Do police officers even realize just how much they ruin peoples lives?
Have you ever heard of accepting responsibility for your own actions. This Country would be a much better place of people stopped whining about how the Police "ruined" their lives. Did the police force you to speed? Did you know that speeding is against the law. Every choice has related consequences. If you CHOOSE to violate the law, you must understand that you could be arrested or cited for that violation. Unless you live in Washington or Colorado, possession of marihauna is illegal. You may not like that law, but it is the LAW. So, if you intentionally and knowingly violate it, and then get caught, how is that the Police's fault? The fact that someone commits a crime, no matter how minor, is a matter of their individual choice. If you don't get caught, nothing happens. If you do, you will be arrested and charged. You KNEW IT WAS A CRIME. That is your Responsibility, not that of the Police. The police get paid to enforce the law. The laws are made by government to answer the needs and desires of the MAJORIITY of the population. And the Police only arrest violators. The Courts must decide whether that person is gulty or innocent. I have been a Police officer for over 40 years. I have arrested people for almost every crime there is. I have put Murderers in Death Row, but I have also arrested people for possession of marihauna. When I was in patrol I wrote speeding tickets and arrested drunk drivers. No matter what, I was not HARRASSING anyone. I was doing my job. The people who chose to break the law made that choice all on their own.
What are some slang terms used among police officers?
The most derogatory terms for the bad guys and citizens who are just pains in the rectum:A.H. = Adam Henry (A-dam H-enry) If you don’t get it…..sometimes you will hear it as “Jack Hole”…..now what starts with an “A” that ends with HOLE ?RICHARD CRANIUM= What starts with a “D” and is a nickname for Richard ? What is the non-medical layman’s term for the Cranium ? Do these clues HEAD you in the right direction ?
What can the police really do during a noise complaint?
This depends on the ordinances in your jurisdiction. Where I worked, the noise ordinance hours were from 2300 hours to 0700 hours - that meant that if I, as a police officer, heard disturbing noise emanating beyond the property lines of a given residence, I could unilaterally issue a citation to the offender without the need for a complaintant (attention apartment dwellers - your property lines are literally your walls, so mind your music). The logic is that, given these hours are when the vast majority of the populace is trying to sleep, I can act in the interest of the city at large in enforcing the noise ordinance.However, during all other hours, in order for me to issue a citation I have to have an individual victim - that is, someone who will sign a citation and have their name attached to an official police report, saying that their peace was disturbed by the activity of the offending party. I can then issue the citation and give the offender a court date. However, it seldom came to this, because:Your name and contact information are included in the police report, and your signature is on the ticket. Since the offender is probably a neighbor, they're going to know exactly who cost them a trip to court - so don't expect a Christmas card this year. By signing the ticket, you are in effect agreeing to testify in court as the plaintiff in the case. Judges work when you probably do - in the middle of weekdays. Are you miffed enough about the dubstep session next door to take time away from work to testify about it in court?I usually highlighted these facts when someone raised a righteous finger in the air and declared that they were PRESSING CHARGES (I think some people just loved hearing themselves say this phrase - it must be something about the hissing you have to do to get 'pressing' out). Some people thought I was just trying to shirk a report, but I'm not wasting the prosecutor's time on a one-off incident if the victim isn't going to cooperate in six months when this thing gets a court date. I mean, can you remember anything you were angry about six months ago?Thus, if it's the dead of night and the noise is obnoxious, the officer may issue a ticket themselves, especially if they've already been to that location for noise already. However, you can sign a complaint for peace disturbance at any time, given you're willing to forfeit cordial relations with your neighbors and answer a subpoena to testify in court.
A police officer pulled me over, claiming I didn't stop at the stop sign when I did. Should I fight it in court? Is there any chance I could win?
The short answer is yes. Why depends on your level of cynicism.I've gotten three tickets in my life. The first ticket was me driving way too fast. In my defense, I thought I was driving only a little above the speed limit, but I knew I was going over. I paid the fine.The second ticket I got, I was not speeding. The police officer pulled me over and the person who passed me over. I was clocked as doing 45 in a 35, as was the person who passed me.The issue went to court, and the da offered us a deal—no points, non moving violation, 20 dollar fine. It wasn't worth it to try the case if we were there to fight it.The third ticket I got was for using a cell phone while driving. This ticket was crap. My car has a navigation system in it. I was next to the police officer at a stoplight and turned my navigation system off—it's built into the car, so it's legal to do. I went to court, the officer testified that he saw one screen in the car. On the record. I asked him if he saw the screen in my car. He said yes. I asked him if he was sure I was operating my phone. He said yes. I asked him why he only saw one screen in the car. He had no idea. I asked him if he pulled my car over. He said yes. The traffic judge didn't buy it and found me guilty. I filed an appeal, which included the officer's testimony. I was let off the hook.The sad, cynical truth is that a lot of places in America use ticket revenue to pay for government, instead of increasing taxes. So all you have to do is make the ticket more expensive to fight than it is to settle. Remember there are extra negative consequences of a ticket beyond paying a fine, so even if the best you can negotiate is to *just* pay a fine you're still better off.
Law Enforcement Personell Only...What does it mean to "Talk Cop"?
Certain terms and phrases are unique. Also, to "talk cop" is sometimes a phrase that means a technique used by law enforcement to get people to tell their story and check it within itself. An officer will often ask the same question a number of times through a conversation in a different way to see if the response differs greatly. Also, in large urban ERs, many of the employees/caregivers see a lot of things that are possibly related to crime and criminals, and many of them, as a result of repeated dealings with law enforcement, understand the language. He could be asking for a detailed description of events.