While on active duty in the service, I was always on duty as a serviceman. Being off duty from my job did not take away of being a serviceman. A police officer is still a police officer if he or she is on the job or not. Off duty or not,their job is to enforce the law when they see someone breaking it and to protect and defend.

 

Yes... I agree with you! All I was trying to say is police officers should not run around like a vigalante chasing speeders in their crossfire while not on duty. If every cop did that there would be chaos and create very dangerous situations.

Imagine this... Off duty cop chasing a speeder and passes a marked car taking radar. Marked car starts to make chase after off duty cop while speeder gets away. Three cars speeding and puts innocent lives in jeopardy... not to mention the cop may not know he is an off duty cop and lots of things can go wrong between the 2 officers and can escalate before the off duty cop has a chance to identify himself. Things can get very dangerous.

Or the cop may actually pull over the speeder.. and the off duty cop decides to stop and explain to the cop on duty what happened. The cop now has 2 cars pulling over and is immediately thinking the worse. He is worried that he is entering into a situation and is ready to react. Now the situation can get really out of hand fast.

Rule #1... never pull over next to a cop while he is working! It doesn't matter if he is writing a ticket or just sitting in a parking lot. He is working and the worst thing you can do is interrupt him and startle him. You could be putting his life in jeopardy and your own! If you are following someone and he pulls your friend over, just keep going and pull over much father down the road.

Cops off duty should stay off duty and let the current shift of police officers do their job. That is my point! I have lived and grown up with immediate family members that are police officers. I fully understand their job and what they go through. I have heard all the complaints and stories about what people do and say while they are working. I have learned the rules and I know how they think. I appreciate the police and I support them. I also know this topic of rogue off duty police officers trying to pull people over really pisses them off. I can understand why. It is really a dangerous thing to do for yourself, fellow officers and civilians.... unless the situation really needs for them to get involved!

 

Sorry, the fact remains: The designation "off-duty" only means the officer is not working a regular shift for the police department, not living as a private citizen with no authority whatsoever. Off duty police officer's still have the power to arrest and make traffic stops when necessary. Vigilantes don't. That is something we will all have to live with like it or not. Police have a tough job to do protecting the public on and off duty. When they arrest someone or write a ticket, everyone is not guilty for violating the law. I don't like getting a ticket, but I respect and expect the Police to do their job.

If the off duty Police Officer is in pursuit, as I understand it, he or she is to notify dispatch. Off duty or not a Police Officer must still follow procedure.

 

If an off duty officer tries to pull me over, we will see what happens. First of all I wouldn't even stop the car. They can call the local police and have them pull me over.... but either way we will be fighting this in court. Win or lose, I doubt an off duty officer wants to risk the possibility of a legal issue and/or suspension even if they are right or wrong. I have seen crap like this happen.

When an officer goes off duty they become a citizen and can make citizen arrests like everyone else. They can call 911 and report problems and they can assist. They can not drive around and do their traffic job "off the clock". The current police officer in uniform ALWAYS has the authority over a plain cloths off duty cop. A plain cloths off duty cop can be arrested just like everyone else. I have seen off duty police officers pulled over and lose control (yell at the officer in uniform and not do as they say). Tapes were reviewed and the off duty officer was put on suspension.

However, if an off duty cop is armed and in the bank making a deposit and some perp comes in to rob the bank, I don't think anyone would be against the officer taking action. This is a life or death situation and he would be clearly justified for taking action by a jury. But a traffic violation may not be considered a life or death situation... so anything bad that can happen as a result of an off duty cop getting involved could cost him is job and maybe more. An off duty cop getting involved could become a very grey issue.

 

Of course Officer's can be arrested on or off duty. No one is above the law. Yes, a citizens arrest can be made, I believe in front of a Police Officer. That being said does not take away the fact that an off duty Officer can make an arrest or enforce traffic laws especially when the public is endangered. The officer must identify him or herself as a police officer. Where is a cop when you need one?

"Even while off-duty, police officers are charged with the responsibility to “protect lives and property,” according to the San Antonio Police Department's general manual."

 

Here is an article I found (which supports what I said earlier about the potential dangers of off-duty police "getting involved". In the police department my family serves it they can't pull people over while off duty. I can't even do a ride along... where as other departments in other states the rules are more relaxed and I can.

This article is referring to Seattle police off-duty....

"It actually doesn't happen often, but sometimes you see violations that are pretty egregious, that could be potentially dangerous, and you have to act."

But officers in some jurisdictions are told that unless they see a life-threatening situation while off duty, they shouldn't get involved.

"Authorization to take enforcement action when off duty comes from individual department policy," Bellevue police spokesman Greg Grannis said. "If the officer's department authorizes them to issue citations for traffic infractions observed off-duty, they may do so."

In his nearly eight years a Bellevue officer, Grannis has only stopped two people while off duty. The first person was a drunken driver; the other was a woman who appeared to be drunk heading toward the freeway. Turns out she was weaving across traffic lanes because she was changing shoes while driving.

"Generally we discourage it," Grannis said of off-duty stops. "If someone is truly off-duty, they might not be wearing body armor. If the contact goes south, they might not have all the equipment they need for protection.

"(The crime witnessed) needs to be something that's potentially life-threatening, and it has to be worth the risk to them to stop the crime."

 

Potential danger. There is potential danger in crossing the road, but you have to cross it to get to the other side. That is why I don't fly as there is potential danger that the plane might crash. Some times you've got to do what is necessary. Duty calls while on or off duty despite the potential danger. That goes for any law enforcement agency or military service. They are all hero's in my book. There are many possible senarios of what possibly can happen such as potential danger, law suits and etc. To prevent an off duty officer from enforcing the law requires a department policy change.
As I quoted in my last post for San Antonio Police.
"Even while off-duty, police officers are charged with the responsibility to “protect lives and property,” according to the San Antonio Police Department's general manual."

Isn't this fun.

 

Sorry to jump in here, but I believe the only time anyone would be warranted in making a traffic stop off duty is if the behavior warrants it. You say that if someones life is in danger (bank robbery) that it is warranted, but in a traffic stop it is not. Last time I checked there are 1000x more people who died last year from traffic accidents than from bank robberies, is your argument still valid??

 

blackcrossfire07, you have blown this thread so out of whack it isn't even worth a response...but one point, and this isn't to hurt your feelings, but you are completely wrong in your take of this, because, you want it to be your way. I didn't stop anyone, nor was I in my XF's...nor would I even attempt it in anything but a police vehicle. It is discouraged by departments only because of safety concerns for the officer...not you...and it would only happen if the public is in danger...we don't want to work anymore than anyone else...and my simple point was, we are always sworn to protect the public, whether on duty or not...many of us respond to emergency situations all the time off duty, but in a police vehicle to back up other officers. We keep a flack jacket in the car, and just about all of us are armed all the time...and the most obvious point you missed in your tirade, we have radios, we talk all the time, we talk on the puter all the time....we are on our cell phones to each other all the time...get your story right....because if I see you in my county doing 75 in a 45 on ice endangering the public...you will get cited, and it will hold up in court. Why? Because every judge in this county knows every police officer, and knows their record...think what you want, but this is my last response to rediculous talk....to the rest, need a question answered, be glad to help...

 

Well thanks for this doc, you are 100% correct, in my book, and hopefully will put an end to this endless post

 

What you just said is exactly what I have been saying. So thanks!

I never said you were doing anything wrong... I said cops shouldn't be catching speeders off duty... I never said you did that.

Be thankful I don't drive through your county

 

Cool...........

 

At some point I went off track. Either way it doesn't matter. Just have a good weekend!

 

Not a problem, you do the same....

 

"Protect lives and property"... that I have been saying is TRUE! It does not say he can drive around and stop speeders anytime he wants.

End of discussion. I made myself clear. I am no longer going to keep repeating myself a million times. Have a good weekend Bill!

 

[quote. Have a good weekend Bill![/quote]

I will, got a CTC GTG this Sunday, come join us.

 

Never said anytime they want but they can, especially to protect lives and property as in reckless driving.
I will have a good weekend at this Sunday GTG, come join us. Don't speed though, they are watching you.

 

Bill... we are finally in agreement! and you know I never speed I will see if I can get away! You are a saint for putting up with my b.s. all of you guys are. Sometimes I get carried away!