Those in Law-Enforcement...

Gamingphreek

Lifer
Mar 31, 2003
11,679
0
81
I have been doing security since I turned 18 (almost 20 now) and I have noticed something. I don't mean to be racist in any sense (One of my closest friends is Hispanic), but have you noticed that when you put on a badge, you are public enemy #1 to African-Americans and Hispanics?

I don't know why, I am extremely polite (Probably too polite and lenient) to anyone I speak to, yet as I drive by or if I have to stop and have a word with someone I get the meanest looks!

Is this common everywhere? I am in Fredericksburg, VA-- a suburb of DC and Richmond (About 45 mins away from either) so it isn't like I am patroling S.E. DC (Dear Lord I pray for those who have to patrol there)

-Kevin
 

Glavinsolo

Platinum Member
Sep 2, 2004
2,946
0
0
It's the stigma of stories and experiences of always being treated as if they are criminals by many other cops in the past
 

gorcorps

aka Brandon
Jul 18, 2004
30,739
452
126
The problem is depending on the area you're the exception to the rule. 90% of the cops I've seen and/or dealt with around my area are pretty racist themselves. I'm not in law enforcement, but a good friend of the family is. He's also a fairly nice cop and is pretty sick of everybody else screwing up his rep. It's something that comes with the job and probably won't change.
 

Gamingphreek

Lifer
Mar 31, 2003
11,679
0
81
Well police in my area are typically very friendly. Granted I have never had to deal with them except on a professional level or at a driving course (My Dad and Grandfather were Deputies).

As for my area, we are a suburb of DC and Richmond. Standard of Living is pretty high with very low unemployment and not too much poverty. Most of the time, it appears to me, that there are a bunch of rich kids that are trying to act like they are, or have been, bad (Or as one so fondly put it, "raised in the hood")

-Kevin
 

Xyclone

Lifer
Aug 24, 2004
10,312
0
76
From what I understood from the OP, you're a rent-a-cop. Don't expect the utmost respect from everyone you pester. A lot of young and/or ghetto people hate LEO's.

EDIT: Those kids are giving you mean looks because they know if they try to stink eye a real police officer they will get their asses handed to them. They think security can't do anything to them. Are you allowed to detain people you catch in your... "juristiction," while the police come?
 

Gamingphreek

Lifer
Mar 31, 2003
11,679
0
81
Originally posted by: Xyclone
From what I understood from the OP, you're a rent-a-cop. Don't expect the utmost respect from everyone you pester. A lot of young and/or ghetto people hate LEO's.

EDIT: Those kids are giving you mean looks because they know if they try to stink eye a real police officer they will get their asses handed to them. They think security can't do anything to them. Are you allowed to detain people you catch in your... "juristiction," while the police come?

Well you do have a point about being security, but to be completely honest, half the people I have to talk to don't even realize that I'm not a police officer until I tell them I'm security.

As for arrest authority, it depends on the situation. I have handcuffs, but I can't really use them unless in an extreme situation as I am not armed. I could get armed certified, and with that comes full arrest authority; however, since I don't have a CWP (Concealed Weapons Permit) I would have to lock my fire-arm in a lock box in the car in between job sites (21 is the earliest I can apply for CWP).

So to make sense out of that mess, I can, but only in extreme situations-- I can't detain for normal situations (Say if I were waiting for an armed unit to arrive, or for the police to arrive).

Despite all this, when you ask someone to do something, normally, they snap to it. Just semi-behind your back they aren't too keen of the whole idea.

I must really be naive to not have noticed all this before. I suppose I may as well ask questions while I am here-- will my lenience begin to go away as I gain experience typically? I tend to be more forgiving and understanding than I am supposed to be-- and I was just wondering whether the better judgment comes with experience.

-Kevin
 

FallenHero

Diamond Member
Jan 2, 2006
5,659
0
0
Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
Originally posted by: Xyclone
From what I understood from the OP, you're a rent-a-cop. Don't expect the utmost respect from everyone you pester. A lot of young and/or ghetto people hate LEO's.

EDIT: Those kids are giving you mean looks because they know if they try to stink eye a real police officer they will get their asses handed to them. They think security can't do anything to them. Are you allowed to detain people you catch in your... "juristiction," while the police come?

Well you do have a point about being security, but to be completely honest, half the people I have to talk to don't even realize that I'm not a police officer until I tell them I'm security.

As for arrest authority, it depends on the situation. I have handcuffs, but I can't really use them unless in an extreme situation as I am not armed. I could get armed certified, and with that comes full arrest authority; however, since I don't have a CWP (Concealed Weapons Permit) I would have to lock my fire-arm in a lock box in the car in between job sites (21 is the earliest I can apply for CWP).

So to make sense out of that mess, I can, but only in extreme situations-- I can't detain for normal situations (Say if I were waiting for an armed unit to arrive, or for the police to arrive).

Despite all this, when you ask someone to do something, normally, they snap to it. Just semi-behind your back they aren't too keen of the whole idea.

I must really be naive to not have noticed all this before. I suppose I may as well ask questions while I am here-- will my lenience begin to go away as I gain experience typically? I tend to be more forgiving and understanding than I am supposed to be-- and I was just wondering whether the better judgment comes with experience.

-Kevin

Bolded Part:

Its the same even if you are a cop. If you have to order someone to do something, generally they do it out of fear of further consequences, not out of a respect. However, at least where I work, the general public respects the police. Young kids will not until they mature. Most over 30 will because they realize that our job isn't exactly easy. Hence why ATOT generally has a low opinion of LEOs, as it generally lacks maturity or life experience.

As for talking with people and being lenient...that will always be 100% up to you. I'm very lenient with many things...but some issues over time will make you become very hard nosed with things, especially once you experience certain situations. Would you be very lenient with teenagers who are drinking underage or maybe caught with a tiny bit of drugs (beyond MJ.) You might say yes...until you see the rollover accident from the drunk teenager where one of his friends was ejected from the car. Or the OD of the teenager on heroin in his room, 2 days before thanksgiving and you have to somehow explain to the family that their son died because he took too much of an illegal drug. Maybe you won't let those things slide next time, because although it may not always end up like that, and you will not always be the one dealing with it...one of your brothers in law enforcement will (if you choose to go that route) and you would rather attempt to set things right before they get worse rather than let some poor sap do cleanup work and families be torn apart.
 

Gamingphreek

Lifer
Mar 31, 2003
11,679
0
81
Originally posted by: FallenHero
Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
Originally posted by: Xyclone
From what I understood from the OP, you're a rent-a-cop. Don't expect the utmost respect from everyone you pester. A lot of young and/or ghetto people hate LEO's.

EDIT: Those kids are giving you mean looks because they know if they try to stink eye a real police officer they will get their asses handed to them. They think security can't do anything to them. Are you allowed to detain people you catch in your... "juristiction," while the police come?

Well you do have a point about being security, but to be completely honest, half the people I have to talk to don't even realize that I'm not a police officer until I tell them I'm security.

As for arrest authority, it depends on the situation. I have handcuffs, but I can't really use them unless in an extreme situation as I am not armed. I could get armed certified, and with that comes full arrest authority; however, since I don't have a CWP (Concealed Weapons Permit) I would have to lock my fire-arm in a lock box in the car in between job sites (21 is the earliest I can apply for CWP).

So to make sense out of that mess, I can, but only in extreme situations-- I can't detain for normal situations (Say if I were waiting for an armed unit to arrive, or for the police to arrive).

Despite all this, when you ask someone to do something, normally, they snap to it. Just semi-behind your back they aren't too keen of the whole idea.

I must really be naive to not have noticed all this before. I suppose I may as well ask questions while I am here-- will my lenience begin to go away as I gain experience typically? I tend to be more forgiving and understanding than I am supposed to be-- and I was just wondering whether the better judgment comes with experience.

-Kevin

Bolded Part:

Its the same even if you are a cop. If you have to order someone to do something, generally they do it out of fear of further consequences, not out of a respect. However, at least where I work, the general public respects the police. Young kids will not until they mature. Most over 30 will because they realize that our job isn't exactly easy. Hence why ATOT generally has a low opinion of LEOs, as it generally lacks maturity or life experience.

As for talking with people and being lenient...that will always be 100% up to you. I'm very lenient with many things...but some issues over time will make you become very hard nosed with things, especially once you experience certain situations. Would you be very lenient with teenagers who are drinking underage or maybe caught with a tiny bit of drugs (beyond MJ.) You might say yes...until you see the rollover accident from the drunk teenager where one of his friends was ejected from the car. Or the OD of the teenager on heroin in his room, 2 days before thanksgiving and you have to somehow explain to the family that their son died because he took too much of an illegal drug. Maybe you won't let those things slide next time, because although it may not always end up like that, and you will not always be the one dealing with it...one of your brothers in law enforcement will (if you choose to go that route) and you would rather attempt to set things right before they get worse rather than let some poor sap do cleanup work and families be torn apart.

Thats a good point. And driving back from work that night I realized that more so than ever. I went up to 65 in the 55 zone and then thought to myself-- If I had to pull someone over for that I would hate to get someone in trouble. I realized how disrespectful I was being just in the fact that I am forcing an officer to pull me over. It is kind of another rite of passage as now I refuse to go more than 5MPH over. Granted that is extremely trivial, but it just was me realizing something.

As for the second point, I suppose thats how I expected it to be. I wouldn't let any of that slip by; however, I just have a hard time enforcing such things as loitering. One lady, was waiting for her 18 year old son to get out of a party at a club (He didn't know she was there) and she refused to leave. (Immediately the questions popped up: He is 18 what are you going to do to him? If you can't trust him then why did you "let" him go?). My supervisor just happened to be there and, having kids himself could sympathize and dissolve that situation whereas I would have told her thats fine. It just these laws that seem trivial that are hard for me to enforce...

I'm at Virginia Tech hoping to get a job with DoD, CIA, or NSA in Security/Counter-Security. I'll be graduating with an undergraduate degree in CS in 2010. I am now entertaining the idea, that while I am at graduate school I could do Police Academy at night (Hopefully won't take too much time away from my friends and family). Any later than graduate degree, I will, hopefully, be thinking about (assuming I have a girl friend) marriage and a family- at which time, I wouldn't want to be away from then both night and day.

This is a tougher job then I give it credit for. Yea it is boring, but it really makes you think in many aspects...

-Kevin
 
May 16, 2000
13,522
0
0
It's very area dependent, but the core of it (in my opinion) is socio-economic basis, not racial. Find out what the racial make-up of the very poor is in your area, and those are the ones who will have the most trouble with you. In your area blacks and hispanics are the poorest, therefore they're the biggest problem.
 

mugs

Lifer
Apr 29, 2003
48,920
46
91
Originally posted by: manowar821
Originally posted by: Jumpem
Originally posted by: mugs
A lot of black people don't trust the POlice.

A lot of people period.

With good reason! :beer:

Yup, all cops are dirty. Just like all black people are criminals and all latinos are illegal immigrants. :roll:
 

manowar821

Diamond Member
Mar 1, 2007
6,063
0
0
Originally posted by: mugs
Originally posted by: manowar821
Originally posted by: Jumpem
Originally posted by: mugs
A lot of black people don't trust the POlice.

A lot of people period.

With good reason! :beer:

Yup, all cops are dirty. Just like all black people are criminals and all latinos are illegal immigrants. :roll:

Yes, exactly! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go rape some babies.
 

JD50

Lifer
Sep 4, 2005
11,783
2,418
136
Originally posted by: manowar821
Originally posted by: mugs
Originally posted by: manowar821
Originally posted by: Jumpem
Originally posted by: mugs
A lot of black people don't trust the POlice.

A lot of people period.

With good reason! :beer:

Yup, all cops are dirty. Just like all black people are criminals and all latinos are illegal immigrants. :roll:

Yes, exactly! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go rape some babies.

He got you dead on. You have some irrational hatred of Police and authority in general, if you can't deal with people calling you on that then I would suggest that you stop projecting that attitude.
 

manowar821

Diamond Member
Mar 1, 2007
6,063
0
0
Originally posted by: JD50
Originally posted by: manowar821
Originally posted by: mugs
Originally posted by: manowar821
Originally posted by: Jumpem
Originally posted by: mugs
A lot of black people don't trust the POlice.

A lot of people period.

With good reason! :beer:

Yup, all cops are dirty. Just like all black people are criminals and all latinos are illegal immigrants. :roll:

Yes, exactly! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go rape some babies.

He got you dead on. You have some irrational hatred of Police and authority in general, if you can't deal with people calling you on that then I would suggest that you stop projecting that attitude.

I have nothing to prove to you, anymore. You've already proven multiple times in the past, (and many times in conversations with people other than myself) that you're simply dead-set on raging against whatever anti-authoritarian machine you think people who don't instantly respect police are a part of.

For the record, though... You're wrong. Enjoy your holidays, I think you need it.
 

evident

Lifer
Apr 5, 2005
12,042
652
126
all my experiences with law enforcement and cops make have led me to the conclusion that MOST (95%) of them are crooked assholes who are in it for the pension, and to hassle good law-abiding people with BS traffic tickets.

i dont trust them, and i don't feel safer when they are around
 

evident

Lifer
Apr 5, 2005
12,042
652
126
Originally posted by: savoyboy
Originally posted by: evident
all my experiences with law enforcement and cops make have led me to the conclusion that MOST (95%) of them are crooked assholes who are in it for the pension, and to hassle good law-abiding people with BS traffic tickets.

i dont trust them, and i don't feel safer when they are around

So you hate them because they enforce traffic/state laws that the legislators created?

Nice logic.


btw, who are you going to call if you are in trouble?

p.s. stop driving like a retard and you will not get pull over.

they enforce laws that are designed to make the township money. getting pulled over for drunk driving on the wrong side of the road is one thing, but if you live in certain areas, there are some traffic laws that are ridiculously strict, areas where speed limits change from 55 to 35 without reasonable notice, stop signs on offramps where yield signs should be, and excessive show of police force in towns where there is no crime, and cops would rather spend the time pulling over drivers who violate minor traffic laws in between going to dunkin donuts.

I don't drive like a "retard". I drive about 100 miles a day, and I try to be as safe as possible. I can't wait till you get pulled over for going 60 in a 55mph zone in the highway then have to pay a $200 ticket so the asshole can meet his quota.

your holier-than-thou attitude is lame :roll:
 

MartyMcFly3

Lifer
Jan 18, 2003
11,436
29
91
www.youtube.com
ATOT members rant against cops checklist:

Mention of Quotas? Check!
"Majority of cops are assholes" comments? Check!
Mention of Donuts? Check!
People not knowing what they are talking about? Check!

You know, all computer tech people are just a bunch of nerds who sit around, drink mountain dew and play world of warcraft all day. None of them know what they are doing unless they have access to google, and even when they DO fix something, something else fucks up. They think they are above everybody else just because their computers are supposedly superior to the ones they work on. Anyone could do it.

And lets talk about doctors... Sure they save lives, but look how much it costs to go to one. And don't even start talking about how high bills are if you have no insurance. Doctors are in it for the money alone and not the satisfaction of making others feel better. They all sit in their golf carts at the local golf course they are members of and smoke their fat stogies after diagnosing a few patients, laughing at how others have to work for a living.

Man, generalizing IS fun!!!! :roll:
 

Gamingphreek

Lifer
Mar 31, 2003
11,679
0
81
Originally posted by: evident
Originally posted by: savoyboy
Originally posted by: evident
all my experiences with law enforcement and cops make have led me to the conclusion that MOST (95%) of them are crooked assholes who are in it for the pension, and to hassle good law-abiding people with BS traffic tickets.

i dont trust them, and i don't feel safer when they are around

So you hate them because they enforce traffic/state laws that the legislators created?

Nice logic.


btw, who are you going to call if you are in trouble?

p.s. stop driving like a retard and you will not get pull over.

they enforce laws that are designed to make the township money. getting pulled over for drunk driving on the wrong side of the road is one thing, but if you live in certain areas, there are some traffic laws that are ridiculously strict, areas where speed limits change from 55 to 35 without reasonable notice, stop signs on offramps where yield signs should be, and excessive show of police force in towns where there is no crime, and cops would rather spend the time pulling over drivers who violate minor traffic laws in between going to dunkin donuts.

I don't drive like a "retard". I drive about 100 miles a day, and I try to be as safe as possible. I can't wait till you get pulled over for going 60 in a 55mph zone in the highway then have to pay a $200 ticket so the asshole can meet his quota.

your holier-than-thou attitude is lame :roll:

There are no quotas as much as you would like to think there are. Nor have I ever heard of someone getting pulled over and given a $200 ticket for 5mph over the speed limit.

As for you arguments against laws that you don't agree with-- you know there are ways to combat that. Instead of just continually breaking them so that they have to ticket you, you could go in front of your county board of supervisors or whatever legislator controls that where you live.

I actually just got pulled 2 weeks ago for accelerating too fast by a state police officer. It would have been my first ticket. The police officer saw my clean record, I apologized for accelerating fast and was very polite. The officer merely nodded and said that I should just take it easy and be safe-- I thanked him an went on my way with a still clean record :) -- They aren't out to make the county/city money there big guy.

-Kevin
 

Agentbolt

Diamond Member
Jul 9, 2004
3,340
1
0
Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
Originally posted by: evident
Originally posted by: savoyboy
Originally posted by: evident
all my experiences with law enforcement and cops make have led me to the conclusion that MOST (95%) of them are crooked assholes who are in it for the pension, and to hassle good law-abiding people with BS traffic tickets.

i dont trust them, and i don't feel safer when they are around

So you hate them because they enforce traffic/state laws that the legislators created?

Nice logic.


btw, who are you going to call if you are in trouble?

p.s. stop driving like a retard and you will not get pull over.

they enforce laws that are designed to make the township money. getting pulled over for drunk driving on the wrong side of the road is one thing, but if you live in certain areas, there are some traffic laws that are ridiculously strict, areas where speed limits change from 55 to 35 without reasonable notice, stop signs on offramps where yield signs should be, and excessive show of police force in towns where there is no crime, and cops would rather spend the time pulling over drivers who violate minor traffic laws in between going to dunkin donuts.

I don't drive like a "retard". I drive about 100 miles a day, and I try to be as safe as possible. I can't wait till you get pulled over for going 60 in a 55mph zone in the highway then have to pay a $200 ticket so the asshole can meet his quota.

your holier-than-thou attitude is lame :roll:

There are no quotas as much as you would like to think there are. Nor have I ever heard of someone getting pulled over and given a $200 ticket for 5mph over the speed limit.

As for you arguments against laws that you don't agree with-- you know there are ways to combat that. Instead of just continually breaking them so that they have to ticket you, you could go in front of your county board of supervisors or whatever legislator controls that where you live.

I actually just got pulled 2 weeks ago for accelerating too fast by a state police officer. It would have been my first ticket. The police officer saw my clean record, I apologized for accelerating fast and was very polite. The officer merely nodded and said that I should just take it easy and be safe-- I thanked him an went on my way with a still clean record :) -- They aren't out to make the county/city money there big guy.

-Kevin

Awesome, you caught one decent cop, so that means they're all great people, right? The pro-cop people generalize just as much as the anti-cop people, so this thread is literally drowning in hypocrisy. Jesus.

I didn't have a problem with cops really until I came to ATOT. I've never gotten a ticket or been in any trouble with the law, and hadn't really given them a lot of thought, but then I started seeing story after story after story of cops breaking the law and covering it up, killing innocent people, threatening/harassing innocent people, etc.

I know the Cop Apologist Brigade will swoop in here to scream hysterically that cops do all kind of good that never get reported, but do you know WHY that never gets reported? BECAUSE IT'S THEIR FUCKING JOB. If I came in here ever day seeing some story about a welder that had broken the law, or shot an innocent person, or whatever, I wouldn't like welders very much either. And no one would be crying that you never hear about all the great pieces of metal welders stick together. And that's a pretty wussy comparison, because welders aren't supposed to be the very ones upholding the laws they're breaking, and welders don't have huge powers to harass and punish innocent people.

I think people are naturally prone to power trips, and you have to give a police department a lot of power in any country that doesn't want to be in anarchy, so I'm not sure if the problem is avoidable. I mean, America's hardly alone in having issues with their police force. And it's not like I'm naturally prone to hating the cops, I even went on a ride-along when I was like 18 just to see what it is was like. But I mean, it's just gotten ridiculous seeing how often there's a problem with them. This isn't an isolated case of cops behaving badly here and there like you'll see in any other profession. I am CONSTANTLY seeing stories of cops doing horrible, horrible stuff, and what's worst is that the departments have no interest in fixing it. I've never seen a group of people pathologically cover each other's ass like cops do. Just look here in ATOT, it does not matter what happens, the Cop Apologists will find some way to defend the cops, usually by reverting to something completely ridiculous. "Well sure the cop invented charges and harrassed and threatened the guy for no reason, and clearly broke the law, but...well...the guy shouldn't have been recording it in the first place! I'd love to kick his ass!" Very intelligent, well thought out stuff.

I think it's sad that in any situation where I have the choice between helping out a cop or doing everything legally possible to make his job harder, I'd choose the second, but that's what I'd do. If they're not going to make any effort to fix their problems, I'm certainly not going to do it for them. I'll do what I'm legally required to and if I'm ever in trouble, I won't expect any heroic efforts from them and instead simply hope I've got one of the seeming minority who will do what THEY'RE legally required to.
 

Gamingphreek

Lifer
Mar 31, 2003
11,679
0
81
Originally posted by: Agentbolt
Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
Originally posted by: evident
Originally posted by: savoyboy
Originally posted by: evident
all my experiences with law enforcement and cops make have led me to the conclusion that MOST (95%) of them are crooked assholes who are in it for the pension, and to hassle good law-abiding people with BS traffic tickets.

i dont trust them, and i don't feel safer when they are around

So you hate them because they enforce traffic/state laws that the legislators created?

Nice logic.


btw, who are you going to call if you are in trouble?

p.s. stop driving like a retard and you will not get pull over.

they enforce laws that are designed to make the township money. getting pulled over for drunk driving on the wrong side of the road is one thing, but if you live in certain areas, there are some traffic laws that are ridiculously strict, areas where speed limits change from 55 to 35 without reasonable notice, stop signs on offramps where yield signs should be, and excessive show of police force in towns where there is no crime, and cops would rather spend the time pulling over drivers who violate minor traffic laws in between going to dunkin donuts.

I don't drive like a "retard". I drive about 100 miles a day, and I try to be as safe as possible. I can't wait till you get pulled over for going 60 in a 55mph zone in the highway then have to pay a $200 ticket so the asshole can meet his quota.

your holier-than-thou attitude is lame :roll:

There are no quotas as much as you would like to think there are. Nor have I ever heard of someone getting pulled over and given a $200 ticket for 5mph over the speed limit.

As for you arguments against laws that you don't agree with-- you know there are ways to combat that. Instead of just continually breaking them so that they have to ticket you, you could go in front of your county board of supervisors or whatever legislator controls that where you live.

I actually just got pulled 2 weeks ago for accelerating too fast by a state police officer. It would have been my first ticket. The police officer saw my clean record, I apologized for accelerating fast and was very polite. The officer merely nodded and said that I should just take it easy and be safe-- I thanked him an went on my way with a still clean record :) -- They aren't out to make the county/city money there big guy.

-Kevin

Awesome, you caught one decent cop, so that means they're all great people, right? The pro-cop people generalize just as much as the anti-cop people, so this thread is literally drowning in hypocrisy. Jesus.

I didn't have a problem with cops really until I came to ATOT. I've never gotten a ticket or been in any trouble with the law, and hadn't really given them a lot of thought, but then I started seeing story after story after story of cops breaking the law and covering it up, killing innocent people, threatening/harassing innocent people, etc.

I know the Cop Apologist Brigade will swoop in here to scream hysterically that cops do all kind of good that never get reported, but do you know WHY that never gets reported? BECAUSE IT'S THEIR FUCKING JOB. If I came in here ever day seeing some story about a welder that had broken the law, or shot an innocent person, or whatever, I wouldn't like welders very much either. And no one would be crying that you never hear about all the great pieces of metal welders stick together. And that's a pretty wussy comparison, because welders aren't supposed to be the very ones upholding the laws they're breaking, and welders don't have huge powers to harass and punish innocent people.

I think people are naturally prone to power trips, and you have to give a police department a lot of power in any country that doesn't want to be in anarchy, so I'm not sure if the problem is avoidable. I mean, America's hardly alone in having issues with their police force. And it's not like I'm naturally prone to hating the cops, I even went on a ride-along when I was like 18 just to see what it is was like. But I mean, it's just gotten ridiculous seeing how often there's a problem with them. This isn't an isolated case of cops behaving badly here and there like you'll see in any other profession. I am CONSTANTLY seeing stories of cops doing horrible, horrible stuff, and what's worst is that the departments have no interest in fixing it. I've never seen a group of people pathologically cover each other's ass like cops do. Just look here in ATOT, it does not matter what happens, the Cop Apologists will find some way to defend the cops, usually by reverting to something completely ridiculous. "Well sure the cop invented charges and harrassed and threatened the guy for no reason, and clearly broke the law, but...well...the guy shouldn't have been recording it in the first place! I'd love to kick his ass!" Very intelligent, well thought out stuff.

I think it's sad that in any situation where I have the choice between helping out a cop or doing everything legally possible to make his job harder, I'd choose the second, but that's what I'd do. If they're not going to make any effort to fix their problems, I'm certainly not going to do it for them. I'll do what I'm legally required to and if I'm ever in trouble, I won't expect any heroic efforts from them and instead simply hope I've got one of the seeming minority who will do what THEY'RE legally required to.

I am not saying that cops are without fault. They are humans and are just as susceptible to temptation as you or I.

then I started seeing story after story after story of cops breaking the law and covering it up, killing innocent people, threatening/harassing innocent people, etc.

What cops are you talking about, the Soviet Secret Police? Killing innocent people nice try...

I'm saddened that you feel that you wouldn't try to help another person out. You can balloon up stats, but the amount of police that do said acts are a VAST minority. The stories you see on Anandtech, are just as I said-- Anandtech. Half the people here are immature teenagers, and not only that Anandtech is not solely within the US. Out of all what, 3 Billion people in the world, you see a few stories here and there on Anandtech of all places and you immediately assume that is the standard.

The fact is you are just as close minded as people who blindly defend police officers.

As for my job, I finally had a run in with people who were genuinely disrespectful and very hostile. I had to call other officers for back up because the people were that threatening me came back repeatedly and refused any orders I gave them. Unfortunately I couldn't get their license plate number. If they had gotten out of the car, I would have gotten very worried. I have my knightstick, but against 3 individuals who for no reason were threatening me it doesn't seem like the best situation.

-Kevin