1)  what was the most unintellegent criminal you've ever come in contact with?
I look at crime and I see this, there are two types organized and unorganized. Usually its the lone wolves that do the silliest things

2) is it true that the worst cops are the rookies that want to arrest the world and the old timers who've seen it all and know it all  and don't give a damn about no one and nothing?

3) have you ever arrested someone that honestly you felt sorry for?

4) what is the best state to be a cop?

5) where do the federal wildlife guys come into play, are they real cops and what would you say to a young military guy wanting to get into this field?

6) what is the most dangerous job that a cop can have? trooper , border partol , swat or other?

7) As a LEO, what sidearm do you carry and what sidearm would you prefer to carry?

You sound pretty young.

1.  Too many to count or to even decide.  Probably 99% of crime is disorganized crime.  Just some idiot trying to support a drug habit.

2.  Not true at all.  Some rookies are a disaster and some old timers won't do a damn thing but that's not a hard and fast rule.  Some rookies are very hard working and care about their jobs and the people who they serve.  Some old timers are still hard at work arresting the bad guys. Anyone who says that they know it all is a danger to themselves and those around them.

3.  I've arrested a few people who I felt sorry for.  Not many though.

4.  No idea.

5.  Don't now anything about it.  

6.  That's a very subjective question.

7.  Glock 22 or Glock 19.  I'm happy.

If you are interested in LE then spend a little time around here and look at old posts.  Many of your questions will be answered.

1.  I have caught organized criminals as well as unorganized criminals.  After a while on the streets, you begin to know whats what.

2.  That statement is not true.  The worst cops are the ones who got into the job thinking it is one thing, only to find out it's not what they thought it was, but they won't move on to another career field.

3.  Occasionally, yes.

4.  Anywhere but CA.

5.  Yes, they have arrest powers.  If you like the outdoors, you would like being in the Game Warden type of work.

6.  A County Deputy IMO.  Usually handles all types of calls for service involving many forms of violence but is rarely with a backup officer close at hand.  Generally a long way off from the nearest hospital as well.

7.  Any quality semi auto in .40 S&W or larger.  I currently carry a Glock 22 and although I would rather carry a Beretta 96 in .40 S&W, I have no complaints with the Glock.

1. Guy looks at cop car at traffic light.  Guy makes right turn squealing tires and throws gravel onto police car.  As police car follows, guy stuffs somethig under seat.  When stopped, police find an empty holster during pat down.  Gun that fits holster found under seat.  Subject isconvicted felon. Subject goes to federal prison for being stupid

1.5 Guys hotrods in neighborhood.  Soccer mom yells at guy telling him to slow down.  Usual response to soccer mom would be middle finger extended out the car window.  Guy want to be original... guy point gun at soccer mom.  Soccer mom calls police.  Police arrive and ask for car description. Soccer mom stops describing car and point behind police officer at the same hotrodding car as it goes past her house... hotridding...  and says "that car".  Guy gets stopped. Gun found. Guy goes to federal prison for felon in possession of a firearm.  ...guy goes to jail for being stupid!

2.  No.  Worst cops are those who's self confidence level far exceeds their skill level.

3. Nope

4. A state of being within less than 60 days until able to retire!

5. No... but if you like that stuff... go for it!

6.  Directing traffic and off duty trolling for shoplifters!!!   You will get your ass run over and get in more fights than you ever dreamed!!!

7.  I carry a Glock 22.  I used to carry as a primary a midsized Glock in .357 SIG (and wish I still could)... but, we transitioned to an agency owned weapon only as a primary gun.  I would not carry a .357 SIG if I worked at night or in low light conditions.  It throws a fire ball the size of a basket ball.  Screws with night vision... and if there was a doubt where the cop is... the mystery is over when they hear the BOOM and see the huge fire ball.  BUT I LOVE THAT CALIBER!!!!

P.S.  In almost 30 years of LE, I have never once found a MENSA membership card during a search or inventory of a wallet!!!

Quoted: 1)  what was the most unintellegent criminal you've ever come in contact with? I look at crime and I see this, there are two types organized and unorganized. Usually its the lone wolves that do the silliest things   I had a suspect once who had a Meth lab and needed some anhydrous ammonia, so he stole some from a farmer in the field.   He placed a Yuban can with plastic lid under the tank, collected his ammonia and placed the lid on.   Half way home in the back seat with the can between his legs, (his friends driving) the lid popped off and the ammonia saturated his crotch.   He received chemical burns all over his crotch.   2) is it true that the worst cops are the rookies that want to arrest the world and the old timers who've seen it all and know it all  and don't give a damn about no one and nothing?  Negative, the rookies can be trained, it's the guys close to retirement who don't give a shit.   At least rookies will try.   3) have you ever arrested someone that honestly you felt sorry for? Yes, This guy came home drunk one last time and when I found him he was underneath the coffee table with little round divits in his forehead.   Damned if I could not figure out how he got the divits.  He damn sure did not know either, he was too drunk.   Then his wife got mad and pulled off her high heels to hit him again and then it became obvious, she hit him with the small heels in the head.   4) what is the best state to be a cop? FOR SURE NOT CALIFORNIA ! ! ! 5) where do the federal wildlife guys come into play, are they real cops and what would you say to a young military guy wanting to get into this field?  Don't know. 6) what is the most dangerous job that a cop can have? trooper , border partol , swat or other?   Violent crime suppression Unit. (VCSU)  Varies from state to state on the name but the job is the same.   Follow/surviell the most violent offenders as they are released from prison cause you know they will violate their parole with 24-72 hours by some violent act like car jacking or robbery.  When they act/violate, you arrest them, usually there is a shooting(s).     7) As a LEO, what sidearm do you carry and what sidearm would you prefer to carry?   Glock Model 22 .40S&W.   Off duty - Glock Model 22 .40S&W

1. The dumbass who ran out of gas while I was chasing him for a bank robbery in SC. He had money
   of his own (not the bank's) when I searched him, but he wouldn't pay for gas for the getaway car,
   since it belonged to his wife.
1a. The other DA (maybe they were related) who shoved the dye pack from the S&L robbery down
     into his pants when he saw a patrol car pull into the parking lot (Chief of Police coming to the
     drive-in window to deposit his paycheck). The dye pack exploded, burned his family jewels, &
     when a TV reporter in the area looking for a story shoved a microphone in his face, he confessed
     on camera to the robbery.
2. Sometimes, but not always. The worst cops to me are the ones who are so lazy they want someone
   else to do all the work for them.
3. Yeah, a few guys whose wives/GFs found out they could use the BS domestic violence orders to
   have the old man locked up for 48 hrs. so they could go party....
4. No idea. My only experience is in NC. Pay & benefits suck, but public support for L/E is a lot better
   than some other places. Cost of living is lower too, so it's not completely one-sided.
5. Yeah, wildlife officers, NC & federal are real officers. I'd as soon have most of the wildlife officers
   with me on a hot call as anyone I know. Our county is rural, so all the agencies work closely to-
   gether. City, county, NCHP, wildlife; everybody looks out for everybody. That's the way it's
   supposed to be, IMO.
6. I understand Border Patrol is pretty hairy, but that's not from personal experience. In our area,
   it's probably our deputies, since we are spread real thin, & backup is often a ways off. By the same
   token, the wildlife officers are usually even farther from backup, & virtually EVERYBODY they deal
   with is armed.
7. Issue sidearm for uniforms is the H&K USP45. Backup is a Kahr PM9. I work plainclothes now, so
   I can carry anything the Sheriff will approve. Usually that is a Springfield Armory Lightweight
   Commander .45. For anything tactical, usually the USP.

Quoted: 1)  The biggest dumbasses are mentals, usually feices throwers! 2)Rookies can be bad, but not always. Sometimes there is the older guys that like to be different, (we have a female who just doesn't get it) Our rookie of 9 months is better than her of 14 years. 3) I arrest people I feel sorry for all the time. FOC. 4) The best state to be a cop in? Anywhere other than Cali. Whichever pays the higest. 5) Wildlife and DNR (Dept. of Natural Resources) arn't cops per-say, but they are leo's, they go to their own academy, and carry a gun and have arrest powers. It usually pays pretty well. 6) The most dangerious job depends on the dept. The person who lets his guard down cause he thinks his job is unimportant is going to be in the most danger. 7) In my dept we must carry a Sig P226 or P228. I would rather carry a Glock .40.

Random LEO garbage from 28 years of service.

1. Most fun, stupid, waste of time arrest. Responded to a prowler/suspicious person call... guy peeping ladys windows. Im checking aroung and I keep hearing a chirping noise. I finally locate it and it was a young guy with a hearing aid with a low battery that makes a chirping noise when the battery is low. Busted over a low hearing aid battery...how stupid.

2. The cop industry has changed to such a degree in this many years you cant even begin to explain it to a rookie. While I intend to make NO judgement on this statement cops use to be a brotherhood...BIG TIME. Now officers in their own agency are writing each other tickets and making arrests for minor issues. Again I make no statement of approval or disdaproval, just a change in demeanor and an observation. I do NOT believe cops are above the law.

3. Major influx of female officers. Your on a hot call. Fixing to be in a fight with one or more big bad ass badguys. You call for backup and know who is coming is a 5'3" 110 pound well trained female cop...good or bad? Feel safeer now or still feel the fight is up to you???

4. The paper work on a simple DWI in Texas will take up an entire shift. By the time your finished the guy will be sober, have made bond, be eating breakfast with his wife and your still missing lunch...its CRAZY...

5. Best state is where I live...Texas... But any state that you like will be best for you. Happiness where you work and play is 1/2 the game.

6. Most dangerous job...Routine patrol answering every call that comes in. The last call was a false alarm...this one is a family of huge angry men all focused on you while your lone female backup is out having coffee.

7. Weapon of choice...my Glock 40 cal.

And as a final note I am not one that thinks women do not have a place in LEO... Its just that I was there for the transition. Hell ive met several im sure could kick my ass and yours with me with NO  trouble at all....but as a side note the courthouse shooting today was when a BIG male "overpowered" a female and took her weapon. He might not have done the same to a 6'6" 225 pound deputy...

My Final Chapter.

I asked  a rookie how they were able to motivate a degreed inteligent young man to take on a cops job these days with the way things have become, still poor pay, all the idiots trying to either kill you or sue you or get you fired...he simply said...We didnt know how it was 25 years ago. So none of the changes have mattered to us. They got us just like they got you years ago. Its what you wanted to do.

If your wanting to become a cop go major department of Federal... and BEST OF LUCK TO YA

Quoted: 1)  what was the most unintellegent criminal you've ever come in contact with? I look at crime and I see this, there are two types organized and unorganized. Usually its the lone wolves that do the silliest things CWCinTexas has the best one on that. But me? Well I arrested same guy twice for the same thing. The second time; His car gets a flat. Where does he park it all half assed? RIGHT IN FRONT of  my / same dept i booked him at. Worse, ya think he would've taken the drugs outta the car before he left it there. 2) is it true that the worst cops are the rookies that want to arrest the world and the old timers who've seen it all and know it all  and don't give a damn about no one and nothing? Well, I'm a "rookie". Personally, I'm careful not to bite off more than I can chew. I'm certainly consious about not wanting to put myself in a situation that emarrasses my dept. or myself. Every "rookie" I know (from other depts as well), and have this discussion with agree on what I just said. We don't want to earn the lable as the "typical rook". 3) have you ever arrested someone that honestly you felt sorry for? I really had to think about this one. I'm sure they'll be a day, but for now, NO not really. 4) what is the best state to be a cop? heard the suburbs of memphis were pretty kewl? 5) where do the federal wildlife guys come into play, are they real cops and what would you say to a young military guy wanting to get into this field? Refer to the other MI LEO's comments. Thankfully I've only seen them comin & going at court and haven't "run" into them out in the field (for my sake).  Our DNR friends here in MI have a notorious reputation. 6) what is the most dangerous job that a cop can have? trooper , border partol , swat or other? Can't answer that one 7) As a LEO, what sidearm do you carry and what sidearm would you prefer to carry? I carry a Glock22. I wouldn't mind carrying a HKUSP 40. That sounds pretty kewl.

Quoted: 1)  what was the most unintellegent criminal you've ever come in contact with? I look at crime and I see this, there are two types organized and unorganized. Usually its the lone wolves that do the silliest things   Most criminals are not too bright.  I had a guy try to sell me dope while in uniform in a marked cruiser. 2) is it true that the worst cops are the rookies that want to arrest the world and the old timers who've seen it all and know it all  and don't give a damn about no one and nothing? Another vote for any officer that thinks he knows more than he actually does is a danger to himself and me.   3) have you ever arrested someone that honestly you felt sorry for?  Not very often, occasionally a DUI arrest where I know it was an honest mistake.  Yes I still arrested him. 4) what is the best state to be a cop? No clue.  I'm sure it is all about the same 5) where do the federal wildlife guys come into play, are they real cops and what would you say to a young military guy wanting to get into this field?  Have at it 6) what is the most dangerous job that a cop can have? trooper , border partol , swat or other?  Every aspect of law enforcement has it's own dangers.  any job where backup is not within 2 minutes gets my vote. 7) As a LEO, what sidearm do you carry and what sidearm would you prefer to carry? I carry a P226 9mm.  Would prefer a Glock.

I'm reserve deputy in training looking to go full time and I was a cadet for 2.5 years so I'll provide an answer but the guys above me have much better answers! Experience is a great thing, learning from the guys that have been around longer is very important.

1)  what was the most unintellegent criminal you've ever come in contact with?
Just about anyone who commits blatent traffic violations with a revoked/suspended driver's license while there's a marked patrol car visible. I've witnessed 4 or 5 of these in my short time. One had a pile of other warrants too.

2) is it true that the worst cops are the rookies that want to arrest the world and the old timers who've seen it all and know it all  and don't give a damn about no one and nothing? My current training officer says that the rookies are scared of everything so it keeps them on their toes. We're a little more alert at times because we haven't seen everything so the complacency hasn't set in yet. The old guys I know are still cops because they like making arrests and are really good at helping out the new guys. I'm going to +1 the dangerous guys are the ones that think they know more than they do, think they can John Wayne anything, and the rookies that watch far too many movies

3) have you ever arrested someone that honestly you felt sorry for? Yeah, the guy needed to go to jail, and he did, but we had to cuff him in front of his kid and that was pretty hard. The guy was being compliant and cooperative, if he wasn't it wouldn't have been hard at all.

4) what is the best state to be a cop? I say somewhere in the Rocky Mountain States. I'm partial to Idaho and Montana That will vary by person though

5) where do the federal wildlife guys come into play, are they real cops and what would you say to a young military guy wanting to get into this field? Depends on where you're at. Here some of the FWP and FS guys have been deputized by the Sheriff so they can help the deputies out when needed. They do have some federal arrest power too. If that's what you want to do go for it. I'd prefer to be a Deputy Sheriff though. In this county we get to do a little bit of everything.

6) what is the most dangerous job that a cop can have? trooper , border partol , swat or other? I say pretty much anything involving traffic. Especially doing anything involving intoxicated drivers, road drug interdiction, and the unknown risk traffic stops. What seems like a regular stop is the one most likely to bite you.

7) As a LEO, what sidearm do you carry and what sidearm would you prefer to carry? I'm going to carry a H&K P2000 in .40 S&W and that's what I want to carry. This department is very good in they let us carry almost any reasonable weapon and in any reasonable caliber. I also considered a Glock 35 (what most of the deputies here carry).

Quoted: 1)  what was the most unintellegent criminal you've ever come in contact with? I look at crime and I see this, there are two types organized and unorganized. Usually its the lone wolves that do the silliest things Any meth addict (meth monkey) or crackhead 2) is it true that the worst cops are the rookies that want to arrest the world and the old timers who've seen it all and know it all  and don't give a damn about no one and nothing? Yes 100% true. The worst ones are the ones that think they exist to screw with people and stroke everybody for as many tickets as possible or the ones that don't give a shit anymore and wouldn't jump if a snake was about to strike. 3) have you ever arrested someone that honestly you felt sorry for? Never. 4) what is the best state to be a cop? I've only been a policeman in Tn and I wouldn't want to move anywhere else. 5) where do the federal wildlife guys come into play, are they real cops and what would you say to a young military guy wanting to get into this field? Yes they are real cops but I have no advice for you I don't know that much about them. I do have a couple of friends that work for the Tennessee Valley Authority Police Department. They are Federal Policeman but have jurisdiction to make arrests on the state level. 6) what is the most dangerous job that a cop can have? trooper , border partol , swat or other? Troopers and rural sheriff's deputies have it the worst due to a lack of backup. 7) As a LEO, what sidearm do you carry and what sidearm would you prefer to carry? Where I work now I have carried an issues 9mm Glock 17, my personal 9mm Beretta 92G and now an issued .40 cal Glock 22. The department that I'm laterally transferring to will issue me a .45acp Glock 21. Personally I prefer my Beretta 92G. Some don't like the Beretta's but mine has been more reliable than any Glock I've had and it fits my hand perfectly. But I'm looking forward to getting a Glock 21 in the next couple of weeks too. I've always wanted one.

Quoted: 1)  what was the most unintellegent criminal you've ever come in contact with? That's a tough one.....since just when I think I have seen the dumbest crook, I find one even dumber. I look at crime and I see this, there are two types organized and unorganized. Usually its the lone wolves that do the silliest things Not necessarily......I have found that idiots of a feather, seem to flock together. 2) is it true that the worst cops are the rookies that want to arrest the world and the old timers who've seen it all and know it all  and don't give a damn about no one and nothing? I don't know about worst..... Rookies tend to be hyper and paranoid.  They are hyper in that they want to stop every car they see and run to every call at warp speed.  They are paranoid in that they don't want to make a mistake and they are expecting everyone to be out to kill them. The old timers tend to take things easier when going to calls and they don't stop every car in sight......but when they do stop a car it is usually for a damned good reason and it will certainly be worth their while.  Sure, sometimes you have old timers who have the FIDO syndrome (Fuck It, Drive On), but they all aren't like that. 3) have you ever arrested someone that honestly you felt sorry for? Yes.   4) what is the best state to be a cop? Tough to say, since I haven't been a cop in every state.....but i woud sayVirginia 5) where do the federal wildlife guys come into play, are they real cops and what would you say to a young military guy wanting to get into this field? I don't know any, but I suppose that if you like the woods and chasing after poachers, it could be fun... 6) what is the most dangerous job that a cop can have? trooper , border partol , swat or other? That really depends on a lot of different things.  Each has it's own elements of danger. All of them, but especially troopers and local traffic cops, are constantly coming into contact with people that they don't know every time they conduct a traffic stop.  They don't know if the driver they are walking up on just robbed a convenience store and kiled the clerk or they are looking to commit suicide by cop, or whatever.  The smaller local departments usually have less resources so the officers have to do alot more by themselves and may have to wait longer for help if they need it than the larger departments.  The BP agents have to patrol out in the middle of nowhere with fairly limited resources and dealing with people who can easily try to kill them and then cross back across the border.  The local cops have to also deal with domestic disturbances and other highly charged, emotional, situations.  In all these cases, no matter what department, the officers and agents have to react to the threats that are presented to them.  Action always beats reaction....which automatically puts the officers at a disadvantage.   7) As a LEO, what sidearm do you carry and what sidearm would you prefer to carry? Glock 22 w/ Federal HiShoks.  For my duty gun, I have carry whatever the department issues me and I have to qualify with it twice a year.  The Glock has been reliable and it is simple to use, so I am happy with it.   I also have a Walther PPK/S for my backup/off duty gun.  I am issued Federal HiShoks for it as well and I have to qualify with it once a year.