What's your thoughts on this ???

[BradAnderson]

I did not beat the crap out of a child molester that I arrested. I wanted to, and I could have gotten away with it, but if we are all the same, why didn't I?

Because he's Michael Jackson?

[XD-Fender]

Old Owl, I don't really give a crap about how many pieces of paper you have on your wall. I bet I have just as many as you do, and probably then some. But I also have worked with LE for more than 20 years, and I can say definitively that you are completely off-base.

It just happens that LEOs are videotaped while doing their jobs a huge amount of the time and so, as a result, when bad things happen it often is caught on tape. But for every tape that you posted or could ever find no matter how long you searched, there are literally thousands showing police doing their job professionally and conscientiously. The vast majority of LEOs that I have had contact with over the years--from small-town to big city, are nothing at all like the few rotten jagoffs that are highlighted in the media over and over again because of their misdeeds. For every one of them, there are hundreds and hundreds of competent, professional, dedicated men and women who put on the badge every day and go to work for us.

Your overgeneralizations and gross exaggerations belie all that paper on your wall with regard to your level of ignorance and lack of education.

[Boomboy007]

Sorry, XD-Fender, but I think that you have been in the job too long to have an unbiased view.

I spent three years in a metro police department in PA. Not only did I experience the culture in my department, but I had the opportunity to do some work with several different departments, large and small, across the state. When it comes down to brass tacks, there is no escaping the fact that the "cop culture" in this country (maybe all countries; I don't know), is downright unpatriotic and unAmerican.

As a dedicated "constitutionalist", I really, truly believe in what the founding fathers were trying to achieve with our "grand experiment". I live my life, and I served the public, with the Bill of Rights in the forefront of my mind.

Whether it was unnecessarily roughing up a perp because he had a "smart mouth", or taking personal offense when someone asserted their own 4th or 5th amendment right (lawyering up), I found that most police officers with whom I came in contact held "civilians" in low regard. They even forgot that they were civilians, too. All too often I was working with groups of men and women who believed that their sidearm and badge excused behavior that they would have found unacceptable in others.

I don't know how many times I must make this point: If someone calling you names and insulting your mother, father, and deity tends to bother you, then police work IS THE WRONG LINE OF WORK FOR YOU!

I found it odd that my fellow officers were so impressed with my self-control. If I was detaining a person (read: depriving them of their right to free movement), then I was sure to have a good reason for doing so. If I was arresting a person (read: taking away their freedom and liberty), then I was respectful, even when they were not. I did not put my hands on anyone unless it was absolutely necessary. I did not raise my voice to anyone unless it was absolutely necessary. I never, ever used profanity when dealing with the public. Not because I don't use it occasionally in my day-to-day life, but because I held a public trust that I was determined not to betray.

I left the field after three years because I could not stand to see my beloved Bill of Rights being abused on a near daily basis. No matter what you say on this forum, you and I both know that this is true. If any other current or former LEO is reading this post, you also know that what I am saying is true.

Well, let me qualify that: If you know that it is true, you might be a good cop. If you feel that what I am saying is a big pack of lies, then chances are you are part of the problem.

We need police officers. They are an integral part of our society, and the service that they provide keeps our society moving in a generally positive direction. That said, there is vast room for improvement.

Start by going to RateMyCop.com !

[XD-Fender]

Sorry, XD-Fender, but I think that you have been in the job too long to have an unbiased view.

I spent three years in a metro police department in PA. Not only did I experience the culture in my department, but I had the opportunity to do some work with several different departments, large and small, across the state. When it comes down to brass tacks, there is no escaping the fact that the "cop culture" in this country (maybe all countries; I don't know), is downright unpatriotic and unAmerican.

I think you've got it exactly backwards--you weren't on the job long enough and your experience is far too limited to make you an unbiased critic. I've worked with literally dozens of LE agencies and hundreds of LEOs for 20+ years. I humbly suggest that my experience is significantly broader than yours. Three years with one large metro LE agency hardly qualifies you to generalize about LE across the board.

[Boomboy007]

I think you've got it exactly backwards--you weren't on the job long enough and your experience is far too limited to make you an unbiased critic. I've worked with literally dozens of LE agencies and hundreds of LEOs for 20+ years. I humbly suggest that my experience is significantly broader than yours. Three years with one large metro LE agency hardly qualifies you to generalize about LE across the board.

Well, I would buy your argument IF our points were reversed, i.e. I was arguing that an extremely significant percentage of LEO's were clean as a whistle, and you were arguing that you had seen many abuses over your 20+ years. Unfortunately, I am talking about real abuses of power witnessed by me personally, not hearing about them second-hand, or reading about them on the internerd.

In fact, had I not spent such a large amount of time doing UC work with many other departments, I would have thought that I was simply in a bad barrel of apples. Heck, maybe it is just Pennsylvania where the cops treat the people like crap, the same people that they are supposed to be serving. However, I do not believe that is the case.

You say that 3+ years is not long enough to make me a good critic. I say that three months is long enough to witness the grinding down of our personal liberties by a paramilitarized police force who have forgotten the "serve" part of protect and serve. In your opinion, how many years of watching disrespect, abuse, and the eroding of my beloved Bill of Rights would have been sufficient to make me a worthy critic?

Obama has barely been in office for six months, and look at the damage that he has done on a national level. I would again respectfully refer you to my previous point:

If you know that it is true, you might be a good cop. If you feel that what I am saying is a big pack of lies, then chances are you are part of the problem.

Don't take that personally, XD. I have read other posts of your, and I agree with many. You and I will just have to disagree on this point.

Who is policing the police?

[AZSATT]

As a former LEO, I too have a keen distaste for those LEO's (captured on camera or by the press) who get ALL LEO's painted with the same brush.

Not all cops are idiots with chips on their shoulders, just as not every truck driver is a perverted, foul-mouthed porn-addicted slob. It's simply unfair and unfortunate that a couple controversial videos of a few 'bad apples' gets the whole community portrayed as out of control. It's simply not true. Just as one psycho with a gun and a hit list is NOT a fair representation of all gun owners.

My experience on the job afforded me to see some bad apples in action, but they didn't represent the entire agency or career field.

However, with the possible exception of clergy and (some) politiicans, LEO's are held to a standard civilians generally are not. Case and point: if Joe Snuffy from the Sheet Metal plant gets pulled over for DUI, or gets busted for ANYthing... it's not necessarily 'front page news.' Let Officer Joe Snuffy get busted and it's all over the press.

I never have and never will condone or conceal LEO's illegal behavior or activity on or off the job. Criminal is criminal. (Ted Kennedy and bHo are NO EXCEPTION.) But I do have tremendous respect for those LEO's who go out into harms way and do a cruddy job as well as they can, dealing with idiots and psychos and drunks that I will never miss dealing with.

[Cocked _and_Locked]

...Turn off "COPS" and try watching CNN for a change, and see the real world around us.

Now that there's funny!

CNN: The "real" world.

[Glock Fan]

Now that there's funny!

Hell, while you're at it, why not check out "Dog The Bounty Hunter" for a dose of "reality"......


waka, waka, waka



gf

[BearTaylor]

If somebody treated my daughter that way----there'd be the devil to pay. I would hope that if she ever found herself in trouble she would hold her temper until we could get our lawyer on the scene. Fortunately she does not care for booze and puts distance between herself and those that do drugs. I'm pretty lucky so far (fingers crossed).

[NDS]

As a former LEO, I too have a keen distaste for those LEO's (captured on camera or by the press) who get ALL LEO's painted with the same brush.

I notice you didn't express a distaste for their actions, just for the fact that they give other LEO a bad name. Perhaps other LEO should insist they obey the law they swore to uphold. Mere citizens don't get to meet ALL LEOs, we have to go by our experience, for many of us it is less than reassuring.

Not all cops are idiots with chips on their shoulders, just as not every truck driver is a perverted, foul-mouthed porn-addicted slob. It's simply unfair and unfortunate that a couple controversial videos of a few 'bad apples' gets the whole community portrayed as out of control. It's simply not true. Just as one psycho with a gun and a hit list is NOT a fair representation of all gun owners.

Pretty typical defense of police misconduct. One big problem is that truck drivers don't have the power LEO have to abuse mere citizens.

My experience on the job afforded me to see some bad apples in action, but they didn't represent the entire agency or career field.

Okay, how large a percentage did they represent. I've come to suspect it's significantly larger than the traditional 2% often quoted. BTW, what is an acceptable percentage?

However, with the possible exception of clergy and (some) politiicans, LEO's are held to a standard civilians generally are not. Case and point: if Joe Snuffy from the Sheet Metal plant gets pulled over for DUI, or gets busted for ANYthing... it's not necessarily 'front page news.' Let Officer Joe Snuffy get busted and it's all over the press.

How many of us have knowledge of situations which prove that this is not necessarily the case. I know, actually personally know, a cop who was selling drugs but is still working as a cop. I know, actually personally know, a cop who had multiple felony DUI that went away just because he agreed to resign: I believe he should have been fired and prosecuted. Now you can respond about "meaningless anecdotes" but again, I only have my experience in life to judge those 'snow-pure LEO' of yours.

I never have and never will condone or conceal LEO's illegal behavior or activity on or off the job. Criminal is criminal. (Ted Kennedy and bHo are NO EXCEPTION.) But I do have tremendous respect for those LEO's who go out into harms way and do a cruddy job as well as they can, dealing with idiots and psychos and drunks that I will never miss dealing with.

This last section of your post I wholly agree with. I just wish I wasn't so discouraged by my experience with LEO that I could actually believe you...