Why don't all Police Officers have an Ipad or Kindle with a copy of local, state and federal law's

In this day and age there is no excuse why Officers of the Peace(Cop's/Police Officers) can't have all the law's and legal precedents in their hands.

Granted an IPAD is expensive but I am sure the competing ebook machine Kindle would be more likely to cut a reasonable price to sell them in large numbers. And it would pay dividends in the long run as there would no longer be any excuses for police officers to break the law while enforcing the law.

It would make Police officers jobs so much clearer and easier. Heck there is only 700,000(like 850k+ if you count federal) police officers in the country(USA) so it would only cost like 350 million assuming the price is 500$ per machine.

And if they are able to get a deal of $100 per machine(with the providing company able to claim the difference as a tax write off) it could cost around 100 million. And if people want to be cheap about it, they could only buy enough for on duty cop's so figure around $50-75 million.

In the grand scheme of things it isn't all that expensive considering the long term savings in avoiding lawsuits due to police doing something stupid they thought was OK.

Two part answer.

First, in most cases, law enforcement is the bottom of the intellectual barrel. Most of them need that position to compensate for their varied inferiority complexes. Your actual do-good cops probably make up less than 10% of any given force.

Second, if they had access to the law, they might actually have to follow it. We can't have law enforcement actually bound by the law. It has to be a tool for them to use on us not for us.

We receive legal updates and continuing education classes every year. This includes case law on the state and federal levels. Even if you gave every officer a top of the line hand held computer, there would still be mistakes and numb skulls. Cops are humans just like you and everyone else. They will always make mistakes and bad judgement calls. Regardless of our tax dollars at work.
Seeashrink

PS: Fix the system and the cops will improve automatically. Not perfect, just improve.

reply to post by korathin


Excellent question. I agree that those who protect and serve,need to KNOW the laws,they are enforcing. They spend money on all types of other gear. This is a must,I say. Heres a link to my thread,that fully enforces your point.


Philly Police Harass, Threaten to Shoot Man Legally Carrying Gun

They do have access. They all do. By radio communication back to the base as needed. Thats how it works.

Example: "Unit 43 to base. Read me the statue on...."

An officer only has to suspect someone of committing a crime to detain them for questioning. At that point he's in communication with dispatch, who are giving him background info on the suspect and advising on the situation. So as long as he believes you are doing something wrong he can hold you for as long as necessary while a decision is made on weather or not a crime was committed based on what the officer witnessed.

Case in point: I was driving my friends car. He has a suspended license. I was pulled over having committed no crime. However the officer, after apparently running the plates on a hunch, saw that the registered owner of the car has a suspended license. So when he questioned me and found out I was not my friend, my license was fine, and the car wasn't stolen, he admitted that I was pulled over despite no crime being committed. I obviously wasn't ticketed so no harm done.

The point is that once you submit to their interpretation of the law they have all the time in the world to determine what crime was being determined. There is no need to force them to carry around another mishap prone electronic device, susceptible to hacking, having to worry about keeping it charged, dropping it, losing it, looking at pRon on it, updating facebooks on it etc.

Lest we forget, they also carry pistols, tasers, pepper spray, and billy clubs. They have legal and union protection in terms of the application of these weapons against you. I'm reminded of the immortal words of Gen Douglas MacArthur -- "Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never encountered automatic weapons"

We had to take classes throughout the year on law updates and stuff.

Many officers down here also carry a Lexisnexis book (used to be Gould)

www.lexisnexis.com...


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

Funny, I was going to make some witty retort of not wanting them to have fingertip access to some weird and silly Blue Laws to nail me for hitching a mule to a stop sign on Sundays or some other nonsense. So I started looking at the US Code, Title 18, Part 1 which is various crimes. It was here that I saw something a bit odd...

They probablly just would not want to explain these chapters' relationship to one another. Chapter 113 :

CHAPTER 113—STOLEN PROPERTY (§§ 2311—2323)
CHAPTER 113A—TELEMARKETING FRAUD (§§ 2325—2327)
CHAPTER 113B—TERRORISM (§§ 2331—2339D)
CHAPTER 113C—TORTURE (§§ 2340—2340B)

Reply to post by ZeroReady

No.

You can only be detained for a reasonable amount of time.

If you think your rights were infringed, file a complaint and contact a lawyer.


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

Originally posted by seeashrink
We receive legal updates and continuing education classes every year. This includes case law on the state and federal levels. Even if you gave every officer a top of the line hand held computer, there would still be mistakes and numb skulls. Cops are humans just like you and everyone else. They will always make mistakes and bad judgement calls. Regardless of our tax dollars at work.
Seeashrink

PS: Fix the system and the cops will improve automatically. Not perfect, just improve.

You know how vast the law's are? Lawyers are barely able to know everything and often have to hire paralegals to look stuff up for them. An Officer of the Peace first and foremost duty is to keep peace in a community. Not just write tickets or do drug bust's or enforce nanny state law's. You guy's/gal's(assuming you are an Officer of the Peace) have it hard enough as is.

But you are very right about needing to fix the legal system. Sometimes it seems unfair how Police Officers get the anger directed at them for the actions of local, state and federal legislators law's.

Because they'd sit and play 'Angry Birds' instead of trying to catch the criminals........

2nd line.

Reply to post by korathin

Most officers deal primarily with state and local laws.

After a few months on the job, you start seeing the same violations pop up.

If something is questionable, officers can easily look it up, or ask dispatch to.

And if an officer does not know some obscure law, it will not be enforced. So no worries there.

It is a lot easier than you think.


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

reply to post by korathin


You're correct, we could never know all the laws. A police officer is to a lawyer as a paramedic is to a doctor.
In other words, paramedics are better than trauma treatment on the scene that a doctor is. That is their training. A police officer is more affective in the field than a lawyer is. We make on the spot decisions; right, wrong, or indifferent, however, the lawyer gets to spend hours going through case law and statutes. I like your suggestion, but really, could we please everyone then, or not make a mistake?
Seeashrink

reply to post by korathin


Well seeing as how law enforcement is handle by our Government, I'm going to assume a Ipad budget is a bit out of reach for them...well who the hell am I kidding, we couldn't even afford to give our Officers Jitterbugs

Reply to post by seeashrink

Very good analogy.

I agree.


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reply to post by ZeroReady


No, we cannot detain indefnitly. And we do not get advise from HQ, at least not where I live. Most of us carry some type of book thats basically cheat notes or cliff notes on the law. It is not uncommon for us to call a supervisor or someone with more experience to get advice though.
Seeashrink

reply to post by korathin


First you have to find one that is capable of reading past the 3rd grade. Then they would have to care. They have the attitude that following the law means anybody but them. They don't get paid to decipher the law. Their job is to make money for the state any way that works. Once they make the arrest its the judges job to decide if the prisoner/victim is guilty.

reply to post by seeashrink


K to you and Lemon.fresh: I get it you guys are cops. I'm not trying to overstep my bounds here, but I never said a suspect can be held indefinitely. I said

So as long as he believes you are doing something wrong he can hold you for as long as necessary while a decision is made on weather or not a crime was committed based on what the officer witnessed.

and

The point is that once you submit to their interpretation of the law they have all the time in the world to determine what crime was being determined.

Not indefinitely. You're both putting words in my mouth. I am well aware that I may be held as long as it reasonably takes police to conduct the investigation. Legally this can be up to 24 hours depending on local laws. I may however, now that you guys brought it up, be held indefinitely, without a trial, or being accused of a crime IF I am suspected of having terrorist ties. So don't try to convince me that I am secure in my right to a fair trial when that right is subject to the whim of the executive branch of our government. Do you know how easy it is accuse someone of terrorism these days?