[legion]

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.