Looks like somebody got a ticket today and wants to cry about it with a cop hating thread. LOL

There are good and bad cops Unfortunately for the good ones their aszhat brethren negate all their good work. The crap cops are nothing but a nuisance to law abiding citizens

Made it to point one and wish I could have my minute back.

If I were a cop, even a 200# musclehead, I'd rather have more guys around to arrest one drunk than fewer. People can be jerks and why risk your personal safety by playing lone wolf?

Well, I tried to tell you. :)

A message to cops.
I think the author has a good point about "being dangerous".

I wonder how he got to that $171,402 figure?

Totally agree. If they were not worried about getting caught doing something illegal, this would not even be on the books.

i would never argue that the police need to "save money" by cutting range time - i'd even donate a box of bullets.

I'm just saying they need to hit what they aim at. I also don't want to hear about "adrenaline" or "in the heat of the moment" that's why you train.

I also don't vote for liberal hand-wringing anti gun nuts.

i've had run ins of both types. but the one that sticks out in my mind is the time i ran out of gas on the freeway on my old triumph motorcycle. a police officer showed up about five minutes later, with a full gas-can, poured about half of it into my tank, waited to be sure the POS would fire up and then waved to me as i drove off. and he wouldn't take a fiver for the fuel.

Yes and no....

A good cop can do everything for you and really save the day.

On the other hand a "less than good cop" can absolutely ruin your life and for the most part you have no recourse. Good friend of mine had this happen and its absolutely ruined his life. Went from being a respected member of the community and owning a multi-million $$ house to living in a shack and unemployed for much of the last 10 years. Long story, will not detail it here but the two cops involved were later busted later on and are no longer members of the force. It was a domestic violence situation and turned out that his wife had done this before with another ex-husband, so she knew how to make it work in her benefit once she had some cops who would "look the other way" with her situation.

As well "any profession" does not have the capability to shoot and wound or kill you. Realize that there is a lot of stress there but also feel that it should be an "open book" situation and if they are concerned about being video'ed at a bust or arrest, then there is a problem.

Before anyone asks, I have several friends in LE and they are really nice guys. Just hope I never meet up any of those who are different.

Cops kick down doors and shoot homeowners dead, shoot dogs in cages, and terrorize in general - all over an ounce of drugs.

One snotty neighbor can ruin your life with one phone call about smelling weed coming from your place.

huh. i have a neighbor that i truly dislike. somehow, i don't think this would work....

Well of course not in Utah, maybe California

I have not had any contact with LEO or Firemen like the ones you describe, not yet anyway

Seems like a bunch of his good points are ignored.

Example. Being a cop is dangerous work. But fishermen, Logger, Airplane Pilot, Farmer/Rancher, Mining machine operator, Roofer,Sanitation worker,Deliveryman/Truckdriver, and Industrial repairman are all more dangerous.

And its not even the vaunted criminals that kill cops. If you take away traffic accidents, that cause 56% of the fatalities, suddenly being a coach, or a umpire is now a more dangerous profession.

And out of that original list the cop makes more than any of them except the rancher and airplane pilot.

Who will guard the guardians?

Nobody cares because it doesn't happen to *you*.

How the War on Terror Has Militarized the Police - Arthur Rizer & Joseph Hartman - National - The Atlantic

I have an issue with cops - but I'm ok with law enforcement officers...

I was arguing your point for you, but I must not have done a very good job. Sorry about that. :)

I agree with you on all counts about police marksmanship and training/readiness.

And I'm sure that you are very conscientious when you cast your vote.

My only exposure to on-duty cops has been during traffic stops. I don't think I'm in the minority. I always answer politely, never challenge, and show tremendous patience.

I've had one cop dress down for being a potential homicidal maniac for going 5 mph over the speed limit to pass two semis on the interstate. He made an impression, but not the one he thought he was making.

I had one cop spend 45 minutes trying to prove I was drunk at a sobriety checkpoint (not a drop in me). When he failed to trip me up, he started writing tickets for window tinting being too dark (it wasn't) and a headlight being out (it wasn't). He also made an impression.

I had one cop nearly rear-end me on the interstate because he wasn't paying attention as he came down the on-ramp at triple-digit speeds to try to catch the guy in front of me. The normal routine of checking your mirrors and moving over doesn't work when the other guy is travelling that fast.

My friend was t-boned by one cop driving home late at night (he's a pharmacist at a 24-hour pharmacy) because the cop elected to run a red light at high speeds without his siren or lights on. The police report reflected that my friend was at-fault, and both the video from the cop car and the intersection camera mysteriously went blank 10 seconds before the crash and stayed that way until the vehicles came to a rest.

What am I supposed to think when every interface I have with one profession has them coming off as arrogant, aggressive, and/or dangerous? They are entrusted with great power, and they choose to use it on thngs like spending 45 minutes playing mind games with me that thanks to the laws in Illinois, refusal to participate in somehow means I'm guilty of a crime. I keep hearing about the "good ones", but they aren't the ones that most of the general public seem to run in to.

Edit: I'm sure there are good cops out there, and I imagine they are the guys that leave me alone. But if the good guys don't do something about the jerks, the police will continue to have a public image problem.

Hah... sounds like typical Cop rationale.

It's an unrealistic interpretation of wiretapping statutes already on the books. It's mostly the audio not the pictures that get people in trouble.