Is there a word for "that guy" in the LEO profession?

[shy 7th]

So what do you call "that guy" in the LEO profession? We all know one, in every industry in every field, there's one (or a few).

We all know them on the gun/militaria boards. The guys who are obsessed with being a special forces operator. They dress their guns up with all of the high tech gear. They may even pretend to be an elite operator on a gun board or in real life. The Gecko45s of the world... we refer to them as "Mall Ninjas".

In the medical fields we know them as "quacks" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quackery). And while blatantly fraudulent medical practices are still a problem today, the name is still used derogatorily to describe medical practitioners in the pseudo/semi medical fields ala chiropractics and psychiatry. More aptly, doctors who just don't know their stuff. The reason you get a "second opinion".

In the computer hacking world we refer to these people as Script Kiddies (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Script_kiddie). They pretend to be hackers. They tell all of their friends that they are hackers. They brag on the message boards that they are 1337 h4ck3rz (elite hackers). But the only thing they've hacked is their little sister's facebook account.

I legal circles there are "ambulance chasers".
In car racing circles there are "ricers".


So what is the name for "that guy" in the LEO profession? If anyone has seen the movie Super Troopers, the character "Farva," would be this guy. But you know him in real life, we probably all know one.

He'll show up at the academy every year bragging about how many ride-alongs he's gone on and about the "one time he got to participate in a drug raid and had to provide cover for an officer with the shotgun because they were shorthanded that night" (lie). He may pass the physical tests, but there's no way in hell he's passing the psych evaluation. The only reason he wants to be a cop is because he gets to carry a gun and tell people what to do. The only reason he wants to be a cop is to exert control over someone else... a symptom of the lack of control in his own life.

He shouldn't be a cop. He'll never be a cop. He may even settle for an administrative job at the department just so he can hang around the real deal. But he'll tell people he's a cop... or at least works for one.

The jokes. The wannabes. The quacks. The hackers that can't hack it. Is there a word in the LEO world for "that guy"?

[cacop]

I heard Whacker over at another forum.

[1911su16b870]

Don't be "That Guy"!

[bubbagump]

He shouldn't be a cop. He'll never be a cop. He may even settle for an administrative job at the department just so he can hang around the real deal. But he'll tell people he's a cop... or at least works for one.

The jokes. The wannabes. The quacks. The hackers that can't hack it. Is there a word in the LEO world for "that guy"?

I knew a few who DID become cops. Passing backgrounds, psych tests, and polygraphs isn't a hard thing to do.

[eltee]

Back in the day they were referred to as "frustrated cops" in that they were frustrated because they were unable to become cops. Others were referred to as "buffs" who were often seen hanging out with cops or at the station, wore the brass buckled garrison belt with cuffs visible (but no gun) to "look like" cops. They'd get coffee, do food runs, wash cars, etc. until station security tightened up and they were no longer permitted beyond the visitor area. They'd have a 6 inch thick wallet full of cops' business cards. They knew the police radio codes, penal code sections, police slang, etc. better than a 20 year veteran.

[Jack L]

Class A1, Want-to-be. A sad social profile and sometimes scary mentality. Many decals on their vehicles, 3 - 4 antennas popping out the roof, scanning a half a dozen channels with multiple scanners. Spending extra money at the uniform shop buying every item that looks like a special ops team member would have. At the same time could not pass basic classes or get accepted in a program.

There must be some area these types would do well and become productive if given the chance. It's just not usually in LE or Fire/EMS. Private unarmed security comes to mind.

[Triad]

Closest thing we have is the "blue falcon" its the buddy fu#$er.

[axel4488]

Closest thing we have is the "blue falcon" its the buddy fu#$er.

my buddy just got back from Basic Training and taught me that...

I lol'd

[barca101]

I know a few "That Guy" in the LEO profession, but atleast their LEO. I observed alot of "That Guy" when I first started testing for depts. I would wait in line and I could hear applicants behind me and in front of me tell war stories and how they got the "In" to get the position. What's funny is that I see the same applicants at different tests telling the same stories, but to different people.

[DesertGunner]

I don't think that's what "ambulance chaser" means...

[Spanky8601]

My first thought was CHIEF.

[shy 7th]

I don't think that's what "ambulance chaser" means...

You're right. It was a weak analogy, but it was close enough for the point I was trying to make.

And I also wasn't trying to dog any legitimate chiropracters out there. I know there are some good doctors out there that specialize in fixing your back... it's just there are also a lot out there that will crack your back once, call it an "alignment," tell you to take aspirin and then bill your insurance company for a grand and a half. Or they'll push the whole "massage therapy chirporactis: your insurance pays while you get a rub down" or the ones that hand out handicap placards like halloween candy "no appointment needed". You know who you are.

[epilepticninja]

When I was a Level 1 Reserve, I was also on active duty in the Air Force. A guy that was stationed at the base I was at, had a resold cop car, with a bumper sticker that said "my other car is a cop car." He had the spotlights on it and I was pretty sure he had a red/blue plug-in light. The guy I believe worked in logistics (supply.) Some of my friends in Security Forces told me that they had received complaints that the guy was making traffic stops on people offbase. I prayed to catch him pulling some shenanigans when I was working patrol, but I never saw him in the county I worked in, just on base and in the adjacent county. I still see people driving used po-po cars with spots, tinted windows, and antennas. I used to call them "ride-alongs" but I do remember the term "Tackleberry" being used as well.

[Kimber]

Pretty much just, "that guy"

......

It works so well, why re-invent the wheel?

[Calm Down]

You would be "This Guy". This fine specimen of a man always wanted to be a cop. He even purchased his own handcuffs. Long story short, he was playing with his cuffs, locked himself to the trailer but didn't have the key. Lucky for him and me, he had a cell phone. He called 911 and I was dispatched to "assist a citizen". Before I unlocked him, we joked and I took a photo. As you can see, he posed for me. Please don't be THIS GUY!