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MPSoldier
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It depends on the situation. An off duty officer should never place his family in jeopardy. An off duty officer does not have the proper resources to intervene in many instances when off duty. At the academy we were taught that sometimes the most practical thing an off duty officer can do is be a good witness. |
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law138
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The answer is yes, but how to intervene is the question. Intervening by physically getting in the middle of an incident isn't always smart. Rarely do I carry a gun off duty, and even if I did, I don't have a vest on. The best thing we can usually do is call 911 and be a good witness. If someones life is in immediate danger, that's different......I remember in the academy we had a section of study dedicated to "off duty" incidents......we were shown some ugly stats about off duty officers getting killed because they intervened.
In response to your additional comment / question......I would really hesitate if I was with my family. My wife knows that if I turn to her and say, "Take the boys and go !", it means I see something happening. She knows to take the kids away and call 911. I will say again....be a good witness. Too many times, we respond to an extreme situation and the victim can't give a very accurate description of the offender. We are trained to keep our wits about us and a good description (and account of what happened) and direction of travel is soooooo important to the immediate or eventual capture of the offender(s). |
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Leigh P
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I agree with what Law138 said. The law in Alabama (and I'm sure it's similar in other states) is that an officer is sworn to uphold the law 24/7 essentially. There are different factors that should go through an officers mind when he/she is deciding to make the decision to intervene, i.e. whether or not the suspect is armed and whether or not that officers intervention could most likely result in the injury or death of an innocent bystander or the officers family. I would not intervene in a physical way if I felt my family would be at risk. I have an obligation to protect them as well and feel as though my thought process might be inhibited if I had to keep diverting my attention to them throughout the ordeal. That sounds selfish and I must admit it is but it also goes towards my ability to protect others as well. Now if the suspect is firing his weapon and I'm armed I will make every attempt to stop that threat by utilizing deadly force. So there is no difinitive answer to your question other than we have arrest powers. Keep in mind you have so many other things to think about in the span of seconds that could affect the rest of your life, the bystanders lives, and the offenders life. Plus you're not readily identifiable as an officer (uniform etc) so there could be confufsion added to the mix. You do something and you're wrong you are run through the media wringer and monday morning quarterbacks who go through everything in detail with the ability to rerun video tapes and take hours to come to a conclusion you had seconds to make....all those decisions in seconds....Wanna be a cop? Most times it's best to be a good witness and testify in court when the suspect/offender is arrested. |
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Papa-Yogi
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In Florida, we (Deputy Sheriff's) are sworn 24/7. You might not be in uniform, but you are never off duty. If any type crime is acted out in your presence, or if you are asked to assist, then you are bound by Florida Statutes to respond. |
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?
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As much as I hated doing it, Yes. Sometimes you just have to. I was Christmas shopping with my wife after having put in a really stressful time investigating a child homicide (2 year old strangled by a babysitter) in a huge department store. It was about 8:30 PM and dead of winter when this guy in front of me had a little one (maybe 6-7 years old) by the hand and was dragging her along through the store. The kid was cranky and was obviously tired. This guy hauls off and backhanded her across the face, really hard. I'm not proud of it but it took 3 security guards to get me off him. He went to jail that night and my wife didn't talk to me for 2 days. |
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Coconuts
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the rule with most police departments is to be a good witness and only get involved if you can do so safely. because the officer is not on duty they are not using a bullet proof vest and might not have a weapon so it might not be safe for them to get in the middle of something. |
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fr_chuck
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While it can depend on departments and the rules, yes if you see a serious crime in process, or someone is going to get hurt, or someone is hurt you have a obligation and requirement to act. Most departments require officers to carry a weapon 24 hours a day.
And yep my wife has droped me off in a McDonalds parking lot several times to do a drug bust ( larger one, not small dealer) my wife let me out of the car when she noted a house in our block with the door standing open.
And I did a great clothes line on a man that had robbed a grocrey store as he ran out of the store.
As a matter of fact I had more and better arrests off duty than I ever did on duty.
So your day off is ruined with reports and the such, So when a police officer gets married, she is marring into the department, being a police officer is not a job it is really a life style. |
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jamesanderson22
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A police officer is sworn to up hold the law (24/7). |
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frozen339
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In addition to what everyone else said, I don't know about every state, but in Texas if you have a concealed handgun license, you have to intervene. It is our duty as a society to intervene anyway. 9/11 wouldn't have happened if we as a society were not scared of a few guys with "box cutters". |
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TarKettle
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I suppose it's similar to being a doctor, only more critical. A doctor and a cop are both trained and can take action at a moment's notice, no matter when and where.
I cannot use the term enough: police culture. The all-embodying, all-pervasive lifestyle of law enforcement, including their language, habits, social network, ethics, and family. |
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Fideland46
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If you are off duty you don't have to, but you should unless it is extremely violent, and don't have a service weapon. |
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just_acali_girl
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they have to at least call it in |
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gelene76
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yes |
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con.rocker
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good question. If they see some law being broken, they must correct it. Technically they are on duty 24/7. They may be off duty, but that just means that they don't have to do patrol or be called upon when help is needed. But when they see something with their very own eyes, they must help. |
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*****
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If your family and kids are with you, you are suppose to secure their safety first, and then act accordingly. No one expects you to be John Wayne and get your family hurt. |
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tomcat72667
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even if they was ant honor bound too they would anyway man a police officer cant stop when he's off duty because he knows in his heart that its him that the buck stops on! |
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Love always, Kortnei
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You are supposed to leave your family in a safe place and intervine |
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cgd g
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someguy Is this you? … :)!
http://www.osoq.com/funstuff/extra/extra01.asp?strName=someguy |
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BrutalBaby
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I believe they do. My husband was trained to talk to me about what to do if that happens. We are to get away from him and hide as quickly and safely as possible. That way, when he's a target, we aren't too. :o) |
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squidly leu
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Yes,but if I got to put down my donut,someone's going to get a beating. |
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