| Author | Message | ||
     Got1nut |
the reason I ask this question is that today i hit my rev limiter and almost cracked someones skull with my baton. I have had prisoners tell me that "the world needs more cops like you" because I try to treat everyone fair, i talk to people with respect even the dirtbags I lock up and I always get a thank you after handing someone a ticket and I write alot of tickets. Granted ive been on the job less than a year so im still nice to people but I can honestly see why cops become aholes, the minute u try and talk to people nicely they take advantage of you and start to challenge your authority. So just for shiets and giggles I wanted to know how everyone felt about the police. | ||
| Kdan |
Cops are cool. Some are even my friends. I respect them and they respect me. I find I get more warnings than tickets that way. You have to give someone a little more respect that takes a crappy paying job that risks their life daily. | ||
| Diablobrian |
By far and large the cops are the "good guys". I do feel there should be more emphasis on investigation and enforcement of violent crime, and less on traffic enforcement. But that isn't anything that the cop on the street is responsible for, or has power over. I always treat the officers that I run afoul of with courtesy, and respect. In return I have probably received more warnings than I deserved. I figure these guys put their life on the line when they put on the badge. They see enough attitude, carnage, and tears during their shift. The least they deserve is a little respect from me. | ||
| Doughnut |
You make it all sound so glamorous. I get treated like shit where I work now, so hopefully I'll be prepared. | ||
| Slaughter |
Gonna be an interesting thread here... I have to say that I've known WHY I was pulled over before the lights ever came on in my rear view mirror - every time. Never been hassled but I have enough friends on the force to know a few things which should be common sense (but usually isn't) LA County Sherriff's department has a motorsports group and I see their guys at Willow Springs on race weekends (different classes though). I've gone through LA County Advanced Diver program with Sherriff's Search and Recovery. Most cops I have come to know are really good folks. Been busted for other than legal substances in 1969 (marijuana was still a felony back then) - in my sophmore year in high school - taken out in cuffs. No problems or maltreatment - though I did get my own jail cell til my Father came to bail me out. I couldn't be a cop - ever. I don't have the self discipline it would take to not just remove the teeth of most of the smart a**es that so richly deserve it. | ||
| Got1nut |
Actually up here in the northeast we get paid pretty darn good, for example in my town we max out in pay after 3 years at 94,500.00 and thats without working off duty jobs. So i guess for the pay i can deal with the loud mouths but i wanted to come to this job to make a difference and everyday I see that it really doesnt matter.... | ||
| Kdan |
but i wanted to come to this job to make a difference and everyday I see that it really doesnt matter I dunno nut, making a "difference" is a pretty tall order. I know some teachers and some of them thought they wanted to make a difference too, but have come to recognize that you only really make a difference in one out of 2000 kids and even then it might be 10 years before that kid shows up and says, "y'know what, you were my favourite teacher." Life isn't all "The Shield". A buddy who's a Stamford City cop in Ct. goes in day to day and every day is one day closer to retirement. He's given up trying to make a difference. I think that makes him less than an ideal cop, IMHO. | ||
| Hdbobwithabuell |
Except for the a-hole that wrote me for 7 over in NM, I LOVE the law enforcement community. That little #@#! can kiss my @$$  | ||
| Southern Marine |
I'm getting ready to retire from the Marines after 20 years. I was looking to go into the Data Communications field, but recently changed my mind. I'm seriously looking at going into law enforcement now. In the past 3 years I have grown more interested in possibly training and working with SAR dogs and possibly being a dog handler. I'm also interested in using my knowledge in Computers, network administration, and network security to help fight cyber-crime. I have a great deal of respect for those of you in law enforcement and hope that I can do my part to help contribute. I have enjoyed being a Marine and I will miss it. I took the test for Farmers Branch, in Dallas, Tx. They called me back to get my info for a background check. Now they want me to come out for an interview. I have to work that out. I have also tested for Charlotte-Mecklinburg here in NC. They don't get their test results for another two weeks. I may be looking at other areas as well. I just hope that I can have the opportunity to contribute and be a part of the law enforcement field. | ||
| 1313 |
 He-He-He, 1313 It's only a joke. IMHO, cops are like any other profession, some R good and some R asshats... Again, it is IMHO, 1313 | ||
| Doughnut |
Keep the faith Nut! | ||
| Seth |
My opinion of "cops" is bias… I am one… five years now. I totally understand how you feel, you go out of your way to do the right thing; present yourself professionally, treat everyone with respect, sacrifice yourself for the good of the public, only to be sh*t upon by some dink who doesn’t know when to shut his (or her) mouth when you are in fact helping them out. I’ve had quite a few individuals try to “size me up” and decide to start something. I may be but 5’ 8” but never have I been on the losing side; I contribute my training, my level head, and my strength (thank God for the gym) for my success and my safety. Unfortunately this year alone there were 155 other Police officers who, faced with such circumstances, lost their lives attempting to maintain the peace and safety for the rest of the populace of their individual jurisdictions  Hey Brother, don't give up... Be safe and remember you're not alone. | ||
| Hardcorps |
I am also an officer of the Peace, and have been on the job for a little over a year. We are busy with knuckle heads all day in my Town, we are in at least three to four foot chase's a week, so I feel your pain. A little saying I always keep in the back of my head is: "Justice rides a slow horse, but always overcomes!" I am coming to work where you do though. Our starting pay is $37,000, and max out at like $52,000. Hard Corps | ||
| Chasespeed |
Well, as long as a LEO is doing his/her job, appropriately, i haev no issues, and repct the crap they get at work... BUT, the second you get an asshat....well..guess what... Most of the pricks I have dealt with, have issues with bikes in general... Keep it up bro..if you are fair...you will be respected... Chase | ||
| Seanp |
My father and uncle are both retired state troopers, so I grew up going to cop barbeques, cop parties, cop funerals, cop birthdays... If I weren't in the Army, (it's not just a job, it's an adventure...) I'd be a cop. And yes, as some have stated, there are definitely good cops and bad cops, just like any other profession or group of people out there. Unfortunately, cops are the ones who have to enforce the laws, so they rarely have an opportunity to deal with you when you're doing something that benefits society. Most people, when dealing with a cop, are dealing with him or her because that person broke the law. So automatically, you have a bad attitude towards whoever is punishing you for breaking the law. But I know that a majority of the cops I know are great people, and they do what they do because they want to help society, and they want to protect innocents. I would much rather hang out with a group of cops than a group of lawyers, politicians, or liberal arts professors.  | ||
| Smoke |
like any other category, police are some good , some polite , some a-holes, some croooks, some rude. from my ticketing experience, pull over as soon as practical,keep hands in sight,speak politely, non-confrontational performance on my part usually speeds me on my way. like someone else said,the street guys dont make the rules. just give me my certificate of achievement and send me on my way. the other types of investigations that i have been party to have been competently performed by caring individuals. fair and straightforward earns respect. thanks go out to the honest leo's. tim | ||
| Indy_bueller |
I've been fortunate enough to only have been pulled over four times in my 20 years of driving/riding. Each one of those officers treated me respectfully, and I certainly appreciated it. There is one bitch I have though. It seems that the police in my area, particularly the county sherrifs deputies, break traffic laws consistantly and blatantly. I've seen them speed (after following them on the highway I can confirm they were not on a silent respond) turn without using signals, etc. The worst that I saw was a deputy that made a right turn from the left lane of a four lane street without using a signal. That really torques my bolts. | ||
| Rubberdown |
No issues with the Man here. When I get popped, I deserve it. LEO's have always been fair with me. | ||
| Jlnance |
Got1nut - Sorry about the rev limiter. There are certainly a lot of a holes in the world, which is why it's good we have cops. | ||
| Ryker77 |
Overworked or lazy. Underpaid or overtime hounds. Common sense or •••••••. fat or fit. smart or stupid. I've seen them all. It's the lazy, stupid, fat, aholes that give you'll a bad name. I train a few cops at the gym. Get paid good, fit, smart, common sense guys. Even they know that 1/2 of there shift is idiots. One guy hasn't written a ticket in 2 months-- avoids responding to calls. One guy is so fat and lazy and is a Sergeant he is assigned to parking tickets and forced to walk. You'll need to "police" your own. Marine style. Becuase it's been proven that if a guy is messing up and he "falls" down a few flights of stairs he will striaghten up. Or I could take about the a-hole trooper that I got put on dipatch duty for 6 months. | ||
| Hammer71 |
Dude don't let it get to you. I'm in one hell of a ghetto and deal with the armpit of society everyday. Again I start out with them the same as anyone else and let their actions dictate mine. If they need a tune up by all means.. Most mistake kindness for weakness. Youve got a while to go so just take it easy, best job in the world if you dont let the B.S get to you. Great stress relief in my profile pic. | ||
| Swampy |
Wheres Tramp when you need him? My most recent encounter was me making the call, a couple of vacuum cleaner salesmen(1 male,1fm) pushed their way into the house past my wife. When I got home, the wife obviously shaken wants something done(The ground was frozen) so I chose to do the 911 thing. A state trooper shows up and shakes them down and tells them to leave the county. Anyways, my beef is when the 911 got the first call of the day(4 complaints total) the sherrif should have sent a car up to patrol the area. But Noooo, where-o-where are all the county cars? Out doing traffic enforcement! The truth to the matter is, the insurance companies OWN the LEO community! and the people that pay for the LEO to be out there go unprotected! Who lobbies for seatbelt, speed laws and mandatory insurance? I can guarantee its no one any of us knows. Follow the money, it leads to the truth. However, Mr. Got1nut, It is a good thing to question your existance every now and then, however you need to have the courage to make the needed changes to become who you should be and do the right thing. So for that I commend you. Don't loose sight. (BTW the Big Kid is in criminal justice, ever since he was a baby he wanted to be a trooper) End of lesson for today kiddies! | ||
| Swampy |
No it isn't, one more thing. To better explain the "follow the money" statement...If you look at your job, what your goal is, about the oath you took, "To Serve and Protect" You are really caught in a very difficult place.... How can you actually measure how much crime you are preventing, there is nothing to measure, nothing to compare it to, except for maybe the overall increase or decrease of reported crime in any given area? How do you measure deterrence? Prevention? There is nothing there to measure. How can your "Service" be measured? Unfortunately the only way is by numbers...citations, arrests, warrants served. What is the bulk of those? What is the biggest catch? Probably things that make the insurance company happy, and unfortuntely create the largest amount of repeat offenders. Look at the court reports, how many times do you see 5th offence DWLS? How did it get that way? Possibly started with a speeding, insurance or seatbelt ticket. And yes, the great majority of those that attract your attention are the functionally illiterate, and dull of understanding, incapable of opening mail and properly responding to the summons. Unfortunately, many of the people doing stupid things today can't read, and are like the ostrich sticking their head in the sand. They now get arrested, loose their crappy job, turn to drugs or alcohol, make even worse decisions, and sometimes are coorced into doing illegal things to pay for their addictions. I have met some wonderful ex-felons, who have done some wonderful things with their lives, others fall back to where they get involved again. So, when you don't have any crime reports to take, when the dispatcher doesn't have to call you, your job is well done! It looks like you are doing nothing, which is good! Simply don't waste your time reducing the risk to insurance companies by enforcing "Their" silly rules. Some other points to ponder. Its Saturday! Thank God I live where I do! | ||
| Johnnylunchbox |
In my experience there are at least two type of people who go into law enforcement. Those who genuiniely feel it will be a rewarding experience, with many different benefits for themselves and society at large. Then there are the people who go into it, who for various reasons have a need to dominate other people. It sucks when you have to deal with the latter type. Hammer is right, respect begets respect. But as in all other fields there are some LEO's that never learned to respect civilians under any circumstances (the us against them mentality) and that is where the problem begins. | ||
| Got1nut |
I think some of you misunderstood what i was saying, im not depressed or saddened i love my job every minute of it, was just wondering how you guys felt on the other side. Its good to know what the other side is thinking. Im not of the us vs them mind but sometimes there is justice and sometimes there's just us. | ||
| Oldog |
Nut: the fact that after bounding off of the limiter, you did not re-arrange the perps face says a lot about you, good for you that time you made a difference, what if that individual had come up on a loose cannon and gotten whacked? what would have happened then. from my side: each officer is addressed with courtesy, if he or she is an a$$ I have no control of that only my own actions, any job where you can be shot at deserves my respect at the end of the day they (LEOS) are folks too and should be treated like the neighbours that they are. | ||
| Chevysolid |
Johnny, Excellent point, Unfortunatly there are WAY to many of the Latter type... Fortunatly LE is evolving towards more highly educated common sense community orieneted type of people.... Swampy... You have some valid points... but it is a little exaggerated. Prevention is more than writing tickets. It is being visible in a high crash area and stopping cars... not just writing tickets. It does work... If an area that is known to have accidents is worked hard (not just tickets) for a few weeks you can see the speeds drop and thus the less chance of an accident.... Less accidents equals less money you have to spend on INS... Another good point you had.. the stats do show productivity in a way... so keeping up your stats helps you in your job and keeps you proactive and interacting with the community. Would you rather deal with the old crusty cop that is only going to pull you over to give you a ticket, or would you rather be stopped by someone who is doing a community service in helping you recognize the danger of the speed and/or intersection and wishes you a good day..... While at the same time looking for Driving Under Suspension of DUI, both of witch could Wreck you literally In regards to the DUS, shouldn’t have been speeding as much as they did to get suspended and/or been DUI, or had dope…. Then after they have been told that they are suspended they shouldn’t have continued to drive…. Again without insurance… which will in turn screw you when the hit you. Not that I Totally disagree with some of you points Swampy but here is sort of the other side of that … Yeah It’s Saturday… and it’s like 40 degrees and I gotta go freaking work… ANB | ||
| Jersey_thunder |
TOUGH JOB IN A F'ed UP WORLD...MY ADVICE TO YOU IS ..RIDE MORE!!! JT | ||
| Hammer71 |
I wouldn't say that they are going to a more common sense person.. Educated yes. As for reading the question wrong, I cant answer for the "other side" but I will tell you that I'm the same person in and out of uniform, most people dont believe I'm a cop due to me not having that I'm better than everyone attitude. I look at it as any other blue collar job in that the uniform is what I wear at work same as the mailman or a mechanic for that matter. Not better than anyone just different responsibilities | ||
| 2_spuds |
Cops can be fun! I built a couple of custom softails for a NJ trouper a couple of years ago and had a blast ridding with him and some other troupers.Those boys can RIDE! I've been driving for over 40 years and have had a truck load of tickets but none that I didn't earn. I must be lucky because I've never run into a bad cop yet, they were all courteous and most had a good sense of humor. |
