Officer "Smith": Thoughts From Behind the Badge

• Today is a sad ...

  Today is a sad day for law enforcement, especially in Washington.
  4 police officers killed in Wash. coffee shopAs it stands right now, the suspect is still on the loose.
  
  I wish my brothers and sisters in the Tacoma area good hunting... [...]
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  Posted: November 29, 2009, 7:05pm EST
  

• Restaurant Etiquette...

  I went to breakfast with the Mrs. this morning, and was reminded of the lack of restaurant manners inherent in today's society.
  
  A guy's cell phone rang (on full volume of course), and he answered it....
  
  Loudly.
  
  Only after people shot him dirty looks did he elect [...]
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  Posted: November 28, 2009, 6:10pm EST
  

• Happy Thanksgiving...

  I hope everyone had or is having a great Thanksgiving.
  
  While we were sitting around the table this afternoon, it came to mind that Thanksgiving is perhaps my favorite holiday of the year. There's no pressure to find gifts for everyone. All you have to do is get together [...]
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  Posted: November 26, 2009, 9:58pm EST
  

• Facebook...

  I have recently been sucked into the supermassive black hole that is Facebook.
  
  And I can't escape it.
  
  Yes, it's a great way to keep current with family and friends. Yes, it's a way to catch up with people you haven't seen in years. It's definitely a useful [...]
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  Posted: November 23, 2009, 10:59pm EST
  

• Flying Solo...

  You have passed FTO, and you're on your own. It has likely been two to three years since you completed the employment application that got you here. You have taken test after test, worked your ass off in the academy, repeated the process in Field Training, and now you get' [...]
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  Posted: November 20, 2009, 6:32pm EST
  

• FTO...

  Great. You graduated from the police academy. You're a cop now. Ready to hit the streets and run the town, right?
  
  Hold on a minute there sparky.
  
  So far, your learning is primarily book learning. You have done a few scenarios and some hands-on training. Now the rubber' [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2009, 3:31am EST
  

• Off to the Academy...

  So now you have a job. Your agency has hired you and will pay your way through the police academy.
  
  The first experience you will have at most academies is orientation. This usually takes place one evening during the week before the start of the academy. You will want [...]
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  Posted: November 13, 2009, 10:21pm EST
  

• Now What?

  So, you passed the written, physical agility and oral interview, and now you have a conditional offer of employment in your hot little hands. What now?
  
  A conditional offer of employment is just that, conditional. What that means is you'll have to meet certain conditions in order to actually' [...]
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  Posted: November 08, 2009, 2:25pm EST
  

• Taking the Plunge...

  So, you want to be a police officer.
  
  What in Hell have you gotten yourself into?
  
  Well, let's see.
  
  Once you apply, you'll have to take some combination of a written test, a physical agility test, and an interview.
  
  The written test is pretty basic. If [...]
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  Posted: November 06, 2009, 1:29pm EST
  

• Range Day...

  Sometimes, when we have a range day, I find myself looking at the targets of the other officers shooting to either side of me.
  
  I look to see how tight their groups are. I look to see if they're throwing rounds, or just plain peppering the target.
  
  Then' [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2009, 9:29pm EST
  

• Productivity...

  Once, there was a very productive day. It may have been yesterday, or it may have been years ago. The time matters not. I set off out of the lot and tooled down Main Street, in search of someone who needed taking to jail. The sun was setting and the [...]
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  Posted: November 02, 2009, 12:19pm EST