I don't like the police. RANT....

[pepperbear]

Something happened over the weekend in DC that I am not going to go in to. I was partially at fault. The end result was a mere traffic ticket, but the policeman was rude and did not follow protocol. Part of the problem is DC's policies regarding 1 particular club district. If you're familiar with the area, you probably know of where I speak.

I do not like the police. Every mother fucking encounter I have ever had with cops has been frought with problems, and NONE OF IT has been anything I have done. Some of you might be thinking that I am deluded about my role in these problems. I am not. They wield the power. They know it. It isn't right. They should fear us, not the other way around.
That is exactly how I feel.

I do not like the police.

:rant:

[DS1]

1. I'm guessing they can tell, and give you more trouble

:shrug:

I've never had anything but a professional - if sometimes thorough - traffic stop.

[Tom Joad]

2. My alter ego seems to have had the same experience.

“Did you ever see a deputy that didn’t have a fat ass? An’ they waggle their ass an’ flop their gun around’. Ma” he said, “if it was the law they was workin’ with, why, we could take it. But it ain’t the law. They’re a-workin’ away at our spirits. They a-tryin’ to make cringe and crawl like a whipped bitch. They tryin’ to break us. Why Jesus Christ, Ma, they comes a time when the on’y way a fella can keep his decency is by takin a sock to a cop. They’re a workin’ on our decency.”

Tom Joad
The Grapes of Wrath

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. Many policemen have an attitude, that's for sure

I don't know that it is as prevelent amongst policewomen.

I have mixed feelings about cops. When I was eight, the DA and my mother used me to trap my father, who was wanted for a variety of con schemes. I still remember the house being surrounded and the cops coming in, guns drawn. I'm still very nervous around cops with uniforms, and I attribute it to that incident.

But at the place where I work, we have several cops who are customers. When they come in and pay their bills, they are nice and friendly and I don't have those feelings about them. Maybe it was because they were not "on duty" and dropped the attitude. I don't really know.

[porphyrian]

7. Yes, you're talking about their "game face."

Law enforcement officers seek to assess and take control of a situation as quickly and effectively as possible. The "attitude" works in the same way it does in the animal world, establishing them as "alpha" or whatever. It's similar to what drill sergeants do, and equally effective most of the time. Also, like with drill sergeants, it tends to piss off certain people.

The cops I've met off duty were all pretty cool, too. Maybe the trick is to let them feel in control and treat them like humans at the same time. Of course, that is sometimes easier said than done.

[hfojvt]

17. what situation is there to take control of

when a guy is walking home from the grocery store, or driving home from work?

I generally don't accept them as an alpha, because they work for me, not the other way around. I usually get alot of warning tickets for DWP - Driving While Poor. Not so much now though, because those rental cars are pretty nice. I also found it funny that after I started a business downtown that the local cops started waving to me. I never joined the Chamber, but somehow, I seemed to have become a boss.

[porphyrian]

26. Cops usually approach every situation as potentially dangerous.

Thus, every situation is potentially one second from out of control. With experience, they tend to get a better sense of when they can let down their guard, but rookies are the worst.

[demosincebirth]

4. I grew up when the cops swung the billy club first and asked questions later.

I've never been on friendly terms with any cops in my life. Seem like the majority are cut from the the same mold.

[Warpy]

5. I was a nurse for 25 years, so I tend to look at them a little

differently. Most of the people they see in their working life are not at their best, far from it. There is every reason for them to be defensive and come off as hostile, especially when alcohol is a factor in what they're dealing with.

I have been lucky, though. The one moving violation I've ever had (and I richly deserved it) was from a cop who thanked me profusely for taking it the way I did and apologized for needing to issue it because of the camera in his rig. I am not young and beautiful, by the way.

I have run across cops who were unhelpful and some who were obviously having a bad time on the job. I also run into the ones we had a tasting contest with to see which was worse, hospital coffee or cop coffee. It was close.

I always assume the cop I'm dealing with is having a bad day, that's what the job is. I take a step back from the situation and act accordingly.

The main problem I have with cops in general is how they have been militarized in the name of the drug war and to get around Posse Comitatus in this country. The potential for abuse is enormous and we'll all be on the wrong side of it.

Yes, there are bad cops out there who taser for fun. If I ever witness one, you can bet I'll be on the blower immediately following up on the situation. I've just been lucky enough not to have met them.

[LanternWaste]

14. I'm kinda where you are on the issue.

I'm kinda where you are on the issue. There may be some bad ones, there may be some good ones, but either way-- I'm going out of my way to be respectful and polite.

During college, I worked graveyard shift at a convenience store in the "bad" neighborhood. I learned to appreciate those guys a LOT.

[Rex]

6. I like my local small town cops and hate riot patrols.

Cops should never be allowed to riot, er put on 'riot' gear. If we are really going to start making armies of riot cops, just give them the Star Wars Stormtroopers outfit and be done with it.

[YOY]

8. Ivy City?

n/t

[elocs]

9. Just as with all of us, there are good cops and bad cops.

The trouble is, bad cops should be rare, but are not. Too many of exactly the wrong types of people are attracted to the power of law enforcement. Too many relish the opportunity to use that power. This makes life bad for the truly good cops, the ones who care and do not covet power and control. It's too bad that so many of them maintain that blue wall of silence that goes a long way toward protecting the bad cops.

[Throd]

10. What do you expect?

Your predetermined hostility towards any group of people or profession (in this case the police) ensures a less than desirable outcome.

As for your "They should fear us..." comment, I could not disagree more. They should respect you, until you give them a reason to do otherwise.

From the age of 15 to 25 I had plenty of negative run-ins with the police. Yes, some of them were just plain assholes. Upon reflection however, my own crappy attitude was a major contributing factor.

[NorthernSpy]

11. here's a tip: never lose sight of your own best interests...

In dealing with the police, you have to remember that your goal is to emerge from the encounter with your life, rights, and body intact. So: you can either use the encounter to gratify your ego by showing the cops how much you dislike them; or you can manage the encounter to protect your interests.

If you'd rather protect your interests, then keep these basic pointers in mind:

• Never offer any physical resistance.
  
  
• Be courteous (that's sincerely courteous, not smartalecky courteous). If this is going to be hard for you, practice until it comes natural.
  
  
• If asked whether you mind them searching your person or property, always say for the record: I do NOT consent to any kind of search. But DON'T offer any physical resistance under any circumstances, even if they ignore you and start searching anyway.
  
  
• If arrested, politely assert your right to remain silent (Officer, I am going to remain silent, and I want a lawyer). After that, don't have any conversation with anyone, not even seemingly irrelevant small talk.
  
  
• In fact, if you think there's even a chance you might end up arrested, remember that they can't use what you don't say against you. For the most part, when dealing with the law, it's never too soon to shut the fuck up.

And above all, know your rights! Go to http://www.lawcollective.org/ , and learn all the important stuff you won't learn from this post. There's much, much more you need to know.

[sandnsea]

12. "never to soon to shut the fuck up"

Definitely worth repeating, and people should just apply it across the board.

Officer: Do you know how fast you were going?

You: I don't know anything, I am completely at your mercy.

Repeat. And repeat. And repeat.

[siligut]

15. Thanks for the link! nt

[chaska]

13. What, you don't like the enforcers of priviledge...?

Cops, military, militias, the whole fuckin' violence-for-hire culture. I hope they meet up someday with what they mete out to others.

Read Derrick Jensen.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endgame_(Derrick_Jensen_books)

Premise Three: Our way of living—industrial civilization—is based on, requires, and would collapse very quickly without persistent and widespread violence.

Premise Four: Civilization is based on a clearly defined and widely accepted yet often unarticulated hierarchy. Violence done by those higher on the hierarchy to those lower is nearly always invisible, that is, unnoticed. When it is noticed, it is fully rationalized. Violence done by those lower on the hierarchy to those higher is unthinkable, and when it does occur is regarded with shock, horror, and the fetishization of the victims.

Premise Thirteen: Those in power rule by force, and the sooner we break ourselves of illusions to the contrary, the sooner we can at least begin to make reasonable decisions about whether, when, and how we are going to resist.

[EST]

16. These threads are usually fun, attracting as they do many points of view-

offered with all the passion and righteous surety that plagues all of us in our continuing growth in enlightenment.

Cops are a necessary tool, a valuable resource and absolutely essential to society. Whatever the reason, people come into the world with variety on a sliding scale from mother Theresa types to to serial child rapist/murderers.

We are thankful for the ones on this side of the line, from ethical platinum to somewhere in the center and increasingly unhappy with the fraction of the population who range from the center to the BTK killer monsters who have afflicted humanity ever since there were two or more people in the world.

The badasses have to be controlled and we have to protect ourselves from their predations. We have to have heroes, people who are mean enough to be comfortable with doing that kind of job but also have a big enough streak of liberalness or empathy running through them so that they try to keep their badass-ness under control and use their talents in a way that generally contributes positively to society.

"Command presence" is a euphemism for bullying so the people we choose to be police people are, and have to be, natural born bullies so we have to choose carefully, train diligently, and oversee thoughtfully in order to have a qualified staff.
Probably the greatest influence is the personal battle that a good cop has had to wage with himself to keep that streak of humanity prominent in their dealings with the challenges of their duties. We are lucky to have as many good ones as we do.

Of course we have, as an unfortunate consequence, a lot of bad cops, from the ones who allow themselves to be a bit more grouchy than normal protocol dictates to the ones who have built a skillfully designed persona that they can conceal their vicious nature behind and, chameleon-like, pretend to be like their more humane associates actually are.

As long as we have human monsters and have to regulate public interaction, we will need cops, and we just have to work out ways to handle them.

Of course,with the ponderous pendulum still swinging back toward "the way it oughta be" and and since social change tends to lag attitude change, expect relationships between cops and not cops to get somewhat more distorted and perverse for a while.

[Recursion]

18. I live right where you're talking about

And we're really just tired of stabbings, brawls, and drunk assholes hanging out until 4 am so we've been pressuring the police to "do something".

Sorry about that..

[proud2BlibKansan]

19. I live in low crime suburban America and the cops are assholes

Since there is no crime here, the cops harass motorists. I was pulled over for going 28 in a 25 mph zone. Today I saw 3 different cops within a few blocks of my house, with drivers pulled over. I felt like I was living in a high security area. I'd rather live somewhere with a higher crime rate just to get the cops to leave us all alone.

[Raine]

35. Same here

I live in a very white 'burb of Los Angeles County and the cops here are the biggest assholes in the world. The cops here seem to think it's their job to keep out anyone who looks like they don't belong (aka minorities)and as far as most of the locals are concerned that probably actually is their job. Unfortunately for me even though I'm about as WASP as they come I have black hair and brown eyes and they are so ignorant that they think anyone with dark hair is hispanic so they are always hassling me. Of course as soon as they see that I live "on the hill" they back right off but the blatant racism is infuriating.

[proud2BlibKansan]

39. I live on the Kansas side of the KC area

The cops in the Kansas burbs here are so guilty of racial profiling it is sad. I honestly have black friends who won't come to my house because they will get pulled over for DWB since they have Missouri plates on their car.

[Wiley50]

20. People do not become police unless they hunger for authority and control

my first cousin is married to the Chief of Police

I've known him since 6th grade

i watched him grow into who he is

i watched as he founded our city's first swat team

i watched him all the way


these guys are from strict families

and hunger to turn the tables


watch out

believe me

[Raskolnik]

29. Really? Your experience is enough to demonstrate that?

I have no opinion about the relative merits of your first cousin's husband, but do you honestly believe that your anecdotal experience is enough to extrapolate to every police officer's psyche?

[BlooInBloo]

21. Fuck the racist evidence planting blue wall protecting lying abusive police.

[Raskolnik]

27. Yes, fuck the police that do those things.

And thanks to those that don't. We couldn't function as a society without them.

[BlooInBloo]

28. All two of them have my thanks.

[Raskolnik]

31. I'm sure they appreciate that.

I'm sure that makes their extremely difficult job that much easier.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

37. Yeah Yeah Blah Blah Blah

:eyes:

[hiaasenrocks]

22. So you won't call them if a crime is committed against you?

I know you were generalizing, which is why I ask the general question.

[Tsiyu]

23. My last one-on-one encounter with a cop

found me venting and ranting to him about how corrupt his force is. He is a cop whom I know and he let me vent because he knows I am correct. I admire him as a human being because he really does care about the community.

The next day, the very cop (a different guy i won't even speak to) troubling me the most apologized for one of the situations i vented about. I look at cops as people first and if they are good people, they will listen to you.

Call the Police Chief or the Sheriff and speak to the top if you have issues with a force. It helps them to know what is going on and it helps everyone when the cops know they are being watched by the public.





*yes, sometimes there is backlash. that is why they make recording devices, camera phones and videotape :evilgrin:

[Edweird]

24. A buddy of mine (ex cop) was giving advice to a potential recruit....

"You want a job where they value your integrity, right?"
Yes.
"You want a job where you get to help people and do the right thing, right?"
Yes.
"You want a job working with decent honest people, right?"
Yes.
"Then don't be a cop."

He has been off the force for about 5 years.
I have other friends who are still in law enforcement, and they are regular guys off duty.
Cops in general seem to mess with people a lot more than they should.
Their personal beliefs enter the equation far too often.

[Raine]

33. Yup, if you want to be loved

become a fireman not a cop.

[Madspirit]

25. Good and Bad

There are good cops and bad cops. The problem lies in the fact that even the bad ones carry the guns and the nightsticks and the power. There is not a lot more dangerous than a bad cop.
Lee

[Blue-Jay]

30. Nobody likes cops until they need a cop.

[ismnotwasm]

32. Word n/t

[Madspirit]

34. Have YOU ever been bullied by one?

I tend to agree with you but they are, on occasion, bullies with guns and there isn't a lot more dangerous than a bully with a gun.
Lee

[ismnotwasm]

40. Yup

Many times in my wild youth. One story;

I lived in housing projects for a period of time. I remember a small house party where the cops came, ordered everyone out and on their face. I was perhaps 7 months pregnant at the time. Cops had heard reports of a shotgun.--A report that happened to be true. Someone shot out a street lamp. My son's uncle stayed in the apartment and refused to let the cops in(shotgun was there)They could give a shit less if I was pregnant, laying on my belly, for quite a long time.

I might add that most of the the party consisted of American Indians, and I always suspect racism in any police action involving people of color

More recently, a few years back I worked in a affluent area in a nursing home. We had a lot of Ethiopian immigrants. I always told them to EXPECT to be pulled over, because I knew they would be. They were.


HOWEVER, I still live in a violence prone working class multi-ethnic area, and I always will. I don't believe in white flight. The police over many years have helped more than hindered I've come to see them as less as the enemy than public servants who have a hard job to do, and certain fucked up laws they have to enforce.

Yes, I've met some psychotic motherfuckers who needed off the force yesterday, but they aren't in the majority.

I also dream of a society where police or a police state--isn't necessary, but I refuse to wholesale condemn the police.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

36. Most Of Them Are Heroes Who Put Their Necks On The Line For You Every Day.

You may not like them, but that's only for lack of being able to comprehend the reasons why you should.

Sure, there are some not deserving of full respect or kindness, but it should be pretty easily determined by just about anybody that just like any large group, they all shouldn't be judged by the acts of a few. You say you don't like police. I'd say it's more accurate that you don't like the ones, or some of the ones, you've come in direct contact with. But 'police' overall, are far greater in number then the few you've run into, and for the most part are brave men and women putting their lives on the line daily to help ensure the safekeeping of our communities.

[Enrique]

38. if I were a cop, I would try not to be rude

and sometimes I would fail. I would imagine it would be harder when faced with someone that hates me and my profession.

[NaturalHigh]

41. Most of my experiences with the police have been good.

Sure a few have had attitudes, but that's understandable considering some of the people they must have to deal with. Regardless of the attitude, I'm very grateful for the jobs they do, usually for a lot less money than they deserve.