I’ve seen a number of disturbing videos on Youtube and social media sites recently where people are blatantly disrespecting law enforcement officers in various ways. In one, a man refused to roll his window down to accept a ticket, only cracking it and sliding the documents through, being very difficult and rude to the officer who puled him over for a violation, refusing to roll the window down and answer any questions the officer had. In another, a guy walks up to a cop on the street and just starts cursing at him, calling him names, and taunting him. This seems all to common, with our younger generations and their sense of entitlement, poor upbringing, and an inexplicable notion that they are not accountable for their actions.
Law enforcement is one of the most noble and in my opinion thankless jobs in America. Nobody likes the cops around until they need them, then they complain-loudly and publicly-that they didn’t care enough to get there fast when they needed them. Cops in general get paid for shit. Everybody ponder the fact that Lady GaGa made something like $60 million last year, and the guy that protects you, your wife, your kids, your house, or your work might make under $30,000. These men and women sacrifice time with their kids, their spouses, their parents, and their friends to protect all of us. If that’s not worthy of some recognition, I’m not sure what is. So next time you decide to flash your lights at oncoming traffic when there is a speed trap, remember…the speeders are the ones committing a crime, not the guy trying to keep them from hitting your kids as they ride their bikes around the neighborhood.
Also encouraging is the recent turnout of law enforcement officials speaking out in our fight to maintain our Second Amendment rights. It’s certainly not all-inclusive, and while some have spoken for gun control the number of chiefs, sheriffs, and commissioners who have risked their political positions, be they elected or appointed, to speak for our rights is pretty awesome.
It’s no secret our economy isn’t at it’s strongest, funding is being cut in budgets at all levels, and our local law enforcement is at the bottom of the funding line. Law enforcement is chronically understaffed and underfunded in America, and is asked to take on more and more responsibility all the time. Think of the guys in blue when it’s time to vote in your next elections. It seems like every law enforcement organization in the country has a booster organization, so when they ask, donate. If there is something you could do to help the people sworn to protect you, why not support them?
Law enforcement professionals, you have my sincere thanks for all you do. Working long shifts, mountains of paperwork, the pressure of knowing how severely the courts, the media, and the public criticize your every move, all while being expected to lay your life on the line for those same people. That takes some heart and deserves some recognition. The shifts aren’t likely to get any easier, the thugs aren’t likely to get any more respectful, and the pay isn’t likely to get much higher any time soon, but there are a lot of us that really appreciate you laying it all out there anyways.
Tags: Canipe
Good one!
As long as law enforcement officers tolerate thugs with badges, why should society give them any special respect? Respect is earned, as is support and law enforcement is receiving EXACTLY what they have earned.
So you’re advocating mistreating the masses for the actions of a few?
Kinda sounds like the current environment of the anti-gun groups. Let’s group everyone into the bad column because of a few, yes it is a few, bad incidents. Everyday thousands of LEO’s are out there doing a good job, upholding the constitution, you just never hear about them.
Unfortunately, the average American doesn’t get to see the good cops most of us know but rather either the bad cops on the news or the one pulling us over for a moving violation. It’s too bad that TV shows like the old Dragnet and Adam 12 aren’t around anymore that promote a positive image of ethical policing.
I don’t work with any “thugs.” All my fellow officers are highly trained professionals. Do you want me to come to your sandwich shop and criticize the way you spread mayo? I didn’t think so. Shut the hell up. A few shit cops doesn’t mean that the rest of us are shit as well.
Too bad Flight is actually a DR, which you would know if you had the ability to read allowing employment outside being a JBT. “A few shit cops”? What planet are you living on? Every day there are cops shooting innocent people, like the heroes in LAPD mistaking 2 Asian ladies for a large black man. Cops are an occupational army not our protectors.
HEY MORON, I CAN MAKE MY NAME WHATEVER I WANT ON HERE.
“total resistance”……..Your Screen name says all anyone needs to know about your malcontentious and callow carcass. Yet another keyboard commando sitting in his soiled skivvies banging on his computer acting a fool. I go out there everyday to use spirit of the law and the letter of the law to serve the people I protect. And yes, I’m as Pro 2nd Amendment as you could possibly be. As a professional law enforcement Officer for the LAPD, I can tell you that those guys were clearly in the wrong, but there are far more specifics to that incident that your feeble mind could possibly comprehend, I’m not sure I could express myself monosyllabicly enough for you to understand anyway. You sound like such a douche, it’s no wonder you have had a demonstrably bad time with cops. I hate when booger eaters run their proverbial yaps via the internet. Go get mommy to change your sheets JR.
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Outstanding article. Again, I use the spirit of the law as a rule when dealing with good citizens, and the letter of the law when dealing with thugs and predators. I don’t ticket soccer moms, working stiffs and good folks. When my partner and I do have to pull over a good citizen who does something so egregious in-front of us that cause all of those around us get to take notice, I use the approach that they agree with. I tell them ” Look, you’ve been stopped by one of the cops that doesn’t like writing tickets to the good people. And I bet you and I agree that I should and need to be focusing on the hardened criminals out there, committing real crimes, right?” When they agree, and apologize for the infraction, (which is 99.99% of the time) and they come-back clean on a DMV and NCIC check, they are off with no ticket and a better feeling on law enforcement. Then I get to go chase professional criminals who are hardened thugs committing real crimes.
Anyway, all the Military Members, Law Enforcement Officers, Security Professionals, Firefighters and EMT’s be safe out there.
Oh also for the record, I never ticket Military personnel either. Although, many of the d-bags commenting here in a negative fashion, would probably and demonstratably act luke tools, and would likely receive the letter of the law treatment. Flight ER Doc would probably get booked for DUI oxycodone.
Sorry, flight Doc, I have seen more corruption in the medical field than I have in Law Enforcement. Doctors and Hospitals have more power than any LEO could ever want or have. Are there bad cops, yes. Are there bad docs, yes. I have more despise for the medical field than I do for Law Enforcement. Go get in your helicopter and continue to look down on those in the trenches from your ivory tower. I am not a cop but a former medical professional.
So we all tolerate it? Really? Last time I checked we are one of the few professions were you get fired for what you do off duty. DUI, bad behavior and unethical behavior off duty will get you disciplined or terminated. So where are we supporting that? Blaming an entire group for a small segments behavior is very fair and intellectual.
There are many licensed professions that depend upon a clean record to maintain licensure… Being a CPA, alarm system tech, massage therapist, or other such jobs may be boring compared to LE, but there are many other professions where you can be fired (or lose your license) for what you do “off-duty”.
Ash….. What an obtuse response! Flush out your headgear!
Obtuse how? Clarify, please. Pointing out that other professions are held accountable for “off-duty” behavior addresses the point R.Rabbit raised.
One more thing – cops have saved my ass more than once. I have more respect for a random cop whom I have never met, then I do for a trauma surgeon I have known for 10 years. Flight-ER-Doc, your response is exactly the response I would expect from a doctor. Thanks for reinforcing my opinion.
The article is on point. Those of us in LE can accept when a gangsta, thug or felon dirtbag hates us and calls us names. Thats part of the job. But when I read comments from law abiding citizens and Mil saying things disrespecting us it is truly a sad day. Those are the same people I go to work daily to protect. Nothing more demoralizing than having the sheep spit at the sheepdog 🙁
But the article is spot on!
Ditto!
That’s the issue that we all need to take a look at. It’s easy to close ranks and make it ‘us vs them’. And I’ll tell you that the “sheepdog and sheep” model that so many LEOs want to adopt isn’t exactly winning any friends. The hard work comes in asking why citizens resent an honorable profession and then doing something about it.
I agree.
Look at flight doc…. Talking about thugs with badges and earning respect while distributing oxys, methadone and medical marijuana for his own profit. How does it feel to be stereotyped?
Certainly, because no other profession has incompetent fools who kill people through ignorance or stupidity. Take a look at your own profession Doc before you start slinging crap at cops in such a widespread and wholesale fashion! I respect my doctors and nurses and trust them…even though medical mistakes are killings VAST numbers of patients. And don’t get me started about doctors refusing to pass judgement on bad doctors who are shoveling tons of addictive opiates out to their “patients”. You think cops don’t stand up against their own? It is NOTHING compared to the amazing silence in the medical community. Well, enough of a rant there. Support the cops, amen!
I pray you never have to provide medical services to any LEO or Firefighter. Your desire to have respect is against the oath you’ve taken. Get off your high horse MD. Cops don’t tolerate thugs, just as much as you wouldn’t respect a MD or Surgeon who rapes, uses drugs or abuses their patients. And they do!!!
Lets not forget that it is a very frustrating job. I have watched a friend of mine put weeks of work into a case, only to see the court system give the dirtbag who was operating a meth lab a light slap on the wrist. The problem is not LEOs, it is the court system. I believe this is a part of the attitude toward LEOs, dirtbags know they will not be seriously punished for their crimes and the general population thinks this is the LEOs fault.
This sounds like the action of a sovereign citizen these people should be considered dangerous. I recently attended a declassified homeland security briefing on this group where the key speaker West Memphis Chief Bob Paudert was speaking on his dealings with these people. I would recommend this class to all my brothers in public service. If you cant make it to one of his briefings then watch some of the videos he is featured through southern poverty law center.
Please educate yourself on this group so you do not get caught off guard!
Exactly. I received some of the training you mentioned. The Southern Poverty Law Center video really laid out this group. Domestic terrorism plain and simple!
Seriously? This is part of the problem: SPLC has a very specific agenda and if they are poisoning the minds of police officers, this is highly disturbing. SPLC considers Oathkeepers a “hate group.” Chew on that for a while.
First, let me say, I agree with the original post.
I will follow that up with, I treat all people with respect until they dictate otherwise. I’ve had great interaction with LEO, and I’ve had poor interactions with LEO.
I do find it disturbing when I talk with those in Law Enforcement that don’t wholeheartedly support the 2nd, and often feel that most become LE for the wrong reasons. That being said, I take each interaction as an opportunity to show my thanks and gratitude for the thankless job they do. If they choose to treat me like a subject I will get their name and badge number and proceed accordingly.
Firstly The Supreme Court ruled that the police do not have a constitutional duty to protect a person from harm. So the section that states
“guy that protects you, your wife, your kids, your house, or your work might make under $30,000. These men and women sacrifice time with their kids, their spouses, their parents, and their friends to protect all of us.”
Is crap they don’t the only part out of that entire section they maybe true is the under $30,000 part.
Secondly there not actually sacrificing anytime, they are not volunteers they are hired by a department to do a job and compensated for that time spent doing that job via a pay check.
There time is no more valuable nor no less valuable then any other individual whom spends time with those they care. We all have have jobs that take us away from spending time with people we care about whether they be family, friends or loved ones.
The point is a Law Enforcement officer has no more special right to this of spending time with those they care then any Citizen has right to spend with there’s. They are equal in this regard.
As for respect, offices that respect the Citizens individual rights fairly and do not breached those rights, are and will be respected by Citizens, however offices that fight for citizens will be supported and respected i.e
“Sheriff Richard Mack” a now former sheriff/office whom is highly respect by Citizens and supported by those same citizens.
So yes respect is not entitled it is earned threw actions of individuals and so does support, just like the actions of Seven key founding fathers whom to this day are respected for the vary action that allow you and I the right to bear arms and the right to freedom of speech.
those same actions are what determine respect and that’s where your support will be.
Ok, by your definition, the military and firefighters dont sacrifice either. What about all of the reserve officers and deputies that aren’t paid a dime for their services? Whatever your beef is in the past is your personally and somehow you got involved in it. Right or wrong, you played a part. The vast majority of citizens are grateful for their law enforcement agencies because they know the good that they and they can turn off the professional police haters that will ignore all of the good done on a daily basis whether its pulling people from frozen lakes or burning vehicles to locking up perverts or wife beaters allso they focus on some negative event in the news across the country. Try to put on a badge and doing the work before you judge people on the few tidbits of information you get from the media. Lastly, your paraphrase of the supreme ruling is incorrect. The ruling is that the police have duty to protect every person all of the time being that is impossible. In another ruling, they ruled that the individual officer is never off duty completely and has a duty to act if they encounter certain crimes or events endagering life. This includes medical situations that are not a law enforcement officers specialty. Joe citizen has the luxory of acting of acting only when they choose and will not face any liability.
Please excuse my typos. Im posting from a phone that makes it really difficult to proof read.
“they are not volunteers”, uh that statement right there proves you have no idea what your talking about. Give the reserves and volunteer Fire and Police some credit. They risk their lives for free but according to you they don’t…
This is a great one. Well written as always. To the flight doc, Im the most critical person of cops I know and it is because I am cop and I expect high standards to be met. Fitness, ethics, daily uniform appearance yes that you will have to run and fight in, knowledge of laws, policies and sops. Report writing skills, vehicle appearance and operation, people skills, work ethic, weapons and hand to hand skills, officer safety and awareness, it is difficult to be considered a good cop in another cops eyes. Most police agencies have background investigations that go beyond what people have for top secret security clearances. Im always surprised to see a statement like yours because its assuming you have observed half of the 600,000 cops in this country. I suspect you have seen less than 5 percent of that but are judging all 100 percent.
Amen Brandon! Most people who are as overtly malcontentious as Flight Doc, cannot be swayed. He probably tried to get on and wasn’t hired. It took me a little time back in the 90’s to get hired by the LAPD, and I was a little peeved at seeing some of the people they were taking to. But you can either pull up your boot straps and march on or wallow in negativity. I chose to keep trying, as do most with the proper motivation, and it paid off. As for people like F-Doc, they’re clearly far to spiteful and ignorant to even have a logical conversation with. They discount the masses of great law enforcement officers and instead hang their size 3 hat on the actions of less than .01 % of the idiot cops out there. In it’s own right is very telling of the intellectual deficiencies in there chain of “logic”. Stay Safe brother.
Joe Friday….. To Be a Cop….. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMc3RS_afSE
Good points.
Thanks for your support, and from a couple responses, it seems as though there are some people that frequent this forum that were not as LEO supportive as I thought they would be. In my experince there is no arguing with these people, for one reason or another they do not like the fact they were told to do something by a cop, or had an interaction with one of the few bad cops. I will say that I am a cop, make shit pay, and work in an extremely liberal area of society. I have a moral obligation to help people in distress or facing harm, even though that same person may have called me a POS the day before. I have made a pledge to uphold the Constitution of the USA and my state, a pledge that I take seriously. More simply stated, I strive to have the best overall impact on any situation I encounter while keeping true to the laws and ethics of society.
Saying I get exactly what I have earned is not exactly accurate. I have placed my life on the line for innocent people on numerous occasions. I have protected women and children, my fellow officers, and random strangers who I may never speak to for more than 10 minutes. I take dangerous drugs off the street, and console victims in their hour of need. I do not need to be called a “fucking pig” or “piece of shit” for simply parking my car and walking a foot beat down the street, and yes it has happened.
So, thanks for your support, and to everyone else, don’t worry, I’ll still come when you need me (and yes, I do support the second amendment).
The problem is that we, the public, are finally starting to understand that cops can’t be there all the time and can’t actually prevent the most heinous acts of violence but for dumb luck. Given that, it’s much better to have lots and lots of concealed carry permit holders and get cops out of babysitting roles like just hanging around at malls and wherever.
Giving speeding tickets in residential neighborhoods is totally awesome, and I’d thank you for doing it, but where are folks most likely to get a speeding ticket? On a highway, usually when there’s next to no traffic, and therefore nothing really making 80 an unsafe speed.
Every time I see a cop in a uniform, or driving around in a marked car I’ll admit I get kind of pissed, because there’s one less cop doing detective work and actually solving crimes. Maybe i don’t know what the hell I’m talking about, but the ridiculously low percentage of charges being brought on B&E’s, car break ins, etc. that normal, decent folks are likely to interact with police on, combined with the nonsensical speeding tickets of going 80 on empty highways really make it hard for most people to see what good cops do for our society.
There have been many a crime solved/suspect busted by the uniformed street cop driving in a marked black and white police vehicle; Ted Bundy, Timothy McVeigh, Eric Rudolph to name a few. Some of them were stopped for otherwise innocuous traffic violations.
The lack of charges being brought on is the District Attorney’s fault. Not LEO’s. Giving speeding tickets protects lives, believe it or not. I’d rather give someone a speeding ticket than have to notify the next of kin that their family member was killed because they lost control of their vehicle or blew a tire and rolled their car.
I understand your concerns, but you have to understand that an active police presence is a deterrent to crime. By patrolling, I’m showing that I’m out there to work and prevent crime before it starts or as it happens. Proactive VS Reactive. As for highway speeding, wrecks become much worse at high speed. Once you’ve worked a major accident, it changes your perspective on speeders.
I’m all for active patrolling…in marked cars.
Exactly. High visibility. Thank you for posting this article
Just trying to provoke thought but does the constitution require the government to be “announced and visible” when patrolling common areas open to the public? No, it doesn’t so who is it hurting? Studies show that marked police cars patrolling neighborhoods do not increase the citizens sense of protection and the citizens rarely ever notice a difference. Motorists are the only ones that really take notice of police cars it seems (you would think never watching how they drive) which can defeat the “active” patrolling purpose if enforcement is your goal but may accomplish the overall goal of deterrence. What if there was more doubt in people’s mind of which vehicles were the police car? Would that decrease crime? Would that hurt anyone? We already know marked cars by themselves are not a huge deterrent and overhead light bars hurt fuel efficiency and vehicle resale value not to mention require restoration before being recycled to be put on a newer car. In Britain, the officers are highly visible. What impact does that have on their crime? It is a huge officer safety issue for uniforms and even vehicles considering firearms which is a major factor for them. Does the visibility help the citizens more or criminals? I wish I could see solid data on it.
So we want spies and not police?
Spies do espionage. Cops do police work. There is quite a huge difference. First, there are already hundreds of plain clothes, decoy, narcotics, gang and fugitive units that drive the most blending in vehicles and where plain clothes. Are they spies? No. You also have unmarked cars for traffic enforcement. Most federal agencies that arent glorified security agecies do their work in plain clothes in regular run of the mill vehicles. Is anyone harmed by it? Lastly, as if police anouncing their presence when they are taking action isnt enough, police in this country are limited on when they can retain any records on people which is primarily only for criminal.investigations and then when they have actually taken legal action against someone. Even then, there are often time limits that apply to most records.
Oddly enough, the specialists you mentioned all conduct information gathering activities and use civilian clothing and vehicles to conceal their true purpose. Those are all characteristics of espionage. However, as we all know, the vast majority of LE does not serve in any of those capacities but rather as a patrolman. What good is a patrolman that isn’t identified as such? Light bars on cars hindering resale value or fuel efficiency? Seriously? That’s all you got? When I ask why patrol cars go home at night I’m told they serve as a deterrent. How does that work when they aren’t marked?
Members of LE, you aren’t going to ingratiate yourself with the citizenry by trying to convince them that it’s in their best interest to pay for cops who want to run around not looking like cops.
Due to my phone being a pain in the ass I could not continue to write in the last post. You have a misconception that you think the average patrol officer doesnt work gang, drug and other cases that would be far easier if he was not in a marked police car. Most “proactive police work” is done on traffic stops. I would almost say 95% or more. The light bar abd paint scemes are what people look for most. Or stands out most. Who knows. I dont for a second think cops should be in Nissans and minivans for daily patrol duties. I would just like to see if there is any true benefit to having marked vehicles. The answer so far is no. Britains colors only serve to help criminals but due to their bright colors perhaps citizens actually feel safer being that they should notice the police more. How citizens perceive crime and what actually occurs is anothed issue. Police cars in the very old days were plain colored with an agency name on the doors. They had a single red light before the rotating lights came along. The reason? To save money and no one cared. Now we have this idea that police cars be brightly colored. I remember when LED lights became and people were complaining about the clear lenses being designed to make officers sneaky. In reality, they were cheaper than buying colored lenses that werent required. Now no one cares.
The problem with your point of view is that it considers everyone a potential criminal when in fact, the opposite is true.
I apologize for all of my typos and misspellings. This is difficult on my touch screen reading what I have written confuses me so I appreciate your patience. There is nothing about the question that assumes the majority are doing wrong. If anything, it implies that the vast majority of people that do no wrong could care less what the police are driving. Only the bad guys try to learn to spot police cars. The old saying if your not breaking the law then you have nothing to worry about applies. The majority wont worry and wont care Again, I go back to whole thing screaming “this is a police car”. Fleets should should stil be standardized with standard police equipment. Instead of being immediately recognizable from a mile away it only 200 yards. Again cops would also still be in regular uniforms. (Im more if a traditional uniform person myself but I recognize the practicality of less tradtional uniforms)
They should still be in uniform. That is a given. The subject is marked cars. Those specialized units as well as patrol officers all “gather information” as function of their job. What difference does it make if their is brightly colored? I dont care if the cars still scream police car standard police car wheels and push bumpers. There is no proven data that says a marked police car patrolling an area makes citizens feel safer. Only proactive policing that removes criminals from the area affects crime. You can put 2 dozen do nothing cops in 2 block radius of a bad area and all you get is a bunch of reports written after the fact. Cars can still be marked and not have an overhead lightbar. Cars go home in jurisdictions that have common sense. It is true that it serves as a deterrent for that one area. This is different than a car patrolling an area that comes and goes. The real reason why they go home is because vehicles last twice as long when they are not shared. Most officers also take better care of their equipment when it is assigned to them and them only. Then you have the fact that officers will be able to instantly respond to calls or incidents before and even after their shift. Over head light bars were never made to be seen as friendly government announcing its presence. Technology required it. Now they are nearly obsolete. With the budgets being as tight as they are fuel economy huge. Im sure you wont argue that knowing most local governments dont run deficits and borrow all they want. The light bars are often recycled so new ones dont need to be purchased so they have to get restored to be at “like new” performance levels. They also add wind noise at response speeds requiring you to crank your radio to hear call information and prevents hearing all the cues letting you know your losing traction or other vehicle functions. Secondly resale value on a vehicle helps the agency replace vehicles when they need to. Dont you want your local government saving money where it can? Graphics are an additional cost. The question is what benefit is there to having a marked on patrol to an unmarked one. Add a push bumper, spot light, police wheels and all. Just remove the bad paint schemes and graphics. Who is harmed by it?
You have some valid points, I’ll grant you that. Good people are definitely key to successful policing.
However, if dollars and sense are driving the configuration of patrol cars then there is no argument for officers using those cars off duty. Furthermore, there shouldn’t be as many cars as officers. That is an unnecessary expense in jurisdictions that police in shifts.
The vast majority of agencies dont allow off duty use of patrol cars. Less.and less are likely to do so. The reason they are allowed is not as much the crime deterrent but the traffic violation deterrent. Then you have the rules of responding to nearby emergencies, stranded motorists and major traffic violations you observe. If your a good cop you folloow those rules. Most cops are good about stopping wreckless drivers and responding to back up officers who otherwise might be waiting a while. Car wrecks are biggest thing that off duty officers find. The kicker is 90 percent of work done off duty is paid for so for the cost of a gallon of gas, you got an hour of free police work.
Wow, I found even more things to correct. The majority of off duty work is unpaid**. The majority of officers that are not rookies or have more than a couple of years experience refuse to drive their car off duty because they always get stuck on something and not paid for it. I have a bad habit of finding road obstructions and turning around to go move them only find out it was nearly as serious as I thought it was. I also have a knack for happening to be in an area when a major call goes out there is no other on duty officers bear by to back up the guy assigned to the call. Now I am turning into the other guys that dislike using the car off duty because you always end up working working for free.
I get the deterrent effect, I think we need cops driving around neighborhoods while people are sleeping or not around, so as to prevent property crimes, but good public policy would make cops unnecessary in publc venues by promoting responsible, trained, widespread conceal carry.
Agree. Neighborhood watch programs were started up to make citizens more aware of their neighbors and who and what belonged but it has no teeth like there were in the old days. In the old days, a little bit of street justice from citizens was perfectly acceptable and they frequently chose not to press charges on people. It kept the neighborhood whole and didn’t tie the cops and courts up with paperwork. I am all for neighborhood watch programs but as long as there are laws and liability that make good honest citizens afraid to take any form of action, it wont be like it was in the past. I encourage everyone I meet to legally get a weapon, develop a sound mindset and train often. The best deterrent is a population that fights the criminal back. I am convinced that if there weren’t as many criminal laws and we were not so prone to law suits, Americans would still have the balls that we used to. Either that or the spread of technology and news has really made us aware of how badly simple citizen arrests can turn out. Either way, social change needs to happen in the form of less government.
The sad thing is, people remember their bad interactions with LE a lot more than their good ones, and keeping in mind that I can be a shithead as well (sometimes sadly not recognizing the fact), the stories of my bad interactions with LE get TOLD and passed around like crazy, while the good ones fade away, just the nature of storytelling I guess. In the interest of being constructive, I ‘d like to share the opinion that if your posture as an officer is aggressive, ready to fight, louder than you might need to be (searching for the right words here) you might want to turn it down a little, there might be some people who need that treatment, but not everybody, maybe it’s the gnarly shit you just saw down the road that makes you do that, if so, I’m sorry. But you can project toughness and confidence, being in control without seeming paranoid and angry. When I talk to you I will look you in the eye, smile, and treat you like a person who has value and who I appreciate the interaction with. Not everybody is out to kill you with a hidden weapon, just look in my eyes/hands. As far as people flashing headlights to help fellow sheep not get a ticket that’s equal to a days pay for a lot of folks, you can maybe understand that there is a public perception that LE functions as a “revenue rake”, especially if that’s the most often that they see LE. Not saying its right, just that the perception is there. I’m probably sounding like a fucktard to the LE in the house, but I’m totally willing to work with you, and I wish there was some way to help break the ice.
Like the Paul Harvey thing says, the bad stories stand out because they are the exception to the rule. I find it funny that the traffic stops or arrests I make where I am the nicest, most professional officer I can be, are the only ones that I have ever gotten complaints on. Its stupid. I follow every policy and explain everything as nicely as can be, I get full cooperation for the most part and get permission to do something and then they call and complain that they didn’t like me asking for permission to this or that or that they don’t think they were doing what I said they were. The only people that argue with me seem to be the ones that I tell I am going to give them a warning or several warnings usually and they want to argue then. I’ve only had one ticket go to court and the guy had a good reason to and he made me look good in front of the court room saying how polite and professional I was and he had failed to mention further information to me on the stop. Afterward I shook his hand and said I am glad he got it thrown out because had I know the additional info, I wouldn’t have written him the ticket. One complaint I had, I got a phone call from a woman wanting her stalker ex-boyfriend thrown in jail but she didn’t want to come have a report written and didn’t have any recent incidents to report and none of them occurred in my county. After giving her all of the answers I could give her, she then calls and says that I called her boyfriend and told him she called us. This is less than 10 minutes after we spoke on the phone. Not only did I not call anyone after that nor did I have the BFs number or address, I never even asked for her name. HAHAHA The Lieutenant was comical the way he handled that.
Not to harp but just to mention it, you can watch someone’s eyes and hands and body language and still end up dead faster than you can think about how your going to respond to what is killing you. There are certain ways you can help officers feel safer when dealing with them or other people you know. Put all of the windows down on traffic stops. Keep your hands visible and wait to be given instructions. Don’t try to hold court on the side of the street at 11 PM and at night turn your interior lights on so they can see into the car better. If an officer asks if he can pat you down because it would make him feel safer well there ya go. If someone turns into a lawyer and becomes confrontational, officers are reminded of the numerous videos they have watched of officers dying following this confrontation. Just to give you a glimpse into the officers mindset. Just like when the military does “hearts and minds” style of operations, they go ready for a fight. We cant accurately predict who or who isn’t going to try to kill us and most of the time it comes from where you least expect hence the bad guy’s success in killing us. There are other tips but I wont go on. If you want I will get into it but the number one thing is just follow instructions and if you disagree on the procedure, there are others of resolving it than being confrontational. Some people are just dicks and they are in every profession and I encourage you to put complaints in on them because it helps us get rid of them. I told a guy that was arrested by another officer to put in a complaint on him right in front of the officer. I didn’t openly say “I would like for you to do this” but he asked if the treatment was required and I said no it wasn’t and if you are unsettled by it you should start a complaint and I will tell you how to do it. The officer had every right and a requirement to arrest him but he was a completely unprofessional dick to him for no obvious reason. Maybe I missed something but I didn’t approve of the way he treated the guy and I told the officer I wont be backing him up on calls if that is how he was going to behave. We went our separate ways and now the officer has a much better approach when dealing with people. I don’t know if the guy ever complained or not.
I can tell you have a lot of passion for your job.
Jon – thank you brother.
Like every other profession, we have to hire from the human race – which means we’ll never be perfect.
Precisely.
in my profession we are all outstanding and perfect. Oops sorry that was in a dream. You are right. Jobs that have a public power factor make the douchbags stand out. If some one acts up deal with it asap. But if they keep it up they should get shit canned and know it will happen. There must be a price to pay for not living up to the professional standards. Politicians are YOU listening? You are replaceable just like everyone else.
Well said…
Some SEALs have hinted to me before without saying it but even among the elite circles where reputations are everything, they had thieves, liars, cheats, and lazy people who would fail the team. We then see the SEAL that went nuts in Vegas and embarrassed the people he would call his brothers. Not long ago, a retired SF CIF guy told me “We have plenty of our own shit bags spread throughout SF and the longer your in, the more you meet.” That really helped me realize that no profession’s members are perfect. I will never claim 100% or even 50% of cops are nearly perfect in every way. Only God is perfect. I will say though, I honestly believe law enforcement requires honesty and integrity far more than any other profession including clergy. What counts is the 85 to 90% of cops who try to do a damn good job every day and can look in the mirror every morning knowing their integrity is sound and if today is their the last time putting the belt and badge on, their integrity will be the same as it was the day before.
I support LE, but only so long as I have them out-gunned, and the Bill of Rights is honored by both my state and federal government. Hmmm…
Amen.
The statement that the Supreme Court ruled we don’t have to protect others annoys me. What the hell do you think would happen if I just stood by and did nothing to help someone you ignorant SOBs? A member of the public can get away with it, but those of us in uniform, would get fired, sued, and taken for all we have for not acting. There are people that will never truly appreciate what we do. The actual percentage of bad cops is less than people of the church, politicians, teachers, and doctors or dang near any other job. We are held to an impossible standard but still strive for it, but when we don’t make it, or hurt someone’s feelings with the truth, then it’s automatic, all cops are bad, we should be fired, blah blah blah. We were hired from the ranks of the human race. We weren’t forged in some magic factory without defects. The general public will never truly understand, or probably even care about what an officer actually goes through. If your job entails going from sitting in your office, to running, to fighting, and then have to instantly make life or death decisions, and then fill out paperwork accurately because if you don’t, you could be fired or charged with a crime, then help try and save a child’s life, then work an 8 page accident, then be yelled at by some stupid looking Walmart reject because you didn’t get to their home to disciplin their 8 year old fast enough for them, and so on and so forth, then I’ll accept your constructive criticism. If all you know is what you read in the news, or watch on TV then fine. Let me end by saying, if you are upset because a cop was meant to you, or you felt like he was, then I’ll get you a whhhambulance, and you can get some butt hurt cream. Unless you pay for a home, you don’t pay my crappy salary, and I’ll treat everyone with the level of respect they show me.
Paul Harvey…….. A Policeman…….!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bB9-NcunsKc&sns=fb
That about sums it up, but I think these dumbasses like to say something about “hats gon hate” or some stupid sounding crap like that.
This is the one I was looking for earlier but I couldnt remember his name. Thanks. Are you in with LAPD or did you get on with someone else? I’m in FL.
LAPD Brandon. Stay Safe down there in FL my friend. There are quite a few of us on here…. I turned a bunch of my fellow Officers out here on to SSD, years ago.
To My brother J Canipe, I say thank you. Back at you for your years of sacrifice and service as well.
To my fellow LEO’s reading this post, lets do what our profession demands and be the ones who absorb all of the bad in society, like a couple of the posts here, so that we don’t sour the names of those that have stood for honor and safety in our communities. So, like always, lets take the shit that a few educated and partially educated conversational snipers sling at us, and let’s do it with dignity.
To those of you that don’t like me for the uniform I wear, the hours I keep, or the laws that I enforce: you may fight me, you may complain about me, you can even kill me if you are good enough or lucky enough, but I will always be here. If to cannot appreciate that for what it is then you have separated yourself from the herd. No one else has lifted a finger to help.
Well said. That is the brotherhood right there. The same brotherhood that would sacrifice their lives for the same civilians that hate us. We don’t ask for praise or reward.
The anti-gov’t, anti-LEO douchebags that hang around the fringes of the military and tactical communities are starting to get real old real fast…
“The anti-gov’t, anti-LEO douchebags”
—You mean the people who criticize Obama? THOSE anti-guv’ment douchebags? Or the ones that don’t want to see gun manufacturers selling to LEO in states that have passed anti-2A laws? Wait, I got it… You’re one of those people who says the current administration has ruined this country, but yell at others for criticizing the country. Please make up your mind.
LEO no one made you take your job. Quit complaining about how crappy your job is or how little respect you get. Not my fault the qualifications are one step above meter maid. Nothing worse than a flunky with a badge. Anti-LEO? Well the girls scouts won’t come and get my “assault rifles” or my insidious 30 rd mags will they? Can’t spell Police State without Police. Ask the law abiding gun owners in New Orleans during Katrina how respectful and law-abiding their Police were. GMAFB!
Not qualified to be a meter maid are you? Well, keep trying. Remember, the little silver ones are dimes…those are $.10 each. Good luck!
Please explain to me who is making the laws that take your guns. LEO’s don’t make laws we enforce them. You are mad at the wrong people. Stefan were you in New Orlleans during Katrina? If not then don’t comment on something you don’t have a clue about. As far as quailifactions goes every police officer must go through the academy, they must have at least a high school diploma some departments require a degree, they must go through yearly in-service. So tell me Stefan how much school have you had. It doesn’t take much “quailifaction” to be a greeter at Walmart. Just saying
We aren’t complaining about how crappy the job is. I love being a COP. Respect? We don’t get respect. We don’t get it from day one. Where on earth did you think we wanted that? The LAW and the CONSTITUTION is what we expect people to respect. The same LAWS that the politicians created not the Police.
I would venture to guess you’d not pass the psych and background testing for any agency. It’s quite obvious you chose the name “Stefan S.” as in “Soveriegn”.
So what do you do when the law you are enforcing is a clear violation of the Constitution? What about when the law is just plain wrong or even evil? When does your moral and ethical code trump your employer’s mandate to “enforce the law?”
Read “Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland”
Those guys were “just doing their job” too. Hey, they didn’t write the laws, they just enforced them, right?
Thanks Jon
@Gyozo, Total Resistance & Eric B – Just remember when your asses are getting handed to you and yours b/c you don’t have the intestinal fortitude to take care of the sub-human fecal matter thugs who wait for the very moment you are watching some military or cop TV show, wishing you had the ass to be a man and live the adventure you are watching, wishing I sure could use one of those hero’s I’m gripping about. Or better yet wish you were even the shell of the men/women you are watching or reading about. So you just sit there piss and moan about dirty cops or horrible animal soldiers and let the real hero’s go to work! Deep in your heart u know you would piss your pants if you saw/did half the stuff we do. So you just continue cleaning your air soft rifle and renting your hero movies, sooner or later you’ll be on your death bed wondering, “what the hell have I done with my life?” while we (soldiers/cops/hero’s) will be wondering, “damn right we lived our lives and had a hell of a great time doing it!” LATER LITTLE NANCIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@Stefan also! SteFan, must be french, figures!
Perhaps my sarcastic tone didn’t resonate here too well. I was mocking Stefan and his stupid “meter maid” comment, not agreeing with him. Reference above, I also took issue with Flight Doc.
@Eric B, my mistake and apology!
No worries. Great post BTW! Loved it!
Sunday morning rant! Respect, gratitude and thanks are NOT required for LE, Soldiers and hero’s. Now don’t get me wrong its nice to receive those from time to time. To have someone say thank you for saving their lives, stopping someone from taking their things and fighting for them to have the freedom to sit on their laptops and bitch about how modern wars are unjust, cops makes mistakes and this country would be better if we just had more regulation of EVERYTHING!! I once heard a LE respond to a citizen who said I forgot to thank you, with “you never have to thank me, it’s my job.” We all do this for the guy next to us, for the helpless, the thankless and the weak, so that they may live freely. We all know we will be looked at under a microscope for EVERY WORD we say to someone, criticized for being to violent in WAR, and kicking somebodies ass (that deserved it) when we should have stopped sooner or shot the gun out of their hands or used a special net to capture them and release them!!!!!! BUT we CHOOSE to do it anyway. B/C we like it, mostly are really good at it and we believe in the CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and OUR STATE!!!! So to all you haters keep it the gripping (we are used to it) but either positively contribute to society or GET OUT and move to some neutral country we dont need WEAK people, we need STRONG people who believe and are PROUD OF ‘MERICA!
LATER LITTLE NANCIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You are a child and your responses are childish.
Guys, I’m seeing a lot of hate on here for some guys that I call friend. Not all of them because I think there are some cops out there that are human trash. The job itself, not the man wearing the badge deserves our respect and support. Lets cut back on the rhetoric and look for some common ground.
Agreed, but guys that are supposed to understand what it’s like being in a firefight with the right assets , like LAV, have arrogantly and ignorantly asked to be checked. He himself needs to check his topknot. And with all due respect, when my friends say ignorant things, I’m a good friend and pull them aside and ask “WTF-over?”. I would bet the farm LAV has never been in an active gun battle here in the good ole USA. His comments here were shockingly revealing. It’s typically tough to read someone’s inflection in the written word. But his contempt was palpable and unbecoming a man with his background. Again, he needs to check his topknot! Anyway off to earn my “paycheck”….stay safe all!
Perhaps you misunderstood. I was supporting LE there cowboy. Of course, if you’re looking to be insulted, you’ll always find it, even if it isn’t actually there.
Well, then my apologies. I assumed you were speaking of another friend.
John – really appreciate your comments in support of the Law Enforcement community. America loves and hates her cops both at the same time. It seems odd, but you hit the nail on the head. You encouraged people to honor the profession and respect those who perform it. And, you encouraged people to donate, which is fantastic. We want to keep them safe, keep them employed and send them home to their families like we have the ability to do. Thank you.
Thank you for your kind words. John good post and thank you for the support. To the other LEOs out there stay alert and stay safe…
Thanks for the law enforcement support! Everyone thinks the police want to take away guns? You’re right. I would love to take away guns from those who shouldn’t have them, and those that wish to do harm with them. Talk to your local cops. A majority of officers in my department are gun fanatics and 2nd A supporters. We will fight those who try to take our guns too!
As for the “Flight Doc” I’m sure he’s got some cool Multi-cam shit in his go-bag, but here are the numbers:
2012 128 Officers killed in the line of duty.
2013 (so far) 19 killed in the line of duty.
There are walls in DC for this, just like the military. There are thousands of names on the list and on the walls. Only those guys weren’t killed far away. They weren’t in some third world country where they use goats as currency. They were working…here…in America. A place where shit like this shouldn’t happen.
I don’t condone unprovoked asshattery against anyone, but refusing to answer questions and not rolling your window down all the way on a traffic stop is sound advice. You don’t need more than a crack to slip ID and paper through and there’s no requirement to answer a bunch of questions from an officer either. That said, you don’t have to be a douche about it. Hand over your stuff and let the officer know upfront that you won’t be answering any questions, take your citation and keep rolling.
more Dr. kill innocent people in one year with malpractice than LEO’s do in 50 years
while the asshats on u tube are always going to be there and that does not mean they should… but they are…
a little respect goes along way…
now for the $… average patrolman makes $45-$55K and while that is not a ton of money nor does that weigh in on putting their life on the line…
what I can say is that a few LEs do not help make your case… doing 120 MPH up the highway taking a patrol vehicle to a side job…?
and the biggest opportunity for most LEs is in the side jobs…
you have my respect… keep up the great job regardless of how thankless it might be.