Cops: love 'um or hate 'um

J

jerry old

Texas Crude
I did not care for cops as a young person, as I aged I became aware that they were an important and valuable part of society.
I am disturbed at the number of cops that grab their weapons much too quickly and the shootings of unarmed suspects trying to flee.

Today, we need cops more than ever, but how do we cull the 'gunslingers?
This topic is often posted by SF members.
I perceive it as 'us' against 'them; mentality-by both groups, how did this happen?
How did we get into this situation, how do we right the boat?
'
 

Last edited:
Being a Cop is probably the Last job I would want....especially in today's world. I'm sure there are a few incidents where a cop has overreacted, but it seems that in the vast majority of cases, the cop is having to deal with a habitual criminal that refuses to act in a civil manner, and is putting the cops life/wellbeing at risk. If the "victims" want to avoid "murder by cop", all they need to do is follow the cops instructions and behave like a decent human being.

According to the latest FBI numbers, 59 cops have been killed in the line of duty, so far this year.
 
Last edited:
Cops are individuals - much like the rest of the human race. Some are decent, some enjoy hurting & killing people. And some who are uncertain of their manhood, like to insult others to feel superior. I learned that when I was 19. I posted about that encounter previously:
(just found it)
At 19, my girlfriend & I had a picnic planned in a park. I went to the restroom. When I walked in, I saw a man on the floor, slumped against the wall next to a urinal. I thought, "He'll probably never get drunk again when he realizes he passed out on a dirty restroom floor."
After a few seconds, I realized how quiet it was & took a closer look & saw that he wasn't breathing; he was dead. And the brown swede jacket he was wearing was soaked in dried blood. And the zipper on the gym bag next to him was partly open & there was a bunch of cash in it.
I ran out, told my girlfriend about it & we walked across the street to a gas station & called police. They told us to meet them at the park.

One cop went in the restroom & the other one stayed with us. The cop came out of the restroom & said, "Yeah, that's the 211."
He told us the guy tried to rob the liquor store a block away & the clerk shot him.

The cop asked me if I touched anything in the bathroom. I said, "Only the urinal handle to flush it."

The cop asked me, "Did you see the money in the bag?" I said, "Yes."

The cop asked me, "How much cash did you take?"

I answered, "None, sir. How much cash did YOU take?"

The cop asked me, "Why are you being a smart ass?"

I said, "Because you accused me of being a thief."

The cop says, "No, I didn't; I asked you if you touched the money."

I said, "No, you asked me how much cash I took. Don't you see the difference?"

He said "Pfffft" & walked away, mumbling something about "Long-Haired Freaks." The other cop took our names & addresses.

After I calmed down, I asked my date: "Where do they find such dickheads?"
 

At the age of 16, a cop stuck his pistol in my face-after he had asked for my ID; that colored my perception of cops for the next decade.
If this event had today, i have no doubt i would have been shot.

I think my question is why?
Was it always this way?
When did we become wary of cop?

911 knowledge that would be helpful, but he is -combating Covid 19 a few prayers wouldn't hurt.
 
Last edited:
win231 said:
Cops are individuals - much like the rest of the human race
Click to expand...
Absolutely, good ones and bad ones. Unfortunately it's a tough job and they aren't particularly well paid. So that doesn't always attract the best and the brightest. But I do think most of them are good people.

At about 10 years of age I picked up a railroad spike along a railroad bed. A cop caught me and accused me of pulling it out really chewed me out. Took me home and before dropping me off said "if I catch you doing that again your ass is grass and my name's lawnmower". Called him lawnmower from then on. I guess I'm lucky that was my worst run in with a cop, so far anyway.
 
I really don't think any cop gets out of bed and says "I'm gonna shoot me someone today". And I agree almost every deadly altercation we've recently read about in the news would have been easily prevented had the person just not resisted arrest.
Having said that, there certainly some cops who are on a power trip, and just plain a-holes. There's tons of youtube videos of cops demanding ID of people for no reason, which they have no right to do, then threatening the person with jail or worse.
 
Cops don't need a reason to ask a person to identify themselves. You do not know what they are working on or looking for. All you have to do is show your license, and insurance and you will be on your way. My brother worked undercover for years weeding out drug dealers and others. His life was on the line trying to make things safe for the rest of us. He maintained his cover for years even though it cost him a marriage. His wife did not like the fact that he had to let his hair grow longer, not shave for awhile in order to look the part on the street. She wanted him at Church with her on Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night. Hard to do when you are on a stake out to catch a drug dealer. A few years after the divorce he married a parole officer who understood his situation.
 
"Cops don't need a reason to ask a person to identify themselves. "

That's not true in the UK. If you are stopped in a vehicle, they can ask for ID, but you are not obliged to carry ID with you.
They can not stop you or question you in the street unless they are investigating an offence, or they have reasonable cause to believe that you have been involved in an offence. You do have to answer them, and this cannot be used as a reason to caution or arrest you.

Of course, they will just make up a reason, but there have been cases where police have been taken to court for illegally stopping people.

The worst examples of police behaviour I observed, was when I was in N.Ireland. The 'police' were an armed paramilitary force who made up and applied the law as they say fit. They were widely feared and hated by all sections of the community. I don't know if they have changed over the years and I don't plan to find out.
 
It isn't true in the U. S. either. If there is an on going investigation, cops may ask to see some ID if you are thought to be someone who may become a part of that investigation, but they let you know it. If you are pulled over by a traffic cop, you know there is a reason.
 
I think that Dick Wolf has done more to shape our perception of the police and the criminals than any other individual or event.

I find his shows entertaining but for a generation of Americans they may be perceived as a glimpse of everyday life.

IMO the vast majority of people in law enforcement just want to do their jobs and go home.
 
Last edited:
Around here the cops would rather not become involved. I've seen them sleeping during traffic duty. The only time I saw cops swarming was when a drug dealer was being arrested. The guy looked like he just got up after a night of using his own product. One cop was slapping on the cuffs and the other eleven were just standing around shootin' the breeze. You never know though.
 
I have posted about my anger over "Killer Kops" but I have also posted about the Good Cops. I had four police officers in my family. One, a cousin, became a detective and two of his sons were on the force. The fourth officer is another cousin. Thank God none were ever involved in controversy. I have seen stories about police officers who really want to be helpful within their communities, some who mentor young, underprivileged children and who truly make a difference. I applaud them and those are the ones I "love".

I asked my podiatrist how he came to be in the profession. He told me how he used to work in the ER and saw many gunshot wounds to the legs and feet by suspects who were shot by policemen. His point was they were shot to take them down, not to kill them, like seems to be the standard today.

I think the psychological screening needs to improve. A very good friend of mine who was on the force only for a little while told me how easy it is to trick the psych evaluations to be able to pass. There also needs to be more intensified diversity training because, yes...people of color are targeted more often for sometimes nonsense things. And that shoot to kill mentality needs to be corrected. I find it ironic and quite angering that some of the most dangerous (White) "suspects" known to have committed mass murders and shootings get taken in alive, while Black people pulled over for traffic offenses, or those chilling in their own homes, wind up dead!
 
Last edited:
The ideal is that the police exist for the citizens protection, and to help them when needed FIRST. Sometimes it takes force to stop bad stuff from happening. But, a lot of developed countries have glorified violence, and acquiring money while walking over others. This creates a society that becomes favored by those who control the money and resources, and they will do anything to rule, even if it takes getting military assault vehicles to keep the sheeple in line. so the police have been increasingly violent to keep their jobs. as someone once said "When the love of power becomes the power of love, the world will know peace." There has to be a fundamental change in what our society believes is more important...personal gain or human well fair. I will support candidates for public office who believe the latter, and they are going to need a lot of money to battle the heartless rulers, which seems like an impossible endeavor at this point.
I agree with police reform, but it will only change individual behavior. They still will have an arsenal of powerful weapons to control those who battle increasing inequality of haves and have-nots.
 
Last edited:
That was a bit theoretical i admit, so he is my personal experience.

In my teens in California, there were the "helpers", and the "creeps". They became very violent with the street gangs...and there were some controversial shootings. Back then there was the whole hippie "pig" game, and it escalated into the likes of Kent State. In the rest of my life I have only run into a few that had an "attitude" I thought was annoying. Other than that I have been treated with respect.
 
I don't think you can judge a whole group of people by what a few do. Of course, we are all entirely law abiding citizens, who wouldn't dream of breaking any laws. But reality tells us that we need people to enforce the laws. And these people are also our first responders, too. And cops are human, They have the same biases , and fears as we all do. And being in the business they are in, it's hard not let what they see affect them.. I think cops need way more training, besides OJT, and way more supervision. Being a cop is a profession, and they should be professionally paid.
 
OneEyedDiva said:
His point was they were shot to take them down, not to kill them, like seems to be the standard today.
Click to expand...
That's actually against their training. Cops are taught if you fire you're weapon you shoot to kill. Center mass, and since you're shooting to kill, don't stop firing till you know the job is done. And that makes sense, you don't want to give the perp a chance to shoot back. It's also why some of these shootings seem bad when a guy gets shot 30 times but 5 cops firing 6 times each is their training.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top