Threats to you (or your family)??

[ItsTheFiveOh]

For all you LEO's

How often do you as an officer receive death/bodily injury threats to either you or your family? Do alot of "bad guys" make threats? What kind of things happened, what were the circumstances?

How often do you consider these threats credible or on the more serious side and what do you do about them? What steps have you taken to protect your family?

I am in an active background process with a police department, and as a job gets (hopefully) closer, this thought popped in my head the other day.

thanks.

[retired]

Received threats all the time while on the job, especially during an arrest. In my case I never saw anyone off duty who made the threat. In other words, I never once encountered anyone off-duty that I had a problem with while on-duty.

[J.DIXON]

I've gotten a lot of threats while in uniform. None of them have been stupid enough to threaten my family. See,I look at it like this. It isn't personal so they can threaten me all they want. I'll just keep adding charges as long as they keep flapping their gums. But they are in for a rough time if they make the mistake of threatening my family. If they try to make that threat good,then they just signed their own death warrant.

[retdetsgt]

The only time I got truly worried was when I stumbled across a dealer who was selling a lot of dope to cops... They ALL knew where I lived. Nothing ever happened. Bad guys never did anything.

We do have a defense attorney who likes to serve subpeonas to cops at their home now and then, just to scare them.... It's really not that hard to find out where someone lives.

[Invisiblecop]

On my job "death threats" are common. Corrections is different than P.D. ---- there aren't any "nice guys." Gangs are problematic. Hits on other gang members are done via inmate telephone.

Officers recieving such threats are to report it immediately to the Administration. Several options are employed :

1) Inmate is transferred to another facility.

2) Officer is transferred to another facility.

3) The inmate is "written up" and sent to Solitary Confinement & this can cause loss of "good time" = longer sentence.

4) If an assault has taken place the inmate is re-arrested and a "new charge" is added to his existing arrest separate from the initial arrest charges.

5) A stepped up level of "security" is provided for the officer and their family. Since it's an "open" forum I'll refrain from details.

Prisons are the streets "locked up" there isn't any "refuge" for an officer to seek as in street patrol.

You never "know" or can "predict" an inmates state of mind while incarcerated or out in the street. Threats are common on and not all unusual for an officer to encounter off duty.

[Deadman]

I had what I thought was going to be a close call on this subject my second year on the job. I was the backing unit on a traffic stop and ended up pulling a wanna be gang member, something like 17 yrs. old at the time, out through the drivers side window when he attempted to slide to the drivers seat to take off with the car. I ended up getting all kinds of threats on me and my family that were to be carried out by other gang members. I wasn't too worried about it as we all get these kinds of threats on a daily basis.

One day I was off duty and in the grocery store with my girlfriend and new born son when I ran into him. (This was like a year later) He ended up being very pleasant with me and luckally I was standing a good distance from my family so I don't think he knew they were with me. He ended up inviting me to a BBQ that his mother was putting together for his birthday. Not sure if I need to say this but I didn't make it...

[Invisiblecop]

Deadman

You were incredibly lucky! Usually these young thugs are the ones wating to "prove themselves." I've bumped into a great many prior arrestees and ex-cons without a problem. I'm always on high alert ---- you never know what on someones' mind especially if they're fired up on drugs. Life is strange as is human nature.

[J.DIXON]

That's why you need to carry off duty. Let me say this a little louder...........CARRY OFF DUTY. Not only yours,but your family's lives may depend on YOU one day.

Thus endeth the lesson.

[flatbadge]

I have a pending trial this month, if it goes. Charges include ADW on me, ADW on a CHP officer, felony evading, brandishing a firearm, (pointed it at me at 2 feet and luckily gun didnt work), ect ect ect. 17 felony charges?Dude was a parolee at large, ect ect ect . Strikes and the such.

His attorney sent a PI to my house! It frigging ****ed me off. I think it was a form of intimidation. I told the axxhole, who is a retired cop, which is even worse, that I wouldnt talk to him on the phone from work. This was WAY out of bounds....I let him know exactly what I felt when he harassed me at my house. I know the DA also told them they better not try that again or they would file intimidation charges.

I have been thinking recently, what else might come out of this? Dude is looking at a LONGGGGGGG time. Obviously his attorney has access to my address, which is total BS. I always wonder if they got it lega, which could be done, or he used contacts at his former work. Everybody I know at his former dept. thinks he is a piece of sheet. I have not heard one good word. This attorney works for the crook, and if / when I hit the stand a jury will hear exactly how scary, ect it was.

Threats are a real part of the job. I have run into some a.h's off duty and didn't feel real comfortable. I carry 24/7. The choice is yours unless you work for a shall carry agency.

Mike

[retdetsgt]

Originally posted by Deadman


One day I was off duty and in the grocery store with my girlfriend and new born son when I ran into him. (This was like a year later) He ended up being very pleasant with me and luckally I was standing a good distance from my family so I don't think he knew they were with me. He ended up inviting me to a BBQ that his mother was putting together for his birthday. Not sure if I need to say this but I didn't make it...

That's fairly typical. Most of these guys aren't that brave when their friends aren't around. I've ran into a few guys over the years that were pretty hostile when I was working, but they were docile when I met them away from the job. None invited me to a barbecue, I gotta admit!

I never got paranoid about that kind of thing.

[retdetsgt]

Originally posted by flatbadge
Obviously his attorney has access to my address, which is total BS. I always wonder if they got it lega, which could be done, or he used contacts at his former work. Everybody I know at his former dept. thinks he is a piece of sheet.
Mike

It's not that hard. My ex partner in homicide is the only one I know of that has never been found. But EVERYTHING is in his wife's name, the paper subscription, the utilities, the house, the whole shebang. He also has a fairly common last name although his given name is a bit different.

Hell, I had an ex girl friend find me once and she had no legal contacts at all!

[Deadman]

I never said I wasn't armed guys... I was and always am...now! I learned that lesson when I first started and assisted another agency while off duty and would have given my right arm for a firearm.

I just wanted to share that story cause I thought it was funny the way he talked to me like I was an old pal of his. Believe me the second I recognized him I was noting the background and starting my 'what if's.'

[Deadman]

Originally posted by retdetsgt
It's not that hard. My ex partner in homicide is the only one I know of that has never been found. But EVERYTHING is in his wife's name, the paper subscription, the utilities, the house, the whole shebang.

Smart man... We all know how easy it is to get sued in this line of work. Want to make sure the family is secure.

[retdetsgt]

Originally posted by Deadman
Smart man... We all know how easy it is to get sued in this line of work. Want to make sure the family is secure.

Bad news is she ever thinks he ain't all that cute anymore, he's in a world of hurt. He doesn't own anything!

[Bart]

Originally posted by J.DIXON
That's why you need to carry off duty. Let me say this a little louder...........CARRY OFF DUTY. Not only yours,but your family's lives may depend on YOU one day.

Thus endeth the lesson.

ive run into guys ive arrested. it wasnt much of a big deal. if they were that ****ed off that they wanted to hurt me, they know where i work. they know the hours that i work. hell, they probably know where i eat lunch most of the time. if they wanted to do something, they wouldnt have to put any effort into finding out where i live and waiting until im off duty. they can find me in their own turf. im not worried enough to carry while im off duty.