[Philadelphia]

Originally Posted by reverserboy

I've been thinking after talking to some LEO both PSP and local. I think it's too easy to become a cop in PA. It seems a fair # of cops just don't know what they're doing.

Examples:
There is a 4" blade restriction if a knife is carried.
LCTF is not valid in Philly.
A machete is a prohibited offensive weapon.
I asked 3 different cops about the legality of butterfly knives & got 3 different answers.
AND of course....A carried gun must be concealed.
A person must show ID no matter what if asked by a cop.
If OC it cannot be loaded.
Chucks are a POW. I believe there is case law to the contrary,but don't quote me.

AND our little Friday May 9 incident.

Years ago in Moosic PA I had a cop get out of his personal vehicle in street clothes to confront me about a traffic infraction. There was 2 feet of snow on the ground & I was driving a tractor with no trailer. Such a vehicle is a nightmare in snow. I don't know if this goof is still a cop but if he was any dummer they would have to water him twice a week.

Now...I'm not saying all cops are bad or incompetent but I think police training needs a serious review in PA. I think the standard should be raised.
Anyone wearing a badge needs to have a certain knowledge of the law.

My employer requires recurring training for employees in safety sensitive positions.

I know plenty of cops who have their own copy of the crimes code and actually read it. There definitely needs to be training but for "book learning" type training, it's more of a mindset. Professional cops educate themselves in addition to getting proper training. Professional cops understand the reasoning behind the laws and use their lawful discretion to perform their ultimate mission -- keeping it safe, maintaining order and "fighting" crime -- more efficiently.

Most cops are professional cops, but there are always going to be some lazy slackers who avoid any aspect of their job they don't like in every profession -- even yours no doubt. The outliers shouldn't be used to paint the whole group as deficient.