I know there are a number of “cop haters” here on FR but before you all jump on what I have to say, consider if YOU were a police officer and had to put up with the lying, stealing, looting, murdering, etc. “street rat” mentality they deal with everyday. Yes, there are rogue cops but by in large, the majority are good cops doing a job most other people would not. Would YOU put yourself in harms way EVERY day, not knowing if you will come home at the end of your shift? I think not.
Time does take its toll and frustrations surface as the street rats continue doing what they do, day in and day out. The job of law enforcement can be extremely frustrating and cops do get discouraged knowing their efforts are futile but they go on, perhaps answering the next call they may be able to save someone’s life, bring a new life on earth or help a crippled child. Some cannot take the frustrations and boil over, it is not uncommon that some even take their OWN life. Don’t believe me, check it out for yourself. I pray everyday for ALL who protect and serve, including many of my own family.
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Sounds like a good reason to repeal drug prohibition laws!
Take away the LE targets and they return to public servants instead of tyrants.
Nazi drug squads kickin in doors in the middle of the night with machineguns and grenades dont make many friends. No wonder the people and the cops are paranoid of each other. And the prohibition cartel rolls on.
As a police office you are lied to just about every hour dealing with people making very bad / really stupid decisions. It gets harder and harder to be objective. If you were an officer and you saw a guy with an open containersbgo right through a stop sign while texting I think we’d agree we’d pull him over too. But what if he ignored you several times and it was obvious he’s a traffic nightmare waiting to happen? You might taze him too. I don’t think I would have wiggled the wires to cause more pain though. Of course I wasn’t there so who knows what really happened...
I tend to look at it like I do Psychologists/therapists etc.
If the people you deal with the most on a daily basis are nuts in one way or another you tend to look at everyone in the world the same way. The same thing goes for police officers.
Then a person shouldn't become a cop in the first pace if he or she doesn't have the personality and psychological disposition to put up with bad people without abusing them and disregarding the Constitution. This is no different than a teacher who can't stand children or a an EMT who can't stand the sight of blood. Pick a different profession.
Yes, there are rogue cops but by in large, the majority are good cops doing a job most other people would not.
The majority of cops are not good cops as long as they are part of the blue wall of silence, which allows the rogue cops to stay on the force. By analogy, the Honor Code at the United State Military Academy simply states that a "cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do." A cadet who fails to blow the whistle on a fellow cadet is subject to the same discipline as the cadet who lies, cheats, or steals. There is an affirmative duty to speak up and the failure to do so will result in discipline, including, suspension or expulsion from the Academy. All cops should be held to the same standard.
When you treat the average citizen like “..the lying, stealing, looting, murdering, etc. “street rat” ..” don’t be surprised if public opinion of LEO’s falls.
Don’t try and excuse it. If you can’t take it quite - don’t take it out on citizens.
The basic problem with our police today is that they do what they are told to do by their superiors. They do not take it upon themselves to LEARN the laws (on all levels) that actually apply to the job they are doing.
Don’t believe it? Simply ask one what page and paragraph of what law they are enforcing. They can’t! That even applies all of the way to the top of their chain of command.
Stop and think about my statement: How many times has anyone ever heard of a policeman standing up to his superior while citing a violation of law by page and paragraph.
Answer: NONE.
It’s pretty “piss poor” when we have a police force mostly ignorant of the actual laws and simply taught the rules by people who do not know the rules.
If you can’t cite them page and paragraph, YOU DON’T KNOW THEM!
A fisherman is ten times more likely to die than a police officer, has no pension, is paid less, and works under often terrible conditions. A logger is five times more likely to die on the job. Policing doesn't even make the top ten of hazardous jobs.