I am a police officer near St. Louis, MO - ask me anything.

Here is a question I always ask cops.....

What would you do if you saw a fellow cop (in your dept) get a little too abusive/out of line when dealing with a person (noncop)?

First I don't care if it is a citizen or not. Abuse is abuse regardless who it is. If it was verbal abuse, I would try to calm the guy down in a way the citizen couldn't tell (some criminals are like children they know how to try and divide to conquer like with parents).

If it was physical in nature I would stop it, again in the most discreet of ways. I'm not going to be all hero here and say it's just because of the perp, because it isn't. I would try and stop it for multiple reasons - 1. Myself. I'm not about to risk my career and family for a cop with an anger problem. Not going to happen. I have a house, wife and kids.

1. Everything and I mean everything and everyone are video taping us. So my choice would be to stand by and not do anything which isn't good on camera. Help beat the crap out of the guy while on camera (not an option for me on or off camera)

2. The less the cop is seen verbally or physically abusing the better for him. I'm not condoning the actions by any means. But until you are in our shoes you have no idea the stress of this job. That still isn't a reason to go off the handle. There is never an excuse for Abuse of power. But just like you, we can snap. Happens all of the time. And that doesn't make the person a bad person, just a person who needs mental evaluation and really needs to find a new line of work.

With all that being said, I have seen many criminals get what would look like to an outsider an "ass beating" when in reality those officers are trying to fight off the criminal as he is trying to take the gun out of an officers holster, or an officer trying to get guys arms while the guy is latched onto the officer's arm with his mouth, while the assisting officers strike the perp etc to try and get off. Not every video you see is as it seems. The media cuts a lot of things out, or the person recording records it in a way to show the bad sides. With that being said, yes there are also unjustifiable beatings all over this country. How to make that stop? I have not an answer.

And if you don't believe my last statement above there was just a case where the criminal had a friend record the encounter. Criminal and said friend altered video later and released it to the media with a would story. The department waited add released the officer's dash cam and body cam footage. I will see if I can find the story.

Tl;dr I wouldn't just stand by. I'm not about losing my stuff over a disgruntled cop nor am I going to sit back and watch someone get their ass beat. I would arrest a citizen doing it do a citizen. As I wouldn't arrest a fellow officer, I would make sure the shift commander was aware and let them handle it from there.

He would do exactly what he's doing right now. Ignore it.

Please see my above replies.

What are your thoughts on requiring officers to wear video cameras on their person? Has this been proposed in your city?

I think it is a fan freaking tastic idea! It is being proposed by our federal government, so much that if it takes affect, and a department says they aren't doing it, federal money will be pulled.

Let me explain why it is a good idea:

Simply put, it protects myself against false claims and citizens against rogue cops. Our department wears them. I have seen some dick head cops (yes I work with dick heads) change their entire way they do things to which it has made them better cops. I myself have been the victim of false claims from citizens. One female in particular tried to claim I reached in and touched her breast on a traffic stop. My body cam showed I did no such thing. Had I not had that, it could have been bad. Those are accusations that stick with you.

I have also seen citizens complain on an officer for his treatment. Officer thought his body cam wasn't on. He denied accusations. Body cam was on. He was fired.

So all for them. Give me five of them. One in front, one on my head, one on my back and two in my sides!

When I moved to STL from Colorado , I would get pulled over every 2 weeks or so, and each cop asked me if I had drugs in the car. No tickets, just warnings for 'unsafe driving'.

Now that I've changed my plate to MO, I haven't been pulled over since. Would you, as a police officer, consider this profiling?

Also, what are your thoughts on legalizing marijuana in MO?

To be honest, legalize it already. Not so I can do it, because that will never happen, but because why not? As long as what you are doing doesn't affect me or mine, I don't care. Now I catch you driving high and putting others at risk...you are fair game.

How many accidents have you dealt with from a driver being impaired solely by marijuana?

In my eight years personally myself, 20. I literally just ran my stats. Not a lot compared to drunks. I will give you that. My point being is no matter if it is legalized or not, it's going to happen. Myself I think marijuana is such a minor drug, I hate dealing with it. My other point is, no matter what drug or illegal activity you are doing, do it in the privacy of your own home and try not to put others in danger because of your own selflessness. Not talking about you, just people in general. And it does happen with pot, just not as much. And you are correct, most of the time they are on something along with pot.

I don't know if I would consider profiling as much as an illegal stop if you weren't doing anything wrong. I won't go into detail on why they were probably pulling you over. But if you think hard on when the stops suddenly stopped you will figure it out. And it doesn't have anything to do with race.

So you essentially saying yes, he was profiled due to out of state plates.

Yes. I would venture to say most likely they were.

Okay, I'll be the one to ask it....

What is your favorite kind of doughnut?

Hahaha! I actually hate doughnuts! But if I had to pick my favorite, it would be raspberry filled!

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Everyone getting up votes in here!

Lol! Here's an up vote

There is a lot of heat and not much light coming out of Ferguson these days, but I saw a report that claimed people had to run a gauntlet of different jurisdictions on their commute, and would get stopped several times for minor infractions (tail light out, etc.) They then got multiple tickets, couldn't or didn't pay all of them, and would be arrested the next time they were stopped.

It was suggested this was a revenue raising scheme at heart. Is there any truth to this?

I read that report. I would say a couple different things on this. Was it a revenue scheme? Maybe. And probably. Were the cops going out and writing false citations? I don't think so. This is what should be looked at: the white cop that goes out and writes a tail light citation to a black person....has he/she stopped a white person for the same offense and if so how many warnings vs citations did they give the white race? Also, it isn't unlikely to pull over someone for a simple traffic infraction and fall into 5 citations being written. No insurance, no valid dl, unrestrained child etc.

Do I think cities use it as a revenue system? Yes I do. Should that be fixed? Yes. If my department ever tried to force me to write a certain amount of tickets, I would quit. I'm not your revenue collector. I get paid by the city, but I work for the citizens.

With all of that being said, who do you blame for those citations? The cop who wrote them or the person who failed to get their dl back, go get insurance so when they accidentally hit you, your insurance isn't paying, etc etc.

Who do I blame? The drivers, of course.

But where I live, if my tail light is out, 99% of the time the police will give me a ticket that can be cancelled if I fix it and take it to the station within a few days. If I get stopped again within those few days, I show the officer my ticket and they won't issue a second one. I had always thought that was standard practice everywhere.

Some places are like this. In my area we call those "compliance tickets". Meaning you get a court date. If you fix the issue (tail light, registration etc) before the court date you can usually go to the county clerk's office and she proof or go to court and the ticket is usually dismissed.

But if you look at those reports, they didn't just get a tail light ticket. They received tickets that in my state are mandatory court appearance required tickets. Meaning, even if you do fix it, you have to go to court and you will must likely get a fine.

With all of that being said, who do you blame for those citations? The cop who wrote them or the person who failed to get their dl back, go get insurance so when they accidentally hit you, your insurance isn't paying, etc etc.

That's nonsense, I'm sorry. Nearly everyone commits at least some traffic infractions, but only some are fined. Those fines statistically land on minority communities at greater rates. And for the poor, they can ruin lives.

It's not just the fault of your colleagues, but the entire system, and the players in that system should at least be aware of its destructive potential.

That's an ignorant and narrow minded approach. Not just the fault of his colleagues? He's doing his job. Bitch at the people who make the laws and ordinances, not the guy who delivers the message.

Thank you

What kind of traffic infractions do you think are justified by the reasoning that everybody does it? What kind of infractions do you think are justified at all? To borrow iamabadgecarrier's example, if you go out without a valid dl or insurance then you are just asking for trouble. If you run stop signs occasionally, you are going to get pulled over eventually. If you consistently drive faster than the speed limit/traffic flow you are going to get pulled over eventually. And if you don't have your papers when that happens, you're going to have trouble.

I have never written someone for not having their dl on them. I would say the stop sign that is ran would depend on the location. Is it a busy intersection or a quiet one. The speed zone, is it a residential or out in the middle of nowhere or at night with noone around. It really depends. I myself won't write you a speeding ticket until you are going 20mph over in a business district or out in bfe and 8 over in a residential area. Why? Kids...that's why.

As far as a citation or reason to stop someone that I think is bogus? No rear registration light.

I wonder if for the St. Louis community in particular the reason why there are a higher number of tickets given to minorities because they aren't the minority. I know for a fact that a large portion of St Louis is black communities so it would be interesting to look at the percentage ticketed versus the number ticketed when pulled over.

This right here. You are correct in your way of thinking for the most part. I work in an area that is predominantly white. Am I biased because I write more white people than I do black?

I don't give tickets based on wealth. I will give a soccer mom in a new escalade a speeding ticket just as I would a mom in a 1979 pinto. Your wealth means nothing to me. I know that isn't accurate for everyone. But if you find a solution to the jacked up system we do have here, pm me. We can work on it together.

It is true that driving ten minutes down one of the interstates in the st. Louis area can have you going through six different municipalities.

I would say even more than six municipalities. There are a ton of municipalities in the area.

Yes. Look at Cool Valley, Mo. It's right between Ferguson and Florissant and just shouldn't be a municipality

So true. I actually got a ticket in Cool Valley once, it was either speeding or rolling through a stop, don't remember exactly. I do remember the cop was a big fat dude who waddled up to my window with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth and hadn't shaved for a couple of days. Not the kind of image I was used to seeing from the police in the St. Charles area. I worked at gas stations in St. Peter's and O'fallon and they've told me how they can get in huge trouble being seen smoking while in uniform and also not maintaining their appearance with hair and facial hair, etc.

Those smaller municipalities have no code of appearance. Which is evident by this comment.

The claim that you will get arrested for not paying tickets is not entirely true (not entirely false either). Here's how it goes:

If there's some way your license was suspended because of unpaid tickets and you are caught driving on a suspended license, you could be arrested.

If you get a ticket and fail to pay it AND fail to go to your court date, then your crime is not failing to pay the ticket. You can be arrested for failing to appear in court.

If neither of these is true, they can not constitutionally arrest you only for owing the state money. This is a debtor's prison. Lots of people see the second case (where people don't pay AND fail to appear in court) and call it a debtor's prison when those people are arrested. If they went to court and said "I can't pay," then they would not be able to be arrested for that.

Absolutely 100% this. If they just showed up for court and said they can't pay, they would be given other options. Payment plan, community service etc. It isn't my fault when I arrest you on a FTA (failure to appear) warrant. Go to court, pay your fines, if you can't, plead your case and you are done. No arrest etc. Myself, I don't have to arrest for suspended and I typically don't. I will write you a nta (notice to appear) citation and while doing so you will call for a ride. When ride shows up you are given the ticket with explanation of what will happen if you don't show up to court. I cut you lose. No bond is paid to me. With that being said, you don't even get a warrant put out the first time you miss a court date. They send you a letter with a new court date. If you don't show to that, well sorry.

How has your job changed since the Ferguson events?

To be honest, it has changed for the good. I have more citizens thanking me and our department is being more pro active. We aren't filled with racists cops (at least that are open about it), but you can tell the ones who may be, so they watch themselves hard core. Which is for the better. The issues in Ferguson won't correct itself overnight but it has helped to go in the right direction.

My favorite episode of Cops was when a lady stopped an officer to complain that her crack dealer ripped her off. The crack dealer lady's defense was that she didn't even sell crack, she was a hooker lol. Do you have any awesome stories like that? What's the funniest stop you've ever been involved in?

Oh yes! I will come back to this one. I have plenty! For now though I have to catch some shut eye!

A story on the radio yesterday talked about cities around the country training officers to counter their own racial biases. What types of programs have you and your fellow officers had to go through and did you find them helpful?

Let's start this off with I believe there are racial biases out there. I believe there are cops who are racially biased towards opposite races. This goes for white cops towards black citizens and black cops towards white citizens. I have witnessed it both ways. It does happen for everyone, it just isn't widely reported on, especially after Ferguson. Our department has adopted a citizen review board. As well as they monitor our activities. If it looks like one officer is say stopping a different race more than others he/she will be brought in and talked to to see why. Was it because they were assigned to an area that is trafficked by blacks or whites more or was it them going out and harassing the opposite race. Our state also has a mandatory racial bias sheet we have to complete on every traffic stop. They take that data and check against many factors to see if one officer or department is racially profiling.

Seems to be working great.

He didn't say what they do to the officers that are racially profiling. My guess is that the officer sees no action against them and the union takes care of everything.

Unions will fight for you. That is their job, but they aren't always successful. See below.

Do you enjoy your job? And what is yo8r best moment on the job

I very much enjoy my job. I think the best moments are when I can put a smile on peoples faces. Which is rare because most of the time people don't call the cops just to say hi. I'm very community oriented and if I see kids playing catch, basketball, soccer heck even tennis, I will get out and play with them. There isn't anything else like it in this world to see a child smile and get so happy because they got to play catch with a cop. I have had a couple kids who started out juvenile delinquents come back to me and thank me for listening to them and playing hoops with them and tell me those moments helped change their path. Shoot, a neighboring department hired one of them. This kid was going down a bad path. I helped mentor him and he did a complete bout face. Love that type of stuff.

What would you do if someone keeps coming over even they have a criminal tresspass and the police here will not do anything? I'm at wits end.

Honestly? I would go to the next highest police agency. Which is most likely the county. If they don't help, then go to your state police. If they don't help, go to your attorney general's office or states attorneys office. I would call your local agency first and tell them your plans if they continue to refuse to help. They will probably bend over backwards to help. If none of the above works, call everyone you talked to and ask for their name and badge numbers so the news reporter has his/her facts right. That will get them jumping.

What are your work hours and staffing levels like? Is the job physically/ emotionally taxing for you?

I work a 12hr shift. We rotate days to nights every few months. My schedule would work like this - I worked last night and tonight, off Wednesday and Thursday - work the weekend - off Monday and Tuesday - work Wednesday and Thursday - off the weekend - and repeat. The three 12hr days are the roughest. But I wouldn't want any other schedule. You actually get a lot done in your personal life. Staffing can be rough. We normally have 10 officers on a shift, however this time of year throughout the summer we will run with 4 - 5 on due to people taking time off.

Do you prefer day or night shifts? What's a typical one look like for you?

Well....I like nights because there aren't as many white shirts around (lieutenants on up), but I also like days as it goes by way quicker and I get to see my family more. Tuck my kids in etc. Really by the time I'm fed up with one rotation, we are being moved to the other. So you don't get sick of it. Night shifts consist of more domestic / loud party / disorderly / burglary type calls, while days consists of robberies / assists with businesses / traffic accidents etc etc type calls.

What if any, physical testing is there in your department?

Do you think that there are too many out of shape/weak POs on the streets?

I see many tiny women and wonder about their ability to handle even a normal sized man in an arrest situation.

First we all have to go through a physical fitness test to get hired and then again before the academy and during....sadly that is it.

Most departments don't continue a physical fitness requirement after that. It is just to costly for them due to unions. Which I think is crap. Basically, if they require us to meet a certain standard, they are required to provide a gym at no cost to us. It is sad to say that a lot of the guys I work with are out of shape. I myself work out every morning after work. And some in my days off. I even go run in my gear. Crazy, yes. Hell, I'm running interval sprints on my treadmill as I answer the questions.

As for the women. Don't under estimate the tiny ones. They have a lot of bite with their bark. I will say we get defensive training quite regularly. So that helps too.

Thats bullshit about the small women. My precinct has a 95lb pound women who would be useless in any physical altercation without weapons and people's fear of getting in more trouble. The wrong suspect will eat her lunch simple as that.

Didn't say all women can. Most of them can. Doesn't mean there are a few here and there that can't, just like there are some men who can't either.

Are you able to come home and talk to your SO about work or do you find yourself keeping a lot out of your conversations?

I talk to get quite often with the stuff I'm allowed to. If I didn't, I think I would be in a loony bin. It helps with our marriage as well. I have seen many marriages fail because my co-workers wouldn't talk about things with their wife and would bottle it up until it exploded. Not healthy to keep it in.

What sidearm do you carry and what ammunition do you use. also, how much range time are you required to do?

I carry a Glock 23 gen 4 right now (40 cal). With a small .380 sewed into my vest as back up. We carry S&W ammo. I have been thinking of switching to a 1911 though.

We are required to by state mandate to go to the range once a year. Our department does it quarterly. I shoot monthly on my own at my 'n laws property.

Upvote for the 1911. Also there seems to be an excess of negativity towards you so I want to say that you are definitely appreciated. Most people couldn't fathom the sacrifices you make for your career and, by extension, your community.

Your comment is very much appreciated. I don't let the comments bother me. They have a right to their opinions. It's a shame because I'm sure something happened in their life to think badly of the police and it was probably a legitimate concern on their part.

As far as the 1911, I will most likely go with it. Tad heavier, but I'm more accurate with it. And before I get comments stating stuff about accuracy and guns kill etc. Yes I know they do, but we don't carry them for show. I hope I never have to use it, but in the off chance that I do, I want the most accurate gun I can shoot with.

OK, I'll ask the question everyone always brings up when talking about good cops/bad cops:

How can someone be called a good cop if they do nothing when they see bad cops break/abuse the law?

That's a good question to me those cops would fall into the save category if they do nothing as the bad ones.

You probably get asked this all the time, and it probably isn't a popular question but how do police in general view the recent spate of deaths cause by police officers? In particular the ones caught on camera.

Sad. I view it as sad. The ones who obviously had no justifiable reason to shoot etc. It does nothing but turn the public against us

Ticket quotas, are they real in your area?

No. They are illegal. However, the state police has a quota of sorts...without having a quota. The troopers have a certain amount of points they must accumulate in a month. They get certain amount of points per ticket written, businesses visited, motorists assisted, etc.

so how is that not a quota?

They don't call it a quota therefore it's not a quota.

In essence, you are correct. But they can't force tickets to be written, which is why there is a point scale for different types of activities.

Are different activities worth different points?

Yes. A traffic citation is two points. Assisting another agency is two points. Business checks are 5. Those are all I can remember. I'm not a state trooper.

A quota would be the chief or someone saying "every officer must write 30 citations a month". By saying every and 30 per month, that is a quota. If the chief says "every officer must have 30 points per month and it doesn't matter how you get it" he effectively gets passed the quota law. Because a motorist assist may be worth 5 points and a business check one point so an officer could do say 25 business checks and one motorist assist achieving his/her 30 points for that month without writing one ticket, thus no quotas for tickets. He/she would not be disciplined.

Cool stuff. Do they review where/how a policeman accumulated his points and redirect them if they notice a pattern? For example, If someone is obviously just writing tickets each month to meet their numbers, is there any discipline?

Actually yes. If the state police sees that one of their troopers is accumulating all of their points for a month by say don't just traffic, they will be pulled in and told to diversify. Same if they are doing just business checks to get their points. Diversify is the key. Don't do just one certain thing.

Well they need some way to see if they're actually working and doing their job, or hiding in a parking lot watching Netflix.

Pretty much. Most of the cars are equipped with gps. They monitor everything

I want to start off by saying that I appreciate what you do and thank you for your hard work.

My best friend is a police officer and we often debate on the amount of power a police officer can yield. There is one particularly haunting thing he says from his training "it's me or them, and it sure as fuck ain't gonna be me." ... Now I understand this mentality but if you take a step back my friend is just a citizen with 6 months of extra training and a year on the job. He did not transcend average human status.

Do you feel like it's "you or them" when you pull up to a call or catch attitude from someone?

If I had to assume he means if a criminal takes threatening measures towards him. If so, then yes. I plan on going home at the end of my shift. If someone is going to try and hurt me, I'm not going to let that happen. Simple as that. If I feel my life is literally in jeopardy and I have a choice...I choose my life over theirs. The saying goes "Would rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6"

What are your thoughts on the Blue Code of Silence? Have you seen officers getting away with illegal, immoral, or corrupt actions because of it? What are your own thoughts about it and how does it benefit or harm the police force? I have personally been effected by police officers blatantly lying both at the scene of my arrest in order to get around needing a warrant and lying on the arrest report in order to justify their actions. They mentioned things that never happened on the police report and lied in it in order to cover up their lack of a warrant and the original lie. Because of this I have lost all faith in any officer because they have completely betrayed my trust. Basically I'm just trying to say that I have personally been affected by this and that it has negatively skewed my view of the police where it was very positive before. I realize that police officers have families to get home to and everything and that by betraying the blue code of silence other officers will retaliate, but protecting bad cops only serves to gain the resentment and mistrust of the citizenry you claim to serve.

Edit: I should mention that I live in the St. Louis area and have worked pretty much everywhere in it, including Ferguson after the riots in the areas where businesses were burnt down.

Thank you for spending your time to talk to us. I respect you a great deal for it.

First let me say that I am sorry you had to go through this. Second, I don't think it matters what I say, people will bash and not believe me. But here it goes.

Does the wall exist? Yes. Where I work? Not so much Why? I think because that was the old way of doing things which has essentially gone away with the "old timers" going out and us younger cops coming in. I police in a very different age than older retired cops. They could get away with things and not have to worry about cameras etc (not saying it was right). Today I think most (not all) cops are afraid to lose their livelihood for someone else's stupidity. They think twice about covering because their is a bigger chance of getting caught. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, because it does.

I myself turned a fellow officer in for theft. He stole money from a drug scene. A decent chunk. I witnessed him do it. I went to him and asked what he was doing to make sure my eyes weren't playing tricks and his response was "I do this all the time at scenes where the money is just going to the department" (because we obviously seize drug money). I wasn't losing my shit for him. I went straight to the on scene commander. Who called the chief, who came down and gave the guy an ultimatum. He was driven to the station (stripped of his gun before), booked and eventually terminated (was suspended without pay) while it went through the court system.

So, yes there are bad cops out there. I'm not here to say there isn't. And I'm sorry you experienced them. But we aren't all bad. And for the most part, we wont cover for anyone anymore.

And no, I was not chastised. This day and age it is better to deal with the bad apples before the media puts their spin on it.

How do you feel about headlines like: "For Detained Police Whistle-Blower, a Hospital Bill, Not an Apology" "Police beat and break the ribs of a peaceful protesting, 70-year old, Pulitzer prize winning literature professor." and the thousands of other stories of officers covering up the illegal actions of their "brothers". Do you deny the Blue Wall of Silence or is it as real as the evidence indicates?

I don't deny that it exists in some places and may even have where I work now. But from what I can tell and the amount of officers fired for stuff...it longer exists here. Or if it does, I'm not privy.

I believe that the sooner we treat drug addiction as a mental illness instead of a crime we will be much better off as a society. Do you share this logic or do you believe people in posession need to go to jail?

TL/DR Do you feel that victimless crimes (such as possession) should involve jailtime?

No I don't. I personally believe addiction is a disease. I try to help people into rehab when I find them with drugs if they are willing. Unfortunately, I have discretion on some stuff, but if the person isn't willing to let me help, they force my hand.

What really gets me is when they start stealing for their habit. I know some can't help it mentally, but one can only go through so much rehab.

You might only be able to answer this if you're in or near St. Charles County. I deliver pizza in St. Charles, but I've been away for around six months but coming back in a few weeks and plan to resume delivering. The whole Ferguson thing was still heating up when I left and didn't seem to really be affecting things in St. Charles. My question is how are things in St. Charles, crime wise, for someone like a food delivery person? I sometimes have to go to Earth City and Riverport as well.

I would say you are good. But as always you are a target for criminals. Be wary of your surroundings. I haven't really heard of anything bad near where you will be. Not to say it couldn't happen though.

How do you feel when police chiefs and other authority figures defend police officers who acted wrongly while on duty?

On one hand it's nice to know your boss got your back but on the other hand it's making all cops look bad, instead of just the actual bad ones.

I think if the cop actually did wrong and not portrayed in the media as bad but the facts show they aren't, then it is wrong.

I believe it is better to come straight out with the info as far as the chief and holding back. When I see something on the news that I'm not privy to knowing all the facts I try not to Monday quarterback their decisions and I hope they made the right calls for their department as like you said, if it comes out later that the cop was dirty....It makes us all look bad and like we have that big wall people call blue going on.

I live in Minnesota and I also want to be a police officer. Minnesota requires that police officers have at least 2 years of college and then additional training called POST training. How do feel about other states doing this for there new hires? I feel that it could help with all of the bad examples of police work that has been appearing in the news lately.

Having college doesn't always make for a good cop. Police work is taught on the street. Yes the academy is good for foundation, but you will throw most of that out the window when you hit the streets. However, the academy does make for a good way to see if the guy/gal has what it takes. There is no sure way to make sure you never have a bad apple in the bunch with this job or any. It's going to happen. To be honest, I find that most of the guys that I work with who have big fancy degrees lack common sense. And in this job, you can have all the book smarts you want, but if you have no common sense you are going to get yourself or someone else hurt. But you live in an area that requires that you have college (as do I) so you have to do what you do.

How do you explain the systemic escalation in police brutality across the country?

I cant really explain it. If I had to guess, I would say that statistics would show it hasn't escalated, but is just being portrayed on the media more now than ever as it makes for great headlines.

How do you feel about cop shows? like CSI Miami? Do you have a favourate? Is there one you feel represents the police force better than others?

I hate the csi shows. Mainly because it makes my job difficult. For example, I once had a call I went to from a lady who found a McDonald's bag in her yard. She wanted it processed for fingerprints and dna. Do you know where she got the information that cops would do that type of stuff on a McDonald's bag? CSI. She actually said to me "they do it on csi all the time, now find the person who littered in my yard"

I actually don't mind Law & order - svu. As well as The Wire. If you want a legit tv show to watch to see how it is done...watch the wire. Or cops....lol

If I suspect, witness, or am a part of an officer overstepping their authority, what is my best recourse against them? How seriously are complaints against officers taken and what types of punishment is in place to keep officers in line?

From what I've read here you sound like one of the good ones, and for that I thank you.

Your first step (if you think it would help) would to be to go to their department and make a formal complaint. If after you don't feel like anything happened, check up on it. Ifv they refuse to give you info. Go to your states attorneys office. Your state police may even have an integrity unit for just this purpose

Have you ever witnessed another police officer abusing his power? If so did you do anything about it?

Once in criminal nature of stealing money. Told my superior on scene. Multiple times from other agency officers and I relayed that to my sgt to tell theirs.

When you read about dirty cops, are you surprised or nonplussed? When you see an officer that's out of line with a member of the community or makong racist remarks, what do you do?

To be honest, not really surprised at all. There will always be corrupt cops.

I will usually wait until the situation is over and say something to them and hope it helps in the future. If it doesn't, I will and have gone to my superiors about conduct of others. A person has a right to their opinions, we as cops however have no right to bring our opinions into the work field with us.

do you agree that protect and serve is outdated and the new slogan should be "to harass and collect revenue"?

I believe we may have ended up there but it will turn around with the new legislation being put into place.

What is the most criminal action you have witnessed by a cop/partner that used his badge to succeed? Or that you know happened within your department? (something you all looked away from and let that person never be punished)

A cop who stole money from a drug house. Wasn't looked away upon, he was fired and arrested.

How do you feel about police officers wearing cameras?

I answered this somewhere. To give the short

Tl:dr FAN DAMN FASTIC IDEA! GIVE ME 5!

What's your opinion of the recent events vs. how they were portrayed by the media?

I won't get into detail on my opinions because just like the media...I wasn't there. But I think the media will do anything to sell newspapers.

Thank you for doing an AMA I'm originally from Monroe City, MO, but now live in Jefferson City. Thank you for your service also. My question's are do you go the speed limit as soon as you see the sign or as soon as your beyond the sign? And this may be a myth but do police officers already know if they're going to give you a ticket or not?

You should be at the speed limit by the time you reach the sign. I can say this. I usually know if I'm going to give a ticket. But that can change when I get up there. Ie - are there reasons for what you did, did you lie to me etc. One thing that I never let me change my mind it's your attitude. If I know I'm just giving a warning for say twelve over, and I walk up and you are a complete ass, I'm still giving you that warning.

I see people commit crimes regularly and I am not even looking for it, graffiti, public urination, trespass, assault,theft...etc

I think to myself that a PO could probably make a legit arrest everyday if they chose to do so. Could you?

I promise you if I witnessed any of the above something would be done. Circumstances are different. Was it a kid spray painting? If so, is he/she a trouble maker? Do I think I can help them more if I arrest or make them clean it up and do some community service. Not everything that you see warrants an arrest. Can they be arrested? Yes, but is that good for society all of the time? No. I don't make arrests every day and unfortunately citizens see more off the crime being committed than we do. We may be in a squad car for our shift, but we are usually on calls. We rely a lot on people like you to take down everything you see and call us WHEN it is happening. Not five or ten minutes later. And as always - disclaimer - only do it if you feel safe

Have you had any over-the-top crazy calls you had to go to?

EDIT: Grammar

Yes, but of course being put on the spot I am drawing a blank. I will come back to this.

Do you honestly feel like you put your life on the line every day? (like are always making split second life or death decisions)

The reason I ask is because I hate it when cops use this as a defense when they mess up and do something bad and all they say is "You don't understand we make life and death decisions everyday" I find that hard to believe. I am not saying it doesn't happen but I think it is a lot rarer-er than cops are making it out to be.

Everyday I go out could potentially be a life threatening day. But no, I am not in life threatening situations every day. Have I been? Yup.

The problem is...we never know when something bad can happen. The number one thing I hate to hear (and it comes from the media a lot) is someone saying "just a routine traffic stop". Well that routine ts can turn deadly quick. A teenager is just as capable as shooting at me just the same as a 95 year grandpa is. I am more alert on t/s and donestics more than any other call.

That and now when I am parked as ambushes are becoming more frequent.

But I am fortunate to work in a relatively safe town. So everday? No that is a bit of a stretch...sometimes? Yes.

If I went to work everyday with the mentality that today may be the one, I would go crazy. It is always in the back of my head that something COULD happen. But I figure, if it does and its my time...then the good Lord had a reason to take me. Plus, it wouldn't be any fun for anyone if I stood around every where looking like a robot waiting. I'm very good at being alert ofn my surroundings and nut being complacent, without the citizen who I am just chatting with about baseball knowing it.

How much of the current St Louis racial controversy is a long term effect from the East St Louis Race Riots?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_St._Louis_riot

Is there something about established race relations or culture in the Metro area which forms a breeding ground for this violence and if so, can you give us background and explanation?

Thank you.

You are brave to come here and offer to answer questions.

I would say that would have a lot to do with it. A person will only take so much before they push back.

Its kind of like when you go to a business and have a bad experience. Your are going to tell everyone about it. Which effects everyone you tell. The families involved in the east stl riots passed their involvement down to their kids, which gives them a bad taste etc. So it is a never ending cycle. Same for some cops. As far as the Ferguson thing, what happened to both Wilson and Brown is tragic. If the reports I read from the gov are true it sounds like it was justified. One has to really question Brown's mindset after watching the video at the gas station. But one also must question Wilson's mindset working in that area all of the time. Did he jump the gun so to speak? I don't know and I don't know if anyone will ever know. But I think a lot of people used the Brown incident to jump start movements. And that is good. What isn't good is the riots and burning of buildings etc. That is no longer a peaceful movement. Which is sad because it really just keeps the cycle going and hinders the race movements that are going for the good.

How many college credits were required before you entered the police academy?

There aren't requirements for the academy per say. Each department sets their requirements. Some will higher with just a HS diploma, some are two year degrees. Most are going to no less than four years now. Or four years of military.

Let's say I broke into someone's home and stole their TV. Will you guys catch me if I just keep my big mouth shut and don't brag about it on facebook?

p.s. this is purely hypothetical, please don't arrest me

Honestly? Probably not. So many different variables. Some I won't get into. But one being fingerprints. Did we lift any and would yours be in the system? If yes and yes, then we would tie you too it. If no fingerprints...chances are slim, unless you brag. But the more you do it, the higher probability you will get caught eventually.

What was the #1 case that you never thought in a million years would get solved, but did?

A guy that kept breaking into houses to steal women's underwear. Was never a pattern. Would do it for a couple days and then nothing for a month or so. He eventually got brazen enough. Went into a house and fell asleep or should I say passed out cold....dumb luck or the panty bandit would probably still be out there.

Why do cops physically abuse suspects?

There was a cops show where some dude was caught after a chase and he was already handcuffed and being taken to the patrol car. This cop was hitting the guy with a stick as he was walking out with his hands handcuffed behind his back as if the suspect was some sort of beast.

The suspect's mother kept asking her son in Spanish "why is he hitting you?" and the suspect seemed so guilty he didn't make a fuss but the cop was obviously enjoying it.

Without knowing the situation I don't know. To me sounds like abuse of power. No excuse I can give for that.

Can you give me your opinion on ticket quotas and incentives? More specifically why you're for or against them.

As a citizen I don't like it and think it defeats the entire purpose of your role in society and seeing police parked on the side of the road only makes me less apathetic toward police.

I'd also like to know at what point an officer decides a violation is worth their time?

I live in an area where traffic can be horrible and is usually caused by people not driving in the correct lane (slow people clogging up the passing lane). But regardless how many times I see this happen in front of parked police they always seem to stay parked until they catch something else.

And it is worth my time if you are endangering others on the roadway. If it is 3 in the morning and you are doing 80 in a 55 with no-one on the road...Chances are I will stop you just to make sure you aren't fleeing from a murder scene, but doubtful you will get a ticket.

I disagree with quotas. I am not a revenue collector. I will run traffic every now and again and usually give warnings. If you see me parked it is usually to try to be a deterrent.

The speed anything over 20 in a business area

8 over in residential

Has there been any investigation on anabolic steroid use in the force?

Yes. In our department once. The guy was fired. In neighboring department three were let go.

I wish I had seen this earlier and this will probably get buried but I have read so many stories and seen so much footage of cops that shoot any dogs they encounter on the property... how do you feel about that? Because I would be too afraid to call the cops for assistance now that I know there is good chance they will kill my pet. Your typical household pet has no "guard dog" training and would rather bark and/or run away than attack, and yet cops tend treat every dog as a threat to their life... do you support training to better equip cops to handle animals without deadly force as well?

Gosh, I don't know because I have never Bern in this situation. We did have an officer fire at a dog who he said was trying to attack. Video showed otherwise. He was let go.

I think sometimes the shootings with pets occur with pitbull type dogs because they get a bad rap. I would say we don't get any training in this tour of situation and we probably should.

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To be honest, I suppose it is a habit of mine. I wouldn't say it discredits anyone. Them lying discredits them.

Are you familiar with BASE jumping? If you ran into a situation where someone was jumping off of an antenna or something, but not breaking locks or anything, what would your response be? Would you arrest them for trespassing or let them go since they didn't break locks, etc. Just climbing a fence.

I don't BASE, but have always been curious.

I would be asking this person all sorts of fun questions. As far as the arrest that would depend on the business owner. We dont arrest for trespass unless the owner wants it. Then we are bound to.

In Norway, where I am from and currently live, police officers (patrolmen, atleast) are required to stay physically fit in order to keep their job. Is this also the case where you work (if not in the entire US)? Please do not be offended by my question, but I have never been to the US and so my only experience with American culture comes from the media. And in many movies, police officers tend to be overweight and quite fond of a certain food item. I realise movies are just movies, but still. I am sorry for asking, but I've wanted to know for sure for a long time. I really appreciate you for the work you do, nonetheless.

Most departments where I am from don't enforce a physical fitness standard unfortunately. It is needed for sure. I hate to say what you see portrayed in our movies is accurate. It isn't the case everywhere. In my opinion all officers should be required to maintain a certain standard.

What percentage of your arrests or detainment involve young black males?

Honestly, lower than any other race. In my area.

How many tickets do you have to give to fill your quota?

No quotas in my department. My department does have a certain amount of traffic stops per week per officer they want us to do, but they leave it at or discretion on whether to write a warning, citation or give a verbal warning.

Why did you sell your shotgun ?

It stopped shooting. Figured I would unload it and name it someone else's problem!

Why are people surprised when they get shot or killed when they commit a crime?

I will give you the simple answer - Society.

a crime worthy of being shot or killed

FTFY

There is not a crime worthy of shooting or killing someone. I'm not saying all cop shootings are good justifiable shoots, because they aren't. But, I can only think of two things that will get a criminal shot at by me. 1. You point a weapon (weapon being a gun of some sort) at me, my partner or any citizen. 2. You shoot at me, my partner or any citizen. 3. You run at me, my partner or citizen in a provoking / threatening matter with a knife (look up the 21 ft rule) good youtube videos on showing why a person running towards you with a knife in a threatening matter within 21ft is a valid justifiable reason to shoot someone. Cop or not.

I know the 21ft rule, but I was more referencing what I believe filexv5 was talking about... the most recent shooting of Michael Brown.

Basically I was adding, why are people suprised when they get shot at or killed when they do something worthy of being shot at or killed

I apologize. I see what you mean now. It always baffles me when someone is shot or killed and people ask or say "why didn't they just shoot the gun out of his/her hand or shoot them in the knee cap"...Really?