[trebb]

While some cops are bad, the average cop just wants to do his job and stay in one piece. I'd much rather some idiot criminal get damaged than the average cop who is doing the public a service by dealing with the scum. While the press sensationalizes the bad cops, the general trend is; if you don't break the law, you don't end up surrounded by cops and if you do find yourself in custody, if you don't scream and holler and make suden moves, you don't get creamed.

[eno_]

My personal reaction to such treatment would be to hunt down the perps and make sure they get to hell before I do, after I sue them and take their houses and kids' tuition.

What would you do?

[Bikers4Bush]

That's my position as well. Mind you I think there are bad cops out there and I think traffic enforcement fines are complete BS revenue generators but in situations like this I have to side with the cops.

A buddy of mine is a cop and he has said on more than one occasion that you have no idea what people will do and the minute you let a situation get out of control lots of people can get hurt.

[Knitebane]

What I have found is that while a small percentage of cops are of the jack-boot type, most of them start out being regular joes that want the help keep the peace.

The real problem is that your average street cop deals everyday with the scum of society. They seldom come into contact with the vast majority of citizens that obey the law and just want to go about their business.

Because cops are surrounded by scum all day, every day they end up believing that that's all there is and when a decent citizen runs into a situation where he needs a cop, the cop treats him like he treats the people that he is used to dealing with.

When cops walked a beat and knew everyone on that beat, these kind of problems were much less prevelant and cops tended to be more even-keeled.

[babygene]

"While some cops are bad, the average cop just wants to do his job and stay in one piece."

Although I have no opinion on this case, I think your evaluation of the "average" Leo is incorrect. I believe that the profession is probably the most corrupt of any profession. Most are losers and crooked.

Think of it this way. If you were a pedophile, you would migrate toward a profession such as schoolteacher, boy scout counselor, priest etc.

If you were a criminal, what better occupation could you find than being a cop.