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  • Tye516
    Forum Member
    • Jul 2009
    • 19

    A little confused on rank

    I have been talking with a local police agency, specifically about the ride alongs i have been doing. However, I am i little confused of how to address one of the officers who works there. When I first spoke with him over the phone he said his name was Lt. "Smith". So in a formal document where I had to address his name i put it as Lt. But on his badge and his card that he gave me it says he is a Captian. He is in charge of Patrol (I believe he is called the Captian of Patrol? i may be wrong). So when I speak to him do i refer to him as Lt. "Smith" or Capt. "Smith"?

    Thanks in advance for the clarification
  • SgtCHP
    Retired Sergeant - CHP
    • Nov 2006
    • 6026

    #2
    If his badge and business card say "CAPTAIN" then he should be addressed as such. It could be he was promoted after you first spoke with him. Or, perhaps, he was newly promoted and forgot that he is now a Captain.
    Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence!

    [George Washington (1732 - 1799)]

    Comment

    • nuthead
      LE Cheetah
      • Mar 2008
      • 2121

      #3
      Simply ask him and explain why you're confused.
      “We don't disagree, you are wrong. Until you have a clue what you are talking about we can't disagree.” - cgh6366

      Comment

      • wirefire2
        Forum Member
        • Jan 2006
        • 1708

        #4
        I would go with politely asking. You don't need to give him a life story on why you don't know.

        "Sir, I'm sorry, I forgot what your rank was."

        Comment

        • nasa808
          Forum Member
          • May 2005
          • 1947

          #5
          If all fails, just call him sir.
          We ride for those who died!

          RIP SgtCHP!

          Comment

          • mikeymedic
            Band-aid jockey
            • May 2008
            • 3972

            #6
            Could have been promoted before you ever talked to him. Maybe he is still getting used to his title. did he have 1 bar on his collar or 2.

            Comment

            • Nessmuk
              Forum Member
              • Apr 2009
              • 537

              #7
              Ask.

              When I started, the shift Capt. was out for medical and a senior Lieutenant was "Acting Captain"...I still called him "Captain" as that was the role he was playing considering he had junior Lt.s reporting to him.

              Nothing wrong with asking - it will show your interest.
              The opinions expressed here are from the individual only and do not represent the view of any agency that the poster may be affiliated with

              Comment

              • Bully
                Your Daddy
                • Sep 2006
                • 822

                #8
                Unless when you saw him in person, he confirmed that he was the one you talked to on the phone, there could be 2 Smiths there.
                God made perfect cops.......The rest he put in cars.

                Comment

                • LT Dangle
                  Banned
                  • Sep 2007
                  • 870

                  #9
                  All this over a ride along?

                  We need to get out of the business of being cheap entertainment.

                  Comment

                  • Nobody
                    Forum Member
                    • Oct 2003
                    • 1671

                    #10
                    Al Capone's legend of bootlegging, gangland slayings and tax evasion lives on more than 60 years after the Chicago gangster's death. Now comes a footnote that is a sign of the times: foreclosure.
                    Last edited by Nobody; 10-08-2009, 09:44 AM.

                    Comment

                    • candidateyellow
                      Forum Member
                      • Jun 2007
                      • 150

                      #11
                      Check his collar. One bar is Lieutenant, two bars is a captain. Or just ask.

                      Comment

                      • DetDep
                        Professionally Clueless
                        • Jul 2006
                        • 271

                        #12
                        Originally posted by Nobody
                        maybe his first name is lieutenant
                        Hilarious! Mystery solved.
                        Magistrate: "Do you have any other pending charges?"
                        Drunk: "Well there's this thing where the cops said I spit blood on them."
                        Me: "Wait a minute, that was me!"
                        Drunk: "Oh... now you like me even less."

                        Comment

                        • Michigan
                          Banned
                          • Jul 2007
                          • 4270

                          #13
                          Originally posted by Bully
                          Unless when you saw him in person, he confirmed that he was the one you talked to on the phone, there could be 2 Smiths there.
                          Impossible.

                          Comment

                          • Tye516
                            Forum Member
                            • Jul 2009
                            • 19

                            #14
                            Originally posted by Michigan
                            Impossible.
                            yes that is impossible.(Smith was used as a fake name incase you couldn't pick that up)

                            Ill refer to him as Capt., and no its not just for a ride along ill be working with the PD. Thanks.

                            Comment

                            • orlandofed5-0
                              One Night In Bangkok
                              • Dec 2004
                              • 7618

                              #15
                              Originally posted by Nobody
                              maybe his first name is lieutenant

                              or he's a new rank - lieutenant-captain (like a lt. col, he's not a full captain yet)
                              Is that like a corporal-captain, you know the one the army thought about during the Korean War and used Captains Pierce and Honeycutt to get a sampling of the officer cadre.

                              Its like Sgt. Major or Lt. General.
                              I don't answer recruitment messages....

                              Comment

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