imported post
Hawkflyer wrote:
That said I do not want to appear to be second guessing the first 4 or so Officers that called in. They were reacting to an unknown situation and rolled for backup to the primary.
As a patrol officer, I will add that in responding to a call (doesn't matter what kind and firearms are not an issue here) and the number of persons I will be contacting is equal to the responders, we(I) consider equal numbers the same as being outnumbered. The number of officers responding to Tony's, in retrospect, appears unreasonable, but if the officers are available I will take as many as want to andcan come. Even if they just drive by my call or wait outside.
Those of uswho accept the honor and responsibilities of a badgeandthe public's trust know how quickly a "non dangerous" even frivolous call can end in tragedy for a department.
There are no routine calls. I don't have a problem with the number of officers, I have a problem with the actions once they arrived.
Case in point: a consensual pedestrian contact with no reasonable suspicion other than a hunch. Dispatch will send a back-up unit. If I'm out with 2,dispatch will send 2 back-up units if available. If I'm out with 6,most of the watch will roll on their own just to assist/back-up. Usually, I'll say I'm code 4(OK no helpneeded) beforeall arrive. It's not policy, just practice, because we depend oneach other for our lives and care about each other. That makes for good shift unity.
Things can go south fast, and I
knowI might not be here typing if at times I wasn't strongly backed by my shift.Sometimes we are dealing with real bad people. I've been seriouslyhospitalized once and it mayhave been worse if help wasn't as close as it was.
Over whelmingpresence is meant to be a deterrent and calming. AtTony's it wasn't and that rests on theofficers shoulders. If on occasion I've over reacted (not breaking the law or acted rudely mind you), and ruffled the feathers of good citizens, I try to explain at the end of every contact or detention why we responded the way we did. By using this method most then understand, and thank me for explaining. I'm proud to say I have never received a written complaint. I'm I always perfect? No, far from it, I've had plenty of bad days.
thats two more Kopecs for ya.