# Any Uniformed Beat Police Dopers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 14, 2004, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-uniformed-beat-police-dopers/269288 "2004-10-14T23:58:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2004, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-uniformed-beat-police-dopers/269288/1 "2004-10-14T23:58:19Z")
I have no particular reason for asking. I’ve just always wondered. I maintain a desire to be one myself. ---
**Author:** ![fireman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@fireman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fireman)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-uniformed-beat-police-dopers/269288/2 "2004-10-15T12:42:46Z")
There are days when I wish I had never given up my badge and uniform. Oh well, can’t change it now. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-uniformed-beat-police-dopers/269288/3 "2004-10-15T13:50:13Z")
By beat do you mean someone on walking patrol or just a generic term for patrol officer? ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-uniformed-beat-police-dopers/269288/4 "2004-10-15T17:15:33Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-uniformed-beat-police-dopers/269288/5 "2004-10-15T17:43:06Z")
> [@](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![trupa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aeb1de/32.png) [@trupa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trupa)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-uniformed-beat-police-dopers/269288/6 "2004-10-15T19:01:36Z")
Silly me, **Loach** , I had assumed that you were a \*helicopter \* cop, because of your doper name. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-uniformed-beat-police-dopers/269288/7 "2004-10-15T21:47:01Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![violacrane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c57346/32.png) [@violacrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/violacrane)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-uniformed-beat-police-dopers/269288/8 "2004-10-15T23:25:38Z")
Why oh why do I always read “uniformed” as _uninformed_? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2004, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-uniformed-beat-police-dopers/269288/9 "2004-10-16T06:34:39Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > 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. I’m pretty sure he’s retired though. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2004, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-uniformed-beat-police-dopers/269288/10 "2004-10-16T13:00:53Z")
Bloody hell, am I the only one? ---
**Author:** ![foxymoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d26b3c/32.png) [@foxymoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foxymoron)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2004, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-uniformed-beat-police-dopers/269288/11 "2004-10-16T13:33:21Z")
> [@violacrane](#): > > Why oh why do I always read “uniformed” as _uninformed_? Same reason I do? ---
**Author:** ![nocturnal\_tick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3d9bf3/32.png) [@nocturnal\_tick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nocturnal_tick)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2004, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-uniformed-beat-police-dopers/269288/12 "2004-10-16T13:34:29Z")
I am hoping to be a [Special Constable](http://www.lincs.police.uk/recruit/specials/specials.shtml) 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. ---
**Author:** ![AZRob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/azrob/32/3003_2.png) [@AZRob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AZRob)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2004, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-uniformed-beat-police-dopers/269288/13 "2004-10-16T21:00:07Z")
yes. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Badge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Badge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badge)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-uniformed-beat-police-dopers/269288/14 "2004-10-17T11:52:38Z")
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** ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-uniformed-beat-police-dopers/269288/15 "2004-10-18T04:59:13Z")
> [@Badge](#): > > 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: