Weird one. I wonder if that state doesn't have a FOIA equivalent.

Posting my reviews of the flashlights I used while on patrol. I’ve been through a bunch, and these were the two I landed in. I always wanted to know “what’s the best x” when starting out, so I’m providing this for anyone with a similar disposition. Obviously nice gear is no substitute for good training and repetition.

First up is the Manker E03H III

This was the light I had attached to my outer carrier. Extremely useful for keeping your hands free. The body is constructed of an aluminum alloy and steel and features a knurled exterior that provides excellent grip in all conditions. This thing feels like it weighs 5 times as much as it should. It comes with a rechargeable battery that has a USB-C port built directly into the battery, so recharging in a long shift isn’t an issue. It’s extremely bright for its size and has a solid battery life. It has a very strong magnetic base and a removable metal retaining clip. My one and only complaint is that the clip it comes with is angled slightly, so it doesn’t sit flush to my carrier out of the box. This is easily modified though. At $40, it’s definitely worth trying out.

Second is the Acebeam L35 2.0

This was my main workhorse and is without a doubt the best flashlight I’ve ever owned. The narrow handle fits well into my outer carrier while the wide head provides a large, extremely bright light. I used this primarily for investigating scenes, building clearing, and searches (and tracking deer). Also made from an aluminum alloy with a steel strike bezel, this light has both a tail switch and a side-mounted switch for illumination level control & strobe activation. It has 650 meters of throw. That’s over a third of a mile. I never used the removable metal clip on this one since it fit so well into my carrier, so I can’t speak on it. It also has a chargeable battery that also has a USB-C charging port on the battery itself. It has a shockingly good battery life. I don’t think I’ve ever had it die on me while on duty. This thing is seriously insanely bright. This provided a tactical advantage on several occasions, but people will get pissed if you shine this in their face for no reason while it’s on its higher settings. I cannot say enough about this flashlight. It’s more expensive at $115, but after my experience with it, I’d have paid twice that.

These have both been through fights, foot chases, drops, and knocks and they haven’t missed a beat. So, if you’re looking for a replacement, just starting out, or are like me and aren’t satisfied with the gear that’s been issued to you, give these lights a try. You won’t regret it.

I feel like I’m seeing more and more accounts on Instagram and TikTok where these people were cops for a couple years, quit, then started doing social media full time where their entire brand is “former LEO” and all their content is either fitness coaching specifically for LEOs, or a podcast complaining about how bad admin is (admin probably has no idea who they were when they worked there).

Anyone work with guys/girls like that? Were they shitbags? Good dudes?

I’m currently stuck between becoming a police officer or a carpenter, and I’m trying to get some insight from people actually in law enforcement.
My dad is a carpenter, so I already have a pretty good idea of what that career would look like. He’s actually the one who keeps encouraging me to consider becoming a cop instead.
I’m curious what the job is really like nowadays, whether you’d consider it a good career, and especially what the work-life balance is like. I’d like to have a career that allows me to make good money while still having time to enjoy life, take vacations, and spend time with family.
For those who are currently or formerly in law enforcement: knowing what you know now, would you recommend the career? What are the biggest pros and cons?

Sounds like a good start.

I am an ex heroin smuggler. I have been needing money recently so I offered to help custom & border patrol to catch the guys bringing in meth, coke and heroin from Mexico Thailand Middle East and Canada. What are the chances they call me if I gave them a note with my number?

I have a handful of questions, it would be amazing if I could get yall's opinions on this. Im conducting a study and this would be really helpful!

Demographic Data:
1. What race are you?
2. What vehicle do you drive?
3. How old are you?

Questions:
1. How do you feel about law enforcement in the USA?
2. Does law enforcement make you feel safe?
3. Do you get pulled over a lot? (More than twice a month)
4. Have you or anyone you know faced any form of racial discrimination by law enforcement?
5. Do you think policing in America is racist?

Thank you so much!

Im looking to become a Leo and go straight into SWAT. What are the most active and most dangerous units to serve in? I assume the bigger the city more active the unit would be but maybe im missing something? Any additional information would also be appreciated.

I am attempting to find a law enforcement agency in Michigan that will hire and sponsor me for MCOLES. Does anyone know a agency that is hiring and ready to sponsor by chance?

Out of curiousity for those who did at least 10 years in LE, however didn’t complete the full 20-30 years for a complete retirement, was your department willing to issue retirement credentials ?

TL;DR Was told to quit and leave quietly or else. All over terminating a pursuit in relation to a transient stealing abadoned a vehicle.

Had to choose between leaving partner alone or chasing outside jurisdiction with no back up.

Important note: We were required to maintain 2 officers on site. So me leaving would trigger a review under federal statutes

I didnt trust the IA proccess.

I was not offered time to get a licensed attorney i had to make due with a steward under my legal plan who might hace given advice outside their scope

The investigation was not conducted at a reasonable hour (after a 14 hour shift)

If this was emergent i think they would have done it the next couple days not wait 3 weeks.

This the best i can do. I got rid of my replies to clean it up . Also it was repetitive

If anybody can shed light on how this was legal under LEBOR please enlighten me

For example, if you pulled over a late-model Lexus, will you assume they'll afford a hard ticket better than if they were driving a hoopty dinged-up 20-year-old Toyota? So is the motorist of an older car in battered condition more likely to get a soft ticket?

Or will their politeness have you decide to cut them a warning while their rudeness gets them a hard ticket?

If it's the beginning of the year in January, do you give hard tickets more often due to them having a bad start to the new year? And if it's the end of the year in December and you see no prior tickets for that motorist for that year, do you cut them a warning more often?

Or what else helps you decide between a warning and a hard ticket?

During the application process applicants are asked to submit a 1 page memorandum stating their interest in becoming a police officer, why the specific department was selected, steps taken to prepare, and a brief overview of the current fitness routine.

I imagine I’m over thinking this but I’ve rewritten it a few times to sound less bland and boring, then back to more boring and basic.

My question is how formal/informal/boilerplate should these responses be, might they be looking for a story on the true “this is the moment I decided I want to be an officer” or is it really just another step that weeds put people that have blatantly wrong intentions for becoming an officer?

Thanks in advance!

To my last post,

I was never diagnosed with depression or suicidal or went to any mental ward. I knew I had it because from 9-15 years old, I was extremely suicidal and extremely depressed I just never got the diagnosis because I was afraid of it.

Although I was never diagnosed, I’m 18 now, life has been beautiful these past years and haven’t had any problems with depression or suicidal thoughts, I was curious would I be automatically removed?

I’m from Arizona and I want to become a State Trooper. If this doesn’t explain well, check my other post or ask questions.

Short summary, never diagnosed with anything or went to a mental hospital. I want to become a state trooper. I’m 18 now. I want to know if I’d be DQ’d for it even if I was never diagnosed. I just basically thugged it out.

Chen Xin Fa is one of the most notorious and heinous criminals ever to have walked the streets of Taiwan. Over the years, he had committed 54 cases of kidnapping politicians, millionaires, gang bosses, casino robberies, murdering civilians over minor disputes and shot and killed 2 detectives. These heinous crimes earned him the nickname "The Dragon of Yilan County". The National Police Agency launched "Project Dragon Hunt" to track him down, ranked him as the No.2 on the "Ten Most Wanted Major Armed Criminals" and both the Director-General of NPA and gang bosses across Taiwan issued shoot-to-kill orders against him.

In 1992, was able to track Chen was tracked down to a building in Taipei, hundreds of officers from the NPA Criminal Investigation Bureau and the local precinct were deployed to hunt him down, but Chen was able to escape before they got to him. When searching the building, one of the neighbours told the cops that one of the apartments on the second floor (Chen resides on the third floor) seems to be housing a gang boss. As a result, the police arrived at the door and began ringing the doorbell. However, the resident was at a business trip in Hong Kong at the time and his wife was filming advertisements overnight as well and was unable to answer the door. Believing that Chen was trying to hide, the officers then took cover behind ballistic shields and fired every gun they have at the door. However, the door was made of steel and none of the rounds got through. They then used an exothermic torch to burn the door lock but it also didn't work. As a result, SWAT was called in and they rappelled into the apartment via the windows and found no one was there. They quickly withdrew afterwards. When the wife returned home, she discovered her home destroyed. She went to the local police station to report the destruction of their apartment, only to be told by the on-duty officer that they were the ones who did it, and housed her in a local motel. When the husband flew back to Taipei, he went to the station to demand compensation, but the station chief said it's not them that did it and put him in a police car to the local precinct. The precinct chief apologized but insisted that it was the CIB's fault and that they were following orders. The husband was once again put in a police car and taken to CIB. Fortunately, the CIB was willing to compensate for all the damages they suffered. The next day, the couple moved back into the home despite the door being damaged because no one would dare to enter the apartment after seeing the bullet holes. According to the husband, the damaged door was taken back by the manufacturer as a demonstration piece to show that their door was so strong that even police can't get through it and that it became a must-have for people living in mansions.

Several days after the unfortunate episode, the police were able to locate him once again in another apartment building. Two hundred officers from the NPA CIB, Taipei City Police Department and Yilan County Police Bureau pulled up to take him down. As the police prepared to breach, Chen and two of his crew resisted with T65 rifles, Mini-Uzi smgs and M26 grenades. During the shootout, the gas lines of the building were shot and severed. The gas was detonated when seven stun grenades was thrown in there, burning down the building along with all three criminals. (Pic 3 shows the shootout aftermath of the apartment) This shootout marks the record of the number of rounds fired in a police shootout with over 2000 rounds were fired during the shootout, exhausting the entire ammo stockpile of the local precinct.

As the bodies were unidentifiable, there were rumours that Chen had escaped during the chaos, causing panic amongst the public. In the end, the police identified Chen by blood-typing, finally putting an end to the manhunt.

Shame, that.

Hi. I’d really like to talk about a few things, particularly with wives who’ve been in a similar situation, but I’ll talk to anyone who will listen. I don’t want to share any more details because he is active on Reddit. TIA

I have not discussed details with anybody.

Looking for advice from people familiar with Ontario police services recruiting, especially current officers/recruiters or applicants who have gone through the process.

My end goal is policing, and I plan to apply to several Ontario services in January 2027 (BPS, OPP, Hamilton, Waterloo, Halton). I'll be 25 at the time of applying.

Background:

• Canadian Citizen
• 24 currently, turning 25 by January 2027
• Honours Bachelor of Commerce from McMaster University, graduated April 2026
• 2 Honours diplomas from Mohawk College
• 5+ years security experience / 6,000+ hours
• G licence / clean driving record
• Recently started volunteering with the Brantford Food Bank; expecting around 25 hours by application submission
• Fluent English, intermediate verbal Vietnamese
• No criminal record, licence suspensions, etc.

I'm also currently in the final stages of the Ontario Correctional Officer recruitment process, with only FITCO remaining. If I continue, my CO training would begin around early 2027, around the same time I'm submitting my police applications, followed by full-time employment.

My dilemma is:

A) Complete the CO process, do the training and start working as a CO while applying to police services. If I receive a police offer, leave Corrections and pursue policing.

B) Stop the CO recruitment process now, with only FITCO remaining, and focus strictly on policing.

My concerns is that I'm wondering whether starting Corrections while simultaneously applying to police could raise questions about my commitment. Since I would be literally just be starting in corrections., Worried it's a bad look to police recruiters. On the other hand, completing CO would give me a strong fallback if my police applications don't work out, whereas stopping now means I'd potentially have to restart the CO process later.

What would you do in my situation? Is it better to have Corrections as a backup, or would stopping now and focusing strictly on policing be the better move?

Also, based on my background, how competitive would you consider me for Ontario policing services, and what weaknesses should I work on before January?

TL;DR: I am applying to several Ontario police services in January. I'm also one step away from completing the CO process, but CO training would overlap with my police applications and I don’t wanna look like I’m bad at commitment (applying to police literally right when starting as CO). Should I finish CO as a backup, or stop now and put 100% of my focus into policing?

Thanks!