How do cops know they are going West/East/North/South on streets?

mikeysco

The same way you will know when you get older. Gradually, as you begin driving more and more, and assuming you have some sense of direction, you'll know that Main Street (for example) goes north and south and because you'll know your way around your town, you'll know if you're heading north or south on it.

There's nothing magic about it, it's just something you learn over time.

Blue Steel & Lace

They drive up and down those streets every day. A lot of it is familiarity.
Part of ensuring your own safety as a police officer is knowing exactly where you are at all times.

jman490

As far as on foot is concerned (not in a car and without a compass) its just general awareness and familiarity with the territory. Surprisingly, its not an ability all Police Officers have (keeping direction on foot), but the ones who have it and use it are very apt to keeping track of surroundings. I do it by comparing the way I'm facing with the bay nearby (the bay is always due North, so if i know my back is to the bay, I must be going south) Also note, the bay doesn't have to be in view either, as long as there is some land mark (house, building, etc) I can place it in relation to where the bay is (miles away) and in relation to me so I know which direction I'm going. Also, in car chases direction isn't true direction. For example, I could be driving on 28 North, but really I'm moving in an Easterly Direction, but overall 28 travels North to South hence why its 28 North, not 28 East.

CGIV76

It's called knowing where your at.

zebj25

After a while you just figure it out. I had it rough at one time. I went from a precinct where the main streets went E and W....I go transferred to a precinct where the main streets went N and S. It had me a little confused for a few days.

Jennifer

How can you NOT know what direction you are going on streets, or anywhere else for that matter?

Sarahbelle

When direction is so important for getting help and back up to you, you learn which direction is which, also streets only run two directions, it's not like one day it runs north/south and the next it's east/west...

They probally have GPS, something people put in their cars for navigation and they probally know the streets where they work very well just like the pizza delivery boy and taxi drivers or bus drivers.

wack attack

Dont you ever watch the sun set? It sets West, so if your going anywhere near that you know in your mind your going West. If you cant figure out the rest of the directions from there, its maybe a good thing you have GPS or you would be lost all the time. I never heard of anyone that just srictly relies on their handy-dandy GPS system.

STEVEN F

If you do anything all day every day for years, you can't help learning what you are doing. Patrol officers spend much of their time on the streets. They can't help knowing there way around.

RoB

THERE THAT GOOD

David W

Freeways obsivously are clearly marked for direction. City streets aren't. So when we get onto city streets, we mostly use surrounding freeways direction to determine the direction we are heading. But in some events, you use actual direction. If your next to the coast and your heading towards the coast, you will say "westbound".

Bill in Kansas

Are you serious? Do you have that poor of a sense of direction? I always know what direction I am traveling. Not to mention having been in law enforcement, when you drive the same streets every night, you better know which way you're going.

How do you find you way anywhere if you can't tell what direction you are going?

porcerelllisman q

????????????????????????????????????
how do you get to work if you don't know where you're going.
are you democrat?????????

mcr gurl

compass maybe?? that's my guess. or maybe they're just THAT good...

WhiteAlaska

hmm. So Americans always know the points of the compass. What if it was a cloudy day? Here in the U.K it is always cloudy, and we can't say we are 'heading south on East Street, Westside, in Northfields'

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