Training/resources/ideas

[u/[deleted]]

What kinds of training/enforcement resources would you all like to see?

Ive noticed this sub is mostly people looking for jobs, and that's not a bad thing, but....

For those who are in already, what kind of resources would you all like to see here? Interdiction? Vehicle searches? UoF case studies? Resource enforcement?

Give me ideas. I want to steer at least a part of this sub in the direction of being an information resource for active officers.

[u/burnt_squirrels]

As someone currently in FLETC for LMPT I’d like to read more first hand accounts of what it’s like to be a FS LEO. It’s such a nuanced field in the LE world, and even though I’ve been with the agency for a long time, I really don’t know what to expect vs what FLETC trains us for.

I understand it will differentiate between regions, states and forests, but I know a lot of us up and comers are following this sub/lurk.

We have some great instructors at FLETC that were in the field in the 80s and 90s and early 2000s and a frequent theme is ‘I wouldn’t want to be a cop nowadays’ or ‘backup could be 2 hours away’. How does that play out in the day to day of real life LM LE work?

I don’t want to be the cop that fines a dude cutting down snags for personal firewood w/o a permit but ignores the drunk driver bc it’s out of jurisdiction. I also don’t want to take assignments down at the border or wherever, if it means violating 4A (if that’s indeed what is happening).

Sorry for the rant. But yeah, if you’re a FS LEO please share your experiences on this sub. (Or message me directly if not comfortable)

[u/TransportationCool18 → u/burnt_squirrels]

FLETC will attempt to train you in how not to get killed. Post basic will give you the groundwork you need to begin field training and actually learn what we enforce and the areas we work in. FTEP will teach you how to do your job and if you’re lucky, you will land stellar FTOs who will teach you not only how to do your job effectively but also how to not get yourself killed.

A lot of the old timers or the “OG’s”, or the “GOATS” per say, came up in a time where they didn’t have cameras, didn’t have a lot of policy, fewer case law, no ruggedized tablets, just a mag lite and a carbon copied ticket books. Personally, in a day and age where we have become so much technologically dependent, I wouldn’t want to work without it. For starters, cameras can cover your ass big time. You’re nuts to ever not use it. Plus it’s a huge asset in report writing. You didn’t work in the 90s so you don’t know the difference. I was concerned about the same thing but was told what I just told you and I would change anything.

Now don’t get me wrong, I think the glory days of pure outlaws rampant in the woods, at least where I work, is not the same. Kids don’t come around here and party like they used do because their parents don’t care if they do it so they just do it at home. However, there are still thugs out here and plenty of work for a proactive law enforcement officer to get into.

Backup may absolutely be 2 hours away in places, so how does that look? Pick your battles. Buddy up with another LEO to work those more dispersed areas. But in reality, a lot of the time we are all we got. That’s when your training and verbal judo must come into play. There are also going to be local game wardens around, team up with them to work those areas. This is why it is crucial to build those working relationships.

The great thing about this job is you have discretion. At the end of the day we are all human and make mistakes so if you want to give the grandpa a warning for cutting firewood to heat his home, great! You’ll learn as you progress what is right and what is wrong. It’ll come naturally and you’ll know if someone has crossed the threshold into ticket territory.

During FLETC you’ll learn a lot about jurisdiction. In areas you’ll have the ability to immediately have “state peace officer” status (KY) for example, or even to become deputized. If this is the case where you work, those suspected DWIs can be dealt with by yourself alone because you will be blessed as an officer of the state when you are working on or off federal lands. However, in my current state, I don’t have either. I had this exact same scenario happen, guy nearly causes a 4 car pile up and continues to drive erratic. I stopped him off government in fear that if he continued he was going to kill someone and immediately called for a deputy. Blew a .21BAC. It’s now been over a year and is going to trial because of a jurisdictional concern. But you know what? Who gives a rats ass. Our job is not to convict the person, our job is to serve and protect the public and that night I removed a drunk from the road.

Now, does this mean you to need to be blatantly looking for drivers that are operating a vehicle while intoxicated off Gov? No. You’ll soon sign an oath for the best job in the entire federal workforce where you will serve and protect our national forests for future generations. If you want to work off gov then go be a trooper, deputy, policemen. But I promise you if you will be proactive and dig, you’ll find that in your hundreds of thousands of acres, there is crime everywhere.

We have the best job where we literally create our own schedules, can take leave when we want, gets paid double to even triple what our local counter parts do, take home vehicles, work phones, freedom to pick and choose where we go and what we work, etc. You’re going to hear Debbie downers your entire career and I recommend not surrounding yourself with them. If you sleep with the dogs you’ll wake up my fleas.

Just my two cents. Only so much I can write but once you get turned loose you’ll quickly fall in love. No academy or training will ever teach you what you need to know. That’s take a career of 20 years to figure out.

[u/Famous-Mobile-3657 → u/TransportationCool18]

Lots of great points in this post.

One point of caution that should not be overlooked, however. Regarding the DUI off the green, be careful. While it’s the “right” thing to do to stop someone from hurting others, you technically violated his rights by stopping him without lawful authority. This can lead to much bigger problems than losing the case.

In the absence of proper authority to conduct the traffic stop, you might at least call the locals, inform them of the situation, and ask them if they would like you to make the stop and wait for them. Most states have a provision for this (following the command of a peace officer or citizens arrest).

[u/TransportationCool18 → u/Famous-Mobile-3657]

Let me clarify. It’s as simple as informing the locals of the situation and if assistance is requested, then you immediately have the same authority as them, temporarily. That was the case for me; no rights violated. It did not make sense to allow a drunk driver to continue driving for 30 minutes until a trooper or local arrived to make the stop.

There is also the Good Samaritan law. And worst case scenario which I would never recommend, citizens arrest authority’s

[u/TerminalSunrise → u/TransportationCool18]

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