Ask a detective/undercover cop
- Thread starter ace_of_something
- Start date
Hrm. The thing is it's not as black and white as TV. Your idea of walking free and mine may be very different. For example 'work release' or 'day reporting' forms of probation might be seen as 'walking free' but they aren't. Very few cases actually get a jury trial. Usually those are reserved for felony cases where the defendant doesn't want to plead out. Cases that actually have a jury, and not just a judge, have a much lower conviction rate. Though part of this is because when a lawyer advises his client (the defendant) to go to trial and not plead guilty. It's because he thinks he can actually win. They encourage the defendant to plead guilty when there is even a 50/50 chance of losing.DonPauliani said:
The factors leading to america's high amount of prisoners are incalcuable. One is we give longer sentances than most countries with similar populations to ours we are also, despite popular belief, much more likely to give a life term than capital punishment. Another reason is that our prisoners are treated better and given better health care (and therefor live longer) than most nations of comperable size. Though these are just some of the factors it's too complex to anaylize completely here.
Of course it is. I'm helping the community and the victims, even doing a small amount of good in this world is something worth doing. Some days are harder than others for sure but you've just got to hold on to the good moments.Julianking93 said:
Law & Order is probably the closest to real life but still pretty far off base. Real life isn't that dramatic and we don't usually get to work one case at time.
The media has a bias. Not against cops but against telling the whole story. They often leave out bits or report before they know everything. This goes the other way just as often. "Police have arrested Joe Doe" when in fact we were only questioning him or worse, LOOKING for him.DarkDain said:
That being said police are humans too, like any job there are people who shouldn't be there either from the start or over time they've gone bad. I'm not going to pretend like it never happens, but for every one video on the internet you see there are about 1000 times a cop didn't over-react. Another factor in those videos is often times you don't see what lead up to the beating. You can really get worked up chasing a guy for 5 blocks. Other times is when someone swallows something which WILL kill them if they ingest it. That has caused more than one officer to get carried away.
All in all though investigations should be done and are in those instances.
I have yet to see any concrete proof besides suppositions that video games directly cause violent behaivor without any other enviornmental factors.Flauros said:
One of my favorite games is Saints Row 2, because I know it's a GAME.Big Max said:
Typically, I don't like first person shooters but that's because I'm very bad at them because I try to use real world logic to using a firearm. That and lately they all feel really samey. The same goes for racing games the physics are either too clunky or so unrealistic I get frusterated. I'm not sure how much of that is from my job though.
...
When I was a kid I LOVED adventure games particularly the Police Quest series. I must've played all of them 50 times. (if they were released today they'd probably be M+) If you can find it the old Blade Runner game from Westwood (not based on the movie) was very good as well. Having multiple endings depending on your course of action.
I REALLY didn't like Heavy Rain... I'm still not sure why.
Well vigilantism, like in most places, is illegal. In addition it's dangerous and stupid. Outside of gang warfare I haven't dealt with vigilantes. Due to gangs Omertà code a lot of crimes against gang members go unreported or even if reported due to non-cooperative victims, unsolved. So they often take it upon themselves to go shoot the guy that robbed them. Man gang members do dress very stupidly and could constitute a costume.Dr Ampersand said:
Typically I carried no firearm because that would look suspicious in 95% of situations. The goal was too look as little like a cop as possible. Carrying a Burner was rarely something a junkie would do going to buy drugs. The only time I carried a gun was when the guys in the gang GAVE me one. (which later became evidence because it was stolen) If I were in a situation where I carried a gun that would usually be more like a 'sting' in which case the Standard issue Glock 22 or 23 series.Echer123 said:
When it comes to under-cover sting operations, what rights do the detectives have in dealing with the subject of their operation? Like, what can they do and what can't they do? Rather I am thinking of how much they can monitor of the subject, where they can monitor the subject, and with what methods. I remember hearing somewhere that you can record anyone's phone/in your immediate vicinity conversation as long as one person who is being recorded knows about it. Though I have always doubted this ever since I have heard it. Perhaps you can clarify this for me. Thanks ^~^!
The uniform is to make police readily recognizable. If people didn't have some obvious way to identify us when you need help anyone could claim to be a cop. Typically only detectives, really high up people, are 'un-uniformed' usually called Plainclothes.Tdc2182 said:
Wow ya know, there are hundreds of things but when asked point blank i can't think of many.LordCuthberton said:
Hrm...
'Beertarded' or 'weedtarded' are what we call people who have done permanent brain damage to themselves through substance abuse.
a 311 is when someone is nude in public. (though number codes depend on the department)
a Red Ball is a high profile case that the media is crawling all over.
Cases 'in the black' have been solved (or at least are pending a court case) 'in the red' are unsolved. This is due to an old practice when they used to write cases on a dry erase board. Though now we do it all on computers and still use the 'red/black' color scheme.
Most of the people who pull data off computers for us work for independent companies and are contracted to do such. Though in larger departments (Like say Los Angeles) they have people on staff. Most of the people that work for the company we use say they work two jobs because the cashflow is so inconsistent. We have begun working with them more lately, especially on fraud stuff (Like craigslist scams for instance). The people who use them the most are definitely Sex Crimes unit.Deofuta said:
That's actually a misconception. Bounty Hunters are not legal in every state. My state for instance, does not have bounty hunters OR bail bondsman.Quaxar said:
a Bail Bondsman is basically a place that will loan you money for bail (so you don't have to wait in jail for trial) and you pay them back, with huge interest. If you don't report to trial you have 'jumped bail' and are now given a new 'failure to appear' charge. If it's for a felony or you leave the county you live in it will be 'fugitive from justice' (which is a more severe charge).
This is where bounty hunters come in. Despite the way TV makes it look most bounty hunters do NOT go after murderers or that sort of thing. Typically they go after 'mid level' offenders domestic abuse for example. We don't usually want them to go after the most dangerous people because we fear them getting hurt. Often times companies that bounty hunt are ALSO bail bondsman.
I think bail bondsman are kind of a scam and prey on desperate people in bad situations. When they are also bounty hunters often times it feels like the intentionally pay the bond of high flight risks so they can collect the bounty on the guy when he runs off (which is usually higher than the bond originally was)
Regular Bounty hunters are helpful in increasing the manpower needed to catch fugitives. That being said a LOT of cases are thrown out because bounty hunters tend to do stupid things like leaving a guys house open after they catch him so any extra evidence that may have been inside is burglarized.
Also, i can't recall the exact statistic but the amount of fugitives that use bail bondsman is astronomically high. That is part of the reason many states don't use them anymore.
All right, I have a few for you.ace_of_something said:
1)How often do people strip the serial numbers off things they've stolen, and how does this affect your investigation?
2)How often do you find stolen merchandise in a third parties hands (not the person who stole it, and not the owner's)? How do you decide whether or not to pursue charges against said person?
3)I don't know the specific laws out of your state, but here in NY certain things like water pipes and bongs are legal, as long as they are used/sold for "tobacco use only"? What is your opinion of people who work/provide services in these "gray" areas, where something is legal, but likely to be used for illegal purposes?
4)Semi-related, what is your opinion of pawn shops?
5)As a police officer, what is your opinion on changes in "social" (for lack of a better term) laws like gay marriage, or older laws like sodomy laws or prohibition? What is your opinion on the way these changes are enacted?
6)You mention categories of people who can refuse to testify against someone. What about Clergy? Are they also exempt (on religious grounds) or would they have to face charges if they refused to testify about what was said to them in confessionals?
7)How much rivalry is there between different levels of enforcement? Do the local cops really hate the state boys butting in, and does everyone really hate the feds taking over, or is that more "Hollywood" drama?
That ought to keep you busy for a bit. I'm sure I'll think up more later.
EDIT: I remembered another one.
8)When I worked (briefly) for Country Fair, we were told that uniformed officers were allowed free access to coffee and fountain drinks, and I have on more than one occasion seen officers take advantage of it. I thought regulations forbid officers from accepting "gifts" of any kind while on duty, and even off duty there were some restrictions. Is that just a myth, or is this somehow different?