as Cork or a small as say Louth ? Or any way to compare it ?

30-08-2022 10:22am

What do you think the force will be like in the future? Say predictions for 20 years time?

What do you think LE can do to attract more people to join?

Did you smash it · 30-08-2022 10:23am

Did he watch we own this city or is he familiar with the real life events it is based on; The mass level of corruption with a group called the gun trace task force in the Baltimore PD? Was he shocked by it?

Collie D · 30-08-2022 11:06am

Silly question. Not sure if you've watched The Wire but they have a tradition known as "The Detective's Wake" where basically the body of a recently deceased officer (natural causes in the two times it appears on the show) is laid out in a bar and his colleagues all get pissed to send him off.

Is this a real thing? Understood that you're based in Texas rather than Baltimore and each department may well have their own traditions, etc. and that it may be dramatic licence even for Baltimore PD.

Question 2: Pettiest or most annoying waste of time call you've ever been on?

I'm a US police officer, AMA · 30-08-2022 7:16pm

Do the Texas Rangers play a big part in LE in Texas ? Have you ever worked with them ?

The Rangers are part of the state police, essentially the investigative arm of state police, ie their detectives. They work statewide cases, LE issues (shootings, etc.). I worked with them briefly on the task force. Professionals, the few I met were very redneck, straight from central casting with the boots, starched jeans, chrome .45, cowboy hat, but otherwise professional

Does your agency require you to purchase your own equipment such as sidearm, vest, boots etc. and is there a strict criteria to follow if that's the case ?

Other than boots, everything is supplied. You can apply to buy your own sidearm from the approved list, some do, some don't personal choice. We could carry .45's and .40's but we're going to 9mm across the agency next year.

The area that you police or have jurisdiction in, would it be as big as Cork or a small as say Louth ? Or any way to compare it ?

Probably about the size of the greater Dublin area.

What do you think the force will be like in the future? Say predictions for 20 years time?

No idea, can't predict the future. I'm sure there will be more technology, voice activated computer searches, LP check sort of thing. But, the human factor won't change, we're in the people business.

What do you think LE can do to attract more people to join?

Pay more, more family friendly policies/schedules, more work/life balance, more diversity.

Did he watch we own this city or is he familiar with the real life events it is based on; The mass level of corruption with a group called the gun trace task force in the Baltimore PD? Was he shocked by it?

Yes, read the book & watched the show. It made me angry TBH. We're all tarred with the same brush, I mean look at the comments on here about US police. This crap was an open secret and BPD turned a blind eye to it for years. When it finally came to light, (they speak more to this in the book), the city copped to it as "a few corrupt cops" as the city consciously decided not to dig deeper as the scale of corruption had the potential to bankrupt the City of Baltimore. This would be the same city govt. pressing for police reform.....

Silly question. Not sure if you've watched The Wire but they have a tradition known as "The Detective's Wake" where basically the body of a recently deceased officer (natural causes in the two times it appears on the show) is laid out in a bar and his colleagues all get pissed to send him off. Is this a real thing? Understood that you're based in Texas rather than Baltimore and each department may well have their own traditions, etc. and that it may be dramatic license even for Baltimore PD.

No idea, might be a BPD thing, we don't do anything like that here.

I submit The Wire & We Own this City are probably two of the best, realistic cops shows ever put on film. It's reality.

Question 2: Pettiest or most annoying waste of time call you've ever been on?

Man, I could fill pages, random sampling:

My neighbour is mowing the grass at 0800 on Sunday

My upstairs neighbour walks in his apartment too much

There are cars parked on the street

My roomate won't share the wifi

I can smell neighbours cooking their BBQ

Too many kids walk on my street

There are dogs in the park barking with their owners

It could go on......and these are all real, 911 calls.....you know to the cops who never catch criminals......

I'm a US police officer, AMA · 30-08-2022 7:36pm

A typical week in Property Crimes:

4 vehicles broken into, all unlocked, three guns stolen.

Canvassed houses for CCTV, mostly rubbish, too grainy to be of use. No one recorded their gun, laptop, serial numbers. No prints, it was raining on the day., video showed perps to be wearing gloves, case suspended. 6 hours time.

Storage shed broken into, various items stolen.

CCTV at facility, showed perp vehicle, even with enhancement couldn't read a plate, perp wearing mask/hoodie. Canvassed area for other CCTV, nothing of value. Owner didn't even know what was in shed, couldn't give us list of missing property, case suspended, 2.5 hours

Burglary of church office, collection cash stolen.

Reviewed CCTV, perp had a very distinguishable limp & gait. No other CCTV in area. Prints on broken window are inconclusive. Church member thinks she knows him. Bring her in for photo lineup, she can't ID him. Suspend case. Weeks later get a call from patrol unit, who encountered a guy with same limp. Reopen case, review patrol video (from unrelated call), ID the guy, write up warrant. He gets arrested a few week later driving a stolen car. 10 hours.

Shots fired at unoccupied residence, two rounds.

Patrol recovered shell casings, submitted for analysis. Canvass street & adjoining streets for CCTV. Nothing of value. Talk to owner, he has no idea, tenant moved out weeks ago. Track down tenant who moved out of state, he has no ideas either. Suspend case. 4 hours. Months later shell casings analysis comes back, no trace possible.

Shoplifting of several bars of chocolate.

Review CCTV, vague description, face covered. Listen to shop owner moan on for ages about "us doing nothing". 2 hours, suspend case.

Landlord reports former tenant stole appliances from house (TV, washer/dryer, etc.)

No CCTV available at residence. Gate to area (private gated community) does show a rental van arriving & leaving around that time. Can't make out plate, partial rental company serial number visible on van. Work through that with rental agency, no luck, not enough data. Former tenant never rented a van from them. Former tenant won't talk to us. case suspended as it's likely a civil matter. 8 hours. Chief fields angry call from landlord, as does DA's officer & legal department about "cops doing nothing". Yawn :-)

And so it goes.........

DrPhilG · 31-08-2022 10:46am

I was just going to ask, The Shield or The Wire...

But you already answered just above.

Thanks for the AMA.

Panthro · 31-08-2022 11:00am

What's the funniest call out you've ever had?

I'm a US police officer, AMA · 31-08-2022 11:32pm

What's the funniest call out you've ever had?

There have been a few good ones over the years, one I do remember, was this guy who called us because he didn't know what to do as his girlfriend was pregnant by another bloke. There was another woman there, when asked, he tells us she's his "side bit" who is a stripper and could we not tell other girlfriend about her. It should be noted, they lived in the same apartment complex own door apart.

Once we figured out there was no actual crime, we just left shaking our heads. Told him, "don't know what to tell ya mate, it's not a matter for us".

Those are always funny in a pathetic sort of way I suppose. Had a few others, minor car accident where I watched a woman get into her car, put it in reverse and slam right into the parked ambulance behind her car. it was 2:00 AM in an apartment car park, we were assisting the medics with some random call, it was a simple job, no paperwork up to this point. The woman was not drunk/high, when I asked her "what were you thinking" with a straight face she told me "Well I saw all the flashing lights, didn't know what to do, so I just hoped for the best". Of course because it's an official vehicle, reports had to be written, medics had to be taken for drug/alcohol testing, traffic unit come out.....three hours later.....

I assure you gang, none of this is made up.

Be off the net for a few days, taking a short trip for the bank holiday weekend here. Next week, Greg, one of our Homicide detectives has agreed to answer some questions.

martingriff · 01-09-2022 1:11am

About 4 years ago KFC ran out of chicken in Britain and it was all over the TV as the cops had to put out a statement to okease stop ringing 911 (or whatever it is in Britain) as it is not a police matter. There was a lady on the news in hysteric as she had to go to Burger King. Has anything like that happened that you can remember

Padre_Pio · 01-09-2022 2:24am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119544345#Comment_119544345

Looks like we need better CCTV

CGI_Livia_Soprano · 01-09-2022 8:08pm

Have you ever framed a wrong ‘un to keep him off the streets? I heard that’s common in the US, for the “greater good.”

I'm a US police officer, AMA · 02-09-2022 2:46am

About 4 years ago KFC ran out of chicken in Britain and it was all over the TV as the cops had to put out a statement to okease stop ringing 911 (or whatever it is in Britain) as it is not a police matter. There was a lady on the news in hysteric as she had to go to Burger King. Has anything like that happened that you can remember

Not like that as such, but 911 does get a lot of really dumb calls. Time wasters really.

Looks like we need better CCTV.

CCTV is everywhere these days with the Ring doorbells and so on. Problem is most of the footage is just crap. Grainy, out of focus video of a person wearing a mask and hoodie doesnt help solve crime. If you have one of those systems, position it so it captures faces so we have a chance. And no we cant enhance it like on the movies.

Have you ever framed a wrong ‘un to keep him off the streets? I heard that’s common in the US, for the “greater good.”

No, we dont fit people up and I’ve never heard of someone being fitted up for the greater good. Thats illegal, sure we’ll make a legal arrest to get someone off the streets if we have PC and its legal. An illegal arrest would likely cost you your job if not criminal charges. All our arrests are reviewed at the jail for sufficient PC and good paperwork by an ADA, so a fitted up charge is not likely to pass scrutiny.

As shown in We Own this City, Baltimore was making BS arrests to take people off the streets, then reviewing and dropping the charges 24 hours later. As you can see that didnt go so well and now that city is tied up in years of well deserved litigation. Baltimore deserves everything it gets.

knucklehead6 · 06-09-2022 6:39am

i assume you are also a regular poster, and possibly have had interactions with some people on here.

Have you seen any questions and thought “oh Jesus, not this tool?”

Boards.ie: Niamh · 08-09-2022 11:55am

One post removed, this is your reminder that this is not a discussion thread but for asking questions to the AMA guest only. Thanks.

I'm a US police officer, AMA · 08-09-2022 7:06pm

I assume you are also a regular poster, and possibly have had interactions with some people on here.

Have you seen any questions and thought “oh Jesus, not this tool?”

LOL, for the most part no. I'm fine answering questions, even difficult ones. I don't care for inflammatory statements. Ask your question, fine, just don't make random statements. Being a cop is a world of nuance and is mostly misunderstood by everyone outside the legal profession.

There was a removed post above about the media. I don't buy into the "war on police" that some cops do. The media will report a headline grabbing story because it grabs headlines and mouse clicks which sells advertisements. Like it or not, it's reality. And there is a narrative of "the cops shoot too many black/brown/whatever people". Like the BBC story I mentioned to earlier about "black preacher arrested for watering plants". Based on what we saw, those appear to be the facts, but it seemed a bit sensationalist, especially for the BBC.

A colleague, Greg, who is a homicide detective has agreed to answers your questions, so fire away.

Damien360 · 08-09-2022 8:52pm

One for the homicide detective and maybe extend to the regular beat cops with regard to personal safety.

Although the film Se7en went a bit overboard on the idea, does it ever cross the mind of the detective that they and their family are in danger from either someone deciding to find them and their home or in a general sense that the world is a mess as they see some of the worst of it day to day.

Is gang crime/murder the main day to day work for the detective. As witness statements are probably hard to come by in gang crime, how do they go about solving the homicides.

How does their family handle the life of a homicide detective. Or do you leave your work in the workplace. Is that really possible?

Are there cold cases in the division and who does the responsibility fall on to for dealing with them given that there is a rotation of detectives to different disciplines every 18 months to 2 years.

Odd one for each of you. Do you live locally in the community. It would be rare here for the local police to live in the same area as they work so I get a sense they sometimes don’t care.

Is there an expectation that a detective should retire early (earlier than general population). I’m thinking of movies and series on tv where you get the copper getting to the end by the time they get to 50. Are there fitness protocols for detectives or is that even necessary.

Do homicide detectives ever work alone or is a partner a essential part of the “business “.

Thanks in advance. Keep safe.

Larry Bee · 09-09-2022 12:14am

Hi Greg, hows it going? Thanks for doing this. A couple of easy questions off the top of my head...

Whats the procedure when a body is found and you are called?

Who contacts the next of kin? How difficult is that? do you get special training for dealing with them? Is it difficult to question them?

In your experience what is the main motivation for murder?

How gruesome does it get?

Is as much as your day wasted

Whats the success rate for homicide investigations? Is there an average on how many hours are spent on solving a murder? (see post 56)

When do you decide the case is not going to be solved and drop it? is that a tough call?

Whats the best way to get away with murder?

I'm sure I'll think of some more.

Thanks

John

I'm a US police officer, AMA · 09-09-2022 5:08pm

One for the homicide detective and maybe extend to the regular beat cops with regard to personal safety.

Although the film Se7en went a bit overboard on the idea, does

it ever cross the mind of the detective that they and their family are in

danger from either someone deciding to find them and their home or in a general

sense that the world is a mess as they see some of the worst of it day to day.

No, not really. I’ve been a cop for almost 20 years, and I don’t feel any threat to me or my family. Retaliation is a serious offense here in Texas and the thugs leave us alone for the most part. Going after a cop brings a level of heat they just want to avoid. A few years back, a guy took a shot at a judge outside her home. She survived thankfully, we caught the guy quickly and he was sentenced to 35 years no parole.

Is gang crime/murder the main day to day work for the detective.

As witness statements are probably hard to come by in gang crime, how do they

go about solving the homicides.

We deal with all suspicious deaths, the majority of what we handle are suicides and accidents. They all have to be investigated to make sure it was in fact a suicide or accident. It gets the same level of investigation, crime scene, autopsy, investigation etc. Yeah, sometimes witnesses will clam up, especially the gang bangers, but weirdly, even they will talk to us. Death has a strange effect on people. Plus, we have forensics, CCTV, and other technical means (phones, etc.). Most murders are heat of the moment things, a dope deal gone bad, fight escalated to guns, family argument, jealous lovers. It’s not as hard as it seems sadly.

How does their family handle the life of a homicide detective.

Or do you leave your work in the workplace. Is that really possible?

I was a cop when I met my wife and she’s a nurse, so we’re used to seeing tragedy. Having said that, my daily job is in an office 90% of the time. I’m writing reports, reviewing files, writing warrants for phone records, bank accounts, CCTV etc. Yeah, I have to go sometimes and watch an autopsy, but it’s part of the job. Likewise, I’ll get called in to the scene but that’s no different to being on patrol. We’ll talk about it a bit at home, but its not an issue for us. As my wife said about being a nurse “it’s nothing personal, just work”.

Are there cold cases in the division and who does the

responsibility fall on to for dealing with them given that there is a rotation

of detectives to different disciplines every 18 months to 2 years.

Yeah, our department has a cold case section, they handle all the cold cases. There isn’t really a legal definition of a cold case as such. I’ll work it until I hit a dead end, then we suspend it. If new evidence comes to light, I can re-open it, or, if it’s older, it’ll go to the cold case unit. Our supervisors will make the decision based on the time, evidence and personnel. Our homicide section detectives tend to stay there for years, it’s an interesting job, takes a while to get there, so we stay.

Odd one for each of you. Do you live locally in the community.

It would be rare here for the local police to live in the same area as they

work so I get a sense they sometimes don’t care.

Some do some don’t. This has more to do with what we can afford, where we want to live, local schools, and so on. I (Greg) live outside the local area as I have a small farm, the OP lives in the town where he works.

Is there an expectation that a detective should retire early

(earlier than general population). I’m thinking of movies and series on tv

where you get the copper getting to the end by the time they get to 50. Are

there fitness protocols for detectives or is that even necessary.

No expectation on retirement. We’ll retire when it suits us, depending on your pension, life, family and so on. It’s easier to be a detective than patrol, we mostly work 8-5 other than on call, easy to take leave and it’s mostly office work.

Do homicide detectives ever work alone or is a partner a

essential part of the “business “.

We work alone, just like all the other detectives in the dept. We’ll partner up to go meet someone, that’s officer safety. I can request other detectives to help if it’s complex or a huge workload, but mostly we’re alone. I know some agencies use partners, we don’t. 90% of the time it only needs one person.

Thanks

in advance. Keep safe.

I'm a US police officer, AMA · 09-09-2022 6:36pm

Hi Greg, hows it going? Thanks for doing this. A couple of easy questions off the top of my head...

What’s the procedure when a body is found and you are called?

Our patrol division will do the intitial investigation, secure the scene. A SGT will call the on call detective, Crime Scene Team, media team, drone team, medical examiner, etc. No one touches anything until the detective arrives. If needs be, we’ll write up a warrant if it’s a house, get it signed off by the on-call judge before we make entry.

At that point we’ll confer with the patrol guys, CST on how to approach the scene. The drone team will take overhead pictures, they have amazing software to mark things on pictures and can do 360-degree pictures. We’ll suit up in the white bunny suits, start taking video and pictures and marking evidence. Once we’re all happy with that, we’ll remove the evidence. (Shell casings, guns, whatever). At this point we’ll get with the ME and decide how we’ll move the body. They’ll direct the photographer to take more pictures of the body as they move it. While this is going on, we’ll have uniforms canvass the area if needed, get names, take statements, note CCTV, identify witnesses. We can interview witnesses on scene, we’ll do it in a patrol car if possible so it’s captured on video, although we prefer to talk to them at the station in the interview room.

At this point, we’re done, if everyone’s happy, we’ll release the scene back to the owner. This whole process can take up to six hours. It’s not fast, it’s through. I’ve had cases where the body is in a remote rural location, that takes even longer. We’ve had to have the firefighters help us gain access with ropes etc. Those calls take 12 plus hours.

Who contacts the next of kin? How difficult is that? do you get special training for dealing with them? Is it difficult to question them?

We have a Victims Service Unit who do notifications. They are not cops, they have a social worker background and are trained to do this. I’ve gone with them, it’s never easy. The VSU will stay with the family as long as needed, they can access any other community resources (mental health, etc). It sucks having to question the family, but memory is perishable, so we need to ask those questions as soon as possible. Some are better than others in handling the grief, not easy but part of it.

In your experience what is the main motivation for murder?

Most murders are spontaneous things, a crime of passion as it were. It’s a dope deal gone bad, lovers argument, domestic or sometimes a robbery. That’s most of them, there are occasional deliberate murders, but even those are rare. A gang-banger will decide to whack someone, and won’t put a whole lot of thought into it, to the point of driving over and unloading on the victim. They usually get caught.

How gruesome does it get?

The most gruesome ones are the bodies that have been left for days, especially in the summer. They’ll be decomposing, covered in maggots, they stink. Otherwise, its just work.

Is as much as your day wasted?

Not sure what you are asking. I spend a lot of time writing warrants and subpoenas for phone companies, social media, banks, credit card companies. It’s a nuisance and they take months to come back with the information. They don’t care and doing this for LE doesn’t make them money, so they are never in a hurry. Social media average turn on a warrant/subpoena for a murder is about four months or longer.

What’s the success rate for homicide investigations? Is there an average on how many hours are spent on solving a murder? (see post 56)

We’re pretty successful, although the percentage varies slightly from year to year, but we average about 98%. Like I said earlier, most of these are crimes of passion and easy enough to piece together. Whodunnits’ are actually pretty rare.

Time spent on a case varies, from days to months. It all depends on the complexity, which drives the workload. I had one recently, neighbor was worried about her next-door neighbor, mail & packages were piling up. Patrol made entry (they could see her on the floor). Investigation as above. After about two days’ work, I figured out her daughter was last one in the house. CCTV and License Plate Readers put her there. Did some digging on bank accounts & credit cards (faster than social media), found daughter was taking her moms money due to drug debt. Interviewed some associates who told us they were arguing a lot over money. Interviewed daughter, she came in voluntarily, she denied everything. Wrote warrant after interview (had to confer with DA), turned it in to fugitive team, they arrested her. All in all, about two to three weeks’ worth of work. Like I said it varies, some are simpler than others.

When do you decide the case is not going to be solved and drop it? is that a tough call?

We never drop a case, we suspend them. If we hit a dead end, and don’t have enough evidence to make an arrest, the case is suspended. This means its “on hold” pending new leads or evidence. We’ll have it reviewed by another detective to see if anything was missed, and at some point, it’ll go to Cold Cases for review. They stay this way as there is no statue of limitations on murder.

What’s the best way to get away with murder?

Don’t do it! 😊 I think this has gotten harder with time. As I said earlier, random acts are rare. And it’s hard to simply disappear these days. Committing a murder in Mexico has a low likelihood of conviction, there is that.

I'm sure I'll think of some more.

Thanks

John

dinorebel · 09-09-2022 7:15pm

Hi Greg, Hope you're well.

Have you ever investigated a serial killer?

Whats the most trivial/stupid reason for a murder you've seen?

funkey_monkey · 09-09-2022 7:25pm

One for both of you - how reliant are you on informants to solve crimes? How do you get get informants - is there a pool of them or is there a special division of 'handlers' that act as intermediaries between yourself and the informant?

I'm a US police officer, AMA · 09-09-2022 10:47pm