Cop by Osmosis

[sgtmac_46]

I think you do gain some general sensibility by living with someone in the profession, but while I know things about civil engineering that I didn't know before marrying one, I'm not designing bridges for anybody. Still, when I happen to meet another civil engineer, they're surprised how much I understand about the day-to-day components of their day.

You do as far as being aware of threats that exist, and a generally change in attitude regarding them.

Before we got together my wife never thought of using a gun for self-defense.....now she'd never think of not having one in the house.

As far as doing the job, she doesn't really know anymore than any other member of the public.

 

[sgtmac_46]

Interesting. Other side of the coin, as it were, eh? But I'm sure you set 'he or she' straight on the matter.

You can't tell those folks anything.....a man convinced against their will is of the same opinion still.

Short of God himself coming down in a bolt of lightening and telling them they're wrong, they wouldn't believe it....and not even then!

 

[sgtmac_46]

The ones I like are the ones who tell me that I "can't do that!"

Funny... I usually do "do that!" And I've only had one or two do so much as file a complaint on me over it. (The IA result was unfounded... and, yes, I COULD INDEED "do that!")

That usually involves an arrested suspect telling me.....

Them: 'I don't give you consent to search my car!'

Me: 'Well, that's fine....I don't need it.....search incident to a lawful arrest'

Them: 'That's BS, you're ILLEGALLY SEARCHING MY VEHICLE! My COUSIN IS A COP, I KNOW THE LAW!!!!!'

Me: Ahuh.....

 

[Drac]

Isn't that a two-fer... I'll arrest them AND tow the car! :EG:

Yep....There have been occasions where the car was towed and the operator was not arrested...They have to stand there and watch their "ride" towed away...

 

[punisher73]

I was never on the warrant squad but I have taken reports in houses like you mentioned...There is a $75,000 SUV in the driveway and the house is maybe worth $25,000..Oh yes the smells..Dishes stacked in the sink, garbage cans overflowing BUT there is a 60" plasma screen TV...Most folks have NO IDEA what our job is really like..

Arnisador wrote:

I think you do gain some general sensibility by living with someone in the profession, but while I know things about civil engineering that I didn't know before marrying one, I'm not designing bridges for anybody. Still, when I happen to meet another civil engineer, they're surprised how much I understand about the day-to-day components of their day.

I agree with this that you can understand some things of the job, but only on a superficial level. My wife is a nurse (I break 'em and she fixes 'em), and I will NEVER know what it is like to take care of someone and develop a relationship with them and their family and then have them "code" and not be able to save them. As a civilian, you will NEVER know what it really feels like when you are driving as fast as you can with lights and sirens to a large gang fight when an officer is requesting help and just thinking that you aren't getting there fast enough to help him.

I might understand "how" a bridge is built by watching a show that goes through the process, but I would never talk to an engineer and tell him how to do it better or what is wrong with the bridge.

I have had more than a couple tell me HOW to do my job and why don't we "just walk into that house and arrest them" because they think it is a drug house. Also, gotta LOVE CSI and how as the police we aren't doing our jobs if we don't have a full time forensics lab at our disposal because somebody threw eggs at their house and we should be able to reconstruct the eggshell and pull a fingerprint off of it.

 

[Drac]

Do you hear, "My grampa was a cop, let me arrest that jerk for you?"

Naw, but I would dearly love to do that too some of the rubber neckers I have encountered..Let them discover that placing the cuffs on someone is NOT as easy as it looks on TV, especially if that person decides that they are not going to jail today...

 

[jks9199]

Arnisador wrote:

I agree with this that you can understand some things of the job, but only on a superficial level. My wife is a nurse (I break 'em and she fixes 'em), and I will NEVER know what it is like to take care of someone and develop a relationship with them and their family and then have them "code" and not be able to save them. As a civilian, you will NEVER know what it really feels like when you are driving as fast as you can with lights and sirens to a large gang fight when an officer is requesting help and just thinking that you aren't getting there fast enough to help him.

I might understand "how" a bridge is built by watching a show that goes through the process, but I would never talk to an engineer and tell him how to do it better or what is wrong with the bridge.

I have had more than a couple tell me HOW to do my job and why don't we "just walk into that house and arrest them" because they think it is a drug house. Also, gotta LOVE CSI and how as the police we aren't doing our jobs if we don't have a full time forensics lab at our disposal because somebody threw eggs at their house and we should be able to reconstruct the eggshell and pull a fingerprint off of it.

Another analogy... I'm actually two or three courses shy of a BS degree in psychology, just as a quirk of how I my education went. I can speak intelligently and use the appropriate terms when discussing a mental case with the psychologists and psychiatrists of our mobile crisis unit. But I'm NOT a psychologist or psychiatrist; nowhere close.

And the "CSI effect" is a major frustration... Just for everyone's edification, let me share how I often explain fingerprints to people. Next time you clean the windows, try to leave a nice, clear fingerprint, where you can make out the ridge lines. It's tricky to do... even when you're trying. If you're not trying, you don't tend to touch surfaces in a way that's likely to pull good prints off of it. And that's before we get into whether or not the prints are in the system at all. (I've got some beautiful latents that a patrol officer did a great job lifting sitting in evidence. The fingerprint guys have looked at them, run them through their records... and if we ever find the guy, we'll be able to prove he left them.)

 

[arnisador]

We called the police within the past year for a minor burglary (rifling through the car and stealing some loose change) and just about the first thing the police officer said when he arrived, defensively, was "This isn't CSI; we're not going to fingerprint the car. We don't have a magic database of all criminals." We hadn't even asked and hadn't really expected they would, but I geuss they get that a lot as mentioned above!

I understand prosecuting attorneys feel the same way--juries want DNA evidence for every crime now ("the CSI effect").

 

[Archangel M]

And the "CSI effect" is a major frustration...

Along that line.
While surfing through Brian VanCise's blog I found a link that lead me to this. 10 things about the entertainment industry that piss me off. It's pretty funny.

 

[Makalakumu]

I understand prosecuting attorneys feel the same way--juries want DNA evidence for every crime now ("the CSI effect").

Lol. That's right! Because the first thing a criminal does when they commit a crime is spray seman everywhere!:lfao:

 

[punisher73]

Lol. That's right! Because the first thing a criminal does when they commit a crime is spray seman everywhere!:lfao:

There are others ways to leave DNA other than deploying your personal navy....

 

[Drac]

I responded to a possible B and E last Summer and the homeowner was quite put out that I didnt dust the doorknob for prints..I love shows like CSI, but some of the citizens take it as Gospel on how things are done....

 

[sgtmac_46]

Naw, but I would dearly love to do that too some of the rubber neckers I have encountered..Let them discover that placing the cuffs on someone is NOT as easy as it looks on TV, especially if that person decides that they are not going to jail today...

I heard that!

 

[sgtmac_46]

We called the police within the past year for a minor burglary (rifling through the car and stealing some loose change) and just about the first thing the police officer said when he arrived, defensively, was "This isn't CSI; we're not going to fingerprint the car. We don't have a magic database of all criminals." We hadn't even asked and hadn't really expected they would, but I geuss they get that a lot as mentioned above!

I understand prosecuting attorneys feel the same way--juries want DNA evidence for every crime now ("the CSI effect").

Oh yeah, if I had a dime for every person who wanted us to haul out the 'Quantum atomic spectromographic DNA/Fingerprint analysis device' when they left their vehicle unlocked, i'd retire to FIJI!

I don't even bother to explain they don't exist.....I just tell them it's broken and is in the shop.

 

[arnisador]

In my defense, one of the kids went out to my car in the evening to retrieve something and left it unlocked...I'm from NY and would never do that myself!

 

[Drac]

Oh yeah, if I had a dime for every person who wanted us to haul out the 'Quantum atomic spectromographic DNA/Fingerprint analysis device' when they left their vehicle unlocked, i'd retire to FIJI!

Come over for coffee neighbor....

 

[sgtmac_46]

In my defense, one of the kids went out to my car in the evening to retrieve something and left it unlocked...I'm from NY and would never do that myself!

It happens to all of us.....

I've mentioned to folks they should lock their cars, but I always get 'Well, I don't want them to bust the window'.....for the record, i'm amazed that most vehicle thefts ONLY occur to unlocked cars.

Of the reports i've taken over the years, maybe 1% or less have involved someone busting a window......most petty thieves will check a car door, if it's locked, they'll move on to another one.......I guess busting a window is more noise than it's worth.

 

[Carol]

I think that depends on where you live. Car breaks were the most common crime in my old town in Mass, and many of those did involve busting a window....or so it seems. When a pile of broken safety glass is all thats left in a parking space that is deeded or assigned to your neighbor...its a pretty good guess at what happened. :lol:

But, I also think that care needs to be taken to not give the bg's reason to bust window. My mom in North Carolina is usually very safety-conscious. We went out over the hoidayay to get a flat screen TV for her house. We decided to buy one at Target because she was able to get a 10% discount by applying for store credit card. So, I got the TV loaded in the car, then she turns to me and says "Well, since I get 10 percent off for the rest of today, I should go get some groceries." I shrugged and I said OK I'm waiting in the car. She got this look of surprise and asked me why I wasn't going to help her with the groceries (as I usually do when I visit).

"Um, Mom, you just spent $500 for a TV? And you want to leave it in the car in the parking lot of a Target while you get more groceries?"

 

[sgtmac_46]

I think that depends on where you live. Car breaks were the most common crime in my old town in Mass, and many of those did involve busting a window....or so it seems. When a pile of broken safety glass is all thats left in a parking space that is deeded or assigned to your neighbor...its a pretty good guess at what happened. :lol:

But, I also think that care needs to be taken to not give the bg's reason to bust window. My mom in North Carolina is usually very safety-conscious. We went out over the hoidayay to get a flat screen TV for her house. We decided to buy one at Target because she was able to get a 10% discount by applying for store credit card. So, I got the TV loaded in the car, then she turns to me and says "Well, since I get 10 percent off for the rest of today, I should go get some groceries." I shrugged and I said OK I'm waiting in the car. She got this look of surprise and asked me why I wasn't going to help her with the groceries (as I usually do when I visit).

"Um, Mom, you just spent $500 for a TV? And you want to leave it in the car in the parking lot of a Target while you get more groceries?"

Well, there is that......you leave an enticing enough reward, and thieves will go to much greater lengths to get it!

Most won't bust a window for a cheap car stereo (especially with the face removed) and some change, though.

 

[Carol]

Well, there is that......you leave an enticing enough reward, and thieves will go to much greater lengths to get it!

Most won't bust a window for a cheap car stereo (especially with the face removed) and some change, though.

A cheap radio, no. But, ubiquitous little electronics, yes. A GPS (even the cheap ones) or an iPod (even the cheap knockoffs), were enough for some theives...especially in the nicer complexes where cars in car ports were not line-of-sight from the housing units.