The official "Ask a cop/deputy anything!" thread

[UncleWede]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

With that said…..



….A LOT of Officers/Deputies do not show up for traffic court, so you have a 50/50 shot of getting it dismissed. Work the system! For my station, we'll get written up for failing to go to court, so we go. It's an easy 3 hours minimum of overtime for usually 20 minutes of work. I'll take it!! Work smarter, not harder.

If you know somebody who knows the officer, you can get an very good idea which court days are suddenly queued up with required training on the same day, and schedule your wife's appearance that day

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by forumlurker

Noted haha. I would expect nothing less of highway patrol to show up/win 100% of the time. It's your guys speciality!

Don't think I've ever gotten out of a speeding ticket with highway patrol involved (in court). But they've reduced it to a non moving violation on the spot twice. I like to think my checklist after being pulled over helps a little- rolling down all windows, hands on steering wheel, and having all paperwork ready.

I’m with the Sheriff’s Dept., but the CHP shows up majority of the time as well. Traffic is definitely their bread, butter and wine. Lol!

Your checklist and attitude definitely plays/played a role. Demeanor is everything!

Originally Posted by UncleWede

If you know somebody who knows the officer, you can get an very good idea which court days are suddenly queued up with required training on the same day, and schedule your wife's appearance that day

Lol! Working the system.

[Fly320s]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

So far the midlife rollers rash guard is the clear favorite.

The bottom one is better, but do you really want to advertise job/beliefs/politics at the beach?

Be the gray man.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by forumlurker

I would expect nothing less of highway patrol to show up/win 100% of the time. It's your guys speciality!

Winner here. Got a legit ticket for what I considered a b.s. reason and took an unpaid day off to go to traffic court a couple of hours north of San Francisco up on the Russian River.

It was the standard he said - he said routine. The judge said "Okay, I give up.", turned to the officer, who was still on the stand, and said "What color was the car?" You could see he didn't remember, so he had to guess, and he muffed it. Lack of prep, I suppose, I don't know.

Outside, the officer said "You got lucky." He was right, so there was no point in me replying. It was a nice day off, even if it did cost me more than the ticket would have cost. It was the principle of the thing, you see.

FWIW, that was over 50 years ago. I had a great deal of respect for CHP officers then, and I still do. In one instance, I got a remarkable break and have never forgotten it. I had many interactions with them over a handful of years back then and always found them to be very professional. I appreciated that as I was fairly out of control. I got more movers in one year than my age. It took a while to settle down and learn to fly right.

[E93Beast]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

Which blue-line rash guard do you guys like better?

Top or bottom?

Bottom (no homo)

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by Fly320s

The bottom one is better, but do you really want to advertise job/beliefs/politics at the beach?

Be the gray man.

Beach? Bro…..you know we don’t go to the beach nor do we know how to swim. LOL! Joking!

That's for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu no-gi class (…usually with a bunch of other cops)…..hence the “MidLife Rollers” brand. I just wanted a stylized no-gi rash guard for the LEO BJJ classes/seminars I attend on the side. At my academies I train in either academy branded gear (…e.g. Gracie Barra; you can only wear their branded gear in the academies) or more traditional rash guard brands (…e.g…Future Kimonos, Atami, Fuji, etc.) at the academy I consider to be my home base.

[Fly320s]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

Beach? Bro…..you know we don’t go to the beach nor do we know how to swim. LOL! Joking!

That's for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu no-gi class (…usually with a bunch of other cops)…..hence the “MidLife Rollers” brand. I just wanted a stylized no-gi rash guard for the LEO BJJ classes/seminars I attend on the side. At my academies I train in either academy branded gear (…e.g. Gracie Barra; you can only wear their branded gear in the academies) or more traditional rash guard brands (…e.g…Future Kimonos, Atami, Fuji, etc.) at the academy I consider to be my home base.

Ah, cool. I didn't know you wore a rash guard for that. Make sense.

As for the beach, you should check it out. I hear there are hot women in bikinis there.

[jamesinaz]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

With that said…..



….A LOT of Officers/Deputies do not show up for traffic court, so you have a 50/50 shot of getting it dismissed. Work the system! For my station, we'll get written up for failing to go to court, so we go. It's an easy 3 hours minimum of overtime for usually 20 minutes of work. I'll take it!! Work smarter, not harder.

I always "assumed" that every ticket issued by a particular officer would have their hearings scheduled together to maximize the officers time and make it worth it to have him appear in court.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by Fly320s

Ah, cool. I didn't know you wore a rash guard for that. Make sense.

As for the beach, you should check it out. I hear there are hot women in bikinis there.

When you come back to Los Angeles again, let's grab a bite and then go to this fantastically fabled place you call……..the beach. That restaurant we went to last time was cool, but let's toss on the board shorts and go Baywatch that bitch next time.
It's be nice to chill with again my friend.

Originally Posted by jamesinaz

I always "assumed" that every ticket issued by a particular officer would have their hearings scheduled together to maximize the officers time and make it worth it to have him appear in court.

That's the smart way to do it, and that's the way I tend to chain mine together, but not every officer does it that way. I like organization.

[Sedan_Clan]

BTW guys, here's BJJ rash guard option #3. What do you think about this one compared to the other two?



P.S. Happy Thanksgiving everybody! I appreciate all of you for making this thread a successful one and for sharing your perspectives. You guys & gals add so much color.

[UncleWede]

With a nice rash guard,
you can wear a wetsuit
To surf
At the beach!

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

With a nice rash guard,
you can wear a wetsuit
To surf
At the beach!

I tried my hand a surfing years ago when I was dating an avid surfer chick. That didn't work out too well for me. I'm a land animal.

[UncleWede]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

I tried my hand a surfing years ago when I was dating an avid surfer chick. That didn't work out too well for me. I'm a land animal.

Nothing quite so Zen as being in tune with Mother Ocean, riding a swell in her blood, applying amazing physics and nothing but the wind and your paddling to get you there

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

Nothing quite so Zen as being in tune with Mother Ocean, riding a swell in her blood, applying amazing physics and nothing but the wind and your paddling to get you there

The talent Gods didn't bless me with ocean acumen. Sad day! Sad day indeed.

[UncleWede]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

The talent Gods didn't bless me with ocean acumen. Sad day! Sad day indeed.

I'm guessing your attention wasn't much on surfer girls instruction, you must have some strong balance

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

I'm guessing your attention wasn't much on surfer girls instruction, you must have some strong balance

I gave it three attempts. I just couldn't get comfortable in/on the water. I'm an okay swimmer, but I panic too much in open water. I recognize(d) I wasn't going to overcome that feeling easily. I know my place.

[Sedan_Clan]

Sigh! It's like people are just asking to become victims on this Thanksgiving holiday. This motorcycle was left running unattended with the keys in the ignition for at least 8 minutes. If I were a criminal, that bike would've been mine. I walked into the 7-11 convenience store to contact the owner of the motorcycle and explain to him that his decision making is/was poor. His response was, "Well, I wanted to let the bike heat up so I left it running." These are the same types of people that contact us dumbfounded because their vehicles are/were stolen.

[E93Beast]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

Sigh! It’s like people are just asking to become victims on this Thanksgiving holiday. This motorcycle was left running with the keys in the ignition for at least 8 minutes. If I were a criminal, that bike would’ve been mine. I walked into the 7-11 convenience store to contact the owner of the motorcycle and explain to him that his decision making is/was poor. His response was, “Well, I wanted to let the bike heat up so I left it running.” These are the same types of people that contact us dumbfounded because their vehicles are/were stolen.

Lol....
I have another question. Few years back I was standing on the sidewalk by rear entrance of a Sheriffs station. The reason why is not important.
A cop comes out in an unmarked car, passes me, looks at me.... Slams on brakes, reverses and jumps out the car. Says "what are you doin here?"
I say "standing"
He says "why?"
I said "because I can?"
He starts getting VERY aggressive. Hand on gun, tone of voice, etc. Says let me see some I.D.
I said I am doing something wrong ?
He says you are making me nervous. I said same, but I was minding my own business. I am standing on the sidewalk.
He gets more attitude and asks for I.D.
I give it to him. He says what are you doing here ? I said I already answered that. He now is very edgy, keeps clinching his hand on his gun.
I said look, you are about to make a mistake. He said really ? I said yes because I have done nothing wrong, and you are clearly getting very edgy. I will let my buddy know the way you are acting. He said who ?
I said your Sargeant. He asks his name. I gave it to him.
He calls him (I find out a couple weeks later at his house what happened), and disturbs him from a meeting. Lol. He gives my name, Sargeant asks did he do anything ? Cop says NO. He says well let him fuckn go, im in a meeting. Cop gives me my D.L. back and says just go man.
2 back up units pull up and he tells them all is good and they all leave.

Why so much aggression ? My buddy said because he normally works CPT so thats why he had attitude. I said its no excuse.
Anyway, what is your take on officers acting like that when no harm was being done ???
I'm bald, muscular build, tattoos and I was in jeans and a wife beater as usual. I assume that plays a part BUT.....cops don't like being stereo-typed, neither do civilians.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by E93Beast

Lol....
I have another question. Few years back I was standing on the sidewalk by rear entrance of a Sheriffs station. The reason why is not important.
A cop comes out in an unmarked car, passes me, looks at me.... Slams on brakes, reverses and jumps out the car. Says "what are you doin here?"
I say "standing"
He says "why?"
I said "because I can?"
He starts getting VERY aggressive. Hand on gun, tone of voice, etc. Says let me see some I.D.
I said I am doing something wrong ?
He says you are making me nervous. I said same, but I was minding my own business. I am standing on the sidewalk.
He gets more attitude and asks for I.D.
I give it to him. He says what are you doing here ? I said I already answered that. He now is very edgy, keeps clinching his hand on his gun.
I said look, you are about to make a mistake. He said really ? I said yes because I have done nothing wrong, and you are clearly getting very edgy. I will let my buddy know the way you are acting. He said who ?
I said your Sargeant. He asks his name. I gave it to him.
He calls him (I find out a couple weeks later at his house what happened), and disturbs him from a meeting. Lol. He gives my name, Sargeant asks did he do anything ? Cop says NO. He says well let him fuckn go, im in a meeting. Cop gives me my D.L. back and says just go man.
2 back up units pull up and he tells them all is good and they all leave.

Why so much aggression ? My buddy said because he normally works CPT so thats why he had attitude. I said its no excuse.
Anyway, what is your take on officers acting like that when no harm was being done ???
I'm bald, muscular build, tattoos and I was in jeans and a wife beater as usual. I assume that plays a part BUT.....cops don't like being stereo-typed, neither do civilians.

Based on your depiction of the events as they unfolded, that Deputy did seem a bit on edge. I see no issue with the initiation of the consensual encounter given the circumstances (...e.g...I don't really like people hanging around the station entrance(s)/exit(s) either; it's not uncommon for things to go south when people sneak inside), but I do think his approach unnecessarily escalated things. The description you provided might've made him think you were one of the unsavory characters in the area. The gang members in my patrol area basically look exactly how you described. Whenever I see somebody who is "blasted", I pay much more attention to them; even more so if they have tattoos on their face/head/neck/hands.

[E93Beast]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

Based on your depiction of the events as they unfolded, that Deputy did seem a bit on edge. I see no issue with the initiation of the consensual encounter given the circumstances (...e.g...I don't really like people hanging around the station entrance(s)/exit(s) either; it's not uncommon for things to go south when people sneak inside), but I do think his approach unnecessarily escalated things. The description you provided might've made him think you were one of the unsavory characters in the area. The gang members in my patrol area basically look exactly how you described. Whenever I see somebody who is "blasted", I pay much more attention to them; even more so if they have tattoos on their face/head/neck/hands.

I do believe things would / could have gotten much worse if I had not mentioned I know the Sarge from WAY back in the day. The whole family, before he got into law enforcement.... I get the whole bald head and all that but this did not even happen in CPT but 2 cities over.
How could this have been de-escalated otherwise ?
Without me doing everything he asked ?
It's the principle, you understand ? I get the whole comply with everything said makes life easier , but LEOs also need to understand that civilains have rights, and if we exercise those rights, they should not get more pissed off or aggressive, it is our RIGHT.
I respect LEOs that respect me, but if they don't, I don't respect either. It's a 2 way street. This is not just for LEOs but anyone I cross paths with.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by E93Beast

I do believe things would / could have gotten much worse if I had not mentioned I know the Sarge from WAY back in the day. The whole family, before he got into law enforcement.... I get the whole bald head and all that but this did not even happen in CPT but 2 cities over.
How could this have been de-escalated otherwise ?
Without me doing everything he asked ?
It's the principle, you understand ? I get the whole comply with everything said makes life easier , but LEOs also need to understand that civilains have rights, and if we exercise those rights, they should not get more pissed off or aggressive, it is our RIGHT.
I respect LEOs that respect me, but if they don't, I don't respect either. It's a 2 way street. This is not just for LEOs but anyone I cross paths with.

How long ago did this happen? Since you mentioned CPT, I'll assume this happened at one of our stations!?!?!? If this was within the last two years, he would/should have been wearing a body worn camera. Taking your story at face value, the de-escalation should begin with the Deputy. You provided identification, etc., so I think you did what you could to keep the situation from going from a simmer to a boil.

[E93Beast]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

How long ago did this happen? Since you mentioned CPT, I'll assume this happened at one of our stations!?!?!? If this was within the last two years, he would/should have been wearing a body worn camera. Taking your story at face value, the de-escalation should begin with the Deputy. You provided identification, etc., so I think you did what you could to keep the situation from going from a simmer to a boil.

Been a while. Maybe 4 years ago ? Before Covid for sure and that shit has had me all screwed up with time frames. Almost like 2 years were just at a stand still in a sense.
As far as Deputy de-escalating, it was 100% the opposite as I described to begin with. HE kept making things worse. You could definitely feel the tension, I'm sure, on both sides.