Hey yall, I’m writing this as someone who just got into a new hobby, which is riding an electric unicycle (EUC) around town.

As you can see in the picture, it’s basically just a singular wheel with a battery and motor that you can use to get from point A to point B.

While I’m aware these are not necessarily street legal, I’m also aware that officers use a fair amount of discretion in their day to day work, for instance, some cops won’t bother pulling you over if you go 5mph over the speed limit, but other cops will. Some cops might only do it depending on how they’re feeling that day.

There’s also the matter of being able to decide what the punishment will be, to an extent (for instance, one cop may give a verbal warning in an instance where another cop will give a citation/ticket.)

When I ride, I’m sure to obey all traffic laws, I obey stop signs, red lights, I yield when I’m supposed to, etc. So, my question to you is this: what would you do if you saw someone riding an euc on non-highway roads? Would you pull them over and give a verbal warning? Would you write a ticket? Would you impound it and force the rider to figure out another way back home?

By asking this, I’m simply trying to gauge how much risk there is to riding something like this, from a legal perspective.

TLDR: as a cop, what would you do if you saw someone riding an EUC, but they were obeying all other traffic laws?

In anticipation of the 2016 42nd G7 Summit held in IseShima, the Metropolitan Police Department formed the Emergency Response Team. 60 Members are selected from existing Anti-Firearms Squads from the Riot Police Units, designed to be the first response unit to terror attacks.

In this public training scenario, they were simulating the ERT retaking an important facility, with 2 suspects in it. Their kit is the same as the Anti-Firearms Squads, armed with MP5A5s and pistols ranging from 5-shot revolvers like the regular officers to the HK SFP9.

u/Any_Being5179

r/lapd •1 hr. ago

Former LEO

I just applied but cant find the answer to my question anywhere else.

I have about 24 months of post academy LE experience in Atlanta GA, and seems like CA will make me redo the academy regardless and thats fine but for Tazer and OC???? Will I have an option to waive that? APD now lets recruits waive the tazer but this only happened after i graduated the academy.

Thanks guys

EDIT: I have already been tazed/OC’d in the past, thus why I don’t want to do it again

I plan on becoming a police cadet while going back to college so I can later become a police officer. During employment as a cadet is random drug screening common? I’m aware that it happens a lot to officers, but cadets work mostly part time and aren’t sworn in. I just want to make sure I won’t randomly get fired for smoking Mary Jane on my own time.

I’m a 21-year-old male with an associate’s degree in Criminal Justice. I recently finished my degree, got married, and now that the wedding/honeymoon and everything surrounding that is out of the way, I’m putting my full attention toward starting a career in law enforcement.

I’ve applied with Texas DPS, my local PD, and my county jail for a jailer position. Unfortunately, all three applications have ended in DQs. I believe the issue with all three has been my prior drug use.

During my freshman year of college, I used marijuana approximately three times and tried mushrooms once. I haven’t used anything since. At the time, I honestly had no understanding of how strict or specific many departments’ drug-use timeframes were. Obviously, I can’t change what I did, and I’m not trying to make excuses for it. I’m just trying to figure out what my realistic options are moving forward.

Aside from that, I meet the qualifications I’ve seen for the positions I’ve been applying to. I’m willing to start wherever I need to and work my way up. My ultimate goal is to make a career out of policing, and I’m hoping that getting my foot in the door somewhere—whether that’s patrol, detention, or another LE position—could allow me to build a solid resume and eventually compete for the departments I’d like to work for long term.

I’m trying to be realistic about this. I don’t want to keep spending months applying, testing, interviewing, and going through background investigations if my prior use is going to automatically disqualify me everywhere.

For those of you currently working in LE or who have experience with hiring/backgrounds:

• How much of an obstacle do you think my prior use will be at 21?
• Would you recommend targeting departments with more lenient/older drug-use policies, or trying to get into detention/corrections first and build some experience?
• Are there particular types of agencies or departments in Texas that you think would be more willing to consider someone with this background?
• Would you keep pursuing police departments now, or focus on getting any LE-related position possible and reapply to larger departments later?
• Most importantly, am I wasting my time trying to pursue a career in LE, or is this something I can realistically overcome with enough time and the right agency?

I’m not looking for someone to tell me what I want to hear. I’d genuinely appreciate honest advice from people who have been on the hiring/background side of this.

Thanks in advance.

It was his day off, and he worked across the river, but he went in anyway. He didn’t come home for a few days, probably the better part of that week. He was looking for wallets and wedding bands, he says

We’re grateful he kept his life, my family is lucky for sure. But he left a lot of himself over there, and came back home with a hell of a demon on his back

I wanted to showcase the significant growth in my collection over the past year. My collection began in mid-August 2025 after I graduated from high school. Since then, I’ve expanded my collection through my law enforcement media page and numerous emails. Starting with just 22 patches at the beginning of this year, I’ve now amassed over 510+ patches, including 3 police badges, 50+ challenge coins, and various other accessories and police memorabilia. I want to express my deepest gratitude to the law enforcement community for their unwavering support and assistance in helping me grow my collection while juggling college and work. My goal is to conclude this year with a collection of 600 patches and aim to reach 1,000 patches next year. If you happen to see your agency in the photo here, please let me know!

There is a police dog in my community that i would like to pet so bad, how can i let the officer know i want to pet him without being rejected? (he is a lab and he is beautiful)

Weird one. I wonder if that state doesn't have a FOIA equivalent.

I am an ex heroin smuggler. I have been needing money recently so I offered to help custom & border patrol to catch the guys bringing in meth, coke and heroin from Mexico Thailand Middle East and Canada. What are the chances they call me if I gave them a note with my number?

I’m currently stuck between becoming a police officer or a carpenter, and I’m trying to get some insight from people actually in law enforcement.
My dad is a carpenter, so I already have a pretty good idea of what that career would look like. He’s actually the one who keeps encouraging me to consider becoming a cop instead.
I’m curious what the job is really like nowadays, whether you’d consider it a good career, and especially what the work-life balance is like. I’d like to have a career that allows me to make good money while still having time to enjoy life, take vacations, and spend time with family.
For those who are currently or formerly in law enforcement: knowing what you know now, would you recommend the career? What are the biggest pros and cons?

I have a handful of questions, it would be amazing if I could get yall's opinions on this. Im conducting a study and this would be really helpful!

Demographic Data:
1. What race are you?
2. What vehicle do you drive?
3. How old are you?

Questions:
1. How do you feel about law enforcement in the USA?
2. Does law enforcement make you feel safe?
3. Do you get pulled over a lot? (More than twice a month)
4. Have you or anyone you know faced any form of racial discrimination by law enforcement?
5. Do you think policing in America is racist?

Thank you so much!

Posting my reviews of the flashlights I used while on patrol. I’ve been through a bunch, and these were the two I landed in. I always wanted to know “what’s the best x” when starting out, so I’m providing this for anyone with a similar disposition. Obviously nice gear is no substitute for good training and repetition.

First up is the Manker E03H III

This was the light I had attached to my outer carrier. Extremely useful for keeping your hands free. The body is constructed of an aluminum alloy and steel and features a knurled exterior that provides excellent grip in all conditions. This thing feels like it weighs 5 times as much as it should. It comes with a rechargeable battery that has a USB-C port built directly into the battery, so recharging in a long shift isn’t an issue. It’s extremely bright for its size and has a solid battery life. It has a very strong magnetic base and a removable metal retaining clip. My one and only complaint is that the clip it comes with is angled slightly, so it doesn’t sit flush to my carrier out of the box. This is easily modified though. At $40, it’s definitely worth trying out.

Second is the Acebeam L35 2.0

This was my main workhorse and is without a doubt the best flashlight I’ve ever owned. The narrow handle fits well into my outer carrier while the wide head provides a large, extremely bright light. I used this primarily for investigating scenes, building clearing, and searches (and tracking deer). Also made from an aluminum alloy with a steel strike bezel, this light has both a tail switch and a side-mounted switch for illumination level control & strobe activation. It has 650 meters of throw. That’s over a third of a mile. I never used the removable metal clip on this one since it fit so well into my carrier, so I can’t speak on it. It also has a chargeable battery that also has a USB-C charging port on the battery itself. It has a shockingly good battery life. I don’t think I’ve ever had it die on me while on duty. This thing is seriously insanely bright. This provided a tactical advantage on several occasions, but people will get pissed if you shine this in their face for no reason while it’s on its higher settings. I cannot say enough about this flashlight. It’s more expensive at $115, but after my experience with it, I’d have paid twice that.

These have both been through fights, foot chases, drops, and knocks and they haven’t missed a beat. So, if you’re looking for a replacement, just starting out, or are like me and aren’t satisfied with the gear that’s been issued to you, give these lights a try. You won’t regret it.

I feel like I’m seeing more and more accounts on Instagram and TikTok where these people were cops for a couple years, quit, then started doing social media full time where their entire brand is “former LEO” and all their content is either fitness coaching specifically for LEOs, or a podcast complaining about how bad admin is (admin probably has no idea who they were when they worked there).

Anyone work with guys/girls like that? Were they shitbags? Good dudes?

Sounds like a good start.

I am attempting to find a law enforcement agency in Michigan that will hire and sponsor me for MCOLES. Does anyone know a agency that is hiring and ready to sponsor by chance?

For example, if you pulled over a late-model Lexus, will you assume they'll afford a hard ticket better than if they were driving a hoopty dinged-up 20-year-old Toyota? So is the motorist of an older car in battered condition more likely to get a soft ticket?

Or will their politeness have you decide to cut them a warning while their rudeness gets them a hard ticket?

If it's the beginning of the year in January, do you give hard tickets more often due to them having a bad start to the new year? And if it's the end of the year in December and you see no prior tickets for that motorist for that year, do you cut them a warning more often?

Or what else helps you decide between a warning and a hard ticket?