IamA Cop who blew the whistle and was forced to resign AMA!

Thank you.

No thanks needed.

Do you regret your actions? If you could go back would you do it the same way again?

I regret nothing. I swore to uphold all laws state and federal, and any cop who doesn't is a coward. I would do the same thing a million times over.

I thought so. Also, would you do anything differently on the night of the illegal search?

I would have turned my phone off at the start of my shift, lol.

On that note, is it unusual for your Captain to have communicated instructions to you and others via phone rather than the radio net?

Not at all. Our radio doesn't work in a lot of the further parts of the county, so we were issued cell phones.

Man, I would buy you a beer or two. You're awesome, please continue being awesome.

As long as it's dark and cold!

We need more cops like you

There are better cops than me. I have made several mistakes, one in particular I feel may have cost a woman her life. I was a rookie in Houston and got called to burglary in progress. A woman's crazy bf was trying to break into her house to kill her. I waaay first on scene and already felt like I was about to shit in my pants from the adrenaline. First on scene, and being a rookie, I didn't wait for back up, why would I? I'm fucking Superman. The lady met me at the front door yelling that he was in back trying to get in. So I run around back, gun in hand, looking for him. I then heard a scream out front, so I ran around front and saw my suspect who shoved his hands in his pockets. I pointed my weapon in the center of his chest and ordered him to get his hands up. He kept telling me he was going to make me kill him. I was scared shitless, so I moved towards him to try and bum rush him or get a better shot. He then yanked his hands up quick and I hesitated. I didn't shoot him. He then proned out and I cuffed him. Found a gun in his coat pocket. As I was taking him to jail, he kept whispering "I coulda killed you." Sent chills down a stupid rooks spine.

I found out his family had bonded him out a few days later, judge had set a low bond, and he found her at work and killed her. I kept beating myself up. I could have legally killed him that night, and been patted on the back. She would be alive. This still haunts me, even though I did the right thing.

Jesus man. That's tough. However, you did the right thing and her death is not your fault.

Either way, I feel I could have prevented it if I would have. It's something I live with every day. Luckily her kids were grown, not to sound callus, however it could have been a lot worse.

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I would probably feel a lot worse off. That's why I hesitated. Even though it only lasted a few seconds, it felt like I had the time to decipher every possible outcome with the stress causing time to crawl. I remember seeing his hands come up in slow motion and the relief I felt that I didn't have to take his life. It's hard to explain, but it was surreal.

An unlawful coward is the person who will do something wrong, because he is scared of the consequences. In this case, getting fired. A righteous hero is the man who steps up, an act most of his brothers (fellow officers) would be scared to do, and refuses to conspire to criminal activity. In your post, you admitted to breaking the law/abusing your departments power out of fear of getting fired. With all due respect, I appreciate that you blew the whistle, but you shouldn't have complied in the first place.

And this is what haunts me. I wish I would have stopped it sooner, but I was under the impression he had gotten permission from the A.D.A. which might as well be God in a small town. It felt off, but I didn't know the extent it would go to. Lying in the reports and such. This is also why I questioned being a cop again. I feel like I bruised my integrity, which hurts.

Good for you! It's a shame good cops are forced out by the corrupt ones.

At least the Captain is on the Brady list and known as a liar.

I won, but also lost. They moved him to Captain of the court house. I really miss the job though.

How commonly was this stuff happening? Fudging court documents, lying to the judge, etc?

This is the only false report I have seen. But as you can imagine, it is very easy to do.

I have only gotten into trouble with the law twice in my life. The first was a minor in consumption of alcohol charge when small town cops busted a group of 10 or so of us guys having a bonfire and drinking out in the desert. I requested a breathalyzer as i hadn't drank anything and was not in possession of alcohol myself. Cops refused, gave me and a few of us tickets and sent us on our way. Turns out the guys with the beer that got held back were released with nothing when the cops found out of the kids was a cop's son. But on my police report the officer wrote that I admitted to drinking, and every lawyer said I was fucked and told me to just plead no contest. I did.

The second time was last year in LA during a big wine walk downtown. LAPD swooped in because of Occupy people chalking the sidewalk, ordered the thousands of people to disperse, and when I walked up to the cops asking what happened because i'd been in a bar down the road and missed the whole thing, they beat the shit out me, charged me with felony resisting, lied about me trying to headbutt and elbow the officers in the face, and threw me in county jail. I spent a year and $12,000 fighting it, and when the DA saw the video of the incident during jury selection they dropped it to a disturbing the peace infraction.

So basically I'm batting 1000 for cops lying and being utter pieces of shit. I know leave wherever I am if they show up, and I see them as worse than any true criminals I've ever dealt with. OP, you're better off not being in that profession. So I guess my question would be what else do you want to do?

I used to help out cops, like when they were doing wellness checks on my elderly neighbors. Last time, I didn't answer and watched while they kicked in the neighbor's door even though I had keys (woman was dead, too).

I no longer have any contact with any cop if I can avoid it simply because I have heard too many stories, and have had too many run-ins with asshole cops. It's no longer a case of a "few" bad apples -- it is a state sanctioned, organized crime gang.

I always approach any interaction with any law enforcement officer as one where they are looking for an excuse to arrest me, beat me, tase me or shoot me -- and when they do so, it will not only be done illegally, but will be covered up by everyone in their department. I also know that my chances of being given a fair trial are pretty much nil. This is forefront in my mind whenever I see a cop in uniform. . . I pretty much assume they want to hurt me. If an encounter goes well, then I believe I have found one of the few "good" apples.

I now figure that the odds of me being killed by a cop are much higher than me being killed by a criminal, because I can avoid areas where criminals frequent and I can prevent criminal from entering my home. I cannot prevent a thug in blue from doing so.

Sadly, when most people begin to frame cops as part of the problem and NOT here to protect and serve the community, only then will we find the motivation to do something about this.

This is why I go out of my way to talk to people. I try to change minds. I've helped countless kids who were counting out change to get a soda and candy bar by just giving them a few bucks. I had a trunk full of stuffed animals for all the kids who got told "See Jimmy, he's a police officer, if you be bad I'll tell him to take you to jail."

Be nice until it's time to not be nice. I've tried my hardest to do this.

I want to upvote you more for this.

I've seen police officers look heartbroken when a couple of little kids were scared of them. I'm pretty sure that's a horrible thing for parents to teach their kids.

I'd rather die than have a kid scared of me because of my job.

Batting 1000 myself. 4 months and $17,500 later I am on probation for nothing.

Its funny how people defend cops ("comeon guys theyre not all bad") until this shit happens to them. We know theres some good cops, the point is it only takes one bad cop to ruin someones life, they need to be named, shamed, fired, and sued into poverty.

They need to be sitting next to all the souls they threw in jail, whether he arrested them illegally or legally.

Man, I'm sorry. I'm just as appalled and angered as you are.

Minor in consumption...me and my partners would have made you pour the beer out and call your parents. Then the sober one drives the others home.

As for the other thing...fuck man, I don't even know what to say. Thank God for the video.

Is it possible for you to get another law enforcement job, or has this whole thing just boned you in that respect?

I'm pretty sure it boned me. I haven't tried due to my injury. I have back up plans as a pilot though, either way I'll be ok.

Civilian pilot or police/EMS?

Civi

Did any cops side with you? Had anyone done anything like this in the past?

Several sided with me, as well as the D.A. They just used my injury to run me off. funny thing is, there was a Deputy off for over a year with an injury that didn't get demoted.

What has your lawyer said about suing? Being harassed so you quit is the same as wrongful termination.

The fact that his boss was found guilty of lying and then was allowed to remain in command of him AND allowed access to records of who testified against him, really really ought to be able to get him somewhere with a good lawyer. There is no way in hell that is ok.

Welcome to Small Town, USA, where the Good Ol Boys run things.

Ruin*

FTFY

Damn you learn quick.

I'm a Lurker.

If you were to apply for another Law Enforcement job would your actions stand you in good stead and would you enter at a point that was similar to the level you were just at or would you have to start from the bottom again?

I would be a dirty rookie again. Lol.

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Good one, you almost got me Snowden.

How do you feel when you see other officers that know you did the right thing but they choose to be wrong?

Like a caged animal. I see them as no better than a child molestor.

Why was Captain so eager to search the house without a warrant first? Couldn't you all have just waited a few hours?

He blames it on inpatients. The sad thing is, the guy was going to get a large quantity but had to turn around because the female called.

Impatience. Damn phone, I apologize, lol.

what did those hospital patients ever do to him, anyway?

Well, this thread fishing tailed off topic quickly.

This was fucking beautiful. Thanks for the hearty chuckle!

I'm guessing he wanted to pocket the cash from the dealer, that is why he was so determined to get in and be unwatched while searching. Dirty fucking cops everywhere.

He wrote me off as a rookie, forgetting I worked in fucking Southwest Houston. The new guy who doesn't know shit doesn't tell, right? I mean, who would challenge a huge cocked Captain?

You should get this out to the media so at least the Sherriff gets shamed.

I've thought about it, but I'm scared they would kill me. Yeah...it's that bad.

Are you able to get a job as a police officer anywhere else? Can you ever be a cop again or is it on your permanent record?

I'm positive I will be black balled. No one likes a snitch.

You could always run for Sheriff. That's an elected position and with the right campaign team you might be able to appeal to voters who are tired of hearing about cops breaking the law.

And then you'd be that Captain's boss and could make his life hell! Even better!

And then you'd be that Captain's boss and could make his life hell! Even better!

Or just be nice all the time. He'll get so paranoid.

LOVE this.

So where the people the capt tried to get actually meth dealers ?

The sad thing is they were. And they went free.

Better for a meth dealer to go free than for a corrupt cop to be allowed to infringe the 4th amendment rights of citizens with impunity.

I agree. He will get caught soon enough.

It's good that Reddit can see some examples of good cops since all they like to pay attention to are the bad ones.

It's all you see. Arresting a guy who beat his wife half to death doesn't make the news unless you hit him and he cries foul.

How does it feel to be betrayed by a superior and fucked by the funky ways of the judicial system.

Like I got buttfucked by a rhino.

Thank you for maintaining your integrity and standing up for what you swore an oath too.

Thank you for saying thank you!

i'm from rogers county in northeast oklahoma, by far one of the most corrupt places to live as far as law enforcement. no joke, stay clear. you have been warned.

edit. here's the story. I was driving home at 1am one night after work, i worked in the city and drove 30 miles to the country and the mentioned county where my parents lived. At this time I still lived with my parents, anyway, I pull off the highway to the dark country road to get to the house, next thing i know a car with no headlights on is behind me, the headlights flip on as well as the reds and blues. so i pulled over. cop 1 comes to my window, asks if i have my id and insurance, i comply and ask why i've been pulled over, they don't tell me anything, obviously they were just bored, i'm just 18 at the time, the cop asks me if i have my title, in oklahoma you are not required to carry your title in your car, he says he thinks my jeep is stolen and I dont have the title to prove it, so he tells me to look in my glove box, i assure him it is not in there. next thing i know a second cop just opens my passenger door and proceeds to open my glove box discovering a small pipe and gram of weed. i had given them no consent to search my car and they had not asked for it. instantly both of them are ecstatic and excited they've just succeeded in screwing some 18 year old out of any promise he had in his life. and they couldnt be more thrilled. then they took me to jail, i tried to fight it in court and my lawyer informed me i might as well just take the deferred sentence because to fight the illegal search and seizure would be pointless because the judge i had no matter how illegal the search the fact of the matter is they still found illegal "drugs" in my car so i was just fucked. moral of the story, small town cops don't give a rats ass about legality and illegalities of what they do as long as they get the results, then they can just cover up anything later, the police report was an outright lie of what happened that night, saying the glove box just magically "fell open" to reveal the illegal drugs and paraphernalia

I'll tell you what, and this may be an unpopular cop opinion, but who really fucking cares about weed? It's not ruining families where I patrolled. I would have made you stomp it out and waste your $20. My very first supervisor sat me down one day and said "Look ya lil fuck. You just got your gun and badge, but while you are out running and gunning, remember that not everyone needs to go to jail." Of course that didn't sink in until years later when I was dealing with a 16 year old who had a little less than an ounce. Crying and talking about how he wanted to be in the air force and his life was ruined. I made call his mom and stomp his weed out. And I felt okay about it.

What's your viewpoint on what happened to Christopher Dorner?

I'm tossed up on that. He certainly took it passed any line a normal person would, but then who knows if the department lied on him. Too many unanswered questions.

I want to say you did the right thing. Jesse Ventura would be proud of you.

As long as I've made Macho Man Randy Savage proud as well, I'm okay. Ooooohhhhh yeeeeaaaaahhhh!

Well if law enforcement doesn't work out you could always write short stories.

Score!

What leads police officers to the mentality of the "thin blue line?" And what can we do, as citizens, to make sure this mentality doesn't negatively affect our lives when dealing with police?

You risk your lives day in and day out with them. For the most part it's a thankless job and we deal with verbal abuse constantly. I would do anything they asked of me, except break the law or something that would diminish my morals.

Say thanks now and then. If they are a dick, try your best not to argue back. I can't believe I am going to say this, but I think everyone should be like the Russian citizens and install car cameras. Think of the house cleaning that would happen then.

I definitely commend you on what you did. Officers like you are hard to come by. I've been trying to get into law enforcement for the last 6 years, and continue to get passed up for "juice babies" and others with clout. I look at all of the sworn officers in my area and I am truly disgusted by them. Fat, out of shape slobs that sit in their squad collecting paychecks. They are the ones who give police departments a bad name. Are you even considering applying for another dept? Or will this follow you for any other department you move laterally to?

I was absolutely done with being a cop...and then I started getting the itch. New episodes of cops reloaded hooked me again.

What needs to change in order to make more on duty officers more beholden to the oaths they take than any other motivations?

Stop bullying the ones who call bad cops on their bullshit.

The cream always rises, or in this case lets call it pond scum

Turds float.

Hello Officer and thanks for the AMA! Tough story to read, I feel for you and appreciate the goodheartedness you exhibited.

My question: I am a "I know my rights" kind of person but I also do not do things to put myself in a position to assert those rights (ie, breaking the law or appearing to break the law).

My question to you would be, when someone does start stating their rights, what is your reaction? For example, if I were to not roll my window down all the way for a traffic stop, or I were to just refuse to answer any questions during the stop, would that make you more angry or just meh at situation?

Thanks!!

It would make me suspicious, but rather than start a confrontation I would assume you are recording and ending up on YouTube, I would conduct my business as usual. If you were a bad guy and pulled a gun, my bullets would still go through the glass.

Are you in any way Actrually shocked by the situation?

I honestly was. It was like I was watching a movie. Very surreal.

I know you probably get this question all the time but....can I hold your gun?

I'm just glad you didn't ask if I've ever shot anyone.

Was there anything in particular that made you 'blow your whistle' when you did or was it just a build up of a lot of things that you knew you were going to blow a whistle on sooner or later?

I figured he would get outted after the courts read the report. It was building inside me. When I read the report it literally took my breath away. My face flushed with anger and I honestly thought about kicking his ass.

What happened to the two other officers that came forward at the same time? Im assuming the same treatment but do you know if they are working their?

Any luck finding a different job?

They are still Reserves.

TIL that casinos are a hot bed for criminals.

For lack of a better word, they are a cancer.

Have you seen this widespread at all? Is there an unknown bond or band of forced out cops? The reason no one likes law enforcement is because all the good ones are shoved out to make room for the money grubbing bad ones

I have seen it one other time in my eight years. A Deputy in Houston beat up a guy and stole $20 because we found child porn on his computer. Turned him in as well. You always hear stories, but rarely have I seen it.

After an open carry encounter with a shit bag small town cop last year, I had pretty much written off all cops. You sir have restored my faith in law enforcement. I hope you find another job.

EDIT: Guys I get it. My faith in law enforcement has not been restored because they royally fucked /u/whistleblowing_cop. That being said, my faith in OP has been restored. He seems like a stand up guy

Thank you, sir.

Do you honestly think that there are more good cops or bad cops overall? Especially when it comes to ratting out on your own buddies.

I do. I've met a lot of amazing people and great cops. I've been blessed to have the best shift partners a man could ask for. I've saved lives with them, including lives that didn't want saved. I love my brothers and sisters who hold themselves to the standards we swore to.

What sort of qualities in a person do you see going into law enforcement, and what sort of qualities would you like to see?

Do you believe that internal affairs can be trusted to police the police?

No, internal affairs are just feel good departments for the public.

What happened to the two reserved deputies that also came forward?

They are still reserves.

Name and shame dude. I'm serious. Don't hold back. Post the name of the corrupt Captain and the Sheriff office he works for. You've already been boned career-wise and the worst that could happen by publicly stating his name is him or his colleagues harassing you. Which would then possibly lead to you bringing a civil case whereby his previous corrupt actions would be scrutinized and become public record via the courts.

Reddit prohibits witch hunts, or I would.

have you considered pursuing a job in IA at any department? And what are your thoughts on IA generally? I know very little about the subject other than what is portrayed on television dramas

IA still normally do what the governing body, be it a Sheriff or Chief wants them to do. It's just a feel good thing for the public.

Nice M&P. Is it your duty weapon? I assume you purchased it yourself since you still have it after quitting.

M&P .45. Yup, she's all mine.

Obviously no one should condone what Chris Dorner did...but as someone also put into a tough position by the workings of a police department, what did you think of his manifesto and statements?

I think he passed into the point of delusion. If he was willing to take it to those extremes, think what power would do to him. What if a suspect had pushed him that far?