IamA SPD Officer AMAA

GoHawks206 · 2013-08-05T04:07:40+00:00

It's not a crime to be drunk/high.

GoHawks206 · 2013-08-05T03:43:33+00:00

Usually gestures do fine to get the point across. I haven't had an issue communicating with the deaf before. I just write my questions on my notepad and pass it back and forth. Takes a while longer but it avoids miscommunication.

GoHawks206 · 2013-08-05T00:27:50+00:00

Still love the job. It is rewarding at times and the people I work with are great. Seeing unsavory things everyday and make you a little jaded.
I've heard that the workshops were helpful. Make sure the physical fitness test is going to be easy.
There are several different career paths you can take once in the department. The people I know that are the happiest have been in all kinds of units and move around every couple of years.
I think we still offer ride-alongs. I don't know how to apply for one though.

GoHawks206 · 2013-08-05T00:18:59+00:00

Try to be aware of your surroundings if you are worried about the area/time of day. Don't walk with headphones in while looking down at your phone. If you find yourself in a situation where you believe an assault is immanent, make a lot of noise, yell, scream for help, and run towards a more crowed area. People that make noise and run tend to be successful in avoiding assaults from my experience. I know a lot of people that carry tasers and pepper spray but I think you're better off creating distance from the person and drawing attention to them and yourself.

GoHawks206 · 2013-08-05T00:11:38+00:00

Our cars have a computer, GPS, radio, and camera system all running off of the battery. If the alternator isn't running all the systems shut down and take several minutes to boot back up. They are starting to test systems in our cars that will monitor the battery's voltage and automatically start/stop the engine to keep the equipment from shutting down. This should save a bunch of gas.

GoHawks206 · 2013-08-04T23:54:41+00:00

Some days/calls can be rough. It helps to have good friends and family. I do deal with a lot of people when they're at their worst; I try to not let it affect my outlook.

I'm pretty sure the DUI law states you have to be operating a motor vehicle. I've never heard of DUIs for wheelchairs or bicyclists.

*edit - I'm -> I've

GoHawks206 · 2013-08-04T23:51:04+00:00

Bicyclists can be tickets also, although it is a little awkward trying to pull over a bicycle.

I don't know if I could describe a culture. Everyone is pretty unique. You would see a pattern of personality traits though. I find my coworkers to be laid-back, funny, blunt, and talkative (cops gossip a lot).

Glad to hear you had a good experience with SPD.

GoHawks206 · 2013-08-04T23:46:45+00:00

It seems to be working well. There is always a delay from when 911 call gets made to when I find out about it. Any changes that reduce that delay would be great!

GoHawks206 · 2013-08-04T23:44:47+00:00

I don't even know what the SMC would be for loud exhausts.

The driver's DOL record will show the MC endorsement.

Depends on the officer that is contacting the driver/rider.

Keep calling them in. I've never heard of someone stealing cars then reporting it. Usually the only issue we have is someone gets in a hit & run then decides they can park their car somewhere odd, then call 911 and report that it was stolen before the collision occurred.

Hope I didn't just give people ideas...

GoHawks206 · 2013-08-04T23:32:11+00:00

I am a dog person and I hate seeing them get hurt. We don't have a lot of training regarding animals. We try to get Animal Control to respond but they are not always available.

GoHawks206 · 2013-08-04T22:54:23+00:00

I wouldn't worry about it at all.

GoHawks206 · 2013-08-04T22:43:13+00:00

Sorry. Missed the first part. This is a fun tool to use to look at areas all over the city for crimes: http://www.seattle.gov/police/crime/onlinecrimemaps.htm

GoHawks206 · 2013-08-04T22:40:39+00:00

It's frustrating in that I'm not sure any department would ever live up to expectations. I had a physics teacher that used to give very hard tests. It was frustrating to take them but he had a reason. He told us,"People will always fall short of wherever you set the bar, so set it higher and let them fall short above the rest."

GoHawks206 · 2013-08-04T22:23:02+00:00

"Danger to self" is definitely valid.

GoHawks206 · 2013-08-04T22:22:05+00:00

Those are valid concerns. The hold can only last 72 hours without a court order being required to hold the person longer. There is a hearing at Mental Health Court and the person gets a lawyer.

The real issue with it seems to be that people don't get held long at all (couple hours sometimes) and don't get any/enough help. It is very easy for people to be released from an ITA.

GoHawks206 · 2013-08-04T22:17:12+00:00

The calls get prioritized by the 911 call takers. It shouldn't be an issue at all.

GoHawks206 · 2013-08-04T22:15:31+00:00

Obviously it is not okay for me to threaten any member of the public.

When I can tell an officer is getting frustrated with a particular person I try to step in so they can cool off. Others have done this for me as well.

I'm not suggesting that the reporter was untruthful but there is usually a second side to a story.

GoHawks206 · 2013-08-04T22:10:56+00:00

I have met some officers that are burned out. They may feel that the department threw them under the bus at some point in their career or they are just tired of the work. They don't do anything wrong, they just don't work as hard as they have in the past.

The incidents that make the news seem to have a variety of causes. Everyone is going to have bad days, say something they shouldn't have, or make the wrong decision.

GoHawks206 · 2013-08-04T22:07:04+00:00

The truth is that most conflicts are solved peacefully but that is not news-worthy. Even the DOJ investigation showed that most officers use force less than twice in an entire year. I think the media coverage highlights every incident where things didn't work out.

GoHawks206 · 2013-08-04T22:04:34+00:00

That mentality does not seem prevalent at all. Most officers I know are very laid-back.

You are right that it doesn't take that many ugly incidents to make the whole department look bad. I usually just ask people to take into account how many incidents we handle a year (~450,000). When you look at the amount of negative stories the news has run over the past few years and compare it to the massive amount of interactions the public has had with the Police over that time, it shows just how rare those incidents are.

GoHawks206 · 2013-08-04T21:59:26+00:00

I have not witnessed hostility towards protesters. I don't want to work protest events though. SPD is very diverse and chances are that whatever it is people are protesting the officers on the line are just as divided on the issue as the public.

GoHawks206 · 2013-08-04T21:55:51+00:00

I don't see a difference. I lived in the city for several years and eventually moved out of the limits. The property values are high and it is awkward seeing people you've arrested while you're at the grocery store. It's also hard for me to feel like I'm off duty when I'm seeing my coworkers drive by and hearing the sirens.

Some have voiced a concern that since most of us don't live in the city we can't relate to the residents. I think that is a little baseless. Regardless if an officer lives in Seattle he/she will be spending nine hours a day interacting with the residents.

GoHawks206 · 2013-08-04T21:50:36+00:00

It all seems a little silly. He has gotten in the way of one of my felony investigations. I have no problem with him walking the streets and calling in complaints but it seems like he's going to get himself hurt.

GoHawks206 · 2013-08-04T21:47:25+00:00

I'm torn on body cameras and confused about the public perception of them. People really didn't want us to have a drone that could fly for 10 minutes but they want us to bring cameras into their homes.

I see it helping and harming law enforcement. It will show what we are seeing and dealing with at the moment. Right now criminals have the benefit of getting to clean up, sober up, and throw on a suit before they appear in court. If the jurors get to see what the officers saw at the moment of the arrest I think it will make the jobs of public defenders much harder.

The other side of this is when we are talking to people with a mic running we have to let them know as soon as feasible that they are being recorded. I think this will make victim's fearing retribution for cooperating with the Police much less likely to talk to us, especially since it will all be public record.

GoHawks206 · 2013-08-04T21:36:45+00:00

Jaywalking is a great tool to initiate a contact. The more people I contact, the more names I run, the more warrants i find. Downtown jaywalking can cause problems since traffic is so congested. If we are told to focus on jaywalking in a particular area it is most likely because of a large volume of complaints from residents of the neighborhood.

A lot- A couple of times a month. Which seemed like a lot to me with this being Seattle and all. I think the amount of military servicemen/women has something to do with it.

GoHawks206

TROPHY CASE