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Question for LEOs

coltpaxcoltpax Member Posts: 7,516 ✭✭
edited February 2011 in General Discussion
About 6 months ago I got a ticket from a State Trooper for a seat belt violation .
Paid the ticket with a Western Union money order .
Fasr forward to today when I was stopped for a liscense and insurance check .
Found out that my liscense has been suspended for a FTA (failure to appear) .
Apparently the check got lost in the mail .
I have the M/O receipt and checked to see if it had been cashed .
It has not .
The Deputy told me that I am not the first one to have something lost in the mail .
My question is how easy (or hard )is this to straighten out ?
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Comments

  • coltpaxcoltpax Member Posts: 7,516 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Ok, this is hypothetical and I think there was a story on it a few weeks back that may have been posted on here(I can't find it now though)

    A guy meets a girl and gives her a ride on his bike. While they're riding down the highway, she falls off the bike(DUE TO NO FAULT OF THE DRIVER OF THE BIKE), gets hit by a car and dies. The motorcycle rider turns around and goes back to her, sees that she is dead, and takes off on his bike.

    How would this be illegal? He didnt make her fall off the bike and he didn't really know her.

    Don't read into the question and imply that he did something. I UNDERSTAND that the police would want him for questioning or what not, but could he be charged AND convicted of anything.

    The consensus here is, he could be charged with leaving the scene of an accident. I'm not sure I agree with that though. She just fell off without him doing anything wrong.

    Would it be the same if someone jumped/fell out of your AUTOMOBILE?
  • coltpaxcoltpax Member Posts: 7,516 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    When you pull over a vehicle for speeding and discover they have a radar detector, does that influence you in any way?

    At first blush it would seem to, but hey, you just caught them speeding, right?
  • coltpaxcoltpax Member Posts: 7,516 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    This evening I was involved in a minor car accident. I was carrying a handgun, and consistent with SC concealed weapon permit law, I notified the state trooper that I was carrying a concealed weapon (a Kel-Tek P32). He took the gun from me but required my assistance in unloading it.

    I got the impression that he was overreacting to the fact that I had a gun, so I commented that it's not the people with permits that he should be worried about. He replied that guns made him nervous.

    He returned the gun to me after he processed the paperwork from the accident. I don't know what SC standard procedure is, but it seemed to me that he just didn't like the idea that citizens could be armed.

    What are other people's experiences with being stopped while carrying concealed? For law enforcement officers, does your agency have a specific policy for dealing with this, or do you have some discretion in the matter? How would you have handled this situation (assuming the person you pulled over is a stranger)?

    "Strength is the outcome of need; security sets a premium on feebleness." -- H.G. Wells (The Time Machine)
  • coltpaxcoltpax Member Posts: 7,516 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I was driving home last night, merging onto a highway, and in front of me are two cars. As the one car tries to pass the other (it's a two lane ramp) the getting-passed car swerves over and cuts the car off. The car then tries to pass again and the same thing happens. The car finally tries to pass again and makes it. I figure the guy swerving is drunk or whatever and I don't want to be near him when he wrecks, so I try to pass him (he's doing 25 on a ramp that normally goes 45). As I pass him he swerves and cuts ME off.I'm quite upset. This guy is a mainiac. I follow him for a few miles and at a stop light I walk up to his window and tell him he's acting like an idiot and is going to kill somebody. He's all nervous and apologetic, but his passenger--as I walk away--calls me a few choice words. I say something back and keep heading back to my car and the passenger hops out and starts challenging me to duke it out.Now, I was pissed but at the same time I know if we start throwing punches in the middle of the road the cops are going to show up and I'm going to get arrested. I've got a concealed carry permit application in the pipeline, and I imagine such an arrest would really foul that up. Am I correct in this? What is the police-approved method for dealing with this kind of a situation?
  • coltpaxcoltpax Member Posts: 7,516 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Years ago when I was on the job, I carried a .38 special revolver, no bullet proof vests, and wood night stick. No SWAT team , just a bunch of guys called the TAC squad with Ithaca riot guns. When did the SWAT teams turn into an Army infantry squad. This group look like they are returning from patrol in Afghanistan. Call me na?ve, but is all this gear and uniforms necessary?

    [img][/img]hostage1n-3-web.jpg
  • coltpaxcoltpax Member Posts: 7,516 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Ok, well I'm looking at maybe starting a career in the law enforcement community. This means I'll have to go through BLET, which the local community college offers. My question is, since one has to be 21 years of age to be a LEO, do I need to wait till I'm 21 to take the classes? If I start next school year and it takes me 2 years to go through the classes, I'll be 21 a month after I finish the classes. Planning on asking somebody at the school tomorrow, but wanted to see what y'all say. Thanks, Colton.
  • coltpaxcoltpax Member Posts: 7,516 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    or anyone else that may know.... why is the bay that the police cars pulls into called a "sally port"?
  • coltpaxcoltpax Member Posts: 7,516 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    First let me preface that I am sure the rules vary from department to department so probably not a hard set answer.

    Background: Off duty Cincinnati Police Office used taser on 11 year old shoplifting from grocery store.

    https://www.wcpo.com/news/crime/police-officer-used-taser-on-11-year-old-girl-accused-of-stealing-from-kroger

    According to the stories, she was arrested and charged with theft and obstructing official business.

    The second charge is myl question. What Obstruction of Official Business would she be guilty of?

    The LEO was off duty and working a side job if I read the stories correctly. Do LEOs get to perform part time security duties in city/county uniform in many places which would then warrant the obstruction charge?

    She was wrong for stealing, just not sure it rose to the level of taser deployment.
  • txlawdogtxlawdog Member Posts: 10,039 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Here, I think you have to be 21 by the end of the class. The academy will be able to tell you.
  • coltpaxcoltpax Member Posts: 7,516 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by txlawdog
    Here, I think you have to be 21 by the end of the class. The academy will be able to tell you.


    Thanks. See, school year ends in may, but my birthday is in July. However, I could adjust my schedule so that I finish after I turn 21.
  • dcs shootersdcs shooters Member Posts: 10,870 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Here you just have to be a high school grad.
    Have to be 21 for certification.
  • coltpaxcoltpax Member Posts: 7,516 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by dano
    I'm thinkin you ain't mean or tough enuff to be a real cop. [:X]




    Ahahahaha you ain't never met me in real life. Just about anybody can be one now, seein as how they let women be LEOs. Then again, my female cousin is a LEO, and she's about a foot shorter than me but she could kick the * of 95% of guys on here, no joke.
  • nunnnunn Forums Admins, Member, Moderator Posts: 36,084 ******
    edited November -1
    Just don't go Federal. City, county, or state is fine, but not Federal.

    We hire very few people your age. Most 21-year-olds are not nearly mature enough for police work, and emotional maturity for most men comes at around age 27. You may be an exception.

    If you think you want to be a cop, consider the U.S. Army. They will let you be one now. Then, when you get out, Uncle Sam will pay for your schooling.
  • hdcolt51hdcolt51 Member Posts: 4,585 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by nunn
    Just don't go Federal. City, county, or state is fine, but not Federal.

    We hire very few people your age. Most 21-year-olds are not nearly mature enough for police work, and emotional maturity for most men comes at around age 27. You may be an exception.

    If you think you want to be a cop, consider the U.S. Army. They will let you be one now. Then, when you get out, Uncle Sam will pay for your schooling.


    Colton this sounds like excellent advise. IMO
  • coltpaxcoltpax Member Posts: 7,516 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Nunn, schooling is already getting paid for thanks to all the lotto junkies (NC education lottery scholarship). Also, there's a few reasons for which I choose not to say (if I do, this topic will probably be headed for a lock) that I do not want to join the military. But, I'm wanting to stay on the local/county level, maybe the state level but I don't want to be a fed. And as for the maturity, well others can gauge that but I'd do a lot better than many kids my age. I have my moments every now and then, but for the most part I think I would be fine. Im the guy who can pick and have fun, but when it's time to be serious, I'm serious. But, I'm hoping to get employed at the local level after training then get my foot in the door to become a game warden.
  • coltpaxcoltpax Member Posts: 7,516 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by hdcolt51
    quote:Originally posted by nunn
    Just don't go Federal. City, county, or state is fine, but not Federal.

    We hire very few people your age. Most 21-year-olds are not nearly mature enough for police work, and emotional maturity for most men comes at around age 27. You may be an exception.

    If you think you want to be a cop, consider the U.S. Army. They will let you be one now. Then, when you get out, Uncle Sam will pay for your schooling.


    Colton this sounds like excellent advise. IMO


    That it is. Nunn knows what he's talking about, that's for sure and I'd like to thanks everyone for their help.
  • john wjohn w Member Posts: 4,104
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by dano
    I'm thinkin you ain't mean or tough enuff to be a real cop. [:X]




    YES-- you have to have real thick skin on your butt cheeks so all the sitting does not effect your performance! [:D]. If it gets worse with age and painfull you can apply for disability![;)]
  • btkbtk Member Posts: 2,298 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by coltpax
    Nunn, schooling is already getting paid for thanks to all the lotto junkies (NC education lottery scholarship). Also, there's a few reasons for which I choose not to say (if I do, this topic will probably be headed for a lock) that I do not want to join the military. But, I'm wanting to stay on the local/county level, maybe the state level but I don't want to be a fed. And as for the maturity, well others can gauge that but I'd do a lot better than many kids my age. I have my moments every now and then, but for the most part I think I would be fine. Im the guy who can pick and have fun, but when it's time to be serious, I'm serious. But, I'm hoping to get employed at the local level after training then get my foot in the door to become a game warden.


    Check with your game and fish dept. or DNR whatever they call it, some require a wildlife management degree of some sort. The little I know of you from here I think you'll do fine.
  • KEVD18KEVD18 Member Posts: 15,037
    edited November -1
    i guess things are different in your neck of the woods. in mass, the majority of depts are civil service and veterans go to the top of the list. around here, a non veteran(even college educated) can pretty much only get a campus job, or a job on a non civil service town(i.e. small town)

    to answer your specific question, how in the hell are we supposed to know if they will accept you underage? call them and ask them.

    now colton, the next thing i have for you is a little harsh. im not really sorry, so i wont apologize. it needs to be said. ive seen a few pics of you and you're a stocky young man. can you pass the physical? i understand you're probably strong and might be able to outwork most people out there, but if you can run a mile under their time limit, so many sit ups, push ups, pull ups etc; then you've got a lot of work ahead of you. . i think its sort of ridiculous myself. once you have your badge, you can balloon out to ridiculous levels, but you have to get pinned first.
  • shilowarshilowar Member Posts: 38,811 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    another option....can you work as a jailer at 18 in NC? In Virginia you can work for a Sheriff's Office/Regional Jail as a Jailer/Correctional Officers. This does two things...

    1. gives you experience for your resume working in a LE related field, you can demonstrate maturity and responsibility

    2. gets your foot in the door to compete with in that Sheriff's Office for a road position

    3. gives you incite on how the system really works



    The last 3 out 4 Officers we hired were all Correctional Officers, two at a Regional Jail and one from a local Sheriff's Office. We put all through the basic Road School, but they came with jailer certification so it allows them to participate more in their Field Training before going to the Academy.


    A college degree really does make you much more competitive, especially for promotion. I imagine NC is not much different than VA since we share the same market of potential employees.


    Game Warden, at least in VA is a very difficult career to get into, highly competitive and you have to be an expert in natural sciences. You really have to kno0w someone at the State level with some pull to get into a Game Warden gig. That would be a great gig though
  • coltpaxcoltpax Member Posts: 7,516 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Kev: all I've got to do is work on my pushups. Right now, I can't do many because they irritate the pinched nerve in my right shoulder. But, if I can get to the point where I can work through it, I'm hoping I'll be fine. But, the running and sit ups should pose no problem, for some reason I can crank out sit ups (there's a set of abs under that gut. I got a 6pack, but it's in the cooler under the sandwiches) and can run better than moat people my size. Now, if they ever replaced the push ups with chin ups i would have no worries, they don't seem to stress my nerve as much. But right now my plan is to work through it. And that's not harsh, I know I'm not the smallest guy out there, but maybe if I lose a little weight the push ups won't kill my shoulder haha. I could stand to lose some anyhow.

    And shilo: the game warden job does look like a good job. My thinking was to get into law enforcement and start small and make some contacts, then take a class or two in natural resources. I'm not sure if I could work as a CO. I need to check that out, but it would be nice. Also, the "correctional facility" is about 5 miles from my house, so no commute lol.
  • SXSMANSXSMAN Member Posts: 2,616 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by nunn
    Just don't go Federal. City, county, or state is fine, but not Federal.

    We hire very few people your age. Most 21-year-olds are not nearly mature enough for police work, and emotional maturity for most men comes at around age 27. You may be an exception.

    If you think you want to be a cop, consider the U.S. Army. They will let you be one now. Then, when you get out, Uncle Sam will pay for your schooling.


    Nunn offers good advice , give that a good thought.
  • bhale187bhale187 Member Posts: 7,798
    edited November -1
    It depends on the school and the state. In Illinois you can go to the acedemy before you are 21, but you have to be 21 upon graduation.

    Put your application in everywhere including the Game Warden spot. If someone hires you before the GW spot take it, get some experience and keep applying for the Game Warden job.

    The problem with going to the military is that unless you go reserve or NG you are locked into that job and out of the job you want to be doing for a few years. Police departments like to hire vets, but they hire just as many if not more not vets. The longer you take to get into the career you want the older you are going to be when you retire.
  • wittynbearwittynbear Member Posts: 4,518
    edited November -1
    If I was you I'd wait till I was 21 to start. Reason being in most states certification is only good for 1 year. If you haven't found a job in law enforcement your certification expires. Then you have to be recertified, thats time and money wasted. If you are of age it might be easier to get a job lined up along the way.

    Lots of departments around here have laid off tons of police officers. That means until they rehire all of them legally they can't hire anyone else. The departments that are hiring are very selective they want bachelor degrees in criminal justice, at least 4 years military experience, and at least 6 years experience in civilian law enforcement to even consider you. With as many out of work police officers they are getting it too, all for a job that pays $21K a year with no benefits.

    We pay kids fresh out of high school more than that and have excellent benefits for them to stand there, greet cutomers, and run a cahs register.
  • TrinityScrimshawTrinityScrimshaw Member Posts: 9,350 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Get a degree, and then GO FEDERAL....[;)]

    Trinity +++
  • nunnnunn Forums Admins, Member, Moderator Posts: 36,084 ******
    edited November -1
    No individualist would ever go federal. There is no Constitutional authority for a federal law enforcement agency to exist. The feds have good benefits and retirement, but is that the price of your soul?
  • n/an/a Member Posts: 168,427
    edited November -1
    Game Wardens Job is very Dangerous in some areas of the US during hunting season..

    And game wardens patrol people who are frequently armed - hunters - in vast expanses of wilderness. Statistics show a warden is about 2.5 times more likely to be assaulted with a deadly weapon than are other officers, said Rob Buonamici, chief game warden for the Nevada Department of Wildlife.
  • nunnnunn Forums Admins, Member, Moderator Posts: 36,084 ******
    edited November -1
    Agreed. It takes some serious cojones to be a game warden.
  • n/an/a Member Posts: 168,427
    edited November -1
    I know some of the Game Wardens here, and they appear nervous when approaching anyone at the lakes I fish. Every new one that checks us out always asks if we have any firearms with us..
  • NeoBlackdogNeoBlackdog Member Posts: 17,242 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Check with your local departments about reserve and/or cadet programs. Our local city and county both have these types of programs and it is a good chance for those interested in law enforcement to both gain some experience and to get their foot in the door with a local agency. Good luck!
  • nunnnunn Forums Admins, Member, Moderator Posts: 36,084 ******
    edited November -1
    When I was a senior in high school, I was invited by letter to apply for the Dallas PD Cadet Program. I don't know if it, or anything like it is still in existence. Here is how it worked:

    The Cadet was employed with the PD in a support capacity, working 20 hours per week. The Cadet had to also be enrolled in the only Dallas community college in existence at that time, El Centro, full time, in the Associate Degree program in Criminal Justice.

    When the Cadet finished school, if he was at least 20 1/2 years old, he went on the payroll full time as a Recruit Officer, and was assigned to the Police Academy. When he finished the Academy, he would be at least 21 years old and ready to be sworn in and begin Field Training.

    At the time I got that letter, I wasn't interested. I have kicked myself a few times for throwing it away. Had I taken that path, I would have been retired a long time ago.
  • bhale187bhale187 Member Posts: 7,798
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by nunn
    No individualist would ever go federal. There is no Constitutional authority for a federal law enforcement agency to exist. The feds have good benefits and retirement, but is that the price of your soul?

    feds have good benefits, but their pension is not very good compared to the state pensions here or most of the muni and county pensions in Illinios.
  • fideaufideau Member Posts: 11,895 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Long ago now, but I was interested in a Wildlife Officer job. At that time, it was a very difficult job to get into. After some tough testing, physical and mental, they would accept only about 20 to go through training, at that time there was no BLET. The school was about 2 mos. I think, and if you completed it (many didn't), usually only one or two were hired. You went on a list for future openings.
    You also didn't get paid while in school. I couldn't do that.

    It's different now, but still probably the hardest LE job to get. At least in NC.
    Did I mention that if you don't have political contacts you can pretty much forget it anyway?

    If I were starting at your age, I would get the BLET asap. Then think about the State Highway Patrol first. County Sheriff Dept. second.
  • coltpaxcoltpax Member Posts: 7,516 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Thanks for all the advice guys. The local PD comes into the shop all the time for oil changes and brakes (the chief recommends us) and I'll ask one of them about a cadet program.
  • nunnnunn Forums Admins, Member, Moderator Posts: 36,084 ******
    edited November -1
    Be very careful if considering employment with a county Sheriff's department, unless it is a very large agency. Sheriffs are elected, and politics can and will affect you on the job. In some smaller SOs, when a new sheriff is elected, he cleans house and hires the people he wants.

    Look for some sort of Civil Service protection. In Texas, virtually all employment is "at will," but police officers and firefighters with agencies that come under Civil Service have a lot of protection against unfair and capricious disciplinary actions. You can still be disciplined and even fired, but the boss has to do it by the numbers and you always have the right to appeal.
  • coltpaxcoltpax Member Posts: 7,516 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Thanks again nunn! That's more great advice. I got a buddy who's a local sheriff deputy I need to talk to if I can find where I put his number. Gonna talk to my cousin too. Im about to go talk to an instructor about all this, see what he's got to say.
  • nunnnunn Forums Admins, Member, Moderator Posts: 36,084 ******
    edited November -1
    quote:Geez NUNN, you're sounding like lt496.

    Next thing ya know, you'll be fortifying your basement.

    OK, thanks, but I am not quite as extreme as lt496.

    Here is a challenge for you: First read and learn Article X, Bill of Rights. Then read the entire Constitution and all amendments, and when you are finished, show me authority in there for establishment of a Federal law enforcement agency. If it isn't in there, Article X says it cannot be.

    "Provide for the ocmmon defense..." possibly might allow for the Coast Guard and Border Patrol, but that's about it, IMNSHO.

    The FBI was established when there were still U.S. Territories, and that's where its authority began and ended. That wasn't good enough for the megalomaniacal J. Edgar Hoover, and he built the agency into a monster. Prohibition, gang wars, and interstate bank robberies gave him more reason to expand his power. Then came WWII and the threat of domestic espionage and sabotage, and then it just snowballed from there.

    If I were King, I would roll the BATFE into the FBI, and then seriously curtail that agency's authority, and eliminate about 75% of the positions through attrition. They would only investigate interstate crimes and assist local and state agencies.

    A lot of the surplus agents could go into the Border Patrol, and maybe then we could be semi-serious about patrolling the borders.

    And that's just a start. EPA and OSHA could also go away, along with the NEA.
  • KEVD18KEVD18 Member Posts: 15,037
    edited November -1
    around here, environmental and wildlife le jobs are about the hardest to get, possibly eclipsed by the mass state police.

    the exams for those jobs are brutal and if you dont have at least a bs in a related field(envi sci, wildlife management etc), you ought not even bother. the questions are real specific to those fields. whats the average life span of an atlantic bass? where is the ice thinnest on a frozen pond, in the middle or at the edge? things like that. if your education isnt specifically geared for that type of job, the test is going to own you.
  • nunnnunn Forums Admins, Member, Moderator Posts: 36,084 ******
    edited November -1
    The ice is thinnest in the middle, but I have no idea how long a sea bass lives.
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