Officers can no longer do this in California 😳 

Thanks 🙏 for the positive feedback.

Thanks for sharing your comment Robert. There is a fine line to follow when it comes to co-worker corruption. For example: Maybe that officer had other probable cause for the stop and wanted more probable cause to strengthen his case. If you see something that you know for sure is corruption, and you have hard evidence....then - yes - you have a duty per your oath to report it. However, keep in mind that the story I shared was from a department that did not have body worn cameras and it was during an era where some supervisors protected lazy officers who often took shortcuts. The story in the video was shared as a learning lesson only. Always keep in mind that there are hidden relationships in every agency and you must follow a balanced approach - especially when you are on probation - to avoid being fired by buddy-supervisors of the person you are complaining about. I learned over the years that there are dating and family relationships behind the scenes that may bite you hard- if you are the type of officer/deputy who stirs up problems - especially when many times it comes down to perception vs. what actually occurred. Years ago in one of my college classes I shared a situation where one of my students was on a ride-along with an officer. He saw the officer make a traffic stop for speeding and then observed the officer accept money from the person he stopped which he assumed was a bribe. Without talking to the officer first, the student returned to the station and reported the incident to the officer's sergeant who called the officer into his office only to find out that the person he had stopped was the officer's brother (a deputy sheriff) and his brother had paid him for gas money from a previous lake day where many officers took their boats to the lake. Later, the student found out that the officer in question was engaged to the sergeant's daughter. Needless to say, my student was blackballed by that department for assuming without following proper investigative guidelines. Again, --always be the type of ethical officer who follows the law and department policy, alll - the - while navigating organizational culture and avoiding controversies - especially when you are a probationary officer/ deputy sheriff/ highway patrol officer, etc.

I'm afraid that's true. It's much too rare and shouldn't be. They usually ask you, "Do you know why you're being pulled over today?" That way, you can incriminate yourself.

Over the 20+ years I worked in law enforcement before becoming a college professor, I saw a number of officers who lost their jobs for committing various crimes. At the top of the list is domestic violence, closely followed by drugs - at times officers get injured and have to go on pain meds - unfortunately, they may get addicted and their behavior costs them their jobs. Ethical violations come in at third place: stealing money, abusing prisoners, etc. One of my co-workers married a woman who he didn't know was addicted to methamphetamine and was on probation for drugs and searchable. One morning, the door bell rang and it was the probation department who were there to search the house. She was at work, but hew was arrested as they found methamphetamine in the master bedroom. As human beings, we have to constantly assess and adjust our actions to minimize our worst possible outcomes. Thanks for the question.