Ferguson discussion thread (FERGUDISHU)

[ssb]

According to police, the officer was working for a private security company at the time, patrolling a specific neighborhood, when he encountered three men he thought were acting suspiciously at about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. When they saw the officer make a U-turn, they fled, police said.

“One of them ran in a way that the officer believed that he was armed with a gun – holding his waist band, not running at full stride,” Dotson said, referring to the 18-year old.

The officer, who was wearing a Metropolitan Police Department uniform, drove through the streets after them, then left his car and chased the group on foot. One of the men then turned toward the officer and approached him “in an aggressive manner,” Dotson said. The 18-year-old and the officer got into a physical altercation.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/m...olice-officer/

Is it common for off-duty LE to be working security gigs while in uniform? Plenty of off-duty officers/deputies work security in downtown Memphis. I've never once ran into one who was in uniform while doing so.

It seems to me that the uniform would blur the distinction in roles between a private security guy and a cop, at least with respect to the public's perception thereof ("Am I interacting with an officer who's performing official duties or a private security guy who has no more special powers than I do under state law?"). Does their legal authority change at all once off duty? What if they're working security?

[HCM]

Policing is regional and it varies state to state.

Officers working off duty in uniform is very common here in TX and the officers retain full authority.

In NY it's very common for LEOs to work off duty security jobs but I don't recall ever seeing one working off duty in uniform.

[TR675]

Very common in Texas; I see them constantly standing around in the grocery stores here looking incredibly bored.

I have to wonder if grocery store robberies were once a thing around here or if off-duty cops are somehow cheaper/better than loss prevention officers.

[HCM]

Very common in Texas; I see them constantly standing around in the grocery stores here looking incredibly bored.

I have to wonder if grocery store robberies were once a thing around here or if off-duty cops are somehow cheaper/better than loss prevention officers.

Yes Grocery store robberies were a thing back when most people paid cash - now not so much.

I see them at Whole foods and the less savory local malls. You will aldo see them at some nightclubs and bars. I think it's more a presence / maintain order thing than armed robbery deterrence but shootings aren't uncommon. The shoot out in which Jared Reston was shot in the face occurred while he was working an off duty job at the mall in Jacksonville FL.

There are uniformed off duty officers patroling at my older sons apt complex nights and weekends and it was a selling point after his experiences at his last apt.

[TR675]

Yes Grocery store robberies were a thing back when most people paid cash - now not so much.

I see them at Whole foods and the less savory local malls. You will aldo see them at some nightclubs and bars. I think it's more a presence / maintain order thing than armed robbery deterrence but shootings aren't uncommon. The shoot out in which Jared Reston was shot in the face occurred while he was working an off duty job at the mall in Jacksonville FL.

There are uniformed off duty officers patroling at my older sons apt complex nights and weekends and it was a selling point after his experiences at his last apt.

I understand the malls, nightclubs and bars, even the local Kroger that has a high percentage of dirtbag shoppers...but seeing them in the Whole Foods is kind of weird (security theater much?). Not that most of the people in Whole Foods don't deserve a face-full of OC, but they don't usually present much of an opportunity for it.

[MDS]

I understand the malls, nightclubs and bars, even the local Kroger that has a high percentage of dirtbag shoppers...but seeing them in the Whole Foods is kind of weird (security theater much?). Not that most of the people in Whole Foods don't deserve a face-full of OC, but they don't usually present much of an opportunity for it.

In Miami, I agree. But the Whole Foods off 75(?) in Dallas had better people, and the best beer selection of any grocery I've ever seen.


ETA - I'm going to guess the officer didn't have a body cam?

[DiscipulusArmorum]

Off-duty officers doing retail security in uniform is quite common in my area (Metro Atlanta). I see them mostly at grocery stores (even the "nice" Publix in the high-end area near the private university) and gas stations, particularly those that stay open late or all night. Just a few months ago, an officer working an off-duty job at a Waffle House not far outside Atlanta died after being shot in the back while restraining an unruly customer. The officer's brother, a private citizen with a weapons carry license, shot and stopped the perp, who unfortunately survived.

Even after this well-publicized incident, many or even most of the officers I see doing these off-duty jobs have their faces buried in their smartphones a good portion of the time. I've never spent a day in a cop's uniform, so forgive me if this is presumptuous, but is it not true that "on" or "off" the job, if you're in uniform, you're a target and should thus maintain good SA?

[HCM]

Yes, you should maintain good SA. In fairness, many officers are underpaid and /or become hooked on side job money and wind up working 80 hours or more a week. The fatigue associated with these hours and the inherent issues with shift work have become an officer safety issue in some instances. The issues with drowsy driving are well known and the Force Science Research Center has done research on the effects of fatigue on decision making as it relates to use of force.

[farscott]

Policing is regional and it varies state to state.

Officers working off duty in uniform is very common here in TX and the officers retain full authority.

In NY it's very common for LEOs to work off duty security jobs but I don't recall ever seeing one working off duty in uniform.

In rural Alabama where I live, the local grocery store (Hometown Grocery) always has an off-duty officer in full uniform in the store with his city cruiser in the parking lot when the store is open. A lot of groceries are paid for with cash in this area, and the added police presence has reduced the number of robberies.

[TCinVA]

Policing is regional and it varies state to state.

Officers working off duty in uniform is very common here in TX and the officers retain full authority.

In NY it's very common for LEOs to work off duty security jobs but I don't recall ever seeing one working off duty in uniform.

Just as a further example, it's pretty much standard practice in Virginia for colleges and universities to employ uniformed police officers...including state troopers...to work security for athletic events like football games.