Do "cops" freak you out?

[underpants]

I ask because my wife is always pointing out when she sees a police officer. As the co-pilot that is one of her duties but she does it in a "THERES A COP" way. See I tend to drive at speeds not exactly equal to that of the signs on the lightposts. Not that I scream down the street I just don't really pay it much attention.

Even back in the day when I might not have wanted to be pulled over by a cop (let's say hypothetically) I never lived in fear of them (hypothetically) either.

I don't know maybe I am supposed to... but I don't

[Midlodemocrat]

1. No. Because I NEVER break the law.

:rofl:

[La Lioness Priyanka]

2. cops freak me out because they carry guns visibly

and guns freak me out.

[JackBeck]

4. Have you been to Penn Station recently?

The guns they carry there scare the shit out of me. Every morning.

[ThomCat]

6. I see them in the Ferry Terminal, and in Grand Central

every day carrying those military assualt rifles. If we have another terrorist attack, who exactly are they going to open fire on? :shrug:

[La Lioness Priyanka]

8. its keeping us in a constant state of terror. i hate it and have to use grand central all the time.

[JackBeck]

11. Thanks, Thom.

:scared:

[La Lioness Priyanka]

7. yup. also at grand central.

[Auggie]

3. The potential for abuse of their power freaks me out

[ThomCat]

5. No. I see cops every day in the transit hubs here in NYC

But seeing cops in a group sometimes freaks me out. I've seen groups of cops get arrogant and turn from "serve and protect" to "intimidate and harass." I've seen them do this for no other reason than because they obviously could, and could get away with it.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

10. remember the time we were having coffee in the village

and the cop walked in with an open holster(?) for no good reason?

that sort of shit scares me

[ThomCat]

14. I do remember that.

:scared:
He looked like he was hoping for a chance to bother someone.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

15. wanna hear something funny? you know that they can check bags randomly now right?

for a while in the summer i carried around a sex toy so that they would be really embarrassed as they went through my stuff.

unfortunately the one time they did check my bag. the toy was at lisa's.

[JackBeck]

17. You're bad.

I haven't had my bag checked...yet. That crap pisses me off more than those rifles.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

18. i have, and it really made me wish i hadnt left my 'cock' at home.

god damn!

[ThomCat]

19. I carry a backpack every day.

I never go anywhere without it. Yet I never get searched. They've searched people who were walking near me, but they never even give me a glance. I think it's because they aren't searching people with obvious disabilities. Because of my crutches and/or the way I walk they leave me alone.

[WindRavenX]

21. hey...

...last year in August I was in Times Square with my SO and there was a small angry mob of (mostly) blacks and the cops were being raging DOUCHEBAGS. There was tear gas and horses and the whole 9 yards--do you remember reading/hearing about this incident? Because as far as I can tell, it never made it to the media.

[ThomCat]

23. The papers never report incidents like that unless

it looks like it's going to make the national media.
x(

[WindRavenX]

24. that's what I figured

It was really weird.

[SteppingRazor]

9. I wouldn't say they freak me out, but I have a healthy fear of them...

it's easy to re-evaluate your position on the fairness and efficacy of the police force after being at the FTAA protest in Miami in 2003.

[BOSSHOG]

12. At a Mardi Gras Parade a few years ago on St Charles Avenue

there was a policeman around the crowd keeping and eye on things. He was in uniform and armed and drinking a beer. That's as close as I've come to being freaked out by a cop.

[momophile]

13. the Chicago Police freak me out

but that's about it. When the CPD had full riot gear on and pulled out their batons and started arresting everyone around me including me, that kinda freaked me out. Once in the police station it wasn't so bad. But for those few minutes on the street, I was scared.

[1gobluedem]

16. I was totally freaked out once

When I was fourteen my sister talked me into joining United Democratic Youth, a group she belonged to. It was the summer before I started high school and the first thing we were asked to do after I joined was walk the picket lines for the local TV anchors who were on strike. So, I'm walking the picket line under a blazing August sun without about ten other teenagers when the cops pulled up the curb and called for ME, nobody else, to come over. I was terrified; I didn't know if it was illegal for someone my age to picket or WHAT was going on. It seemed like the longest walk I ever took; my knees were knocking together all the way there. I finally made it to the car and quavered "Yes?" The cop gave me a long stare, then smiled and said "That's a great thing you kids are doing. Good job." And they drove off. I thought I was going to collapse and die from relief.

I decided right there and then that I wasn't cut out to be on the front lines; that I would be more useful being a behind-the-scenes activist. And I have remained so.

That night my parents attended a benefit dinner for the strikers and my mother happened to be in a group that included the cop. He told the story of his calling me over and said "I never saw anyone turn so white in my life," kind of chuckling over his scaring me. He had no idea it was my mother he was telling, but she let him know fast!

[WindRavenX]

20. Sorta

I know a couple of the campus cops (the non-asshole ones) because I work on a campus cafe so they usually stop in for coffee, but I'd be lying to say I felt comfortable around them.

[MrSlayer]

22. Not at all.

I have a lot of police officers in my family. I know how to talk to them.