as a level-headed off-duty police officer, what would you do in this situation?

Question

(1)you are off-duty driving in your own personal car when you see a man about to get beat up by 10 felons?

i need detail answer. ex...u would do what & what after that & so on...

Answer 1

Since you said about to get beaten that changes the response.

I would Call dispatch identify myself as off duty and request cars to be sent to the location. I would take a picture of them with my cell phone camera and forward the pictures to someone I knew on the department letting them know what the situation was. So no matter what went down someone would have pictures in hand of the suspects.

I would then ID myself to the 10 as a police officer let them know cars are on their way and that a photo was sent of them for ID purposes.

I would have my Gun ready but out of sight as to not provoke anyone & I would wait for cars to arrive. If they would leave I would put the guy in my car for protection.

If the situation changed and they began to beat the guy and I felt like his life might be in danger, I would consider using deadly force to protect his life and my own. I definatley would not watch a guy get beat to death.

Part of your job is to put your life on the line to protect the pople who you serve and even though you are out numbered it is your job to help someone in need on or off duty. You are sworn to protect and serve 24/7 365.

the use of force in a situation where the life of a person was in danger and normal methods would not be applicable (becuase of their sheer numbers) would be justified. I would risk a shooting board review to save a life.

ADDITION: For the last poster who said if you get hurt off duty there is no compensation. 1st. If I was a private citizen and saw someone's life in danger I wouldnt be able to stand by and let it happen. I guess that is why I ended up in law enforcement and the Marine Corps.

the Department I served with you were considered an officer 24/7 365 and were required to act even off duty if someone's life or health were in danger. Once you took action in one of these situations you were considered "On duty" at that point.

That is why so many business owners wanted to hire off duty law enforcement officers to work security and why they paid thme so much. Once they went into arrest mode they were (by my states law) no longer acting as security personel, but as police officers and the laibility for everything then fell on the department the officer worked for. That is why each department had to approve any officer wanting to work security for any business. They wanted to make sure that officer would be able to handle the job with low risk to the department

Answer 2

I would call 911, get out, declare that I am a police officer, brandish my badge then pull out my off duty weapon and order the 10 felons to the ground 1 by 1. Once this is complete, I would continue to verbalize and wait for more authorities to arrive.

Answer 3

Call 911 report the crime. Let them know that you are a police officer when you call and that you need assistance or back up,. I wouldn't suggest approaching 10 felons by myself. You have one gun by the time you could even think about getting off a shot to protect yourself 9 other guys would be on you. No smart. Your life is more important sorry to say that I know it sounds cruel but two people beat up or dead is worse than just one. From a safe distance you may want to call out that you called the police that you are the police and back up is coming, that you have made note of physical descriptions, license plates etc. Anything to buy a little time for the guy about to get his butt kicked. Hopefully backup will arrive quickly

Answer 4

The short answer: call 9-1-1

There is no such thing as a real life "Jack Bauer"

Like trooper3 said: "observe from a safe distance" in order to give a detailed account/description(s) to arriving on duty police personnel.

Answer 5

i would call 911 a.s.a.p. and watch from a distance. you mentioned off duty police officer that means chances are the police officer does not have their equipment or gear so i would just watch and wait for on duty officers to show up then use my self as an eye witness to the situation

Answer 6

well the trooper is right and beyond that to answer the rest of the "serve and protect" answers, the truth is ... if your off duty and you get hurt, there is no workman's comp, or benefits of any sort. so if you get hurt off duty trying to be a hero then you and your family will suffer by not being able to pay the bills.

Answer 7

I would dial 911 and observe from a safe distance, being the best witness I can.

Even an armed officer would think before approaching 10 suspects, especially when their adrenaline is already raised.

The 911 line is taped, so I would describe each of the assailants as best I could. Even if the dispatcher couldn't type that fast, it would be on record for later. I would even consider honking my horn to get thier attention, and hope they would stop.

Answer 8

Call 9-1-1 and state the obvious emergency. Observe in an unobstructed view to be a star witness. Living witnesses are better than a dead hero.

Answer 9

you an swore to serve the nation, you should act to save the the man from the felons. You stand for national duty.

Answer 10

I am clearly out numbered and for my own safety, and the protection of the individual, would contact central dispatch to advise them of the situation. They would send out officers to handle the situation.

As I am off duty, I would be the best possible witness to the situation.