Brainrape

Just a few questions for the LEO's (btw, I'm new here and assume this stands for Law Enforcment Officer, just a guess though), if you guys don't mind, keeping in mind ideas of jurisdiction and the discepincies according to city/state etc etc...

No.1 - Do LEO's have to take drug tests? If yes, how often and is it equivelent to civilian ones (i.e. ones the probation officer gives you.)

No.2- Are LEO's allowed to taste the drugs they confiscate (i.e. coke, heroin) in order to check for thier identity? (I saw this on Baretta and was wondering )...also, if yes, how does this relate to question 1?

No.3- Are the cameras installed on some LEO cars on the dashboard (i.e. those ones used to make FOX speicals) required on all cop cars? I find this an extordinary tool as it can assist the officer greatly as WELL as the person stopped, it can document the whole incident including police abuse....

No.4- What is the best way to handle discpline for an officer supposing your rights were severly violated or he exhibited police brutality, what is the civilian's best recourse?

If you guys find the time to answer, I know you get so many questions, I would greatly appreciate it, the knowledge you dispense is extremely valuable, thanks for all the help...

Randøm_

Brainrape, I am no LEO by far! First off, yes, you got LEO right (Niteshift and Slate are the 2 I am familiar with). I'll limit my input to what I know.
1) don't know
2) in most cases, specific testing kits are in the possession of cops, whereas taste isn't needed. I think cocaine is put to the tongue to see if it makes the tongue numb. The amount needed to do this would likely not be enough to cause a positive test.
3) some precincts have cameras mounted in cop cars, some don't.
4) DO NOT take the issue up with the officer, report it IMMEDIATELY to the internal affairs division and your attorney if you have one. Make sure you notice the word "immediately" in the previous sentence. :wink:

The only reason I jump in on these threads is because I know some answers and this way, the amount that need to be tended by our LEO friendlies becomes less. Believe me, if they disagree with me (Niteshift in particular ) they'll have no compunctions to voice it adamantly in this thread.

Niteshift

"Do LEO's have to take drug tests? If yes, how often and is it equivelent to civilian ones"

In my state every LEO must take a drug test prior to being emplyed. How often afterwards will vary from dept. to dept. One position I had required me to take one at random at least once a month. Other positions have only required them if I'm involved in a shooting or am injured in a job-related accident.

"Are LEO's allowed to taste the drugs they confiscate (i.e. coke, heroin) in order to check for thier identity?"

That's for TV. Your tasting it does not provide PC to make the arrest, whereas a field test kit does. Hell, even smart dealers use field tests.

I hope the moderators will give me a little leeway on this: Most of the time, the cutting agents for most drugs mimic the action of the drug itself, so tasting is worthless. For example, if you cut coke with benzadrine, both are topical anesthetics, so both will numb the guns and tongue (what the TV cops are supposedly looking for), but so would straight benzedrine.

"Are the cameras installed on some LEO cars on the dashboard (i.e. those ones used to make FOX speicals) required on all cop cars?"

I'm a mobile video instructor and you're right, they are a terrific tool. Unfortunately, many depts can't afford to put them in all patrol cars. Some officers do get their own.

"What is the best way to handle discpline for an officer supposing your rights were severly violated or he exhibited police brutality, what is the civilian's best recourse? "

Random gave you pretty good advice. Report it to the dept. If it's that severe, you may want to talk to a lawyer as well. If it's not that severe, or you're not really sure if your rights were even violated, you may want to just start with the dept. and see what happens from there.

Don't try to handle it at the curb. Whether you're right or wrong, you'll come up on the short end of the stick.

Ganja Warrior

Most departments feel that "tasting" the drug is the same as "using" the drug. When I worked undercover, we could not even simulate "using" drugs. The only time it wold be authorized is if it was a matter of life or death, i.e. there was gun being held to your head. Then you would have to be examined by a doctor, get some 4850 time, and be found medically fit for duty.