Hi all,
I have an oddly specific question.
I’m looking to become a LEO next year, and after a year in hospital security, I’ve noticed something that I assume will come up in policing.
I like doing things by the book—it keeps things simple and avoids problems down the line. One of my posts is the metal detector at the ED, where we screen for contraband. After 10 PM, the main hospital doors close, and all visitors must enter through the ED, meaning we’re supposed to screen everyone. However, many officers don’t, saying, “We don’t screen them during the day, so why at night?” This leads to issues when contraband is later found upstairs, making us look bad and forcing us to do room searches.
Since I actually follow the rule, I get constant pushback from visitors: “I never had to do this before! Why are you singling me out?” Worse, officers at the nearby post will step in and override me, telling visitors to go through without screening. Management backs me up, saying I’m doing the right thing, but they don’t enforce it, and since officers are union-protected, nothing changes.
To be clear, as far as LE goes, I get that officer discretion is a thing, and I’m fine with gray areas. My issue is when inconsistency makes the job harder or punishes those who actually follow policy. Is this something I should just expect in LE?
For comparison: Let’s say I’m a new officer, fresh off FTO, and I decide an arrest is justified. Then a more senior officer steps in and says, “Nah, I let those ones go.” I feel like that would really bother me.
Does this kind of thing happen often? Should I expect this experience in LE? or are there things I can watch for to find a department where officers are on point and don’t cut corners. Thanks in advance!
Comments
The thing you’ll learn as a cop is that a lot of the “this has never happened to me before!” is bullcrap.
People will say anything to help them get their way.
Your department will not be the only department. People don’t make a distinction between getting stopped by the city cops, or the county sheriff, or the highway patrol, or being in the next town over, or whatever.
So you will just learn to ignore those things. It doesn’t matter if they’re true or not. This is YOUR call or YOUR stop or whatever, and you don’t care how it was last time, this is how we’re doing it now, and you drop back into your verbal judo 5 step or whatever and get back on track.
I’ve had grumbling from senior officers before. Listen to what they are saying, but don’t compromise on officer safety.
When you’re brand new you aren’t going to “get” discretion right away… and it’s going to burn you. The jaded beat cop with 5 years to go telling you not to arrest the public intox and let him slither into his apartment seems lazy and unmotivated.
But when you’re sitting in the ER for 4 hours past your shift waiting for a med clearance you will realize that the unmotivated and lazy guy with 2 ex wives as seen some shit and was trying to help you.
I can only speak to one department but from my experience there’s an unwritten rule of sorts that unless it’s a safety issue (for officers, civilians, suspects) or serious violation of someone’s rights or policy, you don’t overstep an officer or undermine their authority on scene.
So there may be some convos & disapproval from fellow officers after the fact, but i wouldn’t worry about the scenario you’re experiencing now