Language question (english)

[CountryKitty]

Police departments have jurisdiction within city limits.
The Sheriff's Department officers, known as deputies, have county-wide authority...which may include several small towns in a rural area like mine.
State Troopers usually patrol the state highways and interstate highways which cross thru' multiple towns and counties. Their jurisdiction ends at the boundaries of the state in which they have authority.
Crimes that cross state lines are the business of the FBI.

Old TV shows used to show lawmen coming to a screching halt at the border of their district during a pursuit as if unable to continue. These days they dust radio ahead to the next jurisdiction to let them know the pursuit is headed their way.


Slightly off-topic, but maybe interesting to y'all...several years ago there was a pursuit on Interstate 20 (cuts west-east across several of the southernmost states). An officer was heard over the radio saying that theye were approaching such-n-such intersection. Several squad cars were waiting at the intersectin in Dallas for the pursuit...but then they heard the officer on the radio saying that they'd just passed the intersection, tho' no one had passed the waiting officers. After the pursuit ended there was a bit of confused conversation over the radio til someone noticed the differences in accents...the officers involved in the pursuit were in Lousiana some 400 miles away! Atmospheric conditions had bounced the usually short signal clear to Dallas, which just happend to have an intersection by the same name as one in LA.

[fearfaoin]

"Sir" is another polite form of address. Although the title "Sir" is an indication of being knighted by the Queen of England, the term "sir" is used casually as a polite form of address. When I was working as a teller at a bank, I often referred to my male customers as sir. To get someone's attention, rather than to say "Hey, you over there", I would simply say, "Sir, I can help you now". We don't have many polite forms of address in English, and, even though "sir" is somewhat archaic, it is still used.

I wish we'd never lost the slightly derogetory "sirrah". I would find
that useful in my day-to-day... Alas, it has not the desired effect
outside of a RenFaire.

[KatieBell]

My mother always fought to maintain the use of master as the male equivalent to miss. Any letters she wrote to minor boys were addressed to

Master Joe Smith
c/o Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Smith

I don't think I've ever seen anyone else do the same.

[Nanohedron]

My mother always fought to maintain the use of master as the male equivalent to miss. Any letters she wrote to minor boys were addressed to

Master Joe Smith
c/o Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Smith

I don't think I've ever seen anyone else do the same.

My grandmother used to address her letters to me in that way. Dearly as I loved her, it made me feel strange and as if included, by the title, as a quaint remnant of a bygone time.

[jsluder]

My mother always fought to maintain the use of master as the male equivalent to miss. Any letters she wrote to minor boys were addressed to

Master Joe Smith
c/o Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Smith

I don't think I've ever seen anyone else do the same.

I went to college with a guy named Richard Bates. He was very glad that using "master" in that way was no longer the norm.

[falkbeer]

"Sir" is another polite form of address. Although the title "Sir" is an indication of being knighted by the Queen of England, the term "sir" is used casually as a polite form of address. When I was working as a teller at a bank, I often referred to my male customers as sir. To get someone's attention, rather than to say "Hey, you over there", I would simply say, "Sir, I can help you now". We don't have many polite forms of address in English, and, even though "sir" is somewhat archaic, it is still used.

Using the "officer" when addressing a policeman or policewoman is also a polite form of address. I think of it as being respectful of the policeperson's position in society, as one who has the difficult job of trying to enforce the laws that holds the society together. "Hey, cop" shows disrespect for the policeman's position. As I said before, "Officer, can you help me?" is an address form that shows respect, and we can use it regardless of the person's position in the police organization.

Then, would´t it be even more polite to adress someone as Sire.

[Cynth]

I think that would be an obsolete usage, if it was ever used that way in the US. Now that word has something to do with "father"---like ancestor, father, male parent of an animal. If you addressed someone as "Sire", he might become very alarmed ! Maybe we could give "Squire" a shot.

[KatieBell]

Father as in to father, the verb. It is a rather cold way of saying who a baby's daddy is, and is most frequently used in normal occurrences in talking about breeding animals. "Puckingham Lady's Luck sired Sir Murphry Charles the Great and Ernestine's High Haunts." If you called a police officer sire, he'd think you were being sarcastic and intentionally rude, most likely.

Unless you were dressed up in RenFest garb. In which case, he'd probably think you were crazy.

[Steamwalker]

"Sir" is another polite form of address. Although the title "Sir" is an indication of being knighted by the Queen of England, the term "sir" is used casually as a polite form of address. When I was working as a teller at a bank, I often referred to my male customers as sir. To get someone's attention, rather than to say "Hey, you over there", I would simply say, "Sir, I can help you now". We don't have many polite forms of address in English, and, even though "sir" is somewhat archaic, it is still used.

I wish we'd never lost the slightly derogetory "sirrah". I would find
that useful in my day-to-day... Alas, it has not the desired effect
outside of a RenFaire.

Or "dame" for that matter. Now the word is often preceded by "crazy" as in "crazy dame".

[djm]

My mother always fought to maintain the use of master as the male equivalent to miss.

I used to get this when I was very young, but even then the practise was dying out. It is pretty antiquated.

djm

[Flyingcursor]

I think anyone still using the term "Master" is a genius and should get a medal.

I didn't see Texas Rangers on KatieBell's list. I'm shocked because

"when you're in Texas look behind you,
cause that's where the Ranger's gonna be."

[djm]

"when you're in Texas look behind you,
cause that's where the Ranger's gonna be."

I have heard that shoes with laces are not very popular in Texas ....

djm

[Nanohedron]

I think anyone still using the term "Master" is a genius and should get a medal.

Master Flydood, I approve of your judgment. Please be so good as to send me my medal forthwith.

[KatieBell]

I think anyone still using the term "Master" is a genius and should get a medal.

I didn't see Texas Rangers on KatieBell's list. I'm shocked because

"when you're in Texas look behind you,
cause that's where the Ranger's gonna be."

I thought of them, but they are just a branch of the Department of Public Safety, same guys as the State Troopers.

[Flyingcursor]

I think anyone still using the term "Master" is a genius and should get a medal.

I didn't see Texas Rangers on KatieBell's list. I'm shocked because

"when you're in Texas look behind you,
cause that's where the Ranger's gonna be."

I thought of them, but they are just a branch of the Department of Public Safety, same guys as the State Troopers.

Maybe in administrative terms but the Rangers are the stuff of Legend. You wouldn't call a Ranger "trooper".. I mean, they've got badges made of Mexican coins!!!! Don't make Cordell Walker come lookin for you. It's probably already too late.