Nope. This has nothing to do with my parents’ careless handling of me as a baby.
It’s a question from the 60s series “Dragnet.”
In one episode, Sgt Friday makes the comment that any time a police officer “drops the hammer” (that is, actually fires a round), he has to go before a board to determine whether he was justified or not–regardless of whether or not he struck someone.
I think that they tried to keep close to the law as it existed in that time in LA, but–for anyone with law enforcement experience–is that a routine situation (that is, appearing before a board to answer questions about firing a round)?
While I’m not a police officer, i was accepted to the academy and have quite a few friends who are.
If you fire your weapon under any circumstances outside of the range, hold your breath because the paper flood will drown you. In this day and age of increased expectations/responsibility for officers, coupled with the extremely litigious nature of society, means lots of reports, investigations, and recriminations.
So yes, an appearance before the board/OPS/etc. would be in order, if not more than one.
*Office of Professional Standards or the equiv.
Man, I don’t know what MikeG is smoking, but it’s clearly powerful stuff.
I’ve watched every single Police Academy and Leathal Weapon movie, not to mention seeing Last Action Hero fifteen times. I’ve never once seen them do paperwork and they’re firing their guns off all the time! In fact, gun firing seems to be the least of it. I think I’d become a police officer just for the right to be so above the law, I could blow up warehouses and crash through buildings on my daily chases just to catch the bad guy.
If I’ve learned anything from these movies, it’s that police departments are extremely Machievellian and I think it works quite well that way.