How do you feel about police officers in general?

I've noticed a certain amount of sentiment here from a few at DU so I'm curious as to other opinions. I know there are a decent amount of cops who do abuse their power. Also, I have cops in my family and I've dealt with them numerous times when I was an EMT and an ER Tech. Majority of the cops I personally know are decent people and some of them are strong Dems.

The only problem we ever had with a cop was once when my husband was accused of running a red light, but we both damn well knew that it was yellow at the time. It was not worth getting into it with the cop...espcially since he didn't write us a ticket.

Anyway, please share.

:toast:

But, I think they would also have to stop tasing pregnant women, elderly people, and people of color just because they can. Oh, and they should stop giving speeding tickets for going 5 mph over the speed limit. There are probably more things they can do in order for me to forgive the assholes but I think I've made my point.

That war has to stop at the top.

A lot of them are tired of having to look for a bud on somebody's floorboard.

Does it make you feel more fulfilled? Does hate help to feed the poor or help those who need health care? I wouldn't be so proud about having and nurturing hate because it is a poison that you willingly imbibe.

Sort of like Vietnam Veterans Against the War.

:popcorn:

But then, I used to be married to an officer, so that may colour my perception.

There are boneheads, good folks, people having a bad day, people that will go over and above to do their best and that might all be the same person at differing points along the way.

does the job attract a certain kind of personality type?

It certainly seems to. And not the selfless public servant, want-to-help-people type but the head-busting, my-dick-is-bigger-than-yours type.

Add in the more severe consequences when they do "misbehave" (when was the last time a snotty gas station attendant beat you with a club because you didn't call him sir?) and you have a group of people who warrant more scrutiny, tighter control, and more severe consequences for bad behavior.

just as you choose to. It's my opinion and not yours, so I get to select how it is shaped and not you, but thanks for your input.

Perhaps it might be more visible with police as crimes, guns etc can be involved. Not unlike abuse of power by the military.

I agree - police I know are decent as far as I know.

I think there are some good ones out there, from what some people have said. But I cannot substantiate that sentiment by my personal experience.

From general authoritarian behavior to chip-on-their-shoulder attitude to abuse of their position to corruption and favoritism to actual physical assault, they have not shown me that they exist to "protect and serve" as they are supposed to.

which is shaped by one's experiences.

And can you describe the incident?

Also, are we talking about 3 or 4 interactions or 30 or 40? I have had maybe 30 instances and only 3 of them would I decribe as negative. There was one where I was in my store, and the cops in that town checked the doors of the downtown businesses. Since I lived in my store I was usually there at night. This one night I ran into the store to get something and left the front door open since this was a small town and I was going to be leaving in a few minutes. It happened though, that a cop came along while I was walking upstairs and talking to myself (actually I was practicing lines from a movie). he sorta gave me attitude, but ultimately it was no big deal.

There was another time I was leaving my brother's house and my car broke down about half a mile from a gas station. Well I walked back there and tried to call my brother - unlisted number because he had just moved there. I tried to call his workplace to get his home number, it was a long distance call. My dad was about to head for home and my brother to head to work soon. I saw a cop or sherrif at a stoplight and ran up, explained my situation briefly and asked if he would help. He gave me a ride to my brother's house.

There was another time on a vacation trip when we had two flat tires withing twenty miles. Well the first flat used the spare and the second left us stranded. My dad was in the process of walking to the nearest farm house some half a mile away when a hypo came by and dad waved him down and he helped us.

I don't think my experience is that unusual, so I don't see how a person can never have had a positive interaction with a cop. Unless they always reek of bud or budweiser.

Glad to have them around when I need them. Distrustful of them when I don't.

They pulled me over for not having a light on my bike. It was dark. I was guilty. I was compliant.

They were playing a game called antagonize the perp. But I was not to be moved off my calm, compliant approach. After all, I was riding at night without a light, apparently illegally.

They finally managed to get me to admit that I was heading home from an AA meeting. And that I had been sober >27 years.

At that point they became embarrassed about their little game and sent me home without a ticket, admonishing me to get a light. Which I did, next day.

My only other experience with LAPD was when coming home from Hollywood Park casino, on Century Boulevard, a known location for street hookers, I was pulled over for expired plates. I had moved and the DMV does not forward your mailed renewal notice. I think they were hoping I was a drug bust, but no luck for them.

In general the LAPD is ridiculously aggressive (from my Iowa transplant perspective), but then I don't have to face the problems they face every day. The police are put in a hard situation by the monied powers that be who use the police and their arms to protect the money privilege.

And they are to blame?

Because it's not at all what I meant to say.

But maybe you have a chip on your shoulder about something. IDK.

That is NOT included in the job description.

Why give him a hard time after they've stopped him for not having a light on his bike, or for not having up to date plates? What the hell does that accomplish, except to make him dislike and distrust police? Just politely inform him of the law, write the ticket, and go away. Why is that so damn difficult to understand?

was growing up change into "everyone's a suspected criminal first". It's creepy. And yes, I know there were powertrippers on the force years ago, but they were not respected by their fellow officers. And I know that now not all cops have that badass 'us against them' mentality, but certainly the large majority seem to.

I'm 45 yo and if I could take a 20 yo back to when I was that age, they wouldn't recognize so many things - beyond the lack of all the technical toys. When my partner's grandmother died, we spent an evening just talking about all the changes she'd seen in her lifetime - mostly positive (or seemed to be at the time).

Sad to say, but so many of the big changes I've seen in my lifetime seem to have a negative cast to them. No one I knew back then would have thought much of things like these tea baggers and their town hall disruptions - on either side of the political aisle (and I was on the other side back then)

I used to babysit for one when I was a kid too. Both are honest, caring individuals who do their jobs well.

I live in an area where mortgages are upside down, empty houses all around, people walking away from their homes... these homes become havens for criminals and crack heads... gunshots are a common occurrence. When they set the pergola of an empty home on fire, I called the police and had them contact the fire department because no fireman should show up there first.

I love my local cops. Every one I've met is a decent person who takes their "to protect and to serve" slogan very seriously.

That said, no matter how you want to slice and dice society, there will be assholes in each and every group.

Good cops probably hate the bad ones more than any civilian would. When a particular department has too many bad apples, the problem is management. Clean that up and the good cops start to increase in number.

bush's DOJ knew that. One might wonder about all the goodies given to local departments, along with greater latitude granted for overstepping civil rights. Bad cops got a boost from the VERY TOP management for 8 fucking years. That would attract too many bad apples in management (and think of locally appointed managements) who, in turn, promote a certain mood on down the line.

Look at how Gonzo politicized the federal attorneys. Play ball, get good perks. Be more concerned with the law and justice than with playing ball and get fired. Systemic bad behavior is either allowed from the top or it is actually encouraged from there.

Purpose driven destruction of professions charged with public safety. Crime goes up. Civil discourse goes down. Fear reigns supreme.

All part of the long range movement of the cons.

and the finest example of a public servant. Over the years there have been so many reported abuses. I think if the few that abuse their power where properly
punished I would feel there was some justice in the system. The sad truth is, rarely is an officer held accountable for bad behaviour. There might be an internal
investigation, but the cop is ultimately returned to the force. Movies and television create heros out of these type of renegade cops adding to the perception.
I simply don't trust the police. I've never had to interact with one except a routine traffic stop, locking my keys in my car, that sort of thing. But, I would never call
the police are engage their help in anything but an extreme emergency that would make it unavoidable.

They are professional liars.

They are knee jerking, broad brush flinging fools.

where people are concerned?

and some are not.

or they will not be cops for long.

It;s in their job description.

They attempt to deceive people in order to make arrests.

Some good some bad some very bad....I believe we have a ton more good officers then bad, the bad ones just get all the news!

Not that that's saying a lot, unfortunately. Yes, the job does tend to attract some power-hungry assholes. Unfortunately, they're already out there in life anyway.

I really wish I could get past that.

Thats what hurts them the most!!

He or she is just a different variety of bad cop.

There can be no "good cop" as long as they turn a blind eye and ignore abuses they witness.

I've got cops in my family; all three are a bunch of wife-beating drunken assholes who get off on intimidating people.

In my small town every cop that I have had the pleasure to know are great guys.
I am sure there are some not so good cops in the world, I have known several engineers that would stab you in the back if it ment one more penny in thier pocket.
I just lost my job working for an ass-hat that cared more about repaving his parking lot and painting his shop than he did about me and my family.

In small towns, the chances are you know and respect your officers, and those officers know and respect you. I remember those days.

They're human. Some are good, some are bad. I try to approach them with respect.

But I hate, hate, hate seeing them in my rearview mirror!

that blue fraternity that enables and actively covers for the bad ones. I've never met or even heard of a cop that will stand up and testify against "their brothers" when they abuse the position, frame innocent people, lie in court, etc. This, combined with the militarization of our municipal police forces and the bullshit macho man attitude that it carries, has separated what used to be servants of the community from the community.

They've never been of any help to me and in every instance that I and everyone I know have interacted with them, they made themselves the enemy and another obstacle that has to be overcome in the pursuit of justice.

Most are decent, some are assholes. None are saints. No matter how hard they try to do a good job, someone is going to bitch about what they do. Personally, if I had everyone and their brother/sister sticking their nose over my shoulder and criticizing what I did every time I turned around, I'd quit.

Personally, I would not take a job where everytime I went to work, the uniform I wore was a target - either for verbal harassment or for any idiot with a gun and a desire to commit 'suicide by cop' and maybe take one or two police with them.

Bitch about the police all you want, they do serve a purpose. It's not a job I would want. I'm glad there are men and women out there willing to step in and do that job. In my opinion, they deserve a minimal amount of respect for that alone, rather than the utter derision some people show for those who wear the uniform.

People blame all police for the shitty actions of a small minority of the profession. How come we never hear about the good things thousands of officers all over this country do every day for the citizens they serve?

I have never had any real problem with them. I have traveled the country (following the Dead, Phish and moe.) and have smoked grass for 25 years and have never had a bad encounter. Some of my other friends have not been so lucky.

Lucky I guess. Or just smart. Likely lucky...

Most of my encounters with the police were decidedly unpleasant. I have a very good friend with whom I went to high school who has been an Arvada (another Denver suburb)officer for over 30 years. Even she avoids contact with Denver cops.

When I moved to California most of the cops I encountered were the Reed & Malloy types who seemed pretty decent. Then something changed, they became more antagonistic, militarized, and drew that us-verses-them blue line and suddenly every civilian was a criminal until proven otherwise.

I know police have a tough job and I'm glad someone is willing to do it; god knows I don't. I tend to avoid any contact with law enforcement; I really don't respect the police other than for the fact that they are willing to do that job, but I most definitely do fear them.

that were Denver Cops. I remember several conversations where these guys were talking to my parents about how much the department was changing and how they no longer felt like they were doing anything worthwhile any longer. This would have been in the mid/late 70s. When I was a kid, the cops were pretty cool and chose to exercise discretion with me and my friends when we got busted, later they turned into total assholes that always looked to cause as much trouble as they could.

One of our friends quit and became a defense attorney and the other was forced out of the department (because he wouldn't cover for abuse) and moved back east.

There was a Denver cop lived a block down from me who would do things like go out with a yardstick in the morning after a heavy snow and write the neighbors tickets for parking too far from the curb. You ever tried to parallel park and put your wheels within 12 inches of the curb at night with eight inches of snow on the ground?

I saw him one night walk over to a car parked across the street--I guess it was unfamiliar to him--bust out a headlight and then stand there an write a ticket.

I was 13-15 years old when this was happening so it really made an impression on how I viewed cops in particular and authority in general.

Many a former kid/teenager smiled when he retired. He got me once downtown for my front-end being 1/4" too low.

After Buster "retired" from the police force, he went to work as the clean-up guy at a Pontiac dealer where I worked. The dumbass didn't even have enough sense to leave town and there wasn't anyone at the dealer who hadn't had some previous encounter with old Buster. We made his life miserable as we could.

We would do things like conveniently forget to properly position the oil drain pan and then bark at ol' Buster to get it mopped up right away.

You made my day! I'm glad to hear he got a little of what he dished out for so long.
:rofl:

James H. "Buster" Snider
Just for grins, I decided to google his name; came up with this little tidbit from december '02. Enjoy!


"Let's give a hand to an old vice cop whose fires are still stoked. Retired Denver policeman James "Buster" Snider was seventy years old when he was caught soliciting sex from an undercover policewoman last February. Yes, that Snider -- the same firebrand who once set a department record for writing 112 traffic citations during a weekend shift. And the same burnout who was fired in August 1984 when a woman accused him of raping her in his patrol car after a stop. Snider, who claimed the vehicular collusion was consensual, was acquitted by a jury in that case -- but his firing by the city was upheld. And after twelve years of legal wrangling over a civil lawsuit, Denver settled with Snider's victim for $75,000.

In this year's incident, Snider said he was looking for help with his lawn business -- in February! -- when the woman asked him for $20. "I thought she was asking me for some money, and she said nothing about doing anything sexual," he said, insisting that he was joking when he told the woman he'd give her $40 to go to bed with him.

Instead, Buster was busted...again. In June, he quietly pleaded guilty to a charge of soliciting prostitution. He was ordered to pay $529 in fines and court costs and given a deferred judgment. If he stays out of legal trouble for six months, the charges will be dropped.

Anyone out there want to write him a ticket?"

http://www.westword.com/2002-12-26/news/the-2002-hall-of-shame/2

with policemen were ok. Polite, helpful - no problems. I appreciate policeman, firefighters and service persons.

I was a police dispatcher and reserve officer in college and both my son and son in law were on the police force for a few years. But I have to say I'm not very impressed with the caliber of people they are recruiting as police officers these days.

Something is amiss with the pswychological screening they are using because it is producing cops who are arrogant, resentful with a redwood tree sized chip on their shoulder. They seem to have forgotten that it is their job to serve us and their superiors are not stressing that point with them.

There is unfortunately a large disconnect between the media effort to glorify the police ("Cops") and the reality that most people experience.

About the same way I feel about civilians...

Some are good, some bad. They stick up for each other. They rat each other out. They love. They hate. Some have families. others are lonely. Each has a unique story about why they are where they are in the here and now, and the things that brought them there.

Tough for me to generalize about most demographics. Easy for a lot of people; but not being that bright, I'm forced to take people one at a time, on their own merits.

I have had many opportunities to interact with police officers at bicycle races, while target shooting, and just out around town at restaurants and bars. Most of them are decent well-meaning people.

They tend to be distrustful of non-police people, and often hang together with other law enforcement people.

once who were really out of line. I'd love to be able to talk to them today. But normally I've always respected cops and have called them on a couple of occasions when I felt threatened. I've known police officers as friends, as friends' parents, as students, and as citizens. With the exception of those rookies, cops have been very comforting to me in some really scary situations.

But at least sergeants, because we don't want them to apply corporal punishment to our privates.

Fuck the police.

1% do not belong in the force, at all... good luck getting rid of them. Though in time most of these guys and gals are caught by internal affairs... some even end up in jail.

4% are dicks

Like you I have family who are retired cops at this stage, and I served along side cops for 10 years as a medic.

By the way my numbers might be a couple percentages off depending on the department \ area of country.

In general the further east you go, the worst some cops are. Of course the exception is LAPD... who are self insured and do have ahem issues.

A few of my friends are or have been cops and act in nothing but a professional manner.

on edit:
It's funny, but the same people around here who hate ALL cops because of the actions of some would blow a gasket if we were to generalize and say "some people misuse guns, so all people who use guns are bad". Either that or "some people who use drugs do bad things so all people who use drugs are bad".

But I think their positive impact on society is truly underrated. I've known many police officers that are decent people and do their jobs well, I have also seen the other side.

For every piece of shit cop there are hundreds that actually put their lives on the line every day to do what they are there to do. We just don't hear about it as much.

That has to be a freeper's PR wet dream. They could simply use this thread and condemn Democrats with their own words: "they hate cops". Wouldn't that play well with middle America. What a great way to win people over to our side, to have them listen to our point of view.

How is this different from racism where you blame an entire group of people for the actions of a few? How does anyone here know exactly how many cops are good or bad? Personal experience? That is anecdotal and if it doesn't work for those who oppose our point of view, then it shouldn't be used as proof here either.

I have worked with the police and the vast majority of the ones I have experience with have been good. I have been stopped for traffic offenses and have been treated professionally then also. Are the police perfect? No, just like the rest of us. Unfortunately it is a profession that attracts exactly the wrong kind of people. Deal with that, but don't smear an entire group of people for the actions of a few. Leave the hate and that kind of attitude to the Republicans. Why would any of us want to be like them?

:shrug: Apparently not.

written by a much calmer poster

There are good cops and there are bad cops. Trouble is with the good cops covering for the bad cops it causes people to distrust all cops and this isn't good.
It doesn't help that that small majority of bad cops are running around tazering little kids in the head, pregnant women, old grandmas and grandpas and deaf men for using the bathroom and just anyone that doesn't move fast enough for them.
Let's lose the tazers and go back to how it was before tazers. Seems to me the people trusted the police more then.

race. That is why you cannot (legitimately) discriminate (0bserve differences, not attribute differences) by race (or gender or sexual orientation, etc..).

But occupation, especially one as "unique" as police work, does not draw a random or cross-sample of the population. People choose to be cops. They know exactly what and why they are getting into. I assert that cops are different from the population at large. Just as I can assert that the occupation of professional athlete draws people with a different level of physical ability than the general population. Would you dispute that?

I am sick and tired of hearing that bullshit (there are good and bad in all groups). The ignorant arguments some use to defend their point of view reminds me of something happening now - the healthcare town meeting riots.

Deal with that

I think thats exactly qhat many on this thread are pointing out. Shame onyou for wagging your finger at people then turning arround and implying the same thing most of the other posts are.

Those "wrong kind of people" are exactly what is being talked about on this thread.

I wish I could feel about the cops the way I do about EMT's and firefighters. Completely different personality types.

But it seems that these days, the FF are beginning to behave differently than they used to. x(

I don't know what it is about our society, but there are a lot of people who lose their heads and go crazy. I see it often on the freeway, for example. And I have been the victim of violent crime. Unfortunately, I think policemen come from this same society and some of them, like our fellow citizens, let their egos get the best of them and they go berserk and start beating suspects up. Neighbors bring guns with them on the freeway and take a shot at a car when it cuts them off. Little Johnny is a loner and when kids make fun of him at school he raids daddy's gun cabinet and has a shoot out. Men beat their wives. Mothers mistreat their children. Political arguments at the grocery check out line can quickly get out of control. Some guys go to bars just to pick fights. I would hate to live in the wild west where the only law is the gun that you carry on your hip. We very much need police, no matter what the drawbacks might be.

But I just don't trust the police. They seem to have a bunker mentality where they view everyone as a criminal or potential criminal. If a foreign power invades and sets up a puppet government, the police are there to enforce the invader's laws. The police don't have loyalty to the people but only to their duty, whether that duty is in service of a fascist or corporatist power or not. In the past, if union workers protested or civil rights marchers protested, the police was there to put them down and even shoot them down. We've had thousands upon thousands of examples of this in the past. It's the police as an institution that I don't care for, even though I know that we need them. I will never trust them.

My 1,000th post!

I've had very, very good experiences with cops (almost married one back in Louisville), and I've had very, very bad experiences with them (beaten up by one here a few years ago in Calif.)

I knew a lot of them personally in Louisville, but that's been 25 years ago now. My almost father-in-law was a homicide/violent crimes detective. Several years later, after I married my husband, I was attacked by a knife-wielding wannabe rapist while out running. Guess who my detective was? He even went so far as to get me interviewed on television by calling in a favor at the station. Later, I helped organize a women's defense class with the Louisville police. They were great.

Then we have the other side of the coin. I've posted often about this ongoing court case we have going with the idiot neighbors. The sheriff's dept. has just been abysmal in their handling of the situation--much too long a story to put here. But as others have said, they all seem to be these ex-military assholes that expect you to speak in a whisper and keep your eyes on the ground, especially if you're a woman. They have been completely biased, in spite of having evidence right in front of them, arrogant beyond belief, and just plain mean--I have permanent nerve damage in my shoulder now, courtesy of a particular 6'6" 250+ lb. nazi, who also kicked my miniature dachshund pup across the yard. And then completely falsified his report.

We did have his new boss come in last week, to make the case for due process--just keep these people off our doorstep while we finish going thru the legal process. He seemed a nice enough guy.

in the South. Cops down here pull people over and make up bold faced lies because they don't like the way you look, what you drive, your bumper stickers, whatever. I also saw the cops trying to keep African Americans away from the polls on election day 2000 with threats and intimidation (I live in Florida0. Most of them shouldn't be on the streets down here.

And I don't think that I will ever change my mind.

prevents me from trusting or respecting them as a whole.

Now they're nothing more than the best-armed gang of thugs roaming the streets. They wear flak jackets and black masks and they hurt innocent people without reason.

They're punks.

They can commit open murder and all they need for acquittal is an all-white jury.

sorry for them even though I know most of them are living their dream.

n/t

I have had good and bad experiences with Police. My B-I-L is a police officer and one of the nicest guys I know. I have friends who are also police or sheriff's deputies who are good people. I have said on other threads that I do not completely trust police. My experiences tell me that the stress, the power, and the attitudes can have a very negative effect on Police.

They have an exceedingly difficult job. They often deal with some of the most unpleasant and dangerous elements of our society. Not enough emphasis is put on counseling to help them maintain a balance. There is an expectation that Police have to be tough, stalwarts standing against injustice and that they have to know the difference between the "bad" guys and the "good". That gets tough when anyone can potentially be a "bad" guy. There seems to be a culture of "suck it up" like in the military in response to the stress and trauma experienced on the job. My B-I-L tells stories of fellow officers joking on each other after violent encounter such as if an assailant is able to get a momentary upper hand. Tough job to be sure.

That said, there seems to be an "us against them" mentality that is very damaging to the performance of their duties. There are too many officers who think that a badge and gun enable them to treat "civilians" with disdain. I also feel that the "results system" stokes that attitude. Whereas in other countries the Police's visible presence acts as a deterrent to certain crimes (namely traffic violations)it seems that many departments use it as a money generating scheme often hiding out of sight to "catch" people rather than being out on the road causing people to slow down at least momentarily in order to put a natural brake on speeding.

I think the actions of some bad police and the media portrayal, along with a natural aversion to getting caught doing something you aren't supposed to be doing anyway leads to some of the extreme attitudes, that mixed with a desire to feel safe and a reliance on police to "protect" us leads to a weird love hate relationship. I love the cop who catches the punks knocking over my garbage cans, but I hate the cop who catches me speeding. Being a "brown" pr black person brings a whole other set of variables to relations with the Police as well.

I will end my wandering post, but it is a complex relationship that I cannot answer in simple all or nothing language.

As a result of this consumption, I attracted the attention of minions of the law on several different occasions. I never, repeat never, attracted the attention of any officer who was anything less than professional and, considering the circumstances, reasonably pleasant.

Since giving up adult beverages many years ago, I've met a multitude of LEOs xocially - state, county, and city - and have discovered that they (the ones I've met) are like the rest of us. They have families, bills, concerns and worries, they vote, some go to church and others do not.

It probably helps that I've gotten older, and more experienced cops are better with threat assessment.

but the officer on the scene when my 17 year old daughter had an accident was an obnoxious, rude asshole. She was cut and bleeding (albeit minor), very shaken, and both she and her friend were bruised. The other driver, of whom the cop was being very solicitous, was driving at nearly twice the posted limit. My daughter's car had the side door smashed in, inches from where her friend was sitting. The car was pushed clear up over the curb and onto the parking.

Did this asshole EVEN ask if my daughter and her friend were all right? NO! Yes, it ticked me off that this cop was oh-so-caring about this jerk driver, who not only endangered my daughter and her friend with his reckless driving, but also his own kid (like 8) who was in the front seat.

Well, after that display, how can I not tell my kids that some cops are thugs with badges, and while you should be cooperative as you can, you'd better keep in mind that you could be dealing with a real asshole, who won't give a damn even if you're cut and possibly injured.

Just recounting this has made my blood pressure go way up. No, not all cops are ok!

They'll arrest a liberal activist for uttering "George W. Bush is stupid" at a Republican townhall meeting, yet won't arrest a conservative activist for assault at a Democratic townhall meeting.

Then on November 8, 2007, a group of them circled around my son, who lay in the street after being hit by a drunk who fled the scene. My son was alive, but not one cop approached him. They declared him "an obvious J-4" code for deceased. When the EMT's got there, they took the cops' word for it. When the EMT's declared that they had a pulse 11 minutes later, a cop was heard expressing his disbelief, then said, "like roaches, man, they just don't die". My son continued to fight for his life, losing that fight an hour later at the hospital. He was 17 years old. So my short answer these days--Fuck the police.

It makes me want to choke someone every time I do. God forbid something like this ever happens to my family cause I will go to prison for sure.

I am so sorry for your loss and for what your poor son must have gone through.

:D

frustrated failed soldiers who prey on innocent civilians...

except for a FEW good cops...

It's one of the dark sides of DU, the amount of bile that is spewed at all cops on this site. Anyone who judges a whole group is an asshole.

I have yet to be subjected to anything negative or have heard or even seen anything negative, here anyway. I can not say that for all Cops unfortunately.

But people are people no matter what job they are working, there are going to be brutes who abuse the badge as their are politicians who abuse their power.

I am still of the opinion the jerks in law enforcement are the minority and that the vast majority of police are sincere in what they do. I think most police think pulling someone over for running a yellow actually think they are reminding the driver to get there 2 minutes later before someone really gets hurt. Which does not change the fact even the well meaning police have likely been put where they are by the powers that be for the sole purpose of fear and intimidate to the populace and for separating us from our money.

Sure some are good, even heros but most are "working a job" and then there is the sizable minority of criminals that the others protect, making them as bad or worse.

I consider them toxic and coddled.

The end result is what is expected from any group of people.

Especially if they're not particularly bright or well-educated. But as much as a problem as cops are, it's nothing compared to the problems we'd have without them.

I just think police should be better paid, with higher qualifications, and more encouraged to inform on each other.

I don't get it. Sure, it is necessary in extreme situations but most of the time, I doubt it. Wearing body armor to violently break up a peaceful labor rally is a little over the top, don't you think? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivn8PrZlAXo

This also depends on the police department involved. The Los Angeles Sheriffs Department patrols my neighborhood and in the 12 years I've lived here I have witnessed nothing but utmost professionalism - I can't think of enough nice things to say about them.

The LAPD is another story. I've seen both the really good and the bad from them. With them, I'd say it depends on the officer. They have really good officers and total douchebags who have no business carrying the badge.