I have no particular reason for asking. I’ve just always wondered.
I maintain a desire to be one myself.
There are days when I wish I had never given up my badge and uniform. Oh well, can’t change it now.
By beat do you mean someone on walking patrol or just a generic term for patrol officer?
I suppose anyone who’s not based in the station.
Although the government has mandated a change of wardrobe and scenery for me at the moment I am usually a patrol officer. Never walked a beat, the township is too spread out for that. I know a few cops who had a walking beat when they were younger. It still happens in urban areas but a lot of those beats are being replaced by bike cops. They can cover more area. As for other dopers, I know Badge is a cop and he comes in on most police related threads. Don’t recall any others off the top of my head.
Silly me, Loach, I had assumed that you were a *helicopter * cop, because of your doper name.
I explained my name a least once in one of those Doper name threads that pop up now and then. I was involved in aviation when I first stumbled into the internet. I haven’t been near a helicopter for a while but the name lives on.
Why oh why do I always read “uniformed” as uninformed?
I’m pretty sure he’s retired though.
Bloody hell, am I the only one?
Same reason I do?
I am hoping to be a Special Constable while I’m at Lincoln. Does that count?
If so give me a couple of months, and maybe some crossed fingers. I’m waiting on an interview date.
yes. 
Yup, I’m still working uniformed patrol, as a patrol sergeant. I do walk around downtown now and then, but I spend 99% of my time driving around in the rain.
And I’ve got at least 13 years to go until retirement, Really Not All That Bright
I’ve been working on this time-travel machine, see, and I thought I was posting that in the year 2031, and…
…alright, alright, I goofed.
Badge is Really Not All That Retired. :smack: