Ask a detective/undercover cop

[ace_of_something]

First of all, I must express a lot of respect for what you do.

My question: If you could make or unmake a law to make your job or perhaps the lives of regular people easier or safer, what would it be?

Hrhm. Sometimes the 'fruit of the poison tree' I wish could go away. This is when you find evidence not by legal means. On tv this usually means when they threaten to beat the shit out of someone if they don't talk. In real life this usually means when you accidentally and dumb luck your way in to evidence. For example when you get a search warrent it's very specific what you can and can't search. I saw one guy get away with murder (I wasn't involved in the case) because they found the murder weapon in his detached garage. The warrant only covered his house and car. Not his detached garage. This was 90% the cops fault for not paying the fuck attention. However, if the fruit of the poison tree principal wasn't there they would've just been able to see 'does it matter how we found it? He had the fucking gun!'

That scum bag, you'll be glad to know isn't walking the streets because he is serving time for an unrelated robbery charge.

 

[Tharwen]

And for me in crimes against property. Well the first thing I do when I get on duty and it's a slow day is browse craigslist for an hour or so to see if anything that has recently been stolen is for sale (it almost always is)

In that case do you buy it and return it, or try to find the person selling it?

 

[driveBYargument]

In the particular city I'm in it is in the opinion of the minority citizens that the department is racially biased. Some of the cops I've talked to agreed of said opinion. My question is do you feel the department you represent is racist? What's your opinion of other departments and what do you feel are some solutions?

 

[Atheist.]

Have you ever went "Jack Bauer" on someone's ass?

 

[ace_of_something]

I don't know how many times I've seen a CSI or some similar show where their computer software (Why do they always have sound effects? None of my forensic programs had sound effects) does something ridiculous like taking a grainy cell phone image and sharpening it to near HD quality, or reconstructing a suspect's face from a few pixels reflected in a rear view mirror from a couple of kilometers away. For the record, COMPUTERS CAN NOT DO THIS.

Thank you. Thank you. For mentioning this. I work a lot of robberies where they use security cameras they installed in 1988. I always want to shout when a defense attorney brings up the grainy image that "ITS NOT FUCKING BLADE RUNNER YOU DICK!" If you enlarge a pixlated image you just get a big fucking blob. *fumes*

As a detective dealing with thefts probably not, but have you ever been forced to shoot at someone?

As a detective and as former undercover I never had to discharge my weapon. Though about a month ago during an interview a guy tried to choke my partner I had to knock him out. He then got a whole new charge. What made this really stupid was he wasn't even a fucking suspect he was a witness.

I was unlucky enough to [a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.78482-ask-a-cop-jailer?page=9#3092049]fire my weapon[/a] a few times when I was on beat/gang unit.

It's not my favorite thing to talk about.

 

[Jingermanoo]

Is it possible for someone to hack your Escapist account and then deduce your identity, tipping off people in the area you live/work and potentially endangering your life?

 

[Jinx_Dragon]

I don't usually reply to these things, particularity on a topic I have studied in the past and understand just enough to be dangerous with. But this is a more personal question: How many laws on the books do you disagree with and how do you feel about enforcing these types of laws?

It was the main reason I never joined the police force myself, even with such a fascination with the force, as there are so many bad laws I would never be able to enforce without losing a part of my soul.

PS: That you are not comfortable having fired your weapon makes me respect you even more. It is sad that there are people whom join the police force cause they are attracted to the power and want to shoot guns at people legally.

 

[ace_of_something]

How big is the Head of Department's Office? Is it at the top of a skyscraper with a desk the size of Wales and a glass wall overlooking the city?

Our Sheriff actually has a fairly smaller office then my father who is a steel salesmen. Though like every department I've ever been on or heard the Chief/Sheriff/Commissioner's office is on the top floor (That's floor 4 for us).

 

[ace_of_something]

In the particular city I'm in it is in the opinion of the minority citizens that the department is racially biased. Some of the cops I've talked to agreed of said opinion. My question is do you feel the department you represent is racist? What's your opinion of other departments and what do you feel are some solutions?

The department itself is a machine. It does not care for race. As far as individuals go? Well, I'd be lying to myself if I said I never met someone who can be more suspicious of one race or another. Our city has a fairly mixed population though, so it's not too much of a problem.

Have you ever went "Jack Bauer" on someone's ass?

No, but there have been moments where it took every ounce of will not to. Particularly when a guy gets robbed and shot and you ask him "do you know who shot you?"
"yes"
"who was it?"
"I ain't tellin"

 

[blackshark121]

Do you ever need to draw your gun and cock it to make a point?

Can you curve bullets a la "Wanted"?

What is the biggest perk to your career?

 

[HotFezz8]

congratultaions for your family, you should be proud

 

[ace_of_something]

... One of the Lieutenants in my department is from Wales a town called ummm "A-Berry-St'width?" ...

Aberystwyth, you mean? Don't worry, I had to google it to get the spelling

Thanks, that's a big help. Anything on my profiling question, pretty please?

Edit: Nevermind, I realise you were most likely working on it while I was being impatient

Okay, I just asked the LT and he said the town was 'Llanelli' I have NO IDEA where I got that berry thing. I must've been thinking of someone else welsh that I know.

I don't usually reply to these things, particularity on a topic I have studied in the past and understand just enough to be dangerous with. But this is a more personal question: How many laws on the books do you disagree with and how do you feel about enforcing these types of laws?

I usually don't have a problem with most laws. Sometimes I have big problems with how sentencing works. Some of the minimum sentences are just silly. Some are far too low and some are far too high.
As far as if I personally disagree with a law. Well, it doesn't matter how I feel. It's my job to enforce it. I try if nothing else to be a professional.

 

[theSchlub]

How often do you work with other departments like ATF or the FBI? There are a lot of shows like Law and Order where the FBI comes in and they take over everything under a weird pretext of secrecy, often forcing the main characters to step aside or even drop the case entirely. I've always been a bit skeptical about whether or not that really happens.

 

[Mr. Cuddles]

Weeeeeeell, something that has bugged me for a while, I'm studying Law, and I've worked for a prosecution lawyer for a few weeks (mostly getting him Coffee, but very educational none the less) on some form of work experiance, Whenever dealing with detectives they were very crabby to the man I was working for, clearly they resented him, still have no idea why, but they really didn't like him...
So, my question be, how is your relationship with Lawyers, or other legal officals not within the enforcment of it?

 

[Quaxar]

-Snip-

I was unlucky enough to [a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.78482-ask-a-cop-jailer?page=9#3092049]fire my weapon[/a] a few times when I was on beat/gang unit.

It's not my favorite thing to talk about.

Yeah, I see. That's why I didn't want to ask about shooting someone. I guess one doesn't want to remember that in general...

Other question: Is fitness still important for detectives? If so, are there like annually condition tests or is it rather honor-based?

 

[T-Bone24]

Roughly how many Irish policemen twiddle their sticks and whistle a braw tune?

 

[ace_of_something]

Is it possible for someone to hack your Escapist account and then deduce your identity, tipping off people in the area you live/work and potentially endangering your life?

Well, I haven't done undercover work for about 7 years now. So, I think I'm okay.

Do you ever need to draw your gun and cock it to make a point?

Can you curve bullets a la "Wanted"?

What is the biggest perk to your career?

1. I typically don't touch my gun except at the beginning and end of my shift when I put it on and take it off. Unless I do interviews. In which case it is removed before I enter the interview room.
2. Sadly my gun katta is weak.
3. Chicks dig the uniform. That and being able to have such interesting stories to tell people.

 

[Pimppeter2]

Are you avoiding my silly questions?

And incidentally, have you ever used "Stop in the name of the law" before?

Also, how alike are you to GTA cops?

 

[ace_of_something]

How often do you work with other departments like ATF or the FBI? There are a lot of shows like Law and Order where the FBI comes in and they take over everything under a weird pretext of secrecy, often forcing the main characters to step aside or even drop the case entirely. I've always been a bit skeptical about whether or not that really happens.

When I was in Vice we worked with the ATF very often. They were very professional and often deferred to our judgment on things because it was our turf. It's usually kind of neat. You all swap stories and compare notes. My experience working with the ATF has been nothing but a pleasure. The same can be said of ICE (immigrations and customs enforcement). I've only worked with FBI agents once. They weren't the friendly sort but they did the job and did it well. I imagine where I'm starting to get in to fraud a bit more I'll be seeing the FBI more often.
There are some pissing competitions as far as who prosecutes what but usually, the people who are arguing aren't actual investigators. The people arguing tend to be the brass (high up administrative types) Most of the time we let the feds take care of the trial because federal courts give longer sentences and have a higher conviction rate.

Weeeeeeell, something that has bugged me for a while, I'm studying Law, and I've worked for a prosecution lawyer for a few weeks (mostly getting him Coffee, but very educational none the less) on some form of work experiance, Whenever dealing with detectives they were very crabby to the man I was working for, clearly they resented him, still have no idea why, but they really didn't like him...
So, my question be, how is your relationship with Lawyers, or other legal officals not within the enforcment of it?

I' a big fan of the ace attorney game and while being fully aware of the difference between the justice system in real life and in the game i must ask

How close are Prosecutors and Detectives?

I myself try to understand that I need to work WITH the DA rather than against him/her. No matter how much of an ass/***** one of them can be. It's a problem with a lot of origins. One is that a DA and a Detective see things a lot differently and just don't see eye to eye. Another is when a DA says "this evidence does me no good" a detective can take it a bit personally when they spend 35 hours getting that piece of what they feel is very useful evidence. Another problem is many detectives and DAs are used to being in positions of power from how they interview suspects and interrogate people at trial. So it can become kind of a pissing contest.
I understand how complex the court system works and try to have some tact if there is a disagreement.
That being said, the thing that gets me hot under the collar is when a DA will use MY case to bargain on a DIFFERENT case with a defense attorney or with the suspect.

 

[ace_of_something]

Has anyone ever gone up to you and said "Is that your pistol or are you just happy to see me?"

How accurate portrayal of you life is Undercover Brother?

Are you avoiding my silly questions?

And incidentally, have you ever used "Stop in the name of the law" before?

Also, how alike are you to GTA cops?

in order
Nope. I use a shoulder holster as do most detectives (they're easier to wear with a suit)

Not very Similar at all. Except how suave we both are.

nope just having trouble keeping up with questions.

Can't say that I have. Not because it's cliche but because if we're trying to tell someone to stop that phrase is too long "stop police!" or "stop Such and such department!" are much more common.

We're much smarter and less crooked.

Roughly how many Irish policemen twiddle their sticks and whistle a braw tune?

Not nearly enough.