Other Anyone here works at the US police or knows someone who does?

[kevintheradioguy]

I am looking some information for an AU story (it's just a little bit adjusted current reality). I want to mention a person who works/worked there, and people he might therefore know, and I think that films are a bad way to reference, since exaggeration and dramaticism comes first always, and realism comes second.

I am interested not in the law part of it, but inner workings of the police.

For example, if asked the same question about game development, I'd answer like this:

In a medium-big MMORPG game development team there would be around 90 to a 120 people. Let's say there are 100 as the middle thing.
At least a half would be game designers working with math, designing mechanics: how many damage would take which enemy when the player character is on an X level with X weapon, what the perks and growth will be, how much EXP will a character need to level up, how levelling up works, etc.
From the rest 50, there would be around 10-20 artists - both concept and 3D - they usually do both, any 3D artist can concept and vice-versa, so they can take each other's assignments, but usually the teams are divided between concepts (also does tech drawings) and modelling. Some of them will work only with characters, only with FX, only with tech, etc. - these choices are largely independent and usually discussed between artists themselves and an art director standing over them.
The rest are divided between level designers (usually a game designer leads them, and each level designer has the same authority as an art director, unless it's a rookie), programmers, writers, and marketologists. Unless it's a project with story first and everything else last, the latter three jobs usually hold two to four people, no more.

I would need to know a similar thing for inner workings of police departments in the US. Can anyone help me out? Hearing this from a person who works in one, or knows someone seems to be a much better idea than looking for dubious reference, etc.

 

[Venom Adhamm]

I dunno how it is in the US, but I doubt you'll get exactly what you want. I work as a cop, and in my country, the inner workings of the police are a highly confidential matter, besides the really basic things like what units there are, what they do*, how they work together.

*There are some units that even other police officers don't know about.

 

[kevintheradioguy]

I dunno how it is in the US, but I doubt you'll get exactly what you want. I work as a cop, and in my country, the inner workings of the police are a highly confidential matter, besides the really basic things like what units there are, what they do*, how they work together.

*There are some units that even other police officers don't know about.

Well, I mean somehow writers get similar information~ I just don't read cop fiction.

 

[Rusty of Shackleford]

The police chief of my town lives down the street from me, and several of my friends have family members in the police force. I won't be able to tell you everything, but I can help a little bit.

 

[kevintheradioguy]

The police chief of my town lives down the street from me, and several of my friends have family members in the police force. I won't be able to tell you everything, but I can help a little bit.

That would help a lot if you could. I really don't require important working details, just enough to at least get the idea of the environment/assignments and such. So at least the mentions would be somewhat believable.

 

[Rusty of Shackleford]

Alright. What exactly do you need to know? The police works a lot off of protocol. When something happens or an officer is about to do something, they have to call it in. For example, say an officer sees a speeding vehicle. They pursue the car and call it in. They give the suspect a ticket, and they call it in. Officers usually go either alone, or with a partner, but the latter is only for places with enough officers to do so.

 

[adrian_]

i quit the force when i saw this

 

[kevintheradioguy]

Alright. What exactly do you need to know? The police works a lot off of protocol. When something happens or an officer is about to do something, they have to call it in. For example, say an officer sees a speeding vehicle. They pursue the car and call it in. They give the suspect a ticket, and they call it in. Officers usually go either alone, or with a partner, but the latter is only for places with enough officers to do so.

Well, for the most part it's described in an original post. It's more of... how many people of what position there are in a PD.
So that, for example, I could more or less believably describe that person in question walking into a PD a see his friend X sitting at a front desk, while Y and Z weren't there, possibly on a patrol, scheduled by L, and so on.

 

[Rusty of Shackleford]

Ah, okay. I don't think I can help you, then. Hope I was helpful l

 

[The Mechanist]

My father worked for the sheriffs department for 15 years, I myself have gathered a lot of knowledge throughout my 24 years of being alive XD but seriously I do know somethings about law enforcement, just not a lot about police departments, mainly sheriff departments and law