http://www.realpolice.net/forums/ en Thu, 23 May 2013 04:17:13 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.realpolice.net/forums/images/misc/rss.png http://www.realpolice.net/forums/ http://www.realpolice.net/forums/ask-cop-112/104082-advice-aspiring-leo.html Thu, 23 May 2013 01:31:50 GMT Sorry if this type of question/story is placed inappropriately -Okay, this is going to be a long post (possibly boring) so *scroll down for the... Sorry if this type of question/story is placed inappropriately

-Okay, this is going to be a long post (possibly boring) so scroll down for the TL;DR if you want-


A little back story... I have wanted to become a police officer since I was young. I grew up watching Chips on T.V. and always enjoyed an episode of COPS and of course never missing passing emergency vehicles. My mom tells me (and every house guest) stories of me in my little police uniform (good thing nothing went down, I don't think my plastic handcuffs would have done much) when I was six "patrolling" the aisle as my mom shopped nearby, and I remember a time keeping watch at the door as guests arrived for Christmas festivities, and even having a B-day party at the local station (the car was my favorite part). So as I got older I began pondering about other ideas for careers, but Law Enforcement always came back as my #1 interest. It wasn't until ages 15 to now (17) that I actually started really considering other option(s) (mainly teacher).

So, as other interests and school started to overshadow law enforcement I began doubting my ability to become one. My brother says my academic abilities (A's B's, fairly average, but I just like learning new stuff especially languages; Philomath) can get me into a better job. I went to my dad and asked him his unbiased opinion on the subject and he said that being a cop requires street smarts and being able to read people on-the-spot, not to mention the physical stress, odd hours, physical altercations and telling some stories of his cop friends. Giving me a very real view on it, which I needed. So that was the temporary termination of my wanting to be a cop. But recently, I have looked into every aspect of being a cop from writing reports to being killed in action. I just really want some sound advice from every level of Law Enforcement (first-day rookies to retired Commissioners (or equivalent)) on what it takes to be an officer and if it was what you expected going into your career and any other ounce of miscellaneous thought pertaining to this. I'd also be very intrigued to read your stories of on-the-job adventures or ones like mine. Thanks!

-Sidenote: It seems when I mention becoming an officer people look down on it saying I can do better than that and I don't know.

-TL;DR- Wanted to be a cop my whole life. Age 15 to now at 17 started thinking about other careers seriously. Dad gives me realistic view of what job actually entails saying I don't have street smarts for it, and also I watched videos of a million different things about police work from writing reports to death; pros & cons. Seeking sound advice from every walk of Law Enforcement. ]]> Ask-A-Cop mSiNi http://www.realpolice.net/forums/ask-cop-112/104082-advice-aspiring-leo.html http://www.realpolice.net/forums/ask-cop-112/104081-will-i-able-get-into-law-enforcement.html Wed, 22 May 2013 23:28:37 GMT I did a couple of things where I don't what the judgement is on it:
When I was 16.5-17 yrs old I took OTC prohormones (not illegal) to build some muscle for sports twice, took a research,tamoxifen citrate (not illegal), tamoxifen citrate, to help with the post cycle of the prohormones, and finally when I got the tamoxifen citrate it came with some male enhancement/cialis (idk if it generic, research chemical, or real) but I sold it to some guy on craigslist for $15. I wasn't really thinking or consodering that those can be classified as a drug or whatever. All of this happened during a 6 month time span.
Other than that I haven't tried any illegal drugs ever in my life, even marijuana. Never been convicted of a crime in my life, besides a speeding ticket which I paid on the spot. I am currently going to college right now but don't know if I want to gear towards engineering, accounting, or criminal justice/ criminology. I applied to my local PD for a paid cadet program. I just wanted to get everyone's opinion right now so I havr a feeling if I am able to pursue law enforcement right now or I should just drop it the idea of being a police officer.
Have a good day everyone. ]]> Ask-A-Cop XYZ http://www.realpolice.net/forums/ask-cop-112/104081-will-i-able-get-into-law-enforcement.html http://www.realpolice.net/forums/ask-cop-112/104078-college-university-did-you-go-whats-your-degree.html Wed, 22 May 2013 17:59:59 GMT Hello, I'd like to know which colleges/universities you police officers went to. Also, did you
go to a college in your city and become a police officer there? Or did you go to college in
another city and simply returned to another location to work in the field. One last question, sorry, what degree do you have in criminal justice that got you the job today?
Thanks so much! Tony. ]]> Ask-A-Cop TonyPoeHo http://www.realpolice.net/forums/ask-cop-112/104078-college-university-did-you-go-whats-your-degree.html http://www.realpolice.net/forums/ask-cop-112/104077-wisconsin-520-hour-state-certicification-law-enforcmenet.html Wed, 22 May 2013 16:55:05 GMT I'm trying to find a list of schools where I can get the certification. My main concern is finding a school where I can get the training that will be accepted by departments. Is there an official source of some sort that has the schools that are accepted for the training? ]]> Ask-A-Cop Beginner1 http://www.realpolice.net/forums/ask-cop-112/104077-wisconsin-520-hour-state-certicification-law-enforcmenet.html http://www.realpolice.net/forums/ask-cop-112/104074-going-into-marshal-service.html Wed, 22 May 2013 03:15:41 GMT I'm a sophomore in high school and I'm not sure what career field I want to go into. I've always considered the Law Enforcement. If I went into that field of work, I would want to be a U.S. Marshal. Correct me if I'm wrong here, but the Marshals deal with federal fugitives, judicial and witness security, prisoners, etc. right? I just think it would be better than being deputy sheriff or state police because you don't have to deal with the smaller crimes. No offense to all of you states and deputies out there. You do your job well.

I just have a few concerns with a job in the Marshal Service.

Where is the head office in Kentucky? I've heard people say it's in Lexington but never really from a reliable source. Does that mean I would have to live somewhere in Lexington? Right now I live in the most eastern part of the state. Lexington is a two and a half hour drive from here. I don't think I could leave my family and move that far away. If it came down to it, would I at least be able to choose to be stationed somewhere in Kentucky?

How hard is it to get into the service? I've always had great grades. I've taken the ACT once and scored a 25 but I plan on taking it until I get at least a 32. In case you're not familiar the grading scale only goes from 1-36. I've always had a 4.0 GPA. I've grown up around guns and know gun safety. (Just not exactly fluent with the laws if you've seen any of my previous posts :lol:) Not sure if any of this matters but I figured I would ask. I've heard they only pick very few each year.

What does it take to get in schooling wise? I know you have to go to Glynco for the training acadamy but what about college? I'm planning on going to college at UK. All I've heard is to take criminal justice, English, and business management. But really I'm not sure how business management would help.

You might call me stupid, ignorant, or just a dumb kid, but I'm serious about going into the Marshal Service. If you can answer any of these questions or have any advice for me it would be greatly appreciated. ]]> Ask-A-Cop kentucky13 http://www.realpolice.net/forums/ask-cop-112/104074-going-into-marshal-service.html http://www.realpolice.net/forums/ask-cop-112/104072-wanting-leave-home.html Wed, 22 May 2013 01:31:32 GMT I'm 14 , my parents are threatening me to real up with my boyfriend . Why because of a different race. I was wondering if i can leave home and live with my boyfriend because try take good care of me , they treat me like there own child, they feed me how much can I ask for. Also his parents is letting me work with them so I can support my own self too. There like famiy to me. My mom kicked me out of the house , she gave me permission to leave if I want to. She said that if I won't break up with my boyfriend than I can go live with him. My dad on the other hand is forcing me to eels up with him and if I don't he's going to take me to a shelter home. I mean you can't stop love I it's real. We've been together ever since a year now. I was just wondering if I can leave home and if my dad calls the police on me I can refuse to go back home because of the threats . ]]> Ask-A-Cop Stacaracvue http://www.realpolice.net/forums/ask-cop-112/104072-wanting-leave-home.html http://www.realpolice.net/forums/ask-cop-112/104068-getting-booked-without-getting-arrested.html Tue, 21 May 2013 21:59:40 GMT Hi everybody! This may be a dumb question, so feel free to mock me if you must, but is there any way that I could get the experience of being... Hi everybody! This may be a dumb question, so feel free to mock me if you must, but is there any way that I could get the experience of being arrested and booked into a county jail without actually getting arrested? I know that sometimes police departments and sheriff's offices sponsor "jail and bail" charity events, but those seem rare and more of a novelty than anything else. I'd like to know what it feels like to get booked and processed without actually getting a criminal record.

Is this possible?? thanks for any help you're willing to provide and thank you for your service! ]]> Ask-A-Cop garymyers919 http://www.realpolice.net/forums/ask-cop-112/104068-getting-booked-without-getting-arrested.html http://www.realpolice.net/forums/ask-cop-112/104067-craigslist-please-read.html Tue, 21 May 2013 21:37:39 GMT Hello please forgive me for asking an ignorant stupid question but I'm really nervous. I recently posted an ad on Craigslist suggesting a woman and I meet for fun. We can also do recreational drugs. I know I'm stupid idiot w.e call me but I'm really nervous. I just got an ad from a person saying the reported me to the nj police station. I'm nervous I meant no harm at all just saw many people saying that and having fun so why couldn't I. Anyways I'm nervous. I really am sorry I didn't want any of this to happen. Can I go to jail or face charges?? I'm 19 years old and I know diss me insult me and mock my intelligence as a human being but please I'm scared I didn't know the full extent of what I was doing honestly I was just looking to have fun. Quick tesponses are dearly appreciated thank you. I live in nj. ]]> Ask-A-Cop Anonymous12321 http://www.realpolice.net/forums/ask-cop-112/104067-craigslist-please-read.html http://www.realpolice.net/forums/ask-cop-112/104058-off-duty.html Tue, 21 May 2013 01:40:50 GMT If an officer is off duty with his wife/daughter/brother ect and sees someone not following the law, what does she/he do? For example: An officer... If an officer is off duty with his wife/daughter/brother ect and sees someone not following the law, what does she/he do?

For example: An officer is walking with his brother to get lunch and spots someone doing a drug deal infront of him. What does he the officer do? ]]> Ask-A-Cop Black Hawk http://www.realpolice.net/forums/ask-cop-112/104058-off-duty.html http://www.realpolice.net/forums/ask-cop-112/104051-knife-laws.html Mon, 20 May 2013 17:27:36 GMT So a question for you guys. I am a law abiding citizen and I wanted to learn about Ohio's knife laws. I find them to be fairly confusing. I was having a discussion recently with several gentlemen who claimed to know the ins and outs of these laws. They said that the rule of thumb was that you can have any kind of knife other than a ballistic or butterfly on you as long as A. it was not in a weapons free zone, B. as long as part of the knife was visible and C. as long as you were not carrying it in a threatening manner. I did some of my own research and I found it to be confusing. The fact of the matter is, I am not old enough to own a handgun as I am only 18 but I have been looking into getting trained for personal defense. At the same time however, I do not want to get into any trouble so what is the restriction, if any other than what I listed above? ]]> Ask-A-Cop Buck435 http://www.realpolice.net/forums/ask-cop-112/104051-knife-laws.html http://www.realpolice.net/forums/ask-cop-112/104050-tattoos.html Mon, 20 May 2013 14:47:25 GMT I've been reading up on it and using the search function, but I still feel the need to at least ask about it...Some background first...

I have a bunch of random tattoos. Most of them I got when I was a younger, dumber punk rock kid with no direction. I wouldn't say that I regret anything about them other than their placement (pretty much fully sleeved and I have hand tattoos as well). From all my research, therse would automatically disqualify me from becoming a cop at basically any department and understandably so. None of my tattoos are gang related, racist or offensive, but my look isn't up to par...

My question is, if I were to get skin color sleeves to cover the arms and use tattoo cover up make-up on my hands, could I apply and possibly be accepted? Or would just having the tattoos disqualify me all around? I've done this cover up process before at job interviews (fully disclosing I had them) and it paid off. As in I got the job...I know law enforcement standards are higher, so that is why I'm asking. Thanks in advance. ]]> Ask-A-Cop ZAchAtTacK760 http://www.realpolice.net/forums/ask-cop-112/104050-tattoos.html http://www.realpolice.net/forums/ask-cop-112/104049-siren-pa-system.html Mon, 20 May 2013 04:29:18 GMT Is legal install one siren and pa system on owner car in California? Not for use. Just in case for one emergency. I have two CV P71. Is legal install one siren and pa system on owner car in California?
Not for use. Just in case for one emergency.
I have two CV P71. ]]> Ask-A-Cop Beto http://www.realpolice.net/forums/ask-cop-112/104049-siren-pa-system.html http://www.realpolice.net/forums/ask-cop-112/104046-liability-underage-drinking-other-renters.html Sun, 19 May 2013 19:44:20 GMT I'm in the process of looking for new roommates. I'm in a college town, so many of the people looking are underage. I also know that there's a lot of drinking going on. I'm a grad student who enjoys kicking back with a beer or cider (yay michigan apples!) often enough.

My worries are twofold:

(1) If I do have an underage roommate, would I be liable if they were found drinking? Especially if someone got into my alcohol?

(2) If an underage guest of another tenant drinks, again, could I be held liable?

I want to open up my roommate search wider, but I don't want to put myself into a situation where I could get into legal trouble. ]]> Ask-A-Cop WarKitty http://www.realpolice.net/forums/ask-cop-112/104046-liability-underage-drinking-other-renters.html http://www.realpolice.net/forums/ask-cop-112/104044-photography-along-az-highways.html Sun, 19 May 2013 05:26:52 GMT Hi,

I'm hoping someone can answer my question. I love to travel and am a serious amateur photographer. Many times while traveling along AZ's highways I'll see a landscape or something scenic I want to photograph, but it's along the highway. I'm always nervous about pulling over to the side of the road and stopping to take pictures, fearful that a passing officer will pull over and issue me a citation for something. Is photography along public highways legal? If the land is not posted against trespassing, am I free to walk off road to take pictures?

Obviously, safety is an issue and I would never do this along a busy interstate or in areas where it's posted emergency stopping only. But there are many miles of lightly traveled highway in this state and I don't see a safety issue with stopping to take pictures as long as I pull far enough off the road. I'd like to hear an officer's thoughts on this subject and your advice.

Thanks for your time,
Brad ]]> Ask-A-Cop swPhotographer8 http://www.realpolice.net/forums/ask-cop-112/104044-photography-along-az-highways.html http://www.realpolice.net/forums/ask-cop-112/104042-accused-shoplifting.html Sun, 19 May 2013 04:50:44 GMT So I was at CVS today, wondered around the store.... grab some vodka, looking at the beer, and a store employee approached me asking if I needed any... So I was at CVS today, wondered around the store.... grab some vodka, looking at the beer, and a store employee approached me asking if I needed any help with anything, I said no he kept talking to me printed out the store coupons for me, kept asking if I needed any help, he honestly started creating me out.... like really bad.... so I went and checked out, they asked for ID for the vodka, which I didn't have, usually at this store they dont ask for my Id.... I asked where the bathroom. Was because I revisaed it was that time of the month.... the said guys who was creeping me out said I will show you..
As we got back there he said I will watch your stuff.. I put my receipt get the laundry soap in the cart started to grab my purse and jacket, there was $300 cash in my purse an I needed a tampon. He says running don't allow bags in the bathroom.... I said I can't take my purse.... he again said they Sibylline bags in the bathroom.... I said I need something outbid it....he said you can take what you need.... I looked him dead in the eyes and said I need to change my tampon.... he refused to.let me take my.bag and said let's talk about why were really back here the stuff you put in your bag.... inlaid indent have anything in my bag, I need to change my ranking and you won't let me use the bathroom.... grab my laundry soap, my jacket, and my purse and walked physical of the store they followed me saying running were calling the cops.I said call the cops, I need to change my tampon and you refuse tl.let me use the bathroom.... got in my boyfriends car and went home.....

Well my bad, I forgot I grabbed hairspray and gel, set them on top of my purse and when I was looking in my jacket for my credit card, they fell in to my bag.... with the employee creeping me out i just wanted to get away from him.... when I got home I used the bathroom then went to a friends.... but was told the police came to my house.... i have herd storied of people return stolen items and getting in more trouble..... I don't know to do...... this happened in San Jose California... ]]> Ask-A-Cop cnj12981 http://www.realpolice.net/forums/ask-cop-112/104042-accused-shoplifting.html