Ask Freerollin` about 10 years in Law Enforcement

[Freerollin`]

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Many young prosecutors (under 35) - and a lot of police - feel the same way as I do, and it's frustrating because a lot of the higher ups in most offices are older, set in their ways, and incapable of realizing how futile the war on drugs is.

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What would you say is the general (if there is one) consensus amongst police regarding drug laws? That they need to be kept? Repealed? That legalization would or would not be a good idea for some or all drugs?

If there is no clear consensus, what are the major opinions, and did you see any division of opinion that looked related to the actual work the officer did? (ie did patrol officers have generally different opinions than traffic officers, etc)

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This is a really tough question, so I'll say this. I've written my opinion on the war on drugs above. Opinions vary from one extreme (no drug laws) to the other (the ones we currently have aren't strict enough).

I never really noticed a difference of opinion between units, but there's definitely one based on age groups.

Also, I should add that more prosecutors share my opinion than police, based on my experience.


I'm going to a meeting, I'll catch up as best as I can later.

[NT!]

In answer to the question about detail / overtime pay, there were a number of cops in the very small, quiet town where I lived who made over 100k a year doing stuff like traffic control. The police department there was quite corrupt though, with the deputy chief getting suspended for destroying an interrogation video where he allegedly beat a suspect, one of the longest-tenured patrol guys getting thrown off the force for false reports, and it pretty much being an open secret that coke dealers were operating in the town center with police approval or even involvement. Weak sauce.

So yeah, in some places the OT thing does happen, and I can't blame cops for it one bit - a buddy of mine just joined the force there and he says he gets paid $35/hr to watch traffic near a construction site. I'd love to do that. Officer pay is a matter of public record, you can find it out at town meetings or even on the internet sometimes.

NT

[oddjob]

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Is 15mph the general lowest over the speed limit most POs will pull you over for?

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I had a PO who was the head of traffic enforcement for a large department tell me this:

1. If it's just a regular PO then the general rule is 14 over the speed limit. This has to do with the type of radar they use and other mitigating factors.

2. If it's POs that specifically give traffic tickets then it can be as little as half of that. These are the guys with lasers and usually they are two motorcycle cops. I've personally received a ticket from these folks for 9 over.

3. If you are going over in a school zone, you are probably getting a ticket for as little as 5 over. Depends on the PO though they might just give you a warning. His advice was to never ever go over the speed limit in a school zone.

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i got a ticket doing 7 over on the highway in the state of ny.

it was a speed trap. i saw if from a far, there were cars going my speed or faster. i still got pulled over. i thought the ticket was [censored], even though i was speeding, again 7 miles over. i was young it was probably at least 10 years ago, and at the time i was young and stupid, and didn't think i'd ever be back in NY, so i never paid it.

so my question.

is there a time limitation on speeding tickets? someone told me most states have like 7 years on this. i lived in ny for 7 months last year, and luckily was never pulled over, but was always scared shitless of being thrown in jail for a speeding ticket i got so long ago.

[maddog2030]

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Law and Order, along with every other police/LE show (ESPECIALLY CSI) is so far from reality that I can't watch them.

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I'm addicted to Law and Order. I've never watched more than a few minutes of CSI but it's obvious how over-the-top that is.

What general things do you think make Law and Order too unrealistic to watch? If you can't think of anything general, maybe a few things you specifically remember from an episode?

Note: I'm not necessarily implying that the show is an accurate reflection of reality, but to someone like me with no experience in LE, I can't really think of a time when it was unwatchable because it was too unrealistic... so I'm just curious as to what someone who was in LE thinks of it.

[youtalkfunny]

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Absolutely. The war on drugs is a catastrophe and a never ending cycle of violence. The middlemen and "bottom of the barrel" members of the drug trade, along with the users, are the one who keep getting tossed in jail while the big ones just keep on raking in the cash.

Prosecuting drug cases is one of the reasons I became disillusioned and left.

Many young prosecutors (under 35) - and a lot of police - feel the same way as I do, and it's frustrating because a lot of the higher ups in most offices are older, set in their ways, and incapable of realizing how futile the war on drugs is.

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Wow, certainly not the answer I was expecting.

I don't use illegal drugs, I don't associate with people who do, but even I hate the war on drugs.

If the young officers and prosecutors are opposed to it, there's hope for the future, when they become the old officers and prosecutors.

[WillMagic]

For when you get back -

Do you watch The Wire? If so...do you feel it accurately captures what it's like to work in these institutions? Is there anything specific that jumps out at you?

[Freerollin`]

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oh, in addition to my Q above about detail...

my friend in hs's dad was a prosecutor in boston - he was killed on the subway by either the men on trial, or by their friends, not sure exactly - before the trial started. are situations like this common, and addressed in your training as part of as the life you sign up for when you go into this sort of field?

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Very^5 uncommon. Pretty much next to never. Almost all of these criminals realize that they're not going to get anywhere by killing the prosecutor or judge because there's just another one who's going to step in behind them and they're going to get the death penalty if their state uses it. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for witnesses - once they're gone, the case might well be over. This Stop Snitchin' stuff is [censored] and I make sure that if I see someone on the street wearing a shirt saying that, I say something to them.

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argh, i keep thinking of q's. one more: when i worked in the ER, they said this is the best place to go if you are pulled over for DUI, or other stuff bc officers hate hospitals. is this true, and if so, how is such a well-known strategy able to continue?

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I've never heard of this. What do you mean "best place to go?" If you're pulled over and the officer takes you to be tested, it isn't your choice where to go. I also never heard of the hating ER thing.

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bonus question, why is DUI or DWI so often let go on probation, when getting smashed and driving a vehicle that could easily kill somebody because you are impaired is such a big deal. all the time you hear about a drunk driver taking out an entire family, but they walk away from the accident. i wuold think think that DUI is a bigger deal and should be treated as such, because ppl who do this are at a very high risk for hurting others.

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I can't give an answer for this. It's quite hypocritical given the draconian penalties for drug possession. Drunk driving is really selfish and dangerous and should be punished accordingly.

[Freerollin`]

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is there a time limitation on speeding tickets? someone told me most states have like 7 years on this. i lived in ny for 7 months last year, and luckily was never pulled over, but was always scared shitless of being thrown in jail for a speeding ticket i got so long ago.

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I've never dealt with something like that, but I guarantee that all states are different. See Rule #1 in OP.

[Freerollin`]

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Absolutely. The war on drugs is a catastrophe and a never ending cycle of violence. The middlemen and "bottom of the barrel" members of the drug trade, along with the users, are the one who keep getting tossed in jail while the big ones just keep on raking in the cash.

Prosecuting drug cases is one of the reasons I became disillusioned and left.

Many young prosecutors (under 35) - and a lot of police - feel the same way as I do, and it's frustrating because a lot of the higher ups in most offices are older, set in their ways, and incapable of realizing how futile the war on drugs is.

[/ QUOTE ]

Wow, certainly not the answer I was expecting.

I don't use illegal drugs, I don't associate with people who do, but even I hate the war on drugs.

If the young officers and prosecutors are opposed to it, there's hope for the future, when they become the old officers and prosecutors.

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I'm like you. Intelligent people realize that the war is futile. They don't have to use to know that. Anyway, the problem isn't officers and prosecutors. It's politicians: given the current political climate, do you really see any politician willing to be the one who "surrendered" in the drug war (even though they wouldn't really be surrendering)? They're terrified of the religious right.

[Freerollin`]

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For when you get back -

Do you watch The Wire? If so...do you feel it accurately captures what it's like to work in these institutions? Is there anything specific that jumps out at you?

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Like I said earlier, I only watch sports, The Sopranos, and Lost on TV. There's always a discussion about that show after it is on, which means it's somewhat accurate because no one ever talks about Law and Order or CSI because things don't happen that way.