How "Corporate" is Law Enforcement?

[PUGS1688]

I got jammed up for putting my own copy of Microsoft Streets on my issued Desktop computer so I could find my way to Crime Scene's, places in North Carolina where I had to take selected Evidence and map out related Crime Scene's... when the Agency had none. The claim was that I was using excess bandwidth and violating policy. I was written up by the IT Nerds.

I also got jammed up for coming in to work on my day off after the Sgt. told me in front of co-workers that I could earn a Comp Day by analysing backed up Marijuana cases. Our Lt. saw me at work on our day off, questioned my Sgt., who claimed he was unaware I was doing anything, even after he called me while I was doing it and asked how many more I had to do... then claimed the following Monday I was unauthorised to be working.

I was penalized 3 times for having my first on-duty fender bender in 22 years by backing into a parked Detective vehicle. It cost me my 22 year Merit raise by having a disciplinary action, failing to take care of my issued equipment that year, cost me 4 points towards my 6 point County Drivers License and was forced to attend Drivers Training for 3 days. The damage was less than $1000. Oh yeah, I forgot I was read the riot act for failing to show up at my Peer Accident Review Board, when I got the memo 2 days later than the Board met... because my Sgt. picked up the county mail and took it home with him for his Annual Leave.

Ask me if I miss that A.H. Sgt... go on, I dare you.... :mad:

;)

Well, at least I can know what to expect some day. Sounds like some real BS.

[Cat_Doc]

Law Enforcement has changed dramatically over the last thirty years, as some of the Old Dogs in here can confirm.

Our policies and procedures, standard operation procedures, general orders, whatever they were called, were fairly simple and to the point primarily regarding high risk issues like Use of Force, Firearms, Code of Conduct, etc.

Most normal operating procedures were verbally passed down by supervisory staff and senior officers and you learned this way. In the late 70's most cops respected verbal instruction and orders and they might have pissed and moaned a bit, but they followed orders.

Then, the litigators, both employees and citizenry, starting coming on-board. "You can't write me up for this because it is not an established written policy." "You have no written guidelines for appropriate conduct and now have to pay out millions."

Modern law enforcement is liability driven and even though we don't like discretion and common sense taken away from us, the vast amount of established policy and directions are actually there to cover our ***. If you are within policy; you are Golden. If you are outside of policy; They will drop your *** like a hot potato.

Our policy manual now weighs close to ten pounds when you pick it up. There is policy in there on exactly how to process evidence, handle calls for service, tow a car, when you can activate lights and siren and how much you can exceed the speed limit on an emergency run, blah, blah, blah.

You actually cannot go throughout a shift without violating some policy, somewhere. But, it is kind of like doing a bank robbery...you are not really in trouble until they catch you.

In the “old days” we carried saps, sticks, would split your damn head open and choked people out. Over!

A tow truck was once called to pull a clinically obese drunk female out of the street who sat down and refused to move. Back then, it solved the problem. If you tried that now, you would be fired, if not prosecuted.

This is just the way it is and it is not going to get any less restrictive or guided by written procedures. The old days are gone!

[Group9]

Another ironic thing is that every single time I have gotten jammed up or had an OPR (internal affairs) investigation, it was for something I did I didn't realize I was doing wrong, or didn't even know was against the rules or regulations.

Because, when I know I'm violating the rules, I have enough sense to do a decent cover-up, or at least to not have any witnesses around. :D

[retdetsgt]

Modern law enforcement is liability driven and even though we don't like discretion and common sense taken away from us, the vast amount of established policy and directions are actually there to cover our ***. If you are within policy; you are Golden. If you are outside of policy; They will drop your *** like a hot potato.

In the “old days” we carried saps, sticks, would split your damn head open and choked people out. Over!

Here, even if you are within the G.O.'s and there is heat, the city may not go after you, but they are more than willing to let the press eat you alive and will never come to your defense in public. We were pushed beyond belief to use the choke until some guy died. Even though the cop that did it was following the G.O. to the letter, the chief never came out once in his defense and allowed the press to hound him for months.

And I really miss the sap gloves. I never could remember to use the defense tactics they taught us, I usually resorted to a good right cross.......

[Cat_Doc]

And I really miss the sap gloves. I never could remember to use the defense tactics they taught us, I usually resorted to a good right cross.......

Ain't that the truth! This is exactly how I got my finger dislocated a while back. All those Tasers, OC, etc., but I went "Old School" when the fool decided he was going to fight the cops.

I went home from the E.R., he went to jail from the E.R.

The only real bummer is I no longer get the "special treats" from the spousal unit that I used to back in the day. :( I guess I have to get shot or stabbed to rate now. :eek:

By the way, Jim, the younger deputies think I am crazy.

[retdetsgt]

Ain't that the truth! This is exactly how I got my finger dislocated a while back. All those Tasers, OC, etc., but I went "Old School" when the fool decided he was going to fight the cops.

By the way, Jim, the younger deputies think I am crazy.

One of my peers, another Sgt who retired from training wrote a great article for our union newspaper that pissed off just about all the new troops, but I think was right on. I wish I had saved it on Word or something. But the summary will probably tick off people here even though I'm speaking ONLY of my dept.

When I was hired, the minimum height was 5-10. The physical agility was pushups, chin ups and running a mile. The mile was broken into 100 yr segments so you had to keep stopping and turning. Very few people I knew on the dept had more than HS diplomas, the vast majority were vets and came from blue collar homes.

We were sued for discrimination so they eliminated the height requirement, watered down the physical agility and I saw two things start happening. We started getting cops' butts kicked and I could tell a lot of them were dragging their feet getting to hot calls. We also started hiring sons and daughters of professionals who'd never been in a physical altercation in their life. I remember one night some guy used a little male cop for a lawn dart in a 7-11 lot the first night the kid worked alone. He had no idea what to do. :rolleyes: He got this mysterious tendonitis and worked the desk for the next three years..... I did notice he never seemed to suffer any discomfort from it in the precinct....

Another night about 1 in the morning, I heard three cars sent to a tavern on an unwanted. I figured three cops could handle most anything there, it wasn't that bad a joint so I went out for coffee. I just sat down when I got called to back them up. When I got there, there was a circle of bar flys around this one medium size drunk who was taking turns throwing these three little bitty women cops around like rag dolls. I pushed through the crowd and hit him right in the nose with my fist and he went down like a rock. They pig piled him and got cuffed him up. All three got off the street as soon as they possible could, working in personnel or some other drone job. That was before we had anything on our belts but guns, cuffs, ammo and a flashlight.

The answer was to load them up with accessories on their belt. They're actually taught NOT to put hands on a suspect unless he is passive or has been subdued by chemical or electronic means. The did teach the use of the baton off and on, I don't know if they are doing that now or not. I don't think I see them on cops around here much anymore either. But the reason is most of them couldn't fight their way out of a paper bag.

I don't know if this is better or not, not my place to judge. But it's sure not the way you and I did police work.

[Cat_Doc]

I don't know if this is better or not, not my place to judge. But it's sure not the way you and I did police work.

I probably would not have passed the background nowadays based on how close I was to the edge as a kid. Plenty of fistfights and some other juvenile scoundrel stuff.

When I first started, an awful lot of the cops were combat vets, or had been just like me, straddling that line and with a bit of unsavory street experience. I think the oral boards weeded out the weak, so to speak. (Not intended to offend anyone, of course.)

These guys would not even talk to you until you proved yourself in a "knock-down-drag-out." Try that now and you get complaints that you are not being a team player. :mad:

Then, I started noticing "kids" that had college degrees, one in particular from a "Bible School" who had NEVER been in a fistfight. Not only did I notice it, but so did the ****birds who saw the fear right off the bat and took advantage of it. The guy never did reach that hard core "I will kill you" confidence.

I remember talking to another rookie on my squad who was all upset because he had been hit in the side of the face by a BG and bent up his glasses. I responded, "Good." He gave me a funny look of disbelief and asked why I would ever say anything like that about him being assaulted.

I answered, "You kept fighting, kicked some and took him into custody, right?"

"Yes."

"You got smacked and found out you could still stay in the mix, right?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Good, welcome on board, Street Warrior."

He turned out to be one of the best cops I have ever seen.

There are plenty of Street Warriors out there, but not nearly like the old days.

[retdetsgt]

Then, I started noticing "kids" that had college degrees, one in particular from a "Bible School" who had NEVER been in a fistfight. Not only did I notice it, but so did the ****birds who saw the fear right off the bat and took advantage of it. The guy never did reach that hard core "I will kill you" confidence.

Here, they generally go up the chain of command and discipline real cops for excessive force for doing what they were afraid to do.:rolleyes:

I'm sure I'm mentioned my theory of reverse Peter Principle. People come on, find they have no talent for police work so they take tests and get promoted trying to find their level of competence. A few of our command were good street cops, but most were mediocre, but mostly poor at the street level.