Question about hiring standards

[SimplyMattB]

Hey guys,
Last night I went on the best Ride along yet, I saw many different things, but also raised some questions.

1) Sometimes (Not all the time just sometimes) do you feel the very stringed hiring standards and Minority Hiring (woman) hurt a Dept?

2) Does it take a Wolf to catch a Wolf (and no I didn

[Blonde Heat]

SimplyMattB, Would you have asked these questions had it been a WM acting scared or saying HE did not feel comfortable working that particular neighborhood?

I understand your legitimate question but it seemed a little biased.

[ateamer]

You don't have to be from the ghetto to be a good cop there. Anyone can learn to do it. You just have to be willing to jump in and get your feet wet.

Don't get too critical of someone who is actually on the job until you have been there a while yourself.

[SGT Dave]

Kind of agreeing with vbrenner...

ANYONE can make a good cop, IF they have the "right stuff." Of the EXCEPTIONAL officers I know, they come from across the spectrum of backgrounds and neighborhoods. If there’s a pattern, I haven't seen it in 14 years.

I think the JOB molds you into the officer you are. I have seen officers completely change in just a year or so. Again, there’s no pattern. If ANY thing is a factor, it might be LIFE EXPERIENCE, but then again, I know one guy who got in later in life (had the best FTO and partner out there (me) and I just thank GOD he has almost made it to retirement, because he scares me he's so naive, so trusting, so thoughtless about officer security, and so lazy about being aggressive and pro active. He and I actually had a case similar to the one you mentioned: they (he and a reserve) had stopped a guy for questioning they had seen parked behind a building one night. I responded as backup, and upon arrival, they were talking to him, out of the car, less than arms length. I recognized the name they'd ran as a druggie, even though I'd never had dealings with him, as well as him being parked behind a grocery store at 2:00 AM on a Friday night (!). Knowing this officer was bad to forget safety, I pulled him aside and asked him if he'd been patted-he said no. I began a pat down with the other officer standing next to me. In his inside coat pocket, I found a "Lifesaver's Holes" candy container with the label worn down (from carrying it for 6 months I'd guess.) I am VERY smooth during these situations, and quickly glanced in it, seeing one rock, put the lid back on and just as quickly and smoothly dropped it in my pocket (didn't say a word or get “rock” fever at that time) and kept going with the pat down. When I completely finished the pat down, I took my cuffs out and said "Sir, at this time you're under arrest for possession of a controlled substance" as the first cuff went closed. He said, "Okay" with no resistance-he knew why. I secured him in the officer's car and he asked me what the CS was (?) I told him “Crack…” and he asked, “Where was it?” I told him “In the candy container in his pocket…” as I took it out of my pocket to show him, and he saw it and said “I didn’t even see you take that from him.”


However, one of the best detectives-BAR NONE-in a five county area, is an old guy who was a farmer, had to GET a GED just to apply with his agency, and didn't enter LE until he was past 40. I'm sure everyone laughed at him at the start. He’s also a scrapper, even though he’s a smaller framed guy, but I’d work the projects with him any day.

I think I'M a good officer (find a cop that doesn't think that) but I've had to WORK hard on it my whole career on it (some of the cops I'd list as "exceptional"- I think are absolute naturals at the job-I'm not one of them-I have to think about it everyday.)

Most of the ones from "rough" backgrounds generally don't seem to make great cops. I was sheltered when I started. I had never seen 2 adults fight. I had only been around marijuana ONCE, and had no idea what rolling papers, hemostats (forceps, actually), etc., meant if someone was carrying them. I HONESTLY would have though they rolled homemade cigarettes of regular tobacco, and tied their own flies! I learned on the streets however, and went on to have the highest drug arrest rate in that agency, several years running.

I’ll finish by saying what you saw was more a reflection of HER than him.