a cop 24 hrs a day?

Question

I have heard this many many times. If you are law enforcement, you are law enforcement 24 hours a day. Can someone explain that concept to me. When not working, sure you do soemthing if a crime is being commited in your presence, but how often does that really happen? Surely it cant be 24 hours a day right? Oh and please if you are going to leave a sarcastic comment about law enforcement, please dont. At least have respect for something if not yourself.

JW why did you even bother with this question. It in no way even tried to give me a response. All you did is take a cheap shot over the internet where you know you are protected. Try doing that crap in person to an officer. Or better yet risk your life everyday to protect jerks like you that probably dont deserve it.

Answer 1

Ok, you have this entire attitude, you are always watching people, who is carrying a gun ( you are trained to see a buldge or crease in clothes). You are in line at the post office, and a loud mouth comes in and starts yelling, you get into reaction mode in case something happens.

If you are in your police area, you can't help but watch for hookers on the street, drug dealers walking down the street.

There is a mind set and way of thinking.
Also you are in some level of fear that some street criminal, or someone you arrested last year will see you off duty and decide to do something to you.

Honestly stuff always happen that most people never, never see. I was walking with my friend into a Kroger grocrey store, all of a sudden I hear stop him, stop him, This guy comes running toward us. Well we grab him and slam him into the ATM machine sitting by the door. ( something a normal citizen may latter be sued for but we were acting in our line of duty.
Well he had stuffed his pockets with something and was running out the door. So guess what our next 3 hours was doing reports.

My biggest arrests were all done off duty. Driving into McDonalds drive though with my wife, and yep, a supper drug deal going down in the parking lot. So of course as a normal officer I have a gun on my waist and a shotgun in my trunk with a protective vest. So I tell my wife to call 911 and report it, ( she is used to it by now) and I go and stop them.

And you are always the neighbor officer, someone sees someone in thier neighbors house at 2 am, they don't dial 911, they call you. So yep, my next big bust was people in a home of someone on vaction to clean out thier home. And yep doing reports to 5 am , so I could get in unifom and go to work.

You have to appear in traffic court on your day off, and if you work evenings or nights you do all your court appearances on your own time. The only pay you can get is a 10 or 15 dollar fee for testifying in court, if your court pays that.

So yes you are a officer 25 hours a day, since in the back of your mind is always that what if, and is he, or what do I do

You train not to set with your back to the public, but with your back to a wall. You don't shake hands with your gun hand, since you learn in the academy that somone can do that to over power you.

You also know that you have a legal obligation to act if something happens, where a normal person don't have to act.

Answer 2

My husband is on SWAT team and he is called at all hours of the night if a felony warrant needs served. Thankfully this doesn't happen too often.....he will stop a crime if he sees one when he is off duty.....that is to say if there is an accident he will secure the scene until another officer (on duty) can get there......or if someone commits a major offense in front of him. We were almost killed when someone ran a red light (we were in the police cruiser) and he was off duty, he surely did stop them and give him a ticket. But he is not going to stop some joe who decides not to wear his seat belt or go over the speed limit.....we have a life too and he can't be filling his day up being a consistent do-gooder.

Answer 3

I know that in Texas you have a sworn obligation to uphold the law on and off duty. It is very similar to the oath taken by doctors nurses and EMT's. By entering one of these professions you have elected yourself to be more than the average citizen, you are a role model for the community. As a role model you must explicate attitudes and attributes that are honorable to your profession. I would say that most police officers will report serious offenses if the see them but most try not to intervene simply based on thier safety.

Answer 4

As an officer you are expected to uphold the law at all times. You would be surprised at how many times crimes happen in front of you when you are off duty. In addition to that you are basically on call at all times. I was called at home numerous times when additional man power was needed.

DO they expect you to leap out of your car and arrest a j-walker on your own time,no. You use you common sense.

Answer 5

yes you can becasue your pager has to "be on" 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. I work in a big populated city in ohio as a swat captain...and when my phone goes off....in the middle of x-mas day or 2:30 am on a Tuesday morning, i have to resopnd no matter what....do you understand now?

Answer 6

Duty Bound a Duty of Care to the public.

Answer 7

Yes it is true that even if they are not in uniform or even quote clocked in they are still on duty.My dad was quote off duty one day and a riot broke out and he was one of the first ones to respond

Answer 8

It simply means that if you see a crime in progress, even while off duty you are to act accoringly, like if you were on duty.

Answer 9

A policeman is obligated to perform anytime he sees "crime". I'm sure they don't drive around in their civies writing speeding tickets but I believe they would stop a purse snatching or interupt a robbery or stop an assault if they can do it safely.

Answer 10

It just means they are on call 24 hrs if needed.
They may be asleep at night and get beeped.
With the war on terror, they have to be on 24 hr. call just like fireworkers and rescue squads.