IAmA Police Officer - AMAA!

Do you know how fast you were going back there?

63 . Isn't the speed limit 65?

Yeah... it is.

Whats your view on the whole #Anonymous and #OccupyWallStreet movement?

OWS started off as an idea, then grew into a movement, then proceeded to crash itself into the ground from within. They had a good thing going on, then they decided to make a small town in a park and look like a bunch of idiots... It could have changed a lot of things, but it failed pretty hard in the end.

A few of the protesters I met down at the OWS rallies I was working were some really nice people with a good message and reason for being mad. The majority, however, just wanted to see someone fight the cops and then post it on YouTube. Mob mentality took over.

You ever fired a gun in public ? shot someone ?

I've never fired my gun in public, nor have I shot someone. Hopefully I will retire without ever having to do so.

Did you ever work in Brownsville? if so, any stories?

No, but I've worked in areas with similar crime. What sort of stories?

Any stories about officer corruption? Ever ratted anybody out for coruption, or have you seen corpution firsthand and not been able to do anything about it?

Unfortunately I don't have any corruption stories for you. I've never seen an officer step that far over the line. I've seen cops get a little too aggressive, but that isn't corruption - that's more of them just being an ass or losing their demeanor.

If you could make a rule of your own based on your experience what would it be and why?

Nobody is allowed to yell out "WORLDSTAAAAARRRRR!" when a street fight goes down and we show up to break it up.

What do you think of the wire and its portrayal of the police?

Haven't seen it, but it has been recommended by several redditors thus far - so I'll have to check it out.

you sound like a good dude, i hope to work with you one day. Are you going boss route or detective route?

Boss. It's a bosses job.

What kind of calls make you the most nervous as soon as you get the call? I'm sure "shots fired" and "10-13" make your heart skip a beat but are 911 hang ups nerve racking or robberies?

The worst thing to hear over the radio is another officer screaming for help.

Shots fired jobs are usually fireworks or kids playing around with the phone, however when multiple calls come in from the same block you know a gun is leaving from there.

Any family job with a weapon is also scary, because you don't know if that door is going to open and some crazy man with a knife will be coming at you immediately.

What's your career goal?

I would like to move up the ranks and see where the job takes me. I think I would be a good leader in this department.

How much marijuana is enough to constitute possession? For example, if you search my car and find a fleck of pot, would that be enough, or is there a minimum weight like .5g?

It has to be enough for me to test. Probably around a half of a dime bag, maybe a little less, would be enough for me to test. Flecks of shake on your seat? I'll know what it is, but if I can't test it I can't prove it.

Two more questions:

How would you compare the NYPD of today to the NYPD of the 70s?

How does the NYPD view neighboring police departments (Yonkers, Nassau, etc)?

How would you compare the NYPD of today to the NYPD of the 70s?

More diverse, more controlled, and more supervised.

How does the NYPD view neighboring police departments (Yonkers, Nassau, etc)?

The NYPD has a good department. It's a good job. Other departments may have their perks compared to the NYPD, but none of them are the same.

How much will my 6 years of active duty US Army time do for me when I get out and try and get into the academy?

I am an IT Specialist.

It always looks good to have prior military when you are going for a law enforcement job. It won't boost you too far ahead, but it definitely helps.

Favourite donut place?

Dunkin never fails. I like their coffee.

What advice or help would you offer someone looking to go into law enforcement?

Study your law, stay in shape, be a nice person.

What is the best part of your job?

Do you find you take the job home in terms of always being suspicious?

Have you ever been in serious danger?

Thanks for the AMA!

What is the best part of your job?

Driving a police car never gets old.

Do you find you take the job home in terms of always being suspicious?

Yes, but not towards my family really. I am always very alert, however, even off-duty.

Have you ever been in serious danger?

Many, many times.

I've seen, you may have seen, Im sure many others have seen videos where people record police and try to 'bait' them into saying or doing something stupid by harassing and badgering officers. How do you deal with people like this?

I just answer whatever questions they have in a calm manner, and if I don't know something I tell them I don't know, but then I proceed to look it up for them in my law apps or patrol guide to assist them. See... they are expecting you to give a bullshit answer or to get a huffy and walk away.

Sometimes I just walk away when I know that it's coming. A random dude will walk up to me, camera in hand, asking a bunch of questions. Eventually, I'll just say "Sir, is there anything you really need right now? Sorry, but I'm kind of at work." That always gets a funny look on their faces.

Thanks for the AMAA!

How many mphs over the speed limit do I have to be going for a police officer to consider pulling me over (on the highway)? Does it depend on the flow of traffic, and does it vary from officer to officer?

9 you're fine, 10 you're mine.

I can't pull everyone over at the same time, only one. If 4 cars are speeding at the exact same speed and I clock all of them, I can still only get one.

I got to this late but I don't mind if you reply later.. Anyway I've thought about joining the hpd (houston) I know I'll have to be an officer for 3 years here before I can apply for a certain position. I'd like to be a detective because I'm a very detail oriented person who analyzes everything in a sense im also a bit skeptical. My question is are detectives eligible to get over time for gigs similar to officers or a detectives over time is different? Also is homicide very dangerous for people with families or in general? Which is a safer detective job but still more exciting (not sitting in an office all day)

Sorry Zaltt, but I know nothing of the HPD's process or positions. I wish I could help you out, but I can't.

Do the officers ever get feedback from the bosses or da offices when the summons get dismiss for facial insufficiency or being poorly drafted?

Any comments on stop and frisk policy?

Also, how accurate are the supporting deps the officers draft for many misdemeanor cases?

How often does this scenario occurr? Ive heard many complaints about this

O: "what do you have in your pocket?" Def: pulls out a zip of Pot O: arrests him for pot in plain view?

Second scene (that I've seen and pissed me off honestly)

Officers across the street and observed def with a zip of drugs in plain view?

Interesting to hear from your point of view! Thanks!

Do the officers ever get feedback from the bosses or da offices when the summons get dismiss for facial insufficiency or being poorly drafted?

I've never been notified for anything like that. Tickets get dropped all the time for various reasons... I don't walk around writing people for nothing after all.

Any comments on stop and frisk policy?

I believe I covered that earlier in this thread somewhere. If I find the comment I'll link it in with an edit.

Also, how accurate are the supporting deps the officers draft for many misdemeanor cases?

Pretty accurate. I've never had a problem with them.

How often does this scenario occurr? Ive heard many complaints about this O: "what do you have in your pocket?" Def: pulls out a zip of Pot O: arrests him for pot in plain view?

Used to happen, doesn't really happen much anymore. It's a scumbag move and a silly thing to do.

Second scene (that I've seen and pissed me off honestly) Officers across the street and observed def with a zip of drugs in plain view?

I don't know what you were trying to ask me there... if I could see a bag of weed being passed from across the street? Yes, yes I can see it from across the street. I can see it from down the block.

Let's say I'm pulled over for a traffic violation or something else minor and the officer smells burnt marijuana. He asks what I have in my car. I would most likely just hand over my pipe and few grams of weed (no more than 3 usually). Do I have a better chance of the officer not arresting me? I found that honesty is the best policy

*my second question...I'm a female and I see some mighty fine blue boys (I live in Chicago) and narcs (jump out boys)...alot of them have checked me out and been a little flirty. There have been times I want to be like "what's up" in a flirty way back but I'm afraid they would get pissed off. Should I refrain from doing so?

In New York? You'll probably get a ticket for the weed and the traffic violation, but as long as the weed wasn't in plain view (in your pocket, glove box, etc). The best way to do that is to be honest - I know what weed smells like, I know you have it on you. You know you have it on you. If these are the plainclothes guys (SNEU and Narcotics) you know they are about to take you out of the car and proceed with an investigation as to what you have on you. No matter how innocent you look, when it comes to drugs I put on my guard... in this city, where there are drugs there are guns. That's a rule of thumb. I've seen the sweetest most innocent looking girls in the world holding guns for their gangbanger boyfriends so we wouldn't find it on the street. But I'm getting off topic...

Second question: Being friendly is never a bad thing. I'm a sucker for a smile from a pretty girl, I'm human after all. If we are in the middle of working on something, we may be a little short with you - but I never mind someone saying hello regardless.

How do you think your job would be like if you had no guns like British police?

We'd be dead, because this isn't Britain. Perps out here have a shitload of guns. The only thing stopping them from shooting us is the fact that we have guns too, and they know that we aren't afraid to use them.