JALLEN wrote:RottenApple wrote: LEOs aren't paid to know the law, they are paid to enforce it.
This begs the question how can they enforce the law if they don't know what it is? A policeman must accurately know, be familiar with the black and white requirements, if not the subtleties, nuances and arcane interpretations. The consequence of not understanding them is needless bad arrests, lost cases, crimes going on under his nose, etc..... very unsatisfactory!
The fact is that most of them do not know the criminal law that thoroughly, other than the area they are working in. A traffic beat guy knows the traffic laws, the robbery detail knows those laws, the bunko squad, the vice squad know their areas, in some detail.
If it was easy everybody would do it, but it isn't and they don't.
Agreed,, and it is one of the things I bristle at..
LEOs... ok Most LEO's become reasonable subject matter experts on the laws they routinely enforce,, Really good ones stay update on those laws as they change year to year.
But they will rarely know more than the average citizen on coipus laws not in their daily view. And I respect, understand and acknowledge that to be normal and acceptable.. there are way too many laws on the books to know them all.. .. Judges have law clerks doing research for them on the laws of a case in court... because even they .. experts on the law, can not be up to date on all case law, rulings, and laws on the books.
Sir you in violation of PC 123.321,, And when replied with "i did not know that was against the law" the response is often, ignorance of the law is no excuse..
It's a game called stump the chump.... many Military leaders in the day excelled at it... Pick up any manual, regulation, manual for Courts Martial.. and that low mentality leader can read the book.. find a snippet of info, law, regulation,, then go to a Person or group and say,, what is XYZ?, or why are you doing that it's against the regs, rules, procedure..... acting the expert, but in reality, hours before they had no such knowledge either..
I have seen that in a a FEW LEO's as well... but most, when it is politely pointed out in conversation, that law xyz changed in last year's Session and became effective 9 months ago.. reply with.. What?? Really, huh, I did not know that...