/r/police

Photograph via snooOG

A place to discuss and share experiences related to policing.

A place to discuss all things relating to policing, to share experiences and stories from both civilians and officers.

Note: This is NOT ProtectAndServe or LegalAdvice. Do not ask us for legal advice or get upset that we aren't taking a pro-cop stance. This subreddit is not for either of those things.

READ THESE RULES BEFORE POSTING. READ THEM ALL THE WAY THROUGH:

1. No Threats/Advocating violence or harm.

Do not threaten violence or advocate for violent acts. This is a standard rule across subreddits and applies here as well. This applies to police AND civilians. This results in a permanent ban. You have been warned.

2. No Personal Attacks

3. No Racism/Sexism

Sexism and racism will not be tolerated under any circumstances, and those who break this rule will be instantly banned. This is up to the discretion of the mod team.

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Respect your peers. If you wish to express your opinion on something then do so in a mature and sensible manner.

5. No Unreliable Sources

If you post something from an unreliable source (such as a lesser known tabloid) then you may only post if it is to question reliability.

6. No Headline/Title Copy and Pastes

When posting a link to a news article or posting a video, do not just regurgitate the headline in the title. You should be asking a question with any post linking to news, or bringing up your own discussion point based on the article.

7. State Where You Are From

8. Post In English

Whilst this sub accommodates for people across the world, we kindly ask that you keep posts English so that the vast majority of people can read them.

9. No Crossposts Using The Same Title

10. No Argument Baiting

Do not try to start an argument with people for the sake of having an argument. We'll only accept reasonable and educated discussions, not mindless berating of a person or persons. We can spot someone who only wants an argument very easily.

11. No False Legal Advice

This is not LegalAdvice and nobody here is a lawyer even if they say they are.

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/r/police

87,832 Subscribers

7

What are your opinions on Police Reported Ahead notifications on GPS?

Was just wondering how Police feel about the feature above. Is this seen similar to speeders using radar detectors? What about fugitives or fleeing suspects?

On the other side is things I imagine it gives drivers an earlier opportunity to yeild the rightmost lane before visually seeing the pulled over vehicles/officer

What side are you on about this matter?

8 Comments
2024/12/02
22:24 UTC

23

Saw something I don't think I'll get over (TW)

Posting on a throwaway acc. for privacy reasons:

I've responded to a million vehicle accidents, some even being fatal, but this was different. I was dispatched to a bad vehicle accident on the highway yesterday. I was the second unit on the scene, and pulled up to see a three-vehicle accident including an SUV flipped over on its head. The officer that was already on scene was helping extract people from the flipped SUV, and I went to assist. I looked in the backseat, which the window had already been shattered from the impact, and saw what had to have been no more than a 3-6 month old baby, loose from its car seat and lying lifeless on the roof of the car. It was clear they did not have the seatbelt fastened properly, and being ejected from the car seat with as much force as it took to roll that SUV, the baby had sustained severe trauma causing its neck to break. I could tell immediately due to details I won't go into, but in addition to that there were gashes, scratches, and blood. I'm have so much hatred for the mother who didn't buckle in her baby properly, and this is difficult to deal with mentally, I feel like I have to vent it. How do people get over stuff like this?

6 Comments
2024/12/02
22:10 UTC

1

RCMP Auxiliary

Hi everyone, for those that are in the auxiliary program (specifically the RCMP) or have been in the past, what is it like and what do you do? Seeing mixed things online. Thanks!

0 Comments
2024/12/02
21:59 UTC

2

How readily is it to do a quick background check by curiosity?

In California, how readily is it to do a quick background check by curiosity? Do police have easy access once they know a person's basic info like name or address? Do higher ups in position have easier access?

10 Comments
2024/12/02
17:22 UTC

1

How do police know when to investigate?

Say someone walks into a police station and confesses to a crime. Assuming there is no warrant or anything would you always investigate or would it depend on the crime? I ask because don’t people that are mentally ill confess to crimes all the time?

Specifically, what about a crime where it isn’t easy to tell the confessor is lying? For instance arson or child sexual abuse or rape while someone was intoxicated or some other crime where there wouldn’t be much evidence aside form the confession?

If you looked into the confessors background and found out they had a history of mental illness centering around guilt or delusion or whatever else, would you still be obligated to investigate? If it was sexual abuse or something like that couldn’t you run the risk of traumatizing someone by investigating?

And even with something like arson, if someone has a mental illness but their confession is not obviously false would you have to spend all that time and money investigating when odds are the person is just crazy? But then again, could you just trust that the confessor was making it up cause of mental illness?

1 Comment
2024/12/02
08:11 UTC

1

Auxiliary Police Job Application Canada

Hi, I am looking to apply for Auxiliary position in Ontario and want to be Constable in near future. I am 20 and have an academic offence that took place 1 year ago. Will this offence hold me back in the auxiliary position and for future Constable? Do services really look at this as a disqualification ? For context: I cheated on a test in university rest of my record is clean

2 Comments
2024/12/02
05:44 UTC

2

My Close Friend Lost His Grandfather (A Retired Police Officer) Yesterday

Hello,

My friend, Brian, that I've had for most of my life lost his grandfather yesterday at the age of 89. His grandfather, Henry Warner, was one of the most important people in his life. Henry was a retired police detective from the Philadelphia Police Department. He was a great man, and lived a long life. He did so many amazing things for his community and his family. He was part of the "Granny Squad" in the 1970's. They were male officers who went undercover as women into female only spaces that were suspected of having known criminal ties. He was also credited with initiating the raids for the Osage Avenue fires and saved a lot of lives because of that. He was also tasked with protecting Mayor Goode back in the day. I am on the other side of the country and I won't be able to make it back for the funeral or for the memorial services, but I want him to know that he is in my thoughts and prayers. I have already dedicated a Mass to Officer Warner at my parish, and I plan to make a donation in his honour to the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police. I know it's not very likely that many of you will have known Officer Warner, but I was hoping that maybe you could share a small story about why you became a police officer, or a story that made you smile recently. I just want to send a positive list of sentiments to my friend to help cheer him up since I can't do it in person. Thank you so much for your time, and listening to my story about Officer Warner. I also thank you for protecting all of us every single day! I hope you all stay safe and warm on the streets and have a wonderful holiday season!

Kind regards, Mary

0 Comments
2024/12/02
05:38 UTC

7

Female officers, how are you treated?

I (28f) am considering a career change from teaching to policing. Looking for some insight on how female officers are treated in a male dominated field (by colleagues and the community). I’d be considering a large Canadian city.

21 Comments
2024/12/02
03:58 UTC

35

What's your favorite remark for why your blocking a street?

My go tos are: "Shark attack and there is blood everywhere." "Several deer rutting and fighting" (seasonal) "A large herd of feral cats killed someone that tried to pet them"

22 Comments
2024/12/02
01:53 UTC

1

Issues being heard

I would like some help, advice, guidance…anything! I am a 43F, domestic violence survivor. I suffered at the hands of an extremely wicked man, but he was lucky or resourceful or both. He coercively controlled me, which aided in allusive behavior and left me in a state where I questioned what was happening to me.

I finally took a stand a little over a year ago, filed a restraining order, shortly after, one late night, men parked outside my home armed and the morons began discussing details specific to me, my property, my husbands name can be heard over my security camera. The car pulling up and leaving can be seen. I’ve sent it off to forensic audio and had it transcribed. The problem is getting authorities to hear me, view this evidence along with other videos of him abusing me, documented financial abuse, and witness testimony. The detective assigned fell asleep during our interview and did no follow up. I went to make a complaint with IA who discouraged me from formal complaint, the detective called my daughter to interview her. And now crickets again. T I’ve reached out to the DA, and still nothing. This sob tried to take my life and I’m struggling in getting someone to do their damn job. I believe our former tenant(a murder attorney) was in on helping him, they moved a month after my husband was kicked out, we live close to the US Mexico border, husband had been traveling to and from Mexico before and since the move out. He was talking to someone in jail for months. Maybe affiliated with drug transporting across the border. He also committed insurance fraud. There is sooo much crime here. Oh, and I’ve got video of him and another person discussing selling and buying Glocks, AR’s and ammo. How can I get help, who will help me, who will listen with intent of acting on these crimes? I have hired lawyers, private detectives, and the minute I even say attempt to hurt me, I’m disregarded. I can’t be the only person to of escaped the would be idiotic blow it would be killers. These amateurs were not prepared, and it’s not like the movies depict. But that doesn’t mean they won’t get lucky, cocky, injured egos and all. Thanks for any and all help.

8 Comments
2024/12/01
23:46 UTC

7

What is this ?

Watchtower?

19 Comments
2024/12/01
21:58 UTC

0

In TX, are we able to report a car with tinted windows with limited information?

All I have is a first middle and last name, car make and color, and apartment

11 Comments
2024/12/01
21:20 UTC

3

what is a realistic timeline for becoming an officer?

My boyfriend and I have just found out we are pregnant. We are both still in college and need a solid job that does not require a bachelor's degree. How long or hard is it to become a police officer? He is in good physical shape, and has never had any problems with the law, would anything stop him from getting accepted

17 Comments
2024/12/01
20:21 UTC

0

Former/Current Police Officers

So i take the BLET course next month and once i actually get on with a department and get some experience under my belt i would love to try out for SWAT my area is well known for gangs so the department i wanna work for has Gang Guns And Violence Unit i would also love to try out for that at some point also so my question is how I would i go about doing this once i finally get on with a department once im experienced enough I'm from North Carolina and the department i wanna work for is in Fayetteville

5 Comments
2024/12/01
07:41 UTC

0

Is it illegal for the police to arrest someone and just leave their pet unattended?

I know this varies from state to state, but let's say you live in Missouri, by yourself with your dog. Just you and your 5 month old puppy. You are arrested at your apartment and the cops are well aware you have a dog, there's no question about that because they saw the puppy dog. Ethically of course it's really shitty to just leave a puppy unattended but in Missouri I'm fairly certain the police are required to make some sort of arrangements for the pet. Let's say they didn't make arrangements. They literally just left the puppy in the apartment and made no attempt to make sure it was cared for. It's now been almost 24 hours, and by the time you are able to gain access to the apartment to check on the pet, thankfully you see that the pet is alive but has destroyed everything within it's reach, as well as shit and pissed everywhere. Is this something the police can be held responsible for? How is this not pet abuse? It's a puppy, puppies chew on shit. What if it chewed an electric cord or ate something it shouldn't? Not to mention the countless other scenarios where the pet ends up starving, hurting itself or worse?! I cannot say I'm surprised that a couple of cops would do something so shitty, however I see no scenario where this is acceptable. Is this unethical, and really shitty to do to someone and their pet, yes of course. But, is this illegal and/or possibly abusive? I think the....police officers should at the very least have to answer for their actions and I also think the department should be responsible for all damages. I'm not blissfully ignorant enough to think they'll actually be held accountable, I'm sure they would weasel their way out of it, but I'm genuinely curious what others think.

*For context, this was not any kind of violent crime or anything, the person has a mental health condition and the neighbors called the police because they were "playing loud music and yelling" and the cops thought they were "on drugs".

*This is on me, I give the masses too much credit sometimes, there’s very few that deserve it. Imagine if the ratio of smart and rational people to stupid dipshit trolls was flipped…wouldn’t that be nice.

15 Comments
2024/12/01
06:50 UTC

3

Texas DPS recruiting

any Texas DPS in here ? i’m 21 , on my final year in the airforce , however no military police experience. how hard will it be for me to attend the academy with out any college degree?

1 Comment
2024/12/01
03:15 UTC

0

Asking for my hubby about becoming a COP.

My hubby(let's say David) has always been a one to call out shady situations right before they happen and has a good moral sense(now).

He had a 4.0 in a CC with Criminal Justice when he was young.(19) then (37) now.

He had issues with the law in his 20s with his Ex-Wife. Drugs mainly and was jailed a few times. He has been clean for 15 years now.

I want him to pursue his dream but is he kinda screwed with his past and age at this point?

27 Comments
2024/12/01
02:07 UTC

3

LE Gift Guide thread?

Can we make an official gift idea thread before the flood of threads asking what they should get their LE significant other/kid/sibling/friend?

I'll start.

ZAK cuff keys, we use them, abuse them, and lose them.

Pocket/pen flashlights, it's always nice to have a backup if your battery dies, or you need to find your other one in a field after a fight and the button clicked when it went flying. Streamlight, Nitecore, Surefire, Fenix, all solid.

Nice pens, again, we use them, abuse them, and lose them. Zebra and Spacepen are solid, if you're feeling a little freaky, the Zebra F 701 body with Spacepen cartridges is top tier.

0 Comments
2024/12/01
01:23 UTC

5

How should I drive up to a police officer on duty, if at all?

Hey everyone, this is a little stupid so bear with me. I’d appreciate any help I can get. There is a lot of context behind this

Exactly a week ago, I had a great interaction with an officer. At 2am, I was driving to a church so I could take videos of my car (for editing purposes). I passed a cop on duty and pulled into the church further down the road. 5 minutes later he drove the same way. I was very visible on the side of the road and was lit up, so naturally he came to see what was up. I expected this guy to tell me to fuck off for trespassing but he was extremely kind and just wanted to make sure nothing was wrong. Not only that, he let me take a video of him behind me with his lights on (took not even 30 seconds because I was nervous to waste his time). I gave him a huge thumbs up and got back into my car. In hindsight I wish I had walked up to him and thanked him again and asked for his name. I don’t even know the department. I want to give back but I’m not sure how to with so little information

Tonight I was planning on driving back the same way and seeing if a cop is on duty in the area. The idea is that if I find the same guy, great. If I don’t, I can at least ask for information/find out the dept. I’m not sure what I’m expecting to accomplish here. I was thinking about maybe bringing an energy drink/sealed snacks for whoever I talk to? Is this a bad idea? It’s been on my mind all week and I’m sure this post looks silly but I really wanna thank this guy any way I can. What do you guys recommend?

I also don’t want to get this guy in trouble if telling me to leave was the right thing to do. I left anyway after the interaction since I knew I was trespassing, even though I wasn’t asked to. I just want to be careful what I say

Thank you so so much! Again I really appreciate anyone who took the time to read this. It definitely could be a shorter post

TL;DR a cop was nice to me a week ago and I want to pay him back any way I can, but not sure how considering I don’t even know the dude’s name or department

5 Comments
2024/12/01
01:15 UTC

1

DUI investigations: Could I ask to blow instead of doing FSTs?

Due to my many disabilities (nerve damage in my legs, problems with balance, scoliosis, and mental disabilities resulting from PTSD and TBI) I could never accomplish and FST. Could I explain that, ask to blow straight away, and be released from a DUI investigation based on a 0.00 BAC result?

6 Comments
2024/11/30
23:57 UTC

12

Talking to Cops - Bad idea?

I was in a different city last week. I was just walking down the street in a pretty urban area, and there was this really loud, chaotic sounding situation on the other side of the street. There were several people yelling and screaming, and some had bullhorns. It was pretty hard to tell what was going on, but as I got up really close to it, I stopped to look and there was a cop standing there watching it on the same side of the street as me. I asked him what was going on and he said that they were protesting an abortion clinic. I said thanks and went on my way. I wasn't trying to start some long conversation, and he was perfectly polite, but as I was asking him, I thought maybe I shouldn't have been. He was clearly on duty and doing his job to make sure nothing got out of hand with the protest. I know that not all cops are the same, but is this a bad idea? I don't think it was a huge deal either way, but I was curious about it from the police point of view. The cop was not my tour guide and didn't have any obligation to satisfy my curiosity. Then again, it doesn't seem like that big of a deal. What say you, police of reddit? Should we stay out of your way, or is it ok to ask you questions? I never have any interaction with police, so it seemed odd.

15 Comments
2024/11/30
23:48 UTC

0

How do people who run from cops not get caught?

I see a lot of videos of people in cars or bikes who like to get into police chases for fun. They’ll go down the highway at 150+ mph and they like toying with police more than anything. How do they not get located or caught?

17 Comments
2024/11/30
21:20 UTC

0

How do you all really feel about vigilante “ped” catchers?

I come across videos on youtube and tiktok where these organizations/streamers (Colorado Ped Patrol, Jidion, PP Southeast Texas) will use decoys to catch child predators. They record and then the cops show up and usually arrest the individual. Sometimes the police seem thankful for what the streamer is doing and other times they seem very annoyed with the situation. I’ve never seen anything dangerous or violent happen but, I am curious on how the police department views these situations.

16 Comments
2024/11/30
20:13 UTC

1

Handling Mistakes: Seeking Advice

I’m a police officer from Germany, and I recently had a situation where we had to take someone into custody. Unfortunately, several mistakes occurred during the documentation and handling of the incident. For instance, the documentation had significant errors, and we failed to have the custody decision reviewed by a doctor, which should have been done. While consulting with my colleague, we determined that involving a doctor wasn’t strictly necessary, as this is not always required. However, the final decision ultimately rests with us, so the mistake was entirely on our side.

Additionally, I made some major mistakes in the documentation process itself. I’m reflecting on what happened and would like to hear how others deal with such situations. How do you handle errors in documentation or procedural mistakes, especially when they involve something as critical as a custody situation?

Furthermore, I’d like to hear your thoughts on how to process incidents that didn’t go as planned overall. Whether it’s mistakes, miscommunication, or just an outcome that wasn’t ideal, what’s your approach to learning from these situations and moving forward?

Any advice or insights would be appreciated!

4 Comments
2024/11/30
18:00 UTC

3

On Call

Can a department make patrol officers who are not scheduled to work on a weekend be “on call” without pay? Officers on call have to answer phone and have 3 hours to arrive for shift but they are not scheduled to work and not compensated.

26 Comments
2024/11/30
13:53 UTC

1

FHP Recruitment will I disqualify?

Back in 2018 I was a good two shoes and didn’t smoke marijuana and joined the academy for Corrections and passed school but failed the FDLE sadly because I was young, and should’ve payed more attention to detail so that’s my fault.

I felt discouraged and got out of anything related to law enforcement, and started construction (HVAC) but really am not enjoying it and want to be proud about something, and follow my older brothers foot tracks like I was before however from 2019-2024 I was smoking pot when I never use too I know I should’ve never picked it up but I did but I realized it wasn’t worth it anymore and retired it a few months ago. I am curious to know if I waited long enough like a year would I be able to possibly get into the FHP academy and pass the polygraph if I smoked those couple of years or would I just be wasting my time? I have no criminal records and no history on my license or bad credit or anything like that just marijuana.

Thank you I kindve want to just figure out if I ruined my chances entirely.

5 Comments
2024/11/30
05:19 UTC

0

How to find out why police cars are speeding in my town?

I live in a densely populated area in the suburbs of NYC. I often see police cars speeding and going through red lights. Presumably for some "emergency" but it seems doubtful. Curious how can the public find out what these "emergencies" are?

My hunch is that it's more about cops looking for any excuse to go on a thrill ride. Sooner or later some innocent pedestrian is going to get hit with the way they speed unnecessarily.

I am not the only one to bring up this topic. There have been reports that shows police speeding is unnecessary and is more dangerous than whatever "danger" they are responding to.

https://abcnews.go.com/2020/video/culture-police-speeding-22529898

11 Comments
2024/11/30
04:22 UTC

0

Creepy Guy in my Neighborhood

For the past 2 months I have been on and off seeing this one guy who waits at exactly the corner I get off the bus and the location is fairly close to an elementary school. He is fairly old maybe in his fifties and does not look like he could be the dad of any student.

He always has an electrical scooter with him either one of the city scooters or his own and he always looks either frightened or nervous and as soon as I make eye contact he looks away. Everything about him screams creepy.

I've tried to write it off as maybe some introverted dad who waits for their kid but it's actually really concerning he's always there usually just when school is out.

I am assuming since he is there so often one of the parents would have recognized him eventually and reported him but he's still there and still just stands there at the same place possibly every day.

My question is: should I report him to the police and in fact have I waited too long and this is too suspicious of an activity to just be written off as an introverted dad as I mentioned above?

If i do report it should it be during the time of the day he is waiting there or any random time would be fine for the police to follow up

am I being too paranoid about just some potentially harmless civilian?

I'm actually not sure if this is appropriate to post here. If anyone knows a better subreddit for this sort of stuff please comment.

4 Comments
2024/11/30
02:11 UTC

0

For members of the El Paso pd

What are some good study materials for the academy im planning on joining soon and I would like to be ready.

3 Comments
2024/11/29
21:27 UTC

0

Someone is claiming to have had sex with me when this didn't happen. Well not to my acknowledgment it didn't. If it did happen it was not consensual and I do not have any memory of it. Can I speak to the police about it?

I'm not sure what to do.. someone is claiming to have a past with me and that we have slept together, I have no memory of this, in fact I know this didn't happen.. I have never been alone with this person to my acknowledgment. Now if the off chance this person is telling the truth, as stated I have no memory.

It is causing many issues for me, and it is starting to affect my wellbeing whilst being pregnant.

If I was to speak to the police about this, do I have a leg to stand on. Sorry I'm just a little concerned.

Thanks

6 Comments
2024/11/29
16:07 UTC

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