It Helps to be an Ex-Cop

[BookstoreEscapee]

That's funny, and really what are the odds this guy is going to complain that an ex-cop showed him a badge to prevent him from doing something that he knew was illegal?

Slightly sortof related story:

I have an ex whose oldest brother is a cop in my town. While we were dating his brother once chased down a thief at the mall...which is technically out of his jurisdiction (he's a Mytown Boro cop, and the mall is in Mytown Township). He wasn't in uniform or anything but he held the guy until the Township cops got there (and got a nasty gash on his leg in the process). But his badge is legit...

[JustADude]

[H]is brother once chased down a thief at the mall...which is technically out of his jurisdiction (he's a Mytown Boro cop, and the mall is in Mytown Township).

I forget the exact name for it, but I think that's an extension of the Hot Pursuit statutes that are on the books in every single state. If a L.E.O. witnesses a crime in progress and is in active pursuit (i.e. they have eyeballs on the criminal) they are, basically, allowed to cross over any jurisdictional lines inside the boarders of the USA to continue the chase.

This was brought about because it used to be that you couldn't chase a crook past your jurisdiction, so they'd run for the edge of the state/county and stop just across the boarder to taunt the cops.

[Broomjockey]

Yes, but from the sounds of it, the chase started and ended in the mall, which is outside his jurisdiction. But I'd think at the very least he could do some sort of citizen's arrest and hold him for officers who's jurisdiction it is.

[Rahmota]

Back when I worked security our uniforms looked almost identical to the local police's (NOt by coincidence sicne the founder of the company was an ex cop) and we had to be careful to make sure people understood we where security and not police as to misrepresent ourselves or otherwise let people infer that we where police was a felony in Ohio. There is no fine line to walk. You flash a badge at someone and they are going to assume that you are a cop.

Yeah the guy was wrong to park there but the ex-cop was abusing his former power and position and needs his badge either taken away from him as its not a toy (which it sounds to me like he's using it as such) or welded to a big metal plate so it cannot be carried around but only hung on the wall.

Not funny at all IMO.

And as for the cop in the mall. From what I understand about LEO the powers are portable so if a mayberry cop is in retroville he is still a cop and can still apprehend people who commit a crime he just has to let the retroville cops do the actual cuffing and stuffing as well as take the official credit on the papers for the arrest.

[slavetotheman]

Not funny at all IMO.

You're in the minority then, Mr. Buzz Killington!

[Rahmota]

Why thank you.

With power comes responsibility. No matter how trivial the power may be. And to see people like that abusing it demeans and trivializes the power and authority of officers. And they wonder why people dont respect police officers more.

[JustADude]

Why thank you.

With power comes responsibility. No matter how trivial the power may be. And to see people like that abusing it demeans and trivializes the power and authority of officers. And they wonder why people don't respect police officers more.

Quick question: Would you consider it to be in any way an abuse of power if an actual officer had performed the exact same action?

I ask this because, to me, the perception that the man was an active officer there would mean that there was no demeaning or trivializing of authority if the action would be condoned if performed by someone who legitimately has that authority.

[Rahmota]

Ok OP was about a person who was not parked properly. Quite improperly to be exact. IRC that is a moving violation and not even technically in most jurisdictions a misdemeanor.

So if an ACTIVE duty officer showed up and saw this while he was on duty in the course of his normal activities then of course this would not be an abuse of power. If he was off duty and in plainclothes that would be pushing it but most likely still not a real abuse depending on how he did it as he is still at least an ACTIVE duty officer.

If he was an ACTIVE duty officer from another jurisdiction I would be less inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt as he is outside of his home area but he is still an ACTIVE duty officer and still has his powers, especially if the departments have reciprocity with each other, which IRC most do.

The OP's friend or any other RETIRED officer doing that is abusing their power. They are now longer a cop, they are a former cop. Their powers are gone and they are just another normal citizen. Him even having a badge that he could flash like that is wrong. He was commiting a felony, impersonating an officer is a felony in most areas IRC, regardless of what people want to laugh it off as he was commiting a much more serious criminal act so he could powertrip and stroke his ego by scaring sume dumb jerkl out of his pants. It is arrogant people like that that cause so many other problems and bad names for real ACTIVE duty officers.

Back when i was a security officer I was warned not to even try and act like a cop as I was not one and to do so with the security officer uniform (which with that company was exactly like the local PD uniform except for the patch on the shoulder and what the badge said. But who really looks that close at a badge?) would get you arressted and charges filed against you as well as even worse fired!

Sorry if I'm coming off as a spoilsport or jerk here but officers have enough issues dealing with thigns without egotistical pricks playing cop. If he flashes his badge for this how do we know he doesnt flash the badge to try and get special priviledges somewhere else or tries to play cop with other people he can push around. We dont for sure but if he carries it around with him I kinda doubt its just for sentimental reasons.

Thats why if an officer gets to keep his badge when he RETIRES then the badge should be permanently mounted to a frame or plaque at least a foot on a side to keep the person from being able to do this. Maybe someday someone will call his bluff. Lets hope its not someone who has a grudge against officers and wants to kill them.

What if the guy in the car had been wanted or something and opened fire to get away? The OP's dad's friend would have put his life and his innocent passengers lives in danger just so he could play cop again.

So basically an ACTIVE duty officer is an ACTIVE duty officer. Depending on the local and state ordinances he might be legally allowed to perform officer duties while off duty. Around here most are. While a RETIRED officer is nothign more than a regular citizen and limited to what power and authority any other citizen is. Auxillary officers are in that nasty gray area between citizen and officer. And anythign further on this should probably go to Fratching.

[JustADude]

To see people like that abusing it demeans and trivializes the power and authority of officers. And they wonder why people don't respect police officers more.

Would you consider it to be in any way an abuse of power if an actual officer had performed the exact same action?

If an ACTIVE duty officer showed up and saw this while he was on duty in the course of his normal activities then of course this would not be an abuse of power. If he was off duty and in plainclothes that would be pushing it but most likely still not a real abuse depending on how he did it...

Thank you for restating your original argument, Rahmota, but I just needed to know the part quoted above. I'm not arguing whether or not what he did was wrong, or about his general behavior. I'm arguing whether or not this specific instance had any negative impact on the perceptions of law enforcement by the public beyond the negative feelings that result from not getting your way.

Whether the man ACTUALLY was, or was not, an official LEO or no has no bearing on what the other person PERCEIVED the man to be. Because the person who was told to move PERCEIVED the man to be a real LEO, there is no loss to the respect to the police force as a result of his actions.

What he did was wrong ONLY because he was retired. The masquerade itself did not degrade or trivialize the authority of legitimate officers, because he was successful and the act itself would not have been degrading or trivializing the authority of a legitimate officer if one had performed said actions.

[Rahmota]

I suppose from one POV it may not be considered all that bad by some. Lets look at it from this way:

1: There is a person impersonating an officer. yeah the people he is fakign out may not know he isnt a real cop but if he is misusing the badge to do other stuff or get special favors then he is being detrimental and disrepectful to the image of officer everywhere.

2: In this particular instance fm the POV of the person he flashed the badge to all they saw was a person in civilian clothes flash a badge at them and act like a smug arrogant prick. At least that is how I would have interpreted it. Apparently the badge looked real enough or the person flashing it acted real enough that the person bought it.

3: So basically in the big picture of things this retired citizen former cop is still trying to play cowboy and impersonate an officer. If he did it the one time and carried it in his pocket I am sure he did it quite often. That kind of person is what gives the decent officer the same bad name as the bad officers. Not every officer is an arrogant tin plated dictator with delusions of god hood but enough are ( and I believe the OP was in the presence of one) that it makes it hard to sort them out sometimes.

I'm sorry that we have a different POV on this and if I'm not making myself clear on how I want to say or how I see this as such a bad thing. Either way you look at it all this did was give a bad impression of officers, (rightly or wrongly), and let a guy get off on his powertrip. Thats my opinion on it. Agree or not its your choice. I was just voicing my feeligns on it.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Either way you look at it all this did was give a bad impression of officers, (rightly or wrongly), and let a guy get off on his powertrip.

I agree wholeheartedly. His intention was clearly to mislead the other guy into thinking he was a cop. He was impersonating a law officer. Big no-no. He was in effect saying, "hey, you have to do what I say, I can arrest you," which is a lie.

Let's put it another way. What if someone puts a blue light on top of their car so they can speed or stop pretty girls while they are driving around? Kind of puts a creepy, dangerous spin on things, dunnit?

The guy was 100 percent in the wrong. I can only imagine he did this because he gets off on the power trip. Otherwise, what does he care where the guy parks?

I have no sense of humor when it comes to cops and their power trips.

[Crazeyal]

Ya know... There *IS* such a thing as a "reserve officer". Retired personel don't HAVE to work 9 - 5, but volunteer to train younger officers and act as backup during emergencies. They have limited powers, but are still considered part of the force. Off-duty officers have to get on-duty officers to take command of anyone they detain, and it is the same with reserve officers. Not all reserves are retirees, some are volunteers who haven't had police academy training yet, but are trying, or are people of military background. It varies from place to place, and I've seen recruitment posters in several states that I've live in.

Can THAT quell this little spat?

P.S. please don't take this as 100% fact, or an attempt at such. It's been over 20 years since I was in the military, and that was the largest exposure I had to the CHiPs and the NYPD. I've never been an Officer, or been involved in Policework, I just know what I've seen.

[Mark Healey]

Rahmota is right.

That pretend cop should be in jail.

[Ree]

Holy mountain out of a molehill, and way to veer off on a tangent and miss the point that some jerkwad was parking in a no parking area, and refused to budge, even after having it pointed out to him.

Everyone has jumped on the bandwagon here, in an effort to discredit the former police officer, and take potshots at law enforcement in general, without even knowing this man or the facts of his life, all based on one incident.
Even the OP doesn't know the facts of the guy's police career, and can't provide them, because the man is simply the father of a friend.

THE GUY PARKING ILLEGALLY WAS THE ONE BEING THE ASSHOLE!!!

That part has been completely overlooked in all of this.

How many times do we see customers just parking wherever the heck they please without regard to any signs?

Yeah..."impersonating a police officer", "abuse of power", blah, blah, blah...the man was a retired police officer. I really don't see that what he did IN THIS INSTANCE was that terribly bad. He prevented some moron from breaking the law.

What I find very sad is that the guy didn't have the common decency to park in the proper place to begin with, or even listen to the man when that fact was pointed out to him. It's very sad that the only reason he budged was because he saw a badge.

I think that says a lot more about his character than about the retired officer's.

[tollbaby]

Ree, I guess it's a matter of perspective.... we see asshats parking illegally every day, but it isn't every day that a NON police officer flashes a badge at you (which is every bit as much against the law as the first guy's parking offense). It's also a crime that carries a much higher penalty than illegal parking. Unfair? probably... I know the law is there to prevent jackasses from representing themselves as police officers to gain benefits or bully/abuse people....

it did become a bit of overkill though, didn't it?

I've always wished that the average joe could apply for the capacity to write tickets. I can't tell you how often I see people sitting in their cars in the disabled parking spots with NO sticker or double-parking to wait for someone after work, etc. Drives me up a tree.