Think the police are more likely to pull someone over in a Porsche?

[porsche tech]

Do you think having a “veteran” license plate or having it on your driver’s license holds any sway with the police? Been wondering since my latest driver’s license has that on it.

[Arizona_928]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

A good friend of mine is a former Wichita PD officer and SWAT team member, so I spent a lot of time drinking beer with him and his cop buddies. Outside of work they are normal dudes, just like anybody else.

I try to give police some grace, because they have a dangerous and thankless job. Every time they walk up to a car window could be their last, not many of us understand that perspective.

Then why do it….? Fat pensions and adrenaline. Plus the whole elevated status and qualified immunity.

The local cop really doesn’t do much. Issue citations for the city coffers, prevent retail shrinkage, or luckily prevent a murder here or there. A must in a large metropolitan region where crime is prevalent yet normalized.

[Arizona_928]

Originally Posted by porsche tech

Do you think having a “veteran” license plate or having it on your driver’s license holds any sway with the police? Been wondering since my latest driver’s license has that on it.

No, the point of LE In today’s society is for revenue generation. When the point of LE has turned into pull over quotas therefore revenue and ticket quotas, everything is out the window. That said,a lot of leo are not prior mil. I think that is part of the current issue with policing in America….Even soldiers hate MP’s. Why police your own for stupid stuff? Real crime is solved at higher levels of LE.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Arizona_928

Then why do it….? Fat pensions and adrenaline. Plus the whole elevated status and qualified immunity.

The local cop really doesn’t do much. Issue citations for the city coffers, prevent retail shrinkage, or luckily prevent a murder here or there. A must in a large metropolitan region where crime is prevalent yet normalized.

I’m sure the motivations vary by person. I’d like to think that much like being a teacher, some would just like to make the world a little bit better place. But I’m sure not all either.

[Arizona_928]

Thought this would fit in with this thread. The lack of tact really hits in with the current climate of le.

“The parents had beef with me for detaining Chuck E. Cheese,” one officer said to another in the video.
“Too bad,” the other officer said.

https://www.clickorlando.com/news/florida/2025/09/03/body-camera-video-shows-how-arrest-of-mascot-at-florida-chuck-e-cheese-went-down/

[Arizona_928]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

I’m sure the motivations vary by person. I’d like to think that much like being a teacher, some would just like to make the world a little bit better place. But I’m sure not all either.

That’s one aspect to everyone’s purpose in life. Low entry bar and high pay is the other.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Arizona_928

That’s one aspect to everyone’s purpose in life. Low entry bar and high pay is the other.

Agreed, equally applicable to teachers. Easy job to get, hard to get fired, decent pay. Except teachers get beat up and shot a LOT less, and get summers off.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by Arizona_928

Then why do it….? Fat pensions and adrenaline. Plus the whole elevated status and qualified immunity.

The local cop really doesn’t do much. Issue citations for the city coffers, prevent retail shrinkage, or luckily prevent a murder here or there. A must in a large metropolitan region where crime is prevalent yet normalized.

In Long Beach the whole city received notice that police will no longer respond to a traffic accident if there are no injuries reported at the time. Now I think there is a little more to this, but that's exactly what the notice said. I have seen many accidents that created a huge mess, blocked traffic with disabled cars, and even had cars turned over or on sidewalks and private property, all involving no apparent injuries. I think under circumstances like that the police will respond.

But why this notice in the first place? Well, one reason is we are 100 officers short of what we have a budget for, even though the budget is in the red. Secondly, the day shift is a little lighter than the night watch. At night in LB it's one call after another. This is a crime city, not like Oakland, but not like Mayberry in any way shape or form.

There are just under 4000 counted homeless, a dozen gangs of at least 4 different ethnic groups, 15% below the poverty level compared to Los Angeles at 13.9%. Most of the supermarket style grocery stores have an armed guard, of course all the banks do (not my CU as it has a double entry "sally port" style with one of the 2 doors automatically locked as you pass through), and so on and on.

The police have a lot to do here. Our situation is far from your situation. The fire dept hardly has time to eat each shift. They get paid OK at $65K to 90K base, no overtime. Overtime has been determined to be cheaper than adding personnel to a point. So 100K is not unusual. The pensions were better but it was renegotiated in 2013 and hires after that date are on a different program. It's a state wide pension rates varying from city to city.

It's dangerous job but super secure. There is that aspect.

[Arizona_928]

Sounds a lot like Phoenix. However, Phoenix Fire turns down thousands of applicants a year.

The high turn over and inability to hire are interesting variables within itself. That said, how many other jobs pay 6 figures as unskilled labor…? Not many.

As for Mayberry, when the industries leave, the local populous that stays behind are simply caught up in poverty crime (drugs and petty theft). The kind of crime that doesn’t even raise an eyebrow in the big city.

[Por_sha911]

Originally Posted by Arizona_928

Then why do it….? Fat pensions and adrenaline. Plus the whole elevated status and qualified immunity.

You couldn't be farther from reality.
Back 35-40 years ago there was a lot more benefits. Today:
-every LEO is under a microscope with some activist lawyer looking for a paycheck and their name on the front of the local woke newspaper.
-in many smaller towns, salary is horrible.
-the rates of alcoholism. mental breakdowns, and divorce for LEO is substantially higher on both spouses.
-the stress of uncertainty of whether the officer will be coming back or in the hospital. negative press and ostracization if they arrest or shoot people of certain groups.
-being doxed by every slimeball who wants attention.
-instead of being respected, they are called racist, Nazi, pig...


I have active and retired friends who got in due to a love for law and order and for the desire to serve the community. It ain't the fat cat job the woke MSM want you to believe.

[Baz]

Originally Posted by porsche tech

Do you think having a “veteran” license plate or having it on your driver’s license holds any sway with the police? Been wondering since my latest driver’s license has that on it.

Reading your question I immediately thought of the first Rambo movie, "First Blood".

I'd like to think a military vet gets some extra consideration, but I guess it depends on the cop and also how the veteran behaves.

[gsxrken]

I have one son in the Special Forces Q course and one son on the Nashville MNPD. The soldier gets “thank you for your service” all day long for playing army, the other one get cursed at by the dregs of society, separating sub-humans from domestic abuse situations, administering Narcan, pulling mangled bodies from crashes, and dealing with the public on their worst days. About 100 die a year in uniform.
Some of you guys live in a bubble. Thank you Joe and others.

[Por_sha911]

Originally Posted by porsche tech

Do you think having a “veteran” license plate or having it on your driver’s license holds any sway with the police? Been wondering since my latest driver’s license has that on it.

Originally Posted by Baz

Reading your question I immediately thought of the first Rambo movie, "First Blood".

I'd like to think a military vet gets some extra consideration, but I guess it depends on the cop and also how the veteran behaves.

I believe the greater question is WHO are the DA, prosecutor, or judge and do they have an agenda?
Can you say "Letitia James', 'Arthur Engoron' ?

[onewhippedpuppy]

Some of you guys really need to sit down and have a beer with a cop. Or a firefighter. What they deal with, the things they see, it’s the sort of stuff that sticks with you. It’s one job I couldn’t do, I suspect most of you couldn’t do, and in my opinion they don’t get paid nearly enough.

[Arizona_928]

Originally Posted by gsxrken

I have one son in the Special Forces Q course and one son on the Nashville MNPD. The soldier gets “thank you for your service” all day long for playing army, the other one get cursed at by the dregs of society, separating sub-humans from domestic abuse situations, administering Narcan, pulling mangled bodies from crashes, and dealing with the public on their worst days. About 100 die a year in uniform.
Some of you guys live in a bubble. Thank you Joe and others.

I don’t think you understand policing. Leo have extremely loose roe and hide behind qualified immunity. A lot of AD do not like leo for this reason. Giving civil infractions to fill up the cities bank accounts is far from a noble act. That said, i know some 90’s vets that will square up if one told them TYFYS. Usually that one means go **** yourself, but I’m sure you didn’t know that.

[Arizona_928]

Originally Posted by Por_sha911

You couldn't be farther from reality.
Back 35-40 years ago there was a lot more benefits. Today:
-every LEO is under a microscope with some activist lawyer looking for a paycheck and their name on the front of the local woke newspaper.
-in many smaller towns, salary is horrible.
-the rates of alcoholism. mental breakdowns, and divorce for LEO is substantially higher on both spouses.
-the stress of uncertainty of whether the officer will be coming back or in the hospital. negative press and ostracization if they arrest or shoot people of certain groups.
-being doxed by every slimeball who wants attention.
-instead of being respected, they are called racist, Nazi, pig...


I have active and retired friends who got in due to a love for law and order and for the desire to serve the community. It ain't the fat cat job the woke MSM want you to believe.

Just last week i saw a billboard in cal offering recruits 6 figures to be a sheriff’s officer. Not bad when the only other places hiring unskilled labor is in the teens per hour.
Locally, they’re hiring at wages that beat out any job within any of the various industries.

I think that’s most interesting point anyone has mentioned. Instead of changing qualified immunity, the departments scapegoat the officers. I fundamentally do not believe in ticket quotas and laws that aren’t passed through the voter. I think anyone would. Then to have someone enforce those laws and rules either through ignorance or stupidity is where we get this perfect storm.

One last point, these departments create a them vs us attitude that fundamentally attacks one’s identity. That leads to the alcoholism, divorce, etc. These kids thought they were going in to be noble and give back to society until they realized how the system works. E.g. Arresting the chuck e Cheese mouse in front of a bunch kids in their imprint ages and not caring to the trauma they just caused…. Best part? Over a hundred bucks.

Edit: another great example would be Scottie Scheffler arrest. He faced some serious charges that would have ended extremely poorly if it was someone else. Now imagine being on that police department where that type of criminal behavior is allowed.

[fastfredracing]

I personally know a few LEO also. Super cool, intelligent, friendly helpful guys. I always enjoy hearing their stories and chatting whenever they stop by .
That being said, if any one of them stops you , for any reason, and you are not in the gool old boys gang, you are getting the business .
The one actually made the comment one morning here at the shop, " despite what you believe, it is, indeed , a crime to be black , and drive through Middlesex "
Our main highway used to be nicknamed Herion highway , as it was the main corridor between Pittsburgh, and Butler, which is a smaller town 30 miles north of Pittsburgh . At that point in time, Herion was a scourge here, and there were several deaths every single day .
Im not sure if he remembers or not, but my one cop buddy , pulled me over in the morning , for speeding about 5 years before we formally met and became buddies .
He was a total ass, and read me the riot act about bald rear tires, and agressive driving. All I did , was grab a few gears from the stop light up to about 70 mph , in a 55 mph zone, in a set up M3. Meanwhile, they are out there doing 90+ every day in Ford Explorers, and crown vics to give people tickets for window tint and burnt out headlights.
While I somewhat respect what they do, I have lost my respect for the whole system of traffic enforcement / which is in fact, only revenue generation and fishing for more crimes .
I feel like it was different 20 years ago

[911 Rod]

Originally Posted by fastfredracing

.
I feel like it was different 20 years ago

I think 20 or more years ago they might have kicked your ass if you gave them any lip.

[Baz]

Originally Posted by gsxrken

I have one son in the Special Forces Q course and one son on the Nashville MNPD. The soldier gets “thank you for your service” all day long for playing army, the other one get cursed at by the dregs of society, separating sub-humans from domestic abuse situations, administering Narcan, pulling mangled bodies from crashes, and dealing with the public on their worst days. About 100 die a year in uniform.
Some of you guys live in a bubble. Thank you Joe and others.

Thank you for your sons' service!

[Baz]

I generally back the blue.


Unfortunately there are stories like this however that really make you question the "Protect and Serve" part of it.....