Rookies

Every single time someone posts something new here, the Rookies get blamed for it. The Rookies as we call them are nothing but a product of their FTO's who care more about making 5% extra and having someone drive them around than to teach them what being a Police Officer is really about. There's no difference between a COP and a Police Officer, they both wear a badge. The only difference is who wears it. I've been here for over 10 years and all I hear you tell the new guys is to apply somewhere else, always negative things.

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Great Post I wanted to share with the young know-it-alls

Unwritten Rules Rookies should know....

Like most officers who have been the police for five years or more, I became concerned over the lack of common sense displayed by some of our new officers. I decided that the failing wasn't necessarily the rookie's fault, but probably their FTO's for not informing them of the "rules." In that spirit, I offer a few lessons you rookies should take to heart.

1. Out here, everybody lies.
Out on the street, every non-police person you come in contact with will lie to you. The criminals will lie to you because they have to. The victims will lie to you out of embarrassment, to hide their own criminal activity, and to hide all the stupid things they did that led to their being victimized in the first place. Witnesses and other citizens will lie to you just for fun. Always know and just accept that you are never, ever being told the whole story.

2. They lied to you during training.
Most of what you learned in during training will need to be forgotten. Most of what you learned in traing doesn't work. For example, unlike during training with your classmates, the bad guys on the street will not hold still long enough for you to scream, "Stop, stop, stop!", step back, and deliver a perfect knee strike to the bad guy's common peroneal.

3. Never take the word of a drunk person over that of a sober person.
I cannot count the number of times I have watched a rookie agonize over who to believe in a dispute between a drunk and a sober person. Simplify your life. The drunk is always wrong. The drunk is drunk and therefore, can't remember what happened anyway. Referring back to rule #1, his drunken lies will be stupid and insulting, while the sober person's lies will probably be better thought out and plausible. If you know somebody in the disorder needs to go to jail, and you can't decide which one, take the drunk.

4. Civilian ridealongs are not your friends.
My department tends to assign civilian riders to new officers, presumably because they will be more eager to get into stuff, and also because the old heads won't take them. Treat the civilian rider, especially one you didn't bring with you but was approved through the chief's office as a spy. Do not tell them war stories about how you and several other officers beat some thug down. Do not show the ridealong all the cool places where you and you partners go to hide when you don't have a call and want to slack off. Assume that everything you say to them will make it's way back to the chief because it will. Your ridealong may not personally care about the guy you and your buddies had to beat down, but if it's a good story, they'll tell a friend, who'll tell a friend. Remember that "Kevin Bacon" game. Everyone in your city is only six relationships away from your chief and probably quite less.

5. Sit back and listen to the veterans. If you really did know everything about being a cop, they would have sent you straight to being chief. God gave you two ears and one mouth because He wanted you to listen twice as much as talk.

6. Some night, someone will try to kill you. You do not when, who or where. Therefore, consider everyone with whom you come in contact to be a potential threat. That doesn't mean you draw down on a soccer mom in a minivan, but NEVER let your guard down. Like Rowdy Roddy Piper says, just when you think you know the answers, we change the questions.

7. If you need help, ask for it. That goes for everything from asking your sergeant for advice on a minor case where you are confused to calling for Code 3 cover when facing a threat. The only stupid question is the one you don't ask.

8. NEVER, EVER lie. That is the one thing that will absolutely for sure get you fired. If your FTO, sergeant or IA questions you, tell the truth. They most likely already know the answer.

9. Have fun with the job and don't take yourself too seriously. This doesn't mean be unsafe, just don't get uptight and think that we are on a crusade. Loosen up, see the humor in ugly situations and fine-tune your sense of the ironic.

These Rookies are nothing but a second-rate version of their FTO's.

Alot of our "FTO's" would be laughed out of the unit in other departments. Fact is, there is no real incentive for us 'old timers' to have to baby sit some snot nosed lil brats that should have never been hired in the first place. Thanks Sgt. B.R!!

I wonder if she has used her many years of experience as a road cop to select these guys!?!? :snicker: :shock: :lol: :roll:

Some ppl are never cut out to wear the badge...they are usually sorted out and made into high paid secretaries.

sector 5 mids

There shouldn't be any FTO's in sector 5. Sector 5 is filled with professional escape artist in competion with other highly skilled milkers. Sector 5 is cut-throat island.

Sector 1 FTO use to generate good rookies prior to SV. FTO pay incentives should be raised to 6% in all other sectors except 5.

Your absolutely right, looking at the batches of rooks over the years... they happen to be a cheap imitation of their FTO. IN THE SAME BREATH I CAN SAY THAT A GOOD PORTION OF ROOKS WILL STRIVE TO HONE THEIR CRAFT DESPITE THEIR FTO. Sad part is that most will revert back to their training.

Great "unwritten rules rookies should know"

There shouldn't be any FTO's in sector 5. Sector 5 is filled with professional escape artist in competion with other highly skilled milkers. Sector 5 is cut-throat island.

Sector 1 FTO use to generate good rookies prior to SV. FTO pay incentives should be raised to 6% in all other sectors except 5.

Your absolutely right, looking at the batches of rooks over the years... they happen to be a cheap imitation of their FTO. IN THE SAME BREATH I CAN SAY THAT A GOOD PORTION OF ROOKS WILL STRIVE TO HONE THEIR CRAFT DESPITE THEIR FTO. Sad part is that most will revert back to their training.

Great "unwritten rules rookies should know"

what pisses me off is rookies going to sector 5 mids or mornings these guys just got cut and they allready want to do nothing and most of the new rookies have a long ways to go, but there are some that show promise

Give me a list of the ones that show promise 'cause I sure have not found one yet.

Give me a list of the ones that show promise 'cause I sure have not found one yet.

the ones in hq afternoons have been qru with the exception of maybe 2 of them and hq mids has some good rookies sector 4 has some duds and 5 well what can you say about them...in my opinion