So Who Thinks I'm a Cop Hater?

Self | July 5, 2009 | SampleMan

[SampleMan]

I would welcome fellow Freeper input on an exchange I had with the police last night.

First a little background. I've got 20 years in the military, started out my life giving police officers a great deal of respect and knee jerking to their defense. Over the course of years, however, I've lost a lot of respect for the police via watching continual police traffic violations, watching unprofessional behavior and seeing shows of petty tyranny over their fellow citizens.

Although I'd still like to be wholeheartedly pro-law and think the way to get respectable enforcement officers is to demand professionalism, I find that my opinions here on FR often gets me labeled a "cop hater". Unfortunately, I'm quickly becoming callous to that particular "insult".

So here is my experience from last night. I took my daughters to see the fireworks downtown. Being crowded I sat them up on a 5' tall brick pillar with a 36' flat square top. Shortly after I had two police officers approach me and rudely demand to know if those were my children. I don't react well to rude. Anyway I quickly claimed them and was told, again rudely, to remove them from the pillar. Now this pillar is not on public property, so I asked them if the property owner (CSX railway) had complained, "No" then I asked them if the property owner had asked them to keep people off the pillar, "No". I then told them that I didn't understand the legality of their request. This is when they both puffed up like peacocks.

I was then informed that "They" were making the complaint. At this point I told them that I would comply (and started lifting my girls down), but that they had no basis to make a complaint and were abusing their authority. They didn't take this well and the short man then started screaming that he had the authority as a public servant, to which I calmly pointed out that no one in the public had voiced a complaint, that in fact I was the public, and I failed to see how he was being my servant.

My children had now been on the ground for a while, but apparently frustrated they then began accusing me of endangering my children's safety. To which I calmly acknowledged their opinion, and then asked if they were familiar with the legal precedence of parental authority in such matters.

This is where they both appeared to want to cuff me, so I pointed out that I had complied with their dubious orders, but did not intend to kow tow to their logic. They moved about 20' away and glared at me until the fireworks were over.

Now let me be clear, if anyone from CSX had asked me, or if the officers had conveyed that CSX wished for people to stay off, I would have complied without complaint. My beef is essentially that they took it upon themselves to create a problem where none existed and approached me like a couple of bullies in the school yard. Perhaps it’s just my age or a push back to the totalitarian nature of our new Federal Government, but I'm in no mood to play the role of the sheep.

OK fire away folks. I'm sure a few of you think that they should have tazed me and put my kids in protective custody for the night.

[SampleMan]

You clearly took this situation too personally and in doing so lost your perspective, IMHO. You asked for our input, and that is how I see it.

I think I could have handled it better. I've acknowledged that. I did take it personally. I should have addressed their rudeness, vice reaching for the biggest club I could find. What I've taken exception with are the suggestions that I should have accepted the rudeness or that I was the instigator. They over stepped the law and yet were acting like I was not only in clear violation, but also in need of public harassment.

I've gotten many good suggestions on how to handle this better and in the future I will be ready to act on them. Perhaps if I'd read it on FR a week ago from someone else's experience, I would have been more ready the other night. To that end, I hope this thread has been profitable for fellow Freepers.

[Cap'n Crunch]

I was working off duty at the church I attend. I don’t know how it is where you are but if someone wants to hire an off duty officer, that organization pays, not the city.

The price is between the officer and the organization that hires the officer. The city covers us as far as insurance and liability.

Our union is fine with volunteering. A few weeks ago our chief was trying to get guys to volunteer to work off duty for a different church. He only got a few guys to do it.

Take care. My wife has two family members that are retired NYPD.

[thefactor]

we do have off-duty employment where a business pays the city and the city pays us to go to the business on our day off, in uniform, and stand there for 7 hours. i have yet to do it.

we have no volunteer program. and yes, i am nypd so i'm sure you know all about it from your family.

[Cyber Liberty]

You don’t have to be rude to get this information, either: just ask nicely and they are obligated to give this information. If asked why you want it, just say that it is your policy to collect this information whenever you have an interaction with the police.

People have been arrested by the JBT for asking for names and badge numbers. Rare, but it happens.

[jimcarroll]

Interesting that you interpreted my explanation of why some cops are bad (just like some members of all professions are bad) to mean that I love gang bangers.

Gang bangers are vermin.