Search forums

Forums

Export thread

Ofc. Charon - aka "Ask a Cop anything"

Dec 3, 2009#1

Officer_Charon

Heya!

I must confess some ignorance of this forum, but from what I've seen since exploring around, after the move from Angels 2200, I think this is going to be a lively crowd to chat with! *grins*

Just a little background - as the title implies, I'm a police officer in Georgia. By the same token, I'm a free-thinking geek, which makes for some interesting dichotomies, I can tell ya! *wry smile*

Was enlisted in Marine Corps. 2nd Verse, same as the first. *chuckles*

I also pay Warhammer 40k, which explains why I have no money. Ever. *hangs head in shame*

BUT! That's not all! Order now, and we'll DOUBLE your value! For this is not merely an intro thread, but also one where your questions, inquiries, interrogatives are responded to, with regards to the light side of the thin blue line. Ask a cop anything, and I'll endeavour to respond. If I don't know the answer, I'll find out for you.

All said, hope to have a great experience on the forum - after all, Like Hans said, this is something like the 8th move...

Dec 3, 2009#2

drawn_inward

Have you met LeQuack?

Dec 3, 2009#3

Krisken

Hey, nice to see another 40K player on the board. Should share some pics of your mini's and talk about what armies you play

Dec 3, 2009#4

Espy

drawn_inward said:
Have you met LeQuack?

Good to have you hear man. Bring the power of the law!

Questions... hmmm...

Ever been shot at?

Dec 3, 2009#5

Cajungal

DI, I love you.

I have a weird question--has someone you dated ever asked you to wear your uniform during private time?

Also, what book can you read over and over?

Who makes you laugh the most?

What movie touches you the most?

Dec 3, 2009#6

Officer_Charon

drawn_inward said:
Have you met LeQuack?

Negative. If I had, said-named canard would not have had the opportunity to escape.

Krisken said:
Hey, nice to see another 40K player on the board. Should share some pics of your mini's and talk about what armies you play

I've got a few pics of my Iron Warriors and custom Space Marine chapter lurking aboot... gotta resize them tho. I'm also building up a Sisters force and an IG regiment - bought out my FLGS's legacy minis, so I'm fielding a "Regiment of Remnants"-type deal. Once I have enough painted up to justify it, I'll snap some shots.

Dec 3, 2009#7

drawn_inward

Cajungal said:
DI, I love you.

I aim to please. Speaking of aiming, Charon, you really need to meet LeQuack.

Dec 3, 2009#8

Krisken

Officer_Charon;308990][quote=drawn_inward said:
Have you met LeQuack?

Negative. If I had, said-named canard would not have had the opportunity to escape.

Krisken said:
Hey, nice to see another 40K player on the board. Should share some pics of your mini's and talk about what armies you play

Dec 3, 2009#9

Officer_Charon

Krisken said:
If I wasn't a Daemon player I'd so be painting up the SOB armies. Thoe models look so sweet!

Very cool!

They are some awesome minis, and examples of ways to do pewter right. That being said, I would love to see some new ones come out. If word on the jungle drums is right, 2010 might be my year for it...

Cajungal said:
DI, I love you.

I have a weird question--has someone you dated ever asked you to wear your uniform during private time?

Also, what book can you read over and over?

Who makes you laugh the most?

What movie touches you the most?

Not as weird as you might think. *wry grin* Not since becoming a cop, oddly enough. Although my wife was there for the very beginning of it, so maybe she was bored with it?

But when I was in the Corps, I had a couple ask for THAT uniform - the cammies, oddly enough, not the blues that most ask for. *shrugs* It takes all kinds.

As for your three others:
Starship Troopers. A Fantastic socio-political commentary that reveals new layers to me every time I read it.
My wife. She is too adorable, and despite being the one with common sense in our relationship, is prone to fits of randomness that never cease to break me entirely. *grins*
Movie... as for touching me, it depends on which aspect we're talking about... I've felt connected to several, depending on what mood I'm in. Narrow it down, some?

Espy said:
Good to have you hear man. Bring the power of the law!

Questions... hmmm...

Ever been shot at?

Never been shot at... got into a fight with a dude who drew a knife... on my 3 partners and myself. *headdesk*

Had a guy there who caught it on film, and who immediately offered it up to us as evidence. It's lurking out there on YouTube, I believe.

Dec 3, 2009#10

Cajungal

Hm, ok...

What movie makes you feel all warm and happy?

What movie makes you feel saddest?

Dec 3, 2009#11

strawman

Boiled peanuts! woo!

No question. I just love boiled peanuts and you can't get them in michigan.

Dec 3, 2009#12

Officer_Charon

stienman said:
Boiled peanuts! woo!

No question. I just love boiled peanuts and you can't get them in michigan.

I had never had 'em before I came down here. A roommate of mine (who happened to be a trained chef - much win was had) whipped up a batch with some seasoning - awesomesauce. I've been a fan ever since.

Cajungal said:
Hm, ok...

What movie makes you feel all warm and happy?

What movie makes you feel saddest?

Warm and happy would probably be "40 Days and 40 Nights," because the character felt real, but he still managed to get the girl in the end, despite temptation.

Sad... I believe "Life is Beautiful" was one of the best for grabbing hold of me like that. Not-so-coincidentally, "Schindler's List" works well, too.

Dec 3, 2009#13

drawn_inward

Is Paula Dean's accent annoying to you?

Why are Vidalia onions so awesome?

What's the best thing about Georgia?

What's the worst?

Dec 3, 2009#14

Officer_Charon

drawn_inward said:
Is Paula Dean's accent annoying to you?

Why are Vidalia onions so awesome?

What's the best thing about Georgia?

What's the worst?

I've met Paula Deen, working security for a book signing she did. She is a fake, egomaniacal hack who makes her living hocking overpriced food that is the same that you can get at any Shoney's or Cracker Barrel. She is so in love with herself it's not even funny.

Vidalia onions just rock. So flavorful. Om nom nom. In all seriousness, I believe it might have something to do with the iron content in the soil down there.

Georgia is interesting, because its experienced something of a cultural revolution in recent years. It's managed to retain it's earthy, country charm, whilst starting to incorporate a more cosmopolitan image than surrounding southern states... for the most part.

By the same token, close-mindedness still pervades the area. There is equal parts "Good ol' Boy" and "Thug Life" existing down here, and occasionally the two meet. This tends to be when I get called.

Dec 3, 2009#15

Ravenpoe

Officer_Charon said:
I've met Paula Deen, working security for a book signing she did. She is a fake, egomaniacal hack who makes her living hocking overpriced food that is the same that you can get at any Shoney's or Cracker Barrel. She is so in love with herself it's not even funny.

You have no idea how sad this makes me.

At least I can still believe that Alton Brown is a good guy... and don't anyone dare say otherwise.

Dec 3, 2009#16

Officer_Charon

Ravenpoe said:
You have no idea how sad this makes me.

At least I can still believe that Alton Brown is a good guy... and don't anyone dare say otherwise.

Sorry, mon ami.

Also, Alton Brown, hell yeah!

Dec 3, 2009#17

Cajungal

I'm not at all surprised about Paula Deen. I don't think her cooking is all that special, and when her sons and daughters in law were on her show once they looked really put out and uncomfortable when she teased them about grandchildren.

Dec 3, 2009#18

bhamv3

Who would win in a fight, a police officer from Georgia, or a Canadian mountie?

I am in no way trying to instigate trouble. :ninja:

Dec 3, 2009#19

Officer_Charon

bhamv3 said:
Who would win in a fight, a police officer from Georgia, or a Canadian mountie?

I am in no way trying to instigate trouble.

I appreciate the recognition that you could be trolling, and your deflection of it. Well played, sirrah.

In all seriousness, it comes down to which department are you talking about? The various municipal departments vary WIDELY in the abilities of their officers, ranging from your stereotypical "Officer Bubba" to officers who are Karate instructors, and avid students of Jeet Kune Do (Can ya tell I'm drawing from a known quantity on that last? *grins*)

Now, God's Special People (aka Georgia State Patrol), on the other hand, are a state agency, and have a strict level of physical training required. I would pit a team of those guys against an equal-sized team of Mounties. Because officers never fight alone, if we can help it. *grins*

Dec 3, 2009#20

Krisken

Here i thought it would depend on the temperature

Dec 4, 2009#21

Officer_Charon

drawn_inward said:
Have you met LeQuack?

After spending more than 5 minutes on the board, and sifting through several other threads, I'm cottoning to the reference.

Suffice it to say, should there be raeg, it's not going to come from this side.

I'll say the same thing I did when I got spat on at a Toys for Tots collection event, whilst wearing my dress blues:

"I do what I do so that people like you can do what you did."

I agree that not every police officer is a saint, a paragon of virtue. Officers are humans, and humans fail, now and then.

On the other side of the coin, humans are capable of truly epic amounts of win. Everybody is not expected to achieve this level of win. It wouldn't be fair to expect that of everyone.

Just sayin'...

Dec 4, 2009#22

Ravenpoe

Officer_Charon;309117][quote=drawn_inward said:
Have you met LeQuack?

Dec 4, 2009#23

drawn_inward

Don't taze him, bro! Well, taze him a little bit.

Dec 4, 2009#24

Soliloquy

While sifting through the forums, which members stood out to you the most, and why?

Dec 4, 2009#25

Math242

drawn_inward said:
Have you met LeQuack?

bwahahaha. thanks for the good laugh

Dec 4, 2009#26

Dave

Semper Fi, brother! Good to have another Former on the boards!

Welcome, young man.

When did you enlist, when did you go through boot and what was your MOS?

Dec 4, 2009#27

Bubble181

Officer_Charon said:
Starship Troopers. A Fantastic socio-political commentary that reveals new layers to me every time I read it.

Is...Is that a requirement to be allowed on the Angel2200 group? Either way, I'm starting to like this new group of members more by the minute :-D

Welcome, by the way...Be sure to stop by in the Mountie-with-a-turban thread and weigh in.

As for a question, what webcomic do you think needs to be amde into a feature length film, and why?

Dec 4, 2009#28

fade

Ugh. Paula Dean has the southerner's fake southern accent. That one a person from the south will layer on top of a real southern accent for show. I hate that.

Also, do you feel that Charon has lost some of its glory with the demotion of Pluto?

Dec 4, 2009#29

Frankie Williamson

Officer_Charon said:
I'll say the same thing I did when I got spat on at a Toys for Tots collection event, whilst wearing my dress blues:.

Whoa, that sucks. I get shit on all the time while in my normal GD uniform, but when I put on the serge, it's nothing but the utmost of respect from anyone I come in contact with.

Dec 4, 2009#30

North_Ranger

What's the worst thing you've been called while in office?

What's the worst thing you've been called while out of office?

What's the worst thing you've been called while inside an office?

Do I make annoying questions when I'm tired... in an office?

Dec 4, 2009#31

Officer_Charon

Phew! I go to sleep, then go to work for a bit, and y'all load me up! *grins* Here goes...

drawn_inward said:
Don't taze him, bro! Well, taze him a little bit.

We don't have tazers on my department... yet. It goes: commands, hands, spray, baton, gun. Depending on their actions, that little chain might get shuffled around a bit.

Soliloquy said:
While sifting through the forums, which members stood out to you the most, and why?

There have been a couple people who have stood out, for various reasons. One thing I have noticed is that there is (generally) a high level of maturity on these forums. Very little 'Sperger-wannabes here. As for people in particular... well, I've slept since last night. *wry chuckle* Give me a little bit to shuffle through again. Espy (Epsy?) stood out tho, for his restraint in deploying the banhammer during a debate. Until it was justified.

Dave said:
Semper Fi, brother! Good to have another Former on the boards!

Welcome, young man.

When did you enlist, when did you go through boot and what was your MOS?

Ooh-rah, devil! I enlisted October 31st, 2001. Shipped to the Island November 25th, 2001. Plt 1010, B Co, 1 Battalion. I was an 0811 (Field Artillery Cannoneer) for the first little bit, then I became a 3100 (Basic Traffic Marine) - I was SUPPOSED to be sent to training to be a 3112 (Traffic Management Office), but you know how it is with paperwork. I finished my stint as a Corporal, due to high cutting scores/MOS lock while I was in. That and I had an issue with pull-ups... *wry smile*

Bubble181 said:
As for a question, what webcomic do you think needs to be amde into a feature length film, and why?

Hrm... Well, my obvious answer is Angels 2200 (pimp, pimp), as I feel that the story has great potential as a sci-fi feature. As for others... I think Least I Could Do would rock as a TV mini series - live action possibly could work. I haven't had a chance to see any of the work that they've done on it to that end, tho. MegaTokyo would work BETTER as a movie than the format it's in right now, I think, as the story covers so many people over such widely varying arcs. Girl Genius would ROCK. OUT. LOUD.

fade said:
Ugh. Paula Dean has the southerner's fake southern accent. That one a person from the south will layer on top of a real southern accent for show. I hate that.

Also, do you feel that Charon has lost some of its glory with the demotion of Pluto?

Paula Deen uses her Agoraphobia (which sometimes alleges she's gotten over) as an excuse to dump on her fans, and cut and run. And yes, her overly played accent grates. NOONE local talks with an accent that strong - and that's including folks from a couple counties over, where dirt roads are more prevalent than paved.

And I feel that Pluto got a crappy deal out of that whole scenario. Charon has no need to be upgraded from a satellite to a planetoid.

Besides, that's where Pluto houses their defense fleet. *grins*

Amorous Vyxen said:
What seems to be the officer, problem?

Ever been stabbed?

Best perk of the job?

Worst part of the job?

*coolface.jpg*

Haven't been stabbed. Yet. Suspects don't tend to fight with me so much - although I did have an emotionally disturbed teenager require me to put her in handcuffs for my safety, because she had called a suicide hotline and told them she would kill herself, then got bored and hung up. Protip: don't do this, and REALLY don't tell the cops to "Fuck off, I'm going to sleep." It will NOT end well for you.

The best perk is that I get paid to be nosy, to watch scenes where EVERYONE wants to see what's going on, and to (occasionally) take away someone's civil liberties when they've demonstrated that they can't be responsible with them.

The worst is the unpredictability. Someone you stop for a simple tag light violation could be a wanted fugitive from an armed robbery two counties away, and he could have a sawed-off sitting in the seat next to him. It's REALLY bad, because so many of the calls we ride DON'T involve that level of tension, so it's really easy to become complacent. I have a wife and a child on the way: I can NOT afford to be complacent.

North_Ranger said:
What's the worst thing you've been called while in office?

What's the worst thing you've been called while out of office?

What's the worst thing you've been called while inside an office?

Do I make annoying questions when I'm tired... in an office?

I've been called Cletus, Cracker, Barney Fife, doughnut-eater, pig, po-po, all SORTS of expletives and various and unsavory combinations of bodily functions. The ones that bother me the most are when they call me "Nigga," because:
a) I despise that word
b) I despise the connotations with that word
c) I am not lazy
d) They have GOT to be colorblind.

Worst thing when not on duty? Feh... I could care less. The badge ain't on.

In an office? I got called a liar. This REALLY bothers me, because for obvious and not-so-obvious reasons, my integrity is of grave importance to me. I do not lie. I may not tell the whole truth, but I don't lie - especially to suspects. Those are the ones whose reactions depend on their level of trust of me. Never bluff a suspect: they WILL call you on it.

And no, the questions aren't annoying, just thematic. Although you might want to consider a nap. *grin*

Dec 4, 2009#32

Officer_Charon

Amorous Vyxen said:
What's with the 3 asterisks in your signature?

Do you have any idea how annoying it is trying to type or do any computer work when there's a cat INSISTING to lay his stupid head on the keyboard?

Each asterisk represents a girl who I gave my heart to, and who either ground it beneath their booted heels, or laughed and...

*snrk*

Seriously tho, all it was was just to divide the sig from the post. I didn't know about the lines above the .sig section when I set it up, and I haven't changed it yet, that's all. *wry grin*

Yeah... I'm kinda vanilla and boring.

Dec 4, 2009#33

KCWM

I have no questions because I am incredibly drunk, but welcome aboard!

NOw...where was that whsikey

Dec 4, 2009#34

Officer_Charon

KCWM said:
I have no questions because I am incredibly drunk, but welcome aboard!

NOw...where was that whsikey

Apparently all the whiskey is in the suspect in the back of my transport van right now. Phew!

Dec 4, 2009#35

strawman

Officer_Charon;309633][quote=KCWM said:
I have no questions because I am incredibly drunk, but welcome aboard!

NOw...where was that whsikey

Apparently all the whiskey is in the suspect in the back of my transport van right now. Phew![/QUOTE]

Don't worry. It will be out of the suspect and in the back of your transport van shortly.

Dec 5, 2009#36

North_Ranger

It's two days to your retirement. What do you do?

Dec 5, 2009#37

KCWM

Officer_Charon;309633][quote=KCWM said:
I have no questions because I am incredibly drunk, but welcome aboard!

NOw...where was that whsikey

Apparently all the whiskey is in the suspect in the back of my transport van right now. Phew![/QUOTE]

Ha!

Do you watch any of the Law and Order shows?
Since you claim to be a geek, Star Wars, Star Trek, or both?
If the zombie apocalypse started tomorrow, which two weapons would you choose to have handy first?

Dec 5, 2009#38

Officer_Charon

North_Ranger said:
It's two days to your retirement. What do you do?

Hrm... toughie. Do I stay low and not jeopardize my cushy life, or do I go out with a bang? Seeing as how I'm actually lazy as heck *grins* I think this one's a no-brainer... *chuckles*

KCWM said:
Ha!

Do you watch any of the Law and Order shows?
Since you claim to be a geek, Star Wars, Star Trek, or both?
If the zombie apocalypse started tomorrow, which two weapons would you choose to have handy first?

I've heard a LOT of good things about the series - all of them - from fellow shield-bearers, but have yet to watch an episode. Probably need to rectify that.

I'm a BIG Old-school Star Wars fan. Eps 1, 2 and 3 got progressively better, but never QUITE captured the same feel as the originals. As for Trek, I really only watched TNG religiously. Started getting into DS9, but never managed to catch them sequentially, so my knowledge is spotty about them. Watched a bit of Voyager and thought "Meh."

Zombipocalypse requires Shotgun. 12 or 10-gauge, with an extended magazine. A .45 Glock as a sidearm, also with extended magazine. This is, of course, until I can get to the nearest Bass Pro Shop, and equip accordingly. *grins*

Dec 5, 2009#39

KCWM

Officer_Charon;309881][quote=North_Ranger said:
It's two days to your retirement. What do you do?

Hrm... toughie. Do I stay low and not jeopardize my cushy life, or do I go out with a bang? Seeing as how I'm actually lazy as heck *grins* I think this one's a no-brainer... *chuckles*

KCWM said:
Ha!

Do you watch any of the Law and Order shows?
Since you claim to be a geek, Star Wars, Star Trek, or both?
If the zombie apocalypse started tomorrow, which two weapons would you choose to have handy first?

Dec 6, 2009#40

Officer_Charon

KCWM said:
You and I see eye to eye on Star Wars/Star Trek. Though, I really loved the new movie.

You a Falcons fan? If not, are you into the NFL?

Still haven't seen the new movie, although that's merely from lack of grabbing it at the store than from an aversion to it.

F$ck the Falcons. When I follow NFL at all, I'm a 49ers fan. I tend towards NHL when I watch sports at all, tho.

Dec 6, 2009#41

The Lovely Boehner

Officer_Charon said:
F$ck the Falcons. When I follow NFL at all, I'm a 49ers fan. I tend towards NHL when I watch sports at all, tho.

Southern hockey represent! I'm a Predators fan. How would you change the NHL as it is now, if at all? Assume you're super-god-commish for life

Dec 7, 2009#42

Dave

Which cop show (TV or movie) do YOU think is closest to reality?

If you say Castle I'm becoming a writer.

Dec 7, 2009#43

Chibibar

ooo I got a question (well since I read this article today)
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/12/07/supremecourt/main5927595.shtml

they are talking about lawyers and miranda rights. So, if I break my silence, can I go back into silence and don't say anything until my lawyer is present?

Dec 7, 2009#44

Dave

GOD they make it hard to be a cop! Protecting the stupid and those who use supposed ignorance. This guy had been through the justice system before and knew he could have a lawyer. Now it's just a matter of not wanting to pay the price for his committing a crime and wasting the court's time and OUR money in the process.

I think unsuccessful appeals should add to the sentence of the person. The higher the appeal, the worse the penalty should be. A successful appeal should lessen any sentence regardless of whether it gets overturned on appeal or not. This massive backlog over never-ending appeals needs to be cut out now.

Dec 7, 2009#45

Chibibar

Dave said:
GOD they make it hard to be a cop! Protecting the stupid and those who use supposed ignorance. This guy had been through the justice system before and knew he could have a lawyer. Now it's just a matter of not wanting to pay the price for his committing a crime and wasting the court's time and OUR money in the process.

I think unsuccessful appeals should add to the sentence of the person. The higher the appeal, the worse the penalty should be. A successful appeal should lessen any sentence regardless of whether it gets overturned on appeal or not. This massive backlog over never-ending appeals needs to be cut out now.

while I don't feel sorry for that particular guy, I wonder how many innocent get frame for it or something (you hear stories and such - I know that guy wasn't innocent) but you get the idea what I am trying ask/say... I hope.

Dec 7, 2009#46

North_Ranger

If you could design your own sidearm from scratch, what would it be like? Phaser technology, thingamajigs and such are allowed.

Dec 7, 2009#47

Officer_Charon

Chibibar said:
ooo I got a question (well since I read this article today)
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/12/07/supremecourt/main5927595.shtml

they are talking about lawyers and miranda rights. So, if I break my silence, can I go back into silence and don't say anything until my lawyer is present?

Ahh, Miranda - Hollywood has made you the bane of many a peacefull arrest. Most people are under the impression that as soon as I read Miranda, you are under arrest. Also, they believe that they can't be under arrest if I DON'T read Miranda. Neither of which is true.

For those who don't know, Miranda (More properly, Supreme Court ruling in the case of Miranda vs. Arizona, 1966) states that before questioning any suspect about the particulars of a crime, we are to advise them that:

They have a right to remain silent.
Anything they say may be used in court as evidence against you.
You are entitled to have a lawyer now and have him present now or at any time during questioning.
If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you without cost, and he may be present at all times during your questioning.

The burden is on the officer to prove that any waiver of these rights is voluntary. In most cases, a verbal waiver in response to the questions "Do you understand these rights? Having these rights in mind, do you wish to talk to us without a lawyer at this time?"

If AT ANY TIME the suspect says he wants a lawyer, or that he doesn't want to talk - THAT INTERVIEW IS OVER. Period. Full Stop. He could be spilling his guts to you, then realise what he's been saying, and say "You know, I think I want an attorney," and you have to stop questioning.

If you voluntarily waive your rights, you are still able to clam up if you don't want to talk any more. Bear in mind, you have to weight the benefits vs the costs. I had a kid on a TRAFFIC stop ask for a lawyer, and all I did was ask if there were any weapons in his car. This is NOT a situation where Miranda applies - this is about officer safety, which is paramount. If I feel uneasy about a situation, I am well within my rights as an officer to check for weapons, legal or illegal. It's called a "Terry Frisk" (From Terry vs. Ohio - can't remember the year).

Terry frisks may ONLY be used to check for weapons. If I go feeling and checking for anything else, and there is NO WAY I can articulate that I was under the impression that an article may have contained a weapon, then I can get in trouble.

Sorry... dismounting soapbox now...

Dave said:
Which cop show (TV or movie) do YOU think is closest to reality?

If you say Castle I'm becoming a writer.

Having never seen Castle, I can't comment on it... I'll say that 3rd Watch comes the closest to anything that I've seen, but that might just be because my perspective's only from a Patrol standpoint...

Charlie Dont Surf said:
Southern hockey represent! I'm a Predators fan. How would you change the NHL as it is now, if at all? Assume you're super-god-commish for life

Too damned much time on the ice. Don't you hate when you go to see a fight, and some hockey breaks out?

In all seriousness, I'd have to catch more than the couple games that I do in order to drop an opinion on this.

Also, Go Thrashers, and GO LEAFS! *grins* (Yes, I have issues)

North_Ranger said:
If you could design your own sidearm from scratch, what would it be like? Phaser technology, thingamajigs and such are allowed.

Savannah is becoming a college town, and one of the larger colleges here is SCAD - Savannah College of Art and Design. One of my buddies has a friend who goes here, and for this student's design project, he came up with an all-inclusive sidearm that's pretty close to what I would like.

In form, it's close to the sub-machine guns used in Masamune Shirow's Dominion: Conflict 1 (No More Noise) manga. (http://www.amazon.com/Dominion-Conflict-No-More-Noise/dp/1593076983#reader_1593076983 has an image on the next-to-last image page - order it! It's a damned fine read), with the addition of an under-slung shotgun barrel, designed to fire less-lethal rounds (super socks, tazer rounds etc), an integrated flashlight, and the foregrip is actually an extendable ASP baton. I like his design for integrating so much, although I'm not sure if I'm kosher with the idea of having the baton as part of the weapon. Think I'd rather have that seperate.

Flat top, for mounting optics as desired. I prefer iron sights, but ya gotta keep the tacti-cool kiddies happy. *grins*

Dec 8, 2009#48

fade

On the flip side, every cop I know complains about Hollywood's depiction of Miranda rights.

Do you watch Law and Order? My wife loves it (she's a cop). In fact, there used to be a Tivo commercial with a cop who gave all these reasons for needing a Tivo related to the stress of work. At the end, an off-screen interviewer says, "So what do you like to watch?" "Mostly cop shows." So true. Anyway, I ask because they're pretty good about that stuff. They've specifically addressed the whole miranda issue and a bad guy "lawyers up" requiring the interview to stop at least once/episode. Of course, add about 30 lbs of over-the-top drama, too.

Dec 9, 2009#49

Hansagan

New question....would you ever grow your hair long, even on a bet?

Dec 9, 2009#50

Officer_Charon

fade said:
On the flip side, every cop I know complains about Hollywood's depiction of Miranda rights.

Do you watch Law and Order? My wife loves it (she's a cop). In fact, there used to be a Tivo commercial with a cop who gave all these reasons for needing a Tivo related to the stress of work. At the end, an off-screen interviewer says, "So what do you like to watch?" "Mostly cop shows." So true. Anyway, I ask because they're pretty good about that stuff. They've specifically addressed the whole miranda issue and a bad guy "lawyers up" requiring the interview to stop at least once/episode. Of course, add about 30 lbs of over-the-top drama, too.

I haven't ever sat down and watched Law and Order, but every other person in law enforcement I've talked to says it's pretty good to go, albeit with a flair for the dramatic. As opposed to something like CSI, where we don't need anyone else on the department: Forensics takes care of everything! *rolls eyes*

Hansagan said:
New question....would you ever grow your hair long, even on a bet?

No. I've kept my hair short since joining the military for a reason - when it's longer, I get CRAZY white-boy afro action. Seriously, Napoleon Dynamite has NOTHING on what my 'do can do. Back in high school, I used to keep pencils in there, and would occasionally lose them... I think my fro ate them. Scarfy stuff.

Dec 9, 2009#51

ThatGrinningIdiot!

What criteria does the UMSC have that you would have to meet in order to become a sniper?

Dec 9, 2009#52

Soliloquy

What's your opinion of this little video?

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wXkI4t7nuc"]Don't Talk to Police[/ame]

Dec 9, 2009#53

drawn_inward

Have you read The Onion Field?

If you haven't, I sincerely recommend it.

Dec 9, 2009#54

Chibibar

Amorous Vyxen;312322][quote=Soliloquy said:
What's your opinion of this little video?

48 fucking minutes?[/QUOTE]

it is pretty informative.

Dec 9, 2009#55

strawman

Amorous Vyxen;312322][quote=Soliloquy said:
What's your opinion of this little video?

48 fucking minutes?[/QUOTE]

I watched it awhile ago, and I don't remember any intercourse, nevermind 48 minutes of it...

Dec 9, 2009#56

Espy

Amorous Vyxen;312326][quote=Chibibar;312323][quote=Amorous Vyxen;312322][quote=Soliloquy said:
What's your opinion of this little video?

48 fucking minutes?[/QUOTE]

it is pretty informative.[/QUOTE]

You expect him to watch that? lol[/QUOTE]

It's actually really, really interesting.

Dec 9, 2009#57

Espy

Amorous Vyxen;312334][quote=Espy;312329][quote=Amorous Vyxen;312326][quote=Chibibar;312323][quote=Amorous Vyxen;312322][quote=Soliloquy said:
What's your opinion of this little video?

Don't Talk to Police

48 fucking minutes?[/QUOTE]

it is pretty informative.[/QUOTE]

You expect him to watch that? lol[/QUOTE]

It's actually really, really interesting.[/QUOTE]

If you say so, haven't seen a single second of it. Just gonna assume it was something that was on the news somewhere or whatever. [/QUOTE]

Actually I believe it's a lecture to law students first from an lawyer then from a police officer talking about how, well, essentially you shouldn't talk to cops.
It's very interesting and worth the watch.

Dec 9, 2009#58

Chibibar

AME- it is more of talking to a cop regarding a situation or possible crime around you. Even if you "heard" or "know" something and you may be innocent of it, depending on what you say or do, it may come back to you or even "pin" you for the crime (rare cases given in the lecture)

the basic principle is that you may need a lawyer present before saying anything to the cop, even the truth, because if you might say something wrong, get your time mix up (who remember what you were doing on Oct 11, 2009 at 11am????? huh? huh? I don't) so you might say something that you think it is true and incriminate yourself even if you didn't do the crime if the police didn't have any lead other than yours (also in the video)

Dec 9, 2009#59

North_Ranger

Officer_Charon said:
No. I've kept my hair short since joining the military for a reason - when it's longer, I get CRAZY white-boy afro action. Seriously, Napoleon Dynamite has NOTHING on what my 'do can do. Back in high school, I used to keep pencils in there, and would occasionally lose them... I think my fro ate them. Scarfy stuff.

*gasp*

Are you... naturally curly?!

Dec 14, 2009#60

Wasabi Poptart

Hello! I see a motorcycle in your avatar. Do you ride often? What's your favorite bike and which ones do you/did you own?

Dec 14, 2009#61

Deschain

What kind of sidearm do you carry and are you right-handed/left-handed? Also, how does your department handle things like longarms? Is it policy to keep them in the trunk?

Dec 18, 2009#62

Officer_Charon

Soliloquy said:
What's your opinion of this little video?

Of COURSE the lawyer doesn't want anyone talking to the police: he doesn't want his case getting shredded!

Defense attorneys are a cop's natural enemy. Not the thuglets we arrest - those are prey. A defense attorney's job is to make either us or our case against their client look just bad enough so that the amount of proof necessary for conviction is shifted just enough to get their client off.

The thing is... most officers won't make a bad arrest, or even a slightly sketchy one, because if we lose cases, there goes our credibility as an officer. When officers start bringing bad cases into court, judges remember your name, and starting being a lot more critical of the arrest. It's a lot like being remembered as the "problem child" in school. Even if you cleaned up your act, teachers will always remember you for any previous bad work.

I can't hate on the man for trying to teach others his craft: he even seems like he'd be a good defense attorney. Doesn't mean I have to like him.

drawn_inward said:
Have you read The Onion Field?

If you haven't, I sincerely recommend it.

I haven't, but after 9000 hours of searching on Google, and reading the basic storyline behind it, I believe I shall go to Barnes and Noble and utilize my gift card that my wifey got me for my birthday. Sounds very good!

Amorous Vyxen said:
My question to Ofc. Charon:

What do you think of this video?

Ha! Classic! I love Chris Rock. And, despite the farce of the sketch, he brings up a very good point - you get what you give, with the police. If you give attitude, while you might not get an ass-kicking, the stop is less likely to go well for you. Honesty, honesty, honesty! If you lie to me, I will do everything in my power to damage you, legally speaking. If you attempt to conceal anything that might hurt me... it might not go well for you... *evil grin*

North_Ranger said:
*gasp*

Are you... naturally curly?!

Even though I get the feeling that this is a forum in-joke... yes? More wavy than curly, but it's so thick, the difference gets to be non-existent.

Wildsoul said:
Hello! I see a motorcycle in your avatar. Do you ride often? What's your favorite bike and which ones do you/did you own?

I own (sort of... long story) a Harley Sportster 883. Its a small bike, but it's my first one. I have to keep it with my parents in Alabama, though - I don't have a garage to keep it in down here, and there's no way in hell I'd leave a motorcycle unsecured in my neighborhood. Bike theft is one of the biggies down here, right now... I only get to ride once every other month or so, and not terribly far. It sucks so bad.

I have another photo, taken that same day, of me sitting on a midnight-blue Road King. She will be mine. Oh yes... she will be mine...

Deschain said:
What kind of sidearm do you carry and are you right-handed/left-handed? Also, how does your department handle things like longarms? Is it policy to keep them in the trunk?

I carry a Glock 21 - .45 caliber. I'm a righty, which tends to mean that my right side gets weighted down easily. I need to work on my ambidexterity, but it's tough, because my department doesn't have its own range to practice on. As for long guns, shotguns are available only to those who pass the training for them, and there are a limited number per precinct. M4s and the like are reserved for SWAT officers, which I disagree with, but what can you do? When long guns are carried, they are toted in the trunk of the duty vehicle.

Dec 20, 2009#63

Null

Is the Glock department standard, or personal preference?

Dec 20, 2009#64

Frankie Williamson

God I wish we were allowed to use Glocks.

We're stuck with the S&W 5946....awful, awful gun.

Dec 20, 2009#65

Null

Yeah, there are some lines where S&W took a real dip in quality. Their current M&P model is pretty good, though.

I like the Springfield X D myself.

Dec 23, 2009#66

phil

If you could be asked anything, what would you want to be asked?

OH MAN I HOPE YOU DON'T SEE WHERE THIS IS GOING!

Dec 24, 2009#67

Officer_Charon

Lying Bastard said:
Is the Glock department standard, or personal preference?

The Glocks are standard. If you qualify high enough (98%+), they will permit you to attempt to qualify with a 1911. There's only a few guys who are /k/ enough to want to follow through like that - most are happy with how easy the Glock is to field-strip and maintain.

phil said:
If you could be asked anything, what would you want to be asked?

OH MAN I HOPE YOU DON'T SEE WHERE THIS IS GOING!

Ah, but were I to be asked what I want to be asked, then you would already know the answer. I think... maybe... never wax pseudo-philosophical when sleep-depped.

Actually, just make that "never wax".... owie owie owie

Dec 27, 2009#68

Le Quack

How many people have you arrested for Marijuana?

Have you ever felt bad for arresting someone?

Are there laws you feel are in the "gray area" and feel uneasy about upholding?

If Marijuana was legal by state law, would you still arrest someone?

Have you ever given out tickets just to meet a quota?

Have you ever broken a law you have given someone else a ticket for and gotten away with it?

Are any of your non-military, non-police friends afraid to discuss some things with you?

How often do you profile?

You you give more tickets to men than women?

How many times have you not given a ticket because a woman was pretty?

Do you have anything in your life that isn't affected by you being a cop?

How do you feel about Internal Affairs?

Would you ever want to transfer to Internal Affairs?

Have you ever caught a fellow cop being less than straight with the laws?

Other than me not trusting any police officer, while at the same time trying to go under the radar, I think we should get a long fine. =]

Being a police officer is hard, and I have no sympathy for those that can't make good decisions, and those that follow blindly.
That said, if you follow the constitution and believe in what the people vote for, I don't see why I should blame you for being a cop.

Dec 27, 2009#69

fade

I know this is Charon's thread, but being married to a cop, I have to jump in on a few things.

First, cops are human. They make mistakes and bad decisions. But just like any other job, a bad decision doesn't make a bad cop. Make no mistake, though. There are bad cops. From what I've seen, the other cops usually know who they are, too.

Second, I don't know where the "quota" thing started. I've never seen a department with an actual quota. I think that that started as some civilian explanation for a cluster of tickets given in one area.

As far as profiling goes, that's a touchy area. If a cop never profiled, there'd be no law enforcement beyond stopping what the cop sees or is reported. As much as we may absolutely hate it, and as uncomfortable as it is, if a person looks like he's up to something, he probably is (though defining "looks up to something" is hard). Everybody profiles. Everyone gets a bad feeling about someone. Doing it solely on race or gender is bad. Not doing it at all is impossible.

I'll give you another example. I rode along with my wife once. We're on a major road, and she says, "I'm going to stop this person." The car was ordinary looking, and I saw nothing different or wrong. But she knew. She had developed an intuition about it, just like everyone does about their own work. Sure enough, we watched as the car peeled off from in front of us and pretended to buy gas, apparently oblivious to the fact that we could see they weren't pumping. Eventually, the nervous driver made a driving error and we stopped her. Sure enough, she had no insurance. Minor, but my wife knew just from watching her that something was wrong (an ordinary looking white woman, btw.)

Also, lest you think I'm a cop apologist, I'm a long haired, left-wing hippy type who just happens to have married a girl who went on to be a cop. It really helped change my opinion of them, since I saw them from the inside. And I've been "profiled" before. I've been felony stopped twice for absolutely nothing. I've been held on the side of the road while the freaking FBI searched my car.

Dec 27, 2009#70

Officer_Charon

Ah, the infamous LeQuack. At last we meet! *chuckles*

Actually... a lot of these are fairly decent questions.

Le Quack said:
How many people have you arrested for Marijuana?

Not nearly as many as I could have. I usually don't bother with marijuana - I'll just make you dump it out and send you on your way, if it's not felony-weight, or packaged for distribution (i.e. if circumstances and other evidence lead me to believe that you've been slinging, not if you've just come from purchasing, with it still wrapped up.) Marijuana is, I believe, nowhere near as harmful as its made out to be. Unfortunately, I believe that the PURSUIT of marijuana leads to other, more major crimes like burglary and robbery (several homes that we respond to for burglaries "neglect" to tell us EVERYTHING that is taken - usually it's just inordinately large amounts of cash)

Le Quack said:
Have you ever felt bad for arresting someone?

Many times. I'm blessed/cursed with a strong sense of empathy. It allows me to see many sides of a person's circumstances, and allows me a VERY broad sense of judgement when I make my call to arrest/not arrest. If I can stroke a citation instead, odds are likely I'll do that.

I felt the worst about a situation that's still in court right now, so I can't talk about it until it's resolved. Suffice it to say, it's a result of the state pressing charges in a domestic violence incident, but I know more about the history of the pair involved.

You can't always say "The law is the law," in this profession. For one thing - there'd be almost noone on the streets. Like good generals, you pick and choose your battles.

Le Quack said:
Are there laws you feel are in the "gray area" and feel uneasy about upholding?

Define "Gray Area." It depends on which field of crime you're talking about. Is it drug crime, other vice crime, violent crime, financial crime, or other crime?

Le Quack said:
If Marijuana was legal by state law, would you still arrest someone?

No, because that would be a bad arrest. I get sued for making bad arrests - ergo, I do not make bad arrests.

Le Quack said:
Have you ever given out tickets just to meet a quota?

I have never heard of ANY department handing out quotas. I'm actually a soft touch - the only things I WILL cite for, guaranteed, are red light and school zone violations. I am sick and tired of riding accidents where one person thought they could beat the light and failed.

Le Quack said:
Have you ever broken a law you have given someone else a ticket for and gotten away with it?

I plead the fifth! *chuckles* No, seriously though... the minor traffic infractions that I catch myself doing, I don't hold against people. Unless I need a PC stop on someone for something else, I will probably never write a turn signal ticket, for example.

Le Quack said:
Are any of your non-military, non-police friends afraid to discuss some things with you?

Not at all. Most are genuinely curious about the life, and ask all kinds of questions. Much like here.

I don't like being an object of fear. That's not why I do this job. I do this job for the same reason I roll paladins: I like helping people. I'm not a mindless automaton out to persecute and prosecute everyone. I believe that I can best help society by providing my services as a shield against that which others would attempt to inflict upon it. It's why I served in the military, and why I serve on the thin blue line.

Le Quack said:
How often do you profile?

Profiling is a dangerous term, a media buzzword that tends to get snapped up by people without fully understanding what it means.

To profile, in the strictest legal sense, you look at elements of a person or a vehicle, and you run them through an internal filter. If they meet certain criteria, this is an anomaly, and further investigation could provide evidence of a crime.

For example: I drive through a low-income neighborhood - small duplexes and cheap apartments and the like. Usually, vehicles tend to be in various states of disrepair, for one reason or another. Some have patches of primer, or body parts that are different colors, having come from salvage. If I see a Cadillac ZTS sitting on 22" chrome rims, darkly tinted with lots of accents parked in the driveway of a home that's no different from other homes in the neighborhood, I would get a small red flag. Some people really like their cars, and buy stuff for them at the regrettable expense of everything else. It happens.

But it would be enough for me to want to keep an eye on the house whenever I'd drive through that neighborhood, and keep an eye out for heavy foot traffic in the area.

THAT is correct profiling. Not what most people believe ("Oh, he's black and driving a Caprice - lemme get him for something.")

It's also taking what you have learned, and applying it to what you observe. I've learned that if I drive through an apartment complex or trailer park and I see a group of cars with South Carolina license plates, I know that they belong to a group of hispanics living in these places, because South Carolina doesn't require you to have an American driver's license (or social security number...) to register your vehicle. Do I hassle these people? Not unless I get called over there, and I don't make a big deal about the fact that the VAST majority of them are illegal. They're hard-working folks, for the most part, who are just trying to provide for their families.

Le Quack said:
You you give more tickets to men than women?

Not really... hang on, I'll check my most recent ticket book (4 left, I believe)

Only 1 left, actually. Been busy, the last couple months. Of the 22 carbon copies I had, 11 were for men, 11 were for women. The most prevalent offenses were no insurance and suspended registration (I've been running a lot of tags recently... I let off during the holiday season, but it's about time to step it up again). 2 carbon copies were provided to another officer, as I wrote tickets for him during an accident investigation (no insurance, no license).

Le Quack said:
How many times have you not given a ticket because a woman was pretty?

Never. I can't allow myself to be placed in a position where my integrity will be called into question like that. Integrity is EVERYTHING as a law enforcement officer. If I lose my integrity, then everything I have ever done in this profession gets called into question. It's just too important. I can't even BEGIN to stress this enough.

Le Quack said:
Do you have anything in your life that isn't affected by you being a cop?

My cats. My hobbies. My taste in movies and music. I'm still me - I just wear a badge and carry a gun and cuffs, that's all.

Le Quack said:
How do you feel about Internal Affairs?

Here they're called the Office of Professional Standards. They have a tough row to hoe. It's not easy when the vast majority of the department looks on you distrustingly, wondering when you're going to pounce. The reality is, they really don't come down on people often. We get complained on every day, by people who don't understand why we do what we do. Sometimes, it's racially motivated (I was at a scene where three ladies were squawking because a fellow officer chased their nephew into their house, because the officer was attempting to stop him, and the guy thought that if he ran inside, he was safe. These ladies cussed and fussed until my sergeant arrived, whereupon it was "Oh, a black officer. FINALLY someone with some sense." That's a direct quote. *scoffs*), sometimes it's because people on the outside don't see that the suspect just took a swing at three officers before they started tussling, and is actively trying to escape the officers attempting to restrain him. Very rarely is a complaint founded.

But they still have to investigate every one. I don't envy them their job.

Le Quack said:
Would you ever want to transfer to Internal Affairs?

I might... I honestly don't feel that's the best place for me right now. I need more street time. My instincts aren't what they could be, and the only thing to get them better is experience.

Maybe one day, but not now.

Le Quack said:
Have you ever caught a fellow cop being less than straight with the laws?

I can honestly say that I never have. I work with a very professional watch. I've heard others talking about things that I've felt were perhaps a little sketchy, even though the bust was still good.

Le Quack said:
Other than me not trusting any police officer, while at the same time trying to go under the radar, I think we should get a long fine. =]

Being a police officer is hard, and I have no sympathy for those that can't make good decisions, and those that follow blindly.
That said, if you follow the constitution and believe in what the people vote for, I don't see why I should blame you for being a cop.

I tend not to trust overly what people en masse vote for, because I believe that people vote bread and circuses too much, any more. However, the Constitution is a fine document, well-entrenched in law (and getting further dug in, every day! ), and serves this nation well.

I appreciate your questions, and acknowledge that you aren't one of the bleating masses, but someone who's apparently put some genuine thought into his convictions, and has unfortunately had a few run-ins with some of my brothers.

Take care, and be safe!

Dec 27, 2009#71

Le Quack

Good answers. =]

---------- Post added at 07:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:45 PM ----------

fade said:
I know this is Charon's thread, but being married to a cop, I have to jump in on a few things.

I'll give you another example. I rode along with my wife once. We're on a major road, and she says, "I'm going to stop this person." The car was ordinary looking, and I saw nothing different or wrong. But she knew. She had developed an intuition about it, just like everyone does about their own work. Sure enough, we watched as the car peeled off from in front of us and pretended to buy gas, apparently oblivious to the fact that we could see they weren't pumping. Eventually, the nervous driver made a driving error and we stopped her. Sure enough, she had no insurance. Minor, but my wife knew just from watching her that something was wrong (an ordinary looking white woman, btw.)

What I see is, aside from not having insurance, a cop following a woman who had done apparently nothing wrong and pouncing on any small reason to pull her over. Then she tickets her for no insurance. I understand that she broke the law, but from what was given she wasn't hurting anybody. Maybe she didnt have the money for insurance but still needed to drive to work. Now she's got a chunk of her money gone to pay for a ticket.

How is that helping the general populace?

Dec 27, 2009#72

fade

Le Quack said:
Good answers. =]

---------- Post added at 07:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:45 PM ----------

fade said:

I know this is Charon's thread, but being married to a cop, I have to jump in on a few things.

I'll give you another example. I rode along with my wife once. We're on a major road, and she says, "I'm going to stop this person." The car was ordinary looking, and I saw nothing different or wrong. But she knew. She had developed an intuition about it, just like everyone does about their own work. Sure enough, we watched as the car peeled off from in front of us and pretended to buy gas, apparently oblivious to the fact that we could see they weren't pumping. Eventually, the nervous driver made a driving error and we stopped her. Sure enough, she had no insurance. Minor, but my wife knew just from watching her that something was wrong (an ordinary looking white woman, btw.)

Click to expand...

What I see is, aside from not having insurance, a cop following a woman who had done apparently nothing wrong and pouncing on any small reason to pull her over. Then she tickets her for no insurance. I understand that she broke the law, but from what was given she wasn't hurting anybody. Maybe she didnt have the money for insurance but still needed to drive to work. Now she's got a chunk of her money gone to pay for a ticket.

How is that helping the general populace?

Does quite a bit actually, and was demanded by the populace in fact. That region of the state was virtually plagued by people causing accidents and then pulling out their pockets and shrugging when it came time to fix the other person's car. Then guess who has to foot the bill? Did you take that extra expensive uninsured motorist premium from your insurer? In point of fact, it was public outcry that caused the department to crack down hard on that particular offense.

As far as "pouncing", that's a bit harsh. My wife knew from the get go that that something was suspicious based on the woman's behavior. That suspicion only increased when she sought to actively deceive us (at which point there was absolutely no indication that we were watching her in particular). For all we knew she was up to something worse. It's not like my wife was going around actively doing this all night--this woman stood out based on her training, experience, and intuition. And my wife was cordial, professional, and polite.

It's not a cop's job to just react to something that's already been done, but to prevent things from happening.

Dec 27, 2009#73

Espy

Le Quack said:
How is that helping the general populace?

Really?

Having been hit by an asshole without insurance I can also say it would have been very nice to have had a cop pull her over before she hit me and forced me to pay for her stupid dumb as bricks behavior.
Duh.

Dec 27, 2009#74

Twitch

Yeah Quack, I mean didn't this JUST happen to Dave where an uninsured driver hit his car?

To Charon, here I'm not familiar with every little firearm law for cops but most carry glocks. The four cops I'm familiar with are all I.C.E. and they carry Glock 32's.
ICE can pretty much carry anything and you occassionally see some older desk worker carrying around his Colt Python, maybe a 1911 or two. And of course the Sherriff, "The only gun he carries is on his tie."

Question wise, You're probably not close enough to ever hear about him but what does your department think of Sheriff Joe Arpaio, should you have heard of him.

Dec 27, 2009#75

North_Ranger

What popular culture police officer do you most identify with? And the least?

Dec 28, 2009#76

Null

My sister's being sued by an uninsured motorist who HIT HER on the parkway. She's only one of about 7 parties (including 'John Doe' and 'ABC Company') named in the suit, but getting that summons was still not the high point of her week.

I had let my insurance lapse when I was 19, and after about a year I was involved in a collision. It took me almost 2 years to pay off the damages, because I had no liability insurance. I was unable to have a license for years (the points and my age made my rate outrageous). So, you know, I don't have a problem when uninsured motorists being nailed, because as far as wake-up calls go, that ticket can be cheap at the price.

So you can shove your "cops are looking to bully the little guy" mentality, LeQuack.

Dec 28, 2009#77

Officer_Charon

Twitch said:
Question wise, You're probably not close enough to ever hear about him but what does your department think of Sheriff Joe Arpaio, should you have heard of him.

I can't speak for my department, but as for myself I remember hearing about Sheriff Arpaio, when he first starting putting prisoners in what basically amounted to P.O.W. camps, and I approved that. I agree with chain gangs and having prisoners work as a condition of their sentencing, rather than live in what amounts to a gated community with a rather feral population.

However, viewing more recent headlines, it appears that he's starting to become rather unhinged. Shame.

North_Ranger said:
What popular culture police officer do you most identify with? And the least?

Hrm.... there's not too many uniformed officers in popular culture - most tend to be detectives, because most writers can make an episode out of a case or two, rather than patrol's P.O.V. That's why I liked Third Watch so much.

But if I had to choose... something like an unholy combination of Gibbs, McGee and Ducky from NCIS. *grins*

Jun 30, 2010#78

Officer_Charon

Oh, what the hell, I'll fire this back up. *grins* Have at it, y'all!

Jun 30, 2010#79

Element 117

Finally an AMA that's USEFUL!

Dear OFC, I've recently moved to a new apartment complex and on occasion see a jackass porsche parked in the Handicapped spot, with no disabled tags. There are a few elderly people here who actually qualify for those spots, but seem too proud to complain. Can I napalm the car's owner, or should I just stab his ass?

Jun 30, 2010#80

Cajungal

Have you ever dreamed of being in a band?

Jun 30, 2010#81

Officer_Charon

If you napalm the owner, then it gets kind of complicated to get the car removed. Stabbing, while amusing and therapeutic for ALL concerned, might possibly result in those PESKY assault charges...

I'd inquire to the property owner, because they're the ones who can tow the damned thing.

Also... funny thing about expensive cars parked where they're not supposed to be.... they tend to attract keys to their paint jobs like you would NOT believe *evil grin*

---------- Post added at 12:06 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:05 AM ----------

Cajungal said:
Have you ever dreamed of being in a band?

It'd be awesome, but the only musical talent I seem to have would be vocals, and that only within a specific range. *grins*

I would rock the FUCK out of some drums, though. No rhythm, all POWAH! *throws up the horns*

Jun 30, 2010#82

Element 117

What about pouring bleach into his gas tank?

Jun 30, 2010#83

Officer_Charon

Hmm, bearing in mind that chlorine + petrochemicals + heat might have all KINDS of nasty interactions...

I know, I know... always with the DOWNERS this boy...

Try putting packing peanuts in the gas tank. Make sure they're styrofoam-based, rather than the corn starch ones...

Jun 30, 2010#84

Element 117

Of course it has nasty reactions. Thats why you use baggies to hold the bleach.

Though stabbing him would just be cheaper.

Jun 30, 2010#85

Officer_Charon

Very true. Make sure to plant the knife on a local drug dealer, too. You know the one I mean... the one who substitutes corn starch for his coke. That asshole.

Jun 30, 2010#86

Element 117

Can I at least give him pure cotton shirts with freshly applied superglue?

Jun 30, 2010#87

Officer_Charon

By all means.

Reading up on various city's handicapped parking fines makes me realise that Savannah's are positively lenient.... only $100?

Jun 30, 2010#88

Drachenherz

Have you seen the series "The wire"? If so, what do you think about it?

Then, something more serious: Have you ever caught a fellow cop in overstepping his line? E.g. using too much violence in an arrest, or mistreating - psychologically or physically - a "client"? If so (or hypothecically "if not"), what'd you do about that?

What you think of the H&K P30 9 mm?

You'd ever been to switzerland? ;-)

Jun 30, 2010#89

Element 117

Ok, so could a cop just wandering by ticket this guy for parking here?

Jun 30, 2010#90

sixpackshaker

Is it proper to use the shoulder of the road to slow down to make a right hand turn?

I do it all the time when I get off a 70 mph highway to turn onto the county road that I live off of. I know I should not cross the white stripe, but I also don't want to go hitting my brakes randomly when I am being tailgated at 75 mph.

Jun 30, 2010#91

drawn_inward

What's the best way to handle having a gun in the trunk when you are pulled over?

My family has a pretty extensive collection, and we often have one in the trunk (usually a shotgun). Should I not say anything unless the officer asks or should I volunteer the info? I feel like since I haven't done anything wrong, I should just keep my mouth shut, but I don't want to freak the cop out either, and have to deal with a gun pointed at me.

Just curious.

Also, thanks for putting your life on the line for us. I mean that sincerely.

Jun 30, 2010#92

Morphine

How do you feel about the US current regulations on weapons?

How do you feel about children?

Jun 30, 2010#93

Element 117

Morphine said:
How do you feel about the US current regulations on weapons?

How do you feel about children?

What a loaded series of questions.

Jun 30, 2010#94

Cajungal

Do you really grin and chuckle as much as your posts suggest? *grin*

Jun 30, 2010#95

Officer_Charon

.Amy. said:
Ok, so could a cop just wandering by ticket this guy for parking here?

The cop would be able to, but only at the request of the property manager. Make enough complaints, and it should happen.

I should mention that I have a bias against folks in Porches, Jaguars and Lexus' (Lexi?) - Most are cool, but there are a noticeable proportion who drive and park like they own the roads. Those are the ones that I delight in correcting.

sixpackshaker said:
Is it proper to use the shoulder of the road to slow down to make a right hand turn?

I do it all the time when I get off a 70 mph highway to turn onto the county road that I live off of. I know I should not cross the white stripe, but I also don't want to go hitting my brakes randomly when I am being tailgated at 75 mph.

Don't hit the brakes... make a gradual slowdown. The asshole tailgater will either slow, thus reducing his risk against the populace, or he might rear-end you in a controlled collision (versus striking you at high speed whilst you're stopped. Sir Isaac Newton is NOT your friend...), in which case, he gets an at-fault accident, and you gon' get PAIIIIIID... But don't cross over the line. If, God forbid, someone's walking there, or you lose control, you are at fault.

drawn_inward said:
What's the best way to handle having a gun in the trunk when you are pulled over?

My family has a pretty extensive collection, and we often have one in the trunk (usually a shotgun). Should I not say anything unless the officer asks or should I volunteer the info? I feel like since I haven't done anything wrong, I should just keep my mouth shut, but I don't want to freak the cop out either, and have to deal with a gun pointed at me.

Just curious.

Also, thanks for putting your life on the line for us. I mean that sincerely.

If the officer asks, let him know. It's in the trunk, so it's not something you can get at easily. I suspect that OK has some reasonable gun laws. You don't need to volunteer the information, really. An officer can't search your trunk, even incident to an arrest, anyways. It requires a search warrant, or your consent. If you GIVE consent, make sure to let them know that it's there, so they don't overreact, or act like you've done something wrong in order to get you nervous. Some officers do that, I'm ashamed to admit.

And thank you.

Morphine said:
How do you feel about the US current regulations on weapons?

How do you feel about children?

Are you talking about the recent Supreme Court decision, that starts setting specific boundaries? I'm not sure how I feel about that... on the one hand, they've negated a lot of municipal authority to BAN gun ownership, but they've opened up the door to some stringent limitations.

Funny thing about limiting LEGAL gun owners - while I can see the necessity, it's still not going to stop those who would use guns in their crimes. They tend to be burglarized from LEGAL gun owners, in any case.

As far as children go, I had BETTER like them... I'm going to be a daddy in a little under 2 weeks. *grins*

Cajungal said:
Do you really grin and chuckle as much as your posts suggest? *grin*

I tend to - big dimples and all that - but really that's my attempt to set the tone of my post. A little non-verbal inflection, if you will, because you can only do so much with text.

I do like having the little bit extra time to consider my words - helps limit foot-in-mouth disease, from which I tend to suffer *wry chuckle*

Jul 1, 2010#96

Calleja

HAVE YOU NOT HEARD OF EMOTICONS, DAMMIT!?

Jul 1, 2010#97

Cajungal

I think it's cute.

Officer, do you like Axe Cop?

---------- Post added at 01:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:28 PM ----------

Also, I didn't know you were having a baby! Mazeltov!

Jul 1, 2010#98

Dave

Have you ever been to Australia? If you are planning a trip down there I have someone you should stop and say hello to.

Jul 1, 2010#99

Morphine

Congrats on the Baby OC!!

I'm sure you'll be a great daddy n_n

Jul 1, 2010#100

Officer_Charon

Calleja said:
HAVE YOU NOT HEARD OF EMOTICONS, DAMMIT!?

Oh, you mean those things that ignorant luddites and teenyboppers over-used when they first hit the internet? Those? *sticks out tongue*

Cajungal said:
I think it's cute.

Officer, do you like Axe Cop?

---------- Post added at 01:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:28 PM ----------

Also, I didn't know you were having a baby! Mazeltov!

Thanks much! Also, I've heard of Axe Cop, and I think it's pure, refined genius. I think there should be more creative projects just like it.

Dave said:
Have you ever been to Australia? If you are planning a trip down there I have someone you should stop and say hello to.

Were I to head to the Land Down Under (pun intended, due to that situation), I would most definitely like to meet this friend of yours...

Morphine said:
Congrats on the Baby OC!!

I'm sure you'll be a great daddy n_n

Thanks! I'm currently nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking-chairs, but I appreciate the words of support. *grins*

Jul 2, 2010#101

D

Dubyamn

YouTube - CohenCohenLaw's Channel

This guy really pisses me off. He supports his daughter's "right" to be a complete and totally worthless human being and then posts the video of his daughter harrassing a classmate for the world to see.

About how mean can I get before I get unis knocking on my door with a warrant?

Jul 2, 2010#102

drawn_inward

Do you have a hard time hanging up the hat when you're off-duty or are you in cop mode pretty much all the time?

My dad was a cop before switching to firefighting, and he still points out cars/people that he would have pulled over.

Jul 3, 2010#103

Officer_Charon

Dubyamn said:
YouTube - CohenCohenLaw's Channel

This guy really pisses me off. He supports his daughter's "right" to be a complete and totally worthless human being and then posts the video of his daughter harrassing a classmate for the world to see.

About how mean can I get before I get unis knocking on my door with a warrant?

On the one hand, after doing a QUICK review of the case, I can see where he thinks that his daughter should have the right to say what she wants, without interference from the school. On the other hand, the wonderful thing about the First Amendment is that, while you have the right to voice your opinion, you must also be willing to accept the consequences of doing that.

With regards to you doing that, I would advise against it. You're not going to have a warrant filed against you for "being mean," but you would doubtless get slapped with a suit, if you could get tracked down. Which just about anyone can, these days.

drawn_inward said:
Do you have a hard time hanging up the hat when you're off-duty or are you in cop mode pretty much all the time?

My dad was a cop before switching to firefighting, and he still points out cars/people that he would have pulled over.

Ehh heh heh... *scratches the back of his head* Ya caught me. I do that all the time when I'm riding with my wife. Mind you, it's just idle. The only time I'd go into "cop mode" is when there's actually something going on. Normally, I'm still myself when I'm at work, by which I mean I'm still the geeky, slightly socially-awkward guy. However, when the time comes to deal with the dirties, the "game face" gets turned on.

It's not so much a cop mode, as demonstrated by your dad, as it is a change in one's perspective.

Jul 7, 2010#104

Disconnected

what training did you have before pursuing cop-ness?
what training do you wish you had earlier in pursuing cop-ness?
what training (if any) did you find useless in pursuing cop-ness?

Jul 8, 2010#105

Officer_Charon

Disconnected said:
what training did you have before pursuing cop-ness?
what training do you wish you had earlier in pursuing cop-ness?
what training (if any) did you find useless in pursuing cop-ness?

Apart from the Corps, Boy Scout stuff from three different countries, and that's about it. Was never really a very physically-motivated person.
I wish I'd done more running and gym training - it'd make maintaining form a LOT easier, as well as ensuring that fewer of these damned dirties get away during foot chases!
Useless training... not so much, that I can see, really. Everything that we had crammed into our brain-housing groups in the Academy has come in use at various point during my (admittedly short) career

Jul 8, 2010#106

Calleja

What's the best way to dispose of a body?

Uh.. hypothetically, of course.

Jul 8, 2010#107

Baerdog

Pigs will eat just about anything, you know.

Jul 8, 2010#108

Officer_Charon

Calleja said:
What's the best way to dispose of a body?

Uh.. hypothetically, of course.

Make sure there are no teeth left. Seriously, separate them from the mouth and pulverise those bastards. Then make sure that, if you limb the corpse, the limbs are all stored separately and ditched in various locations, after ensuring that the fingertips are removed.

You could also drop a couple weighted lines, a la deep-sea fishing, and leave them down for a couple hours. Assuming that they don't get ripped off the line, pieces will have been lost to the tides.

Just ensure that the thorax is well-perforated, to ensure that no necrotic gas brings it back up to the surface if it's taken off your line.

Jul 8, 2010#109

Element 117

Officer_Charon;412214][QUOTE=Calleja said:
What's the best way to dispose of a body?

Uh.. hypothetically, of course.

Jul 9, 2010#110

Officer_Charon

*shrugs* He asked... it IS Ask a Cop ANYTHING. *grins*

If it makes Shego get a little tingly, well, hey. Torpedoes, Damn, and all that.

Jul 9, 2010#111

Oddbot

Oh! I got a question! ::raises hand::

What do you think of the new Arizona immigration law? If you were a cop in Arizona having to enforce such a law how do you think it would affect your job/day-to-day routine/etc?

If you haven't been following the issue or don't know enough of the facts to answer that's fine too.

I'm just interested because I've heard so many politicians fighting on both sides about this thing, and of course heard from protesters on the news, but heard nothing from the actual cops on the street who would have to enforce the law.

Jul 9, 2010#112

Cajungal

What's your favorite comfort food? Did I already ask that? I love that question.

Jul 9, 2010#113

Calleja

I don't think I have a comfort food :/

Jul 9, 2010#114

Cajungal

Yeah, but you have all the sex.

Jul 9, 2010#115

Calleja

Sex is comforting yeah. :wub:

Jul 9, 2010#116

Officer_Charon

Oddbot said:
Oh! I got a question! ::raises hand::

What do you think of the new Arizona immigration law? If you were a cop in Arizona having to enforce such a law how do you think it would affect your job/day-to-day routine/etc?

If you haven't been following the issue or don't know enough of the facts to answer that's fine too. I'm just interested because I've heard so many politicians fighting on both sides about this thing, and of course heard from protesters on the news, but heard nothing from the actual cops on the street who would have to enforce the law.

The only thing that would change would be if, during the course of a legal encounter with someone (i.e. I stop them for another infraction, possibly something as minor as an equipment issue on their bike/car/motorcycle etc), I'd also ask if someone was a legal resident, and did they have their paperwork with them.

Federal law REQUIRES anyone here on a visa to carry their passport with said visa on them at all times. I really don't know what all the hullaballoo is about: Arizona's just allowing municipalities to enforce a federal law under a state code, just like I can choose to write someone here up for possession of marijuana, rather than book them under the state code.

Cajungal said:
What's your favorite comfort food? Did I already ask that? I love that question.

Spaghetti! I make some BITCHIN' spaghetti, if I do say so myself, but SOOO not healthy for you. *grins*

Jul 9, 2010#117

Chibibar

@OC: I got a question to bounce off the other question.

While I agree that you have to ask, but wouldn't you have to ask everyone to be fair? I mean if you just ask people who "look Hispanic" it could be racial profiling. I have some Hispanic friends who look very white. (lack of sun) I think that is the main issue that they worry some officer may just ask the "Hispanic look" but not Asian, African American, Irish, Spanish, English, etc etc.

Jul 9, 2010#118

Cajungal

How did you get to be so lovable and mischievous?

Jul 10, 2010#119

Element 117

1. What's the law you personally break most often?

If a cop is fighting a suspect, and the suspect manages to subdue him, are passerby required to help the cop (say by hitting the suspect with a car?)

Jul 10, 2010#120

Calleja

When am I legally allowed to kick someone in the nuts?

Jul 10, 2010#121

Officer_Charon

Chibibar said:
@OC: I got a question to bounce off the other question.

While I agree that you have to ask, but wouldn't you have to ask everyone to be fair? I mean if you just ask people who "look Hispanic" it could be racial profiling. I have some Hispanic friends who look very white. (lack of sun) I think that is the main issue that they worry some officer may just ask the "Hispanic look" but not Asian, African American, Irish, Spanish, English, etc etc.

The law states that if the officer has reason to believe that someone is an immigrant, they can check to verify the status. Ethnicity is not a reason to believe - a foreign accent or lack of knowledge of English, however, might give enough of an impression. Especially if you don't recognize the person.

Cajungal said:
How did you get to be so lovable and mischievous?

Uhm... clean living? *blush*

.Amy. said:
1. What's the law you personally break most often?

If a cop is fighting a suspect, and the suspect manages to subdue him, are passerby required to help the cop (say by hitting the suspect with a car?)

1. Speed limits. I have a HEAVY foot. Not in residential areas, though... too much chance of a kid getting in front of me.

I don't believe there's any kind of law that REQUIRES folks to help a cop having trouble with a suspect... it is a damned nice thing to do, though. Any theoretical charges that COULD arise from that could, also theoretically, be negated by the fact that the samaritan was acting in good faith to assist the officer.

Besides, who's going to let a cop duke it out by himself? Oh, wait. Boston...
(Dammit, the only version I could find was the one with the Springsteen playing *eyeroll*)

Jul 10, 2010#122

Calleja

What, my question's not good enough for you? T_T

Jul 10, 2010#123

Officer_Charon

Calleja said:
What, my question's not good enough for you? T_T

Already answered yours, dude. *grins*

Jul 10, 2010#124

Calleja

what? Where? I mean the kicking in the nuts one!

Jul 10, 2010#125

Baerdog

If you could serve on any other police force in the country what would it be? How about any other police force in the world?

Jul 10, 2010#126

Officer_Charon

Calleja said:
what? Where? I mean the kicking in the nuts one!

Ah! You ninja'd me. You are legally permitted to use whatever force is REASONABLE and NECESSARY to extricate yourself from a fight. I.E. if you get jumped by someone, and your traditional kung fu isn't getting you loose, then by all means, give the dude a shot to the mean bean machine.

Just so long as you don't follow it up by monkey-stomping him, you should be kosher.

Baerdog said:
If you could serve on any other police force in the country what would it be? How about any other police force in the world?

Honestly, I'd much rather be a deputy for a small county somewhere up north. You know, the kind of place where everybody knows you to see you, helps their neighbors out, and the most exciting thing I have to deal with is figuring out why the high school kids couldn't confine their senior prank to simple mischief, rather than high explosives. Here in the city, I don't like dealing with the dirties - and it jades you, dealing with them all the time.

As far as other countries? I was talking this over with my wife, actually. I want to do an exchange with the RCMP or a British Metropolitan police department. We hosted an exchange from the Israeli National Police a couple years back, which was really cool, but I'd like to see how other countries deal with the same kinds of problems, as well as problems that may be unique to their nations.

Jul 10, 2010#127

Calleja

You're gonna LOVE Chavs.

Jul 10, 2010#128

Officer_Charon

Yeah, I know... different name, same shit.

Jul 12, 2010#129

phil

If another officer is doing a normal traffic stop and you come across it, are you supposed to stop too and help them out? I ask because I'll often see two or even 3 cars all on the same one car that was pulled over. I could understand it as a better safe than sorry thing, like better to make sure that car knows more than one officer is there and everything, but it also seems like time could be better spent doing other things as well.

Jul 12, 2010#130

Officer_Charon

Traffic stops and domestics are the two types of calls that can go very wrong, very fast. It's considered good form to stop and at least check on the other officer, to make sure no one gets hurt. An example of why this is a good policy to patrol by can be found with those two officers in Tampa who were shot and killed by a thug with a warrant who was in the car.

Sometimes, though, we're just that bored, and the lone traffic stop is the only thing in the area. *chuckles*

Jul 12, 2010#131

Cheesy1

How does it feel to be a daddy? :biggrin:

Jul 13, 2010#132

Officer_Charon

Mind = blown. It was still surreal when she was coming out, but the first moment I felt her soft skin, her fingers wrapped around my finger, it was real. Everything hit home, and all the worries I've had for weeks just disappeared.

Jul 13, 2010#133

Cajungal

Awwwww

Jul 13, 2010#134

Officer_Charon

AmE: Heh, not really. I rarely have a camera on-hand, let alone a video camera. Instead, I forsee myself WRITING a lot more to document stuff...

Forums