Ask A Cop *The Video Series*

The symptoms of PTSD run rampant among all of you fine officers. I say this with all respect.
Throughout history both warriors and officers begin telling friends and family about the "toll it takes upon the soul" ; my own words and I'm paraphrasing.
With all respect I believe that most of the abusive elements within the law enforcement agencies are actually simply worn out within their hearts.
They have seen too much pain.
I suggest with all respect that law enforcement agents could all use a little bit of a rejuvenation.
I'm thinking in terms of a theapeutic perspective.
How ridiculous is it to demand that you lay down your lives and deal with the scum of the world without the world offering any healing.
Any qualified and practicing private companies out there offering to provide the R & R that you guys deserve, need, and require psychologically?
Is there anyone you know among law enforcement officials who would refuse a mandatory 3 weeks a year doing nothing more than practicing yoga on a beach ? Do you know what that would do for the ENTIRE country?
PTST is , IMHO, what causes good cops/agents/etc to become abusive in many cases.
I'm not saying you guys go apes@#t on people because you're all crazy.
I'm saying it can and does happen because law enforcement agents do not get to rest the mind or the spirit in the way that , as humans, is required in order to deal with the stresses of their lives.
Such a thing would rejuvenate the minds and spirits of those sworn to "protect and serve" and it would be nothing short of creating a world of unbelievably efficient law enforcement agents; all with clear minds .
A private citizen could create this alone and offer it ; but why when a company could get the government to not only give permission to begin the program but would most likely be happy to grant the money to create it?
Would you support this idea if it were to be implemented? The idea of creating this company in this format to offer a healing and restful environment for the protectors of the law. What do you think?

Do you understand what I mean about the PTSD?
This idea could be implemented for members of the military as well.

Click here for more information.

reply to post by Unleashed68


That's a rather uncreative post. Cops are humans, just like you and me. There's good and bad humans, just as there's good and bad cops. It's all about what drives and motivates them in their work. Some have a fetisch for authority, while others want to help out.

I've got no questions, but I'd like to thank Semper for this. It's rather informative, and does put the whole "police brutality epidemic" into perspective. Thanks.

[edit on 19-12-2009 by David_Reale]

reply to post by semperfortis


Am not a fan of Police - On a personal note I grew up with a couple of friends who stated since 3rd Grade, they wanted to grow up to be a Cop, so they could be a "Dirty Cop". - I've seen that prophecy come true..

That said, I do have a bit more then an average understanding of the code of silence that exists within any enforcement brotherhood.

So, my first statement to Semperfortis would be -
Thank You - What your offering to do here, offering to answer General Questions and help make things more transparent to the average person is a Noble Deed.. Kudo's for that.

My Question:
Please answer this only if you feel it is appropriate to the offer at hand...
We know that basic human nature, one rotten apple ruins it for all the others.. How big of a problem do you feel the code of silence (not informing on misdeeds of fellow personal out of retaliation events) is in generating much of the mistrust many of the people on ATS and even everyday life have towards most of the enforcement establishments?

All humans deep down (baring any special medical conditions) know the difference between right and wrong - Witnessing a wrong and failing to act in behalf of correcting that wrong, can be a very strong association to also being guilty of the wrong..

What in your opinion do you feel would be the best way to change the public perception of enforcement personal regarding abuse of power to cover poor police work?

Thank you for your time -
on a side note, I always enjoy reading the OP's point of view, while I might not always agree, often I find there is logic in his supporting statements.

-Lunchman

Law enforcement is like all other professions; there are the good, the bad, and the ugly.

I have been working with and for many levels of law enforcement most of my adult life. My experience is that it is the same minority percentage that creates the majority of bad PR.

The real stress producer aside from the obvious one of risking life, is the same for most middle management positions: being held accountable for behavior of others you have no authority or control of; and being held responsible for laws, procedures, and policies that you also have very little input in creating.

It has also been my experience that those who bash LE are also the first to scream for better LE when they experience the need for it.

Of course LE is political. IMHO, any operation funded by public dollars is inherently political. The key to success is continuing to seek a balance between pressures as long as your personal standards of honor and fairness and BS tolerance holds out.

reply to post by semperfortis


Okay. . .there is a question in this. First however, I will state that member rcwj1975 has already made a foundation for my point. I understand the brotherhood of law enforcement. But why and how does that brotherhood supercede the general population? Notice how rcwj1975's PUBLIC response was directed to you only? Yet, again, it's posted publicly and not U2U. Why do so many officers need to say "Hey, watch out for these people. . .by the way, I'm a cop too." By no means am I attacking anyone, so I don't expect any acts or statements of haste. It's just demeaning to have the "you're a cop, so then you're not one of THEM" mentallity. So many times we've seen an officer of the law do something wrong, only to be backed by other officers. I know it's difficult to refrain from profiling. How is it possible to defend federal, state, or local laws without defending a basic law of humanity? Too many times we've all seen cops attack an individual who later turns out to be innocent. Recently an inidvidual was paralyzed due to an overzealous cop who slammed him. . .and he wasn't even the perp! Reasonable force? Okay. . .I am very passionate about the concept of people abusing authority. . .sorry. By no means, however, am I assuming that just because you're a cop, that I assume you're guilty of any of these things I state. You're a cop, but we like you anyway. LOL Seriously, though, address any of the stuff I've just mentioned. . .and as well, these following questions:

1. How do you not take your work home with you?
2. What is the source of your restraint? (See, I'm human, and I can tell you that if I were to arrest someone who beat or killed a child. . .well, I'd be arrested myself.)
3. Do the teenage children of an officer have it "harder" because a cop/parent knows various characteristics kids who are either using drugs or. . .you know what I mean.
4. What's it like to know that one day you may have to work a scene that a family member may be a part of?
5. How do you see the some of the darkest sides of humanity, and still have hope?
6. What would you say, so far, is the most defining moment that let you know you made the right career choice? and what's the worst moment you've had on your job?
7. Why are cops associated with pork products? Ha! Kidding.
8. What is the best excuse for speeding you've ever gotten? The worst?
9. What's the average discount offered to officers while on duty at local restaurants?
10. What do you do to relieve work related stresses?

That's it. . .for now. Great idea for a video series, by the way.

[edit on 19-12-2009 by Divine Strake]

[edit on 19-12-2009 by Divine Strake]

[edit on 19-12-2009 by Divine Strake]

reply to post by semperfortis


Hey semperfortis, much respect to you, we've been friends since almost the beginning of our time posting back and forth throughout ATS, at least as far as I'm concerned.

My question is going to be a rather long-winded one with a lot of complexities.

Knowing and understanding the complexities of both War (your were a Marine) and Law Enforcement, would you not agree that September 11th was a coup through the Intelligence Community upon Congress and the funding process in order to increase the budgets as a means to unleash both the Pentagon and Law Enforcement community, with or without their knowledge, and or complicit and tacit approval of both the military and Law Enforcement through a Covert Intelligence fund raiser?

This was in my opionion, done through Project for the New American Century, making similar false claims, that September 11th was equal to Pearl Harbor, when it can be proven without a doubt that the Japanese were prodded into taking action against the United States of America during WWII through the usage of the American Volunteer Group (the Flying Tigers seen in the portayal of the television show, Black Sheep Squadron), (and the Japanese being baited, F.D.R. using covert means to get us drawn into WWII) as well as many other areas I could go into, but will not due to restricting the questions length, which in the last few decades could be proven as similarly linked to Operation Cyclone (the covert funding of the Mujahideen during the Cold War) as the Mujahideen as being similar, albeit a different nationality, to the civilian assistance we gave to Chiang Kai-shek (read, technically the Flying Tigers acted as mercenaries) as we did to the Mujahideen, which can be seen in the Hollywood adaption of "Operation Cyclone" in the movie Charlie Wilson's War.

This would have created a negative impact upon the Mujahideen when we pulled out our funding after they kicked Russia out of Afghanistan (and why we're back there now), which is one of the many reasons that everyone points the finger at Osama bin Laden as the mastermind behind September 11th, which while I can see what I see as the happenstance that they could be just using Osama bin Laden, being the "black sheep" of the Bin Laden family as a convenient scapegoat to a master plan of the power elite to get the funding released from Congress through George W Bush and the Intelligence Community pointing to Osama bin Laden's track record of being a Muslim extremist and an avid hater of America as reason enough to commit those heinous actions.

Personally, after doing a thorough investigation, myself, I have come to the conclusion that September 11th was nothing more than a con job via the power elite and an Intelligence Community con of epic proportions because the type of planning it would take to pull off September 11th would take thirty years of planning, putting not Osama bin Laden in the hot seat alone, but former Vice-President Dick Cheney as a part of the larger scam, as well as a host of other people in Washington D.C.

My sources for this information, other than those links provided above within my question/statement, are quite a few books, as well as an in depth look at the world through the eyes of the Art of War, my stepfather being a Vietnam era Marine, learning an extensive amount about the military over my lifetime, as well as Law Enforcement, and the Intelligence Community, a knowledge of the propaganda machine, and a keen eye for observation of details most people miss.

Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001

The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century

The Pentagon's New Map: War and Peace in the Twenty-first Century

Blank Check: The Pentagon's Black Budget

The Terror Conspiracy: Deception, 9/11 and the Loss of Liberty

The COINTELPRO Papers: Documents from the FBI's Secret Wars Against Dissent in the United States

Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army

Ghost Plane: The True Story of the CIA Rendition and Torture Program

No Place to Hide

This is of course, the short list of books I've read, to get to this analysis.

Yep, I know you created your thread as a "Ask a Cop", but seeing as you're a former Marine, I see this as an extensive background into how you currently think as a Law Enforcement Officer.

Much respect, stay safe, and I cannot wait to hear your answer.

Oh, and in my experience, the War on Drugs, is nothing more than a scam.

The Underground Empire: Where Crime and Governments Embrace

That book above only proved and reinforced my lifetime knowledge acquired to prove that the C.I.A. funnels the drugs in through criminal organizations, while the D.E.A. catches it after it comes in, known or unknown to those Intelligence Agency people and or to those fine Law Enforcement Officer's caught in the middle of the entire debacle, it is a con just to keep funding flowing.

[edit on 19-12-2009 by SpartanKingLeonidas]

Would you be willing to get involved in an investigation into high level federal corruption involving organized crime, federal agents and agencies working in the importation and distribution of "illegal drugs"?

Much respect to you Officer. I have been brought up to respect those that serve our country (Especially Aussies, since I myself am one, even though my dad was born in Holland [now known as the Netherlands], he fought for this great convict country of ours!!!!).

And having said that, and I will always question everything (just the way I am, and what my Year Advisor in school always told me to do - Question Everything), and remembering that a few of my friends are now Police Officers.

I Have a few questions for you.

Does a general Civilian have the right to refuse a personal search, if a Police Officer does NOT have a Warrant to Search??? (If said Civilians have no Outstanding Warrants, and said Civilians have been pulled over randomly???)

If an Officer shows any form of Aggrevation, is there any way to have said Officer questioned in front of a Superior Officer??? For example, if a Patrol Sergeant (Senior Sergeant in Australian parlance) shows Aggrevation towards said Civilian, without any provocation, can a Civilian then have that Officers motives questioned in front of an Officer Commanding???? (i.e. a Duty Officer, Leiutanant etc???)

If charged, does the Officers current Record relfect in any way on the charges laid against said Civilian???? For example - if a Civilian is charged for Affray or Disorderly Conduct, can the Charging Officers Record be bought up to disrepute said charges??? I.E. If I have been charged for Disordely Conduct, and the Charging Officer has been known to recklessly charge people for said charge, can I then show the Courts that said charges may be written up in order to promote said Officers agenda???

As I said Officer, I have the utmost respect in what you do, because as I said, I have friends in the Aussie Police Force (Local and Federal), and I could not honestly put up with the # that you ladies and gents go through. As I also said, I would also like to know the answers to some basic questions.

Thank you for your time, Sir.

Edit - To SpartanKingLeonidis - I also have read several of those books that you mention, and that is why I also continue to question the motives of those in Senior Command Positions.

This is what I suggest to EVERYONE on these forums. Read as much as you can, regardless of whether it promotes the viewpoint you are looking from. Because at the end of the day, the more information you have, the better informed you are.

[edit on 19-12-2009 by TerribleTeam2]

Another question for you, if you have the time that is,

Why is it the minute I mention "I claim this is a commonlaw jurisdiction and I do NOT consent" almost all your fellow officers and most likely you as well stand down?
This does not apply when in the process of comitting crime, breach of peace or anything unlawful. In proper context lets say a cop comes to my door with a search warrant
he says 'yak yak (whatever is local for your own state/province)'
I say:"I claim this is a commonlaw jurisdiction and I do NOT consent you you being here"

Is it true that a search warrant is only an offer and by the officer pretending you grabbed it by touching you with the paper is actually an unlawful act?

Have you ever unlawfully removed a persons rights by any deceptive acts whatsoever?

Are you really "on the clock" 24/7/365 ?

Is it true you need our consent or implied consent to actually search us or enter our homes for whatever reason the corporation (government) feels like?

Is true that we dont have to have ID but you do?

If I went and shot a deer with my unregistered gun and then took the deer home to feed my kids with out any permits or licences under common law could I be have been arrested by you?

If I had a claim of right (uncontested) and I went and shot a deer with my unregistered gun and then took the deer home to feed my kids with out any permits or licences, under common law would you have to stand down?

If I had an uncontested or cured claim of right stating I can freely travel the highways of the any commonwealth nation without licensing or car insurance would you attempt to ticket me or detain me while I was exercising my commonlaw right to travel?

Is it true that if we apply for something, we are, in reality begging?
Is it true that when you register something you actually give up your ownership of said item to the corporation you regestired it to?

My fee schedule says 25,000 dollars an hour if I am handcuffed or transported or incarcerated, would you be reprimanded by your superior officers for allowing the department to spend that much money to prevent injustice?

$2000 dollars an hour I charge just to talk to a cop so we are engaging in a mutually agreed upon exchange of information....no charge! a contract by any reach of the law, I waive my fee, as I am asking the questions and not you!!!

Is your police department a corporation that is registered on wall street?
is the town you work in a corporation?

Is is true that we live in an admiralty jurisditction?

Is it true everything we do is based upon contracts?

As a policeman do you honor those contracts?

Do you respect a persons claim of right? ( a claim of right cannot diminish the rights of others just so you know I am not wanting to claim the right to tear out Mrs. ramshead's roses because I have allergies, although I could lawfully)

Is it true the court system and you as a revenue generation officer for the corporation are bound by your oath to generate revenue for the corporation(government)?

Are you a peace officer or are you a law enforcement officer?

Why is it when I ask the officer three times "am i being detained or am I free to go" he stands down?

I serioulsy doubt you will answer all of the questions I have posted but what the hey I thought I would give it a try, I do have more.......
Thanks for speaking to us ?

I dont expect you to answer for the nation of police, but what would YOU do if presented as such and put to you in a respectful manner. That respect has to mutual or my fee schedule kicks in. AND I get paid... in full. You have to love commercial liability, when you know what it really means.

Why when I get pulled over and I say to the policeman "I do not consent to contracting with you" he closes his ticket book and walks away? Even if I was speeding?

Ok Semprefortis I bit the hook, kindly address some of my questions if you would.
Thank you

I have a few questions, some of which I don't think i'll like the answer to but i'll ask it anyway.

1: when you hear at the station/over the radio anything related to something extra ordinary (lights in the sky, multiple reports of strange weather, blatent ufo reports, anything of that nature.) what is the first thing as a police officer you do about it? or do you think "damn the crazies are out early tonight" ?

2: psychology, now, there are alot of factors here, the HZ frequency of the lights to dazzle and thus confuse anyone not used to it, the specific frequency of the sirens used to scare the bejesus out of anyone who isn't paying attention, the colours that are chosen for cars uniform etc, and the way police generally talk to...anyone really from what i've seen, is there a specific source you all learned from or is it a combination of what works?

3: you see a man bleeding from the leg in excessive amounts, but your colegues (cant spell sorry) believe he has a weapon and want to further restrain the man regardless of the injury, do you restrain him, ask him to restrain himself or risk possibly being stabbed and get him into the nearest suitable vehicle to get to a hospital?

and heck i'm going to ask it, no one seams to have the gonzollas to anymore...why, when alcohol, cigarettes, perscription medicine and vaccines kill more people every year than pretty much anything I can think of from the top of my head, why is cannabis, which in all medical reports has a total death toll of ZERO is it still illegal???

please PM me if you reply to this I am looking foward to any answer to these questions, admitedly i'm sure the correct response from a police point of veiw isn't the same as the right one, but I suppose we'll see =)

oh I nearly forgot, 5: have you ever been told to keep something secret by a superior, if you cannot reply for NS reasons i'll just take it as a yes and pretend I never said anything =)

Semper, firstly, thank you for this wonderful opportunity.

I heard this quote in the introduction of the song called 'money'
by the band 'choking hazard'.

I'll put it in a quote 'box' for ease of reading,
but I'll be typing it out word for word...
I don't know who said it originally but would love to hear the rest of the talk if for nothing else but the way it was delivered...

"the function of that police action, those interventions in Central America and the Middle East, the function is system sustaining.

It is to maintain that overall system.

And you don't look at the particular costs, I could demonstrate to you that every single bank robbery, that in practically every single case, that the cost of the police (assistance) was more than the actual money that the robbers took from the bank.

and does that mean that:
'oh theres really no economic interest involved then,
they're not protecting the banks,
the police are just doing this because they're on a power trip,
or they're macho or ...er..they're control freaks,
that's why they do it...

NO! of course its an economic-

of course they're defending the banks-

of course, because if they didn't stop that bank robbery,
regardless of the cost,
this could jeopardise the entire banking system.

you see there are still people who believe that the function of police is to fight crime,

that's not true,
the function of the police is social control & protection of property."

I found this quote very interesting and I'd be equally interested to hear your thoughts on it

Thanks for your time & efforts already,
Kind regards,
-B.M

P.S) I did initially have 2 charge related questions,
then realised I could easily find info on google, deleted the questions, decided against wasting your time
also methinks Australian law is fairly different to American no?

(you are enforcing american law no?)

sorry, just noticed this in OP, begged many questions-

SWAT - have you been called to duty in SWAT context either as team leader or member? what 'type' of event, any details? just interested/curious, also what on earth was the attraction? the cool armour? the excitement? the 'bigger' fish to catch?

Sniper - likewise, but with different overtones, WTF? as in what on earth was the attraction this time? the heartrate control? ability to concentrate? or killing people? was it the 'head pop' factor? like bloodlust? I'm not judging, but If I expect honest answers, I have to ask honest questions...

Highway Narcotic Interdiction
Uniform Narcotics -

do you argree with the laws regarding '___'? why haven't you locked yourself up yet? and me right now for that matter, I mean we're both carrying the stuff on us right now...

what about other narcotics? theres a nobel peace prize winner who regularly consumed psycho active substances & attributes his dna multiplication method discovery to the hallucinations in which he "shrunk down to sit on a cell wall and watch the mitacondria swim by..." or something like that, I substituted the actual medical words as I don't remember them but you get the idea...some of these illicit substances, shouldn't be illegal, and aren't really sold on the streets so don't even really constitute that 'reason' to fight against them.

Reid Interrogation Techniques Advanced

care to divulge any? think I've been played by a few of these in the past...only ever been interviewed at station once, hopefully never again, but they did seem to have some deliberate method behind it, the guy got me to repeat myself a lot for one thing.

thanks again! -Bob.


[edit on 19/12/09 by B.Morrison]

reply to post by semperfortis




Sure there are good cops out there. But the bad ones doing all kinds of evil stuffs for their political agenda, will enjoy life till death.
The bad cops never care about what the subject's family and freedom of life.

I don't know which side you're on. Cause I have a bad personal experience with bad cops. I live in Singapore. I am a political victim. They pressured me into false statement despite no evidence found of their raid purpose on my house.

Cops are just puppets of political masters - that's how I put it.

Semperfortis, Salutations and respect. There are many parts of your Job I
simply couldn't do. I hope you don't mind being put on the spot a little
bit, I mean no disrespect.
I would like you to have a look at the video below, I have no idea if you are familiar with this case or not.
San Bernardino Sheriffs Deputy Ivory Webb
Simply watch the video and give me your best judgement call on
wheather the officer is guilty in your eyes of attempted murder.
Like if you were the jury and this video was your evidence.
So that's it. Based on what you see in the video.
Just watch the video and make the call. I will probably have one or two
more follow ups.



Wow I just noticed that semperfortis has some catching up to do.
If this becomes to much of a pain. I for one will understand if he may
have bitten off more than he is able to chew, with this. May be a miscalculation whatever I wouldn't keep the guy on the hook
that's for sure.

[edit on 19-12-2009 by randyvs]

reply to post by wisdomnotemotion


I too, have had some bad dealings with Aussie Police Officers (well only the one, and I saw the Probationary Officer that was with the Sergeant a week later up at the local bar, and even he said that most Officers within the staion said that she was a complete tool), but you have to remember, that 1 bad egg doesn't make the whole carton rotten!

And to the member that posted the footage of the Marine being shot by local Law Enforcement - well could I please see ALL of the footage??? It's all well and good to show the (extremely blurry) footage of the so called victim being shot, but until we see the situation leading up to and including the shooting, NO ONE can make a judgement call on what happened.

And please don't take this as me condoning what happened. As I said myself, I have had problems with Officers myself, but that doesn'r mean all Officers are bad!!!

What ever happened to the whole "Respect the Law, Respect your Neighbour, Respect Yourself" policy?????

Is it just me, or is everyone out to garner attention, or make a quick buck??? Sure, it isn't all that bad here in Australia (well not from what I have noticed) compared the the US, but surely the s**t hasn't hit the fan as bad as everyone claims, has it????

Can you upload pictures of your badges and certificate =p?

I just wanna see the bling.


Question: Why are you here on ATS?

I would like to know why the attitude of cops is not proportional to the crime rate of the area assigned. I'm not trying to be a jerk here but it seems most cops these days take an abusive attitude no matter what the situation.

It's either that or they are sarcastic and condescending towards citizens. There could be a very low crime rate in some cities where the cop has a relatively stress free job but they seem like they need to be on a power trip 24/7.

reply to post by die_another_day


Was that directed at me, or some one else????

OK

I am going to try and get to all of your questions tonight hopefully. I plan on doing two videos to accomplish this.

If I don't get to your question, check first and see if it has been answered before please. If not, send me a U2U and I will include it on the next one.

reply to post by die_another_day


No

In order to prevent any conflict issues, I will not mention or represent my current department in any way.

My credentials can be verified through the Staff here at ATS if there are any doubts. I will be more than happy to supply my certificates to them for verification; if it comes to that.

So, be patient and tune in tonight!

Semper

reply to post by randyvs



Wow, that video is bad as hell. There was no need to shoot that guy. One of these days a cop is going to do that to the wrong person and a lot of people will get hurt. Strange the cop thought he had a right to shoot that poor guy. I hope he is thrown in jail for attempted murder.