Originally posted by IceHappy
In case you are wondering why my anger or how my posings sound, I will try and explain. I am a Viet Nam veteran who have marched 6 years running on Veterans Day only to be surrounded and harrassed by Leos. I had my rights for freedom which I served therefore earned of which one of them is freedom of speech only to be overruled by the Rich mans army.

The tragic irony, there now is a group of angry "Iraqi Vets Against the War". Who are learning what we learned.

Harassed marching on Veterans Day...I think your full of ----! Considering MOST officers are veterans, myself included, I can't imagine this happening. Could it have, MAYBE, but lets get the whole reason why, cause it sure as hell isn't because you were walking along in a Vday parade proud of your service.

If you stifle my rights as a decorated veteran with two honourable discharges and I have witness beatings of my fellow protesters how can I ever have faith that you Leos are fair? After all it wasn't Leos Day!

From one veteran to another I agree that if you see cops acting in a true fashion that makes you lose faith in my profession, I can understand your hesitation, to a point. Everyday I see people who destroy others (murder, rape, rob, identity theft, etc...), but I do not think EVERY person walking the streets is like that. Doing that would be stupid...but how easily it is done to us. In my book that says alot about the people thinking this way.

Zig Hail Leo. Your suit of armor in your avatar makes you look as you sound!

The comparison of COPS to NAZI's seriously make people look like idiots...but hey, most people are good at painting self portraits.


EDIT TO ADD: To answer your question about being videotaped by the public. As I told another member in a different thread, you need to get out more. We are videotaped ALL THE TIME. Do some officers lose it when filmed, yes. Why, I don't know, I am not there, but where I work, you can bet your a@@ someone will be filming you/the incident with something. Its not a big deal. You say the videos on youtube prove we freak being filmed....think about it. Youtube is like the media, no one is going to post the vids of GOOD encounters, hence the majority, they post all the negative ones, which gives nothing more than a majority feel..NOT fact.

[edit on 3/6/2010 by rcwj1975]

Posted on other thread reposted here to the same question.

"I have no idea what happened to you guys that day as I was not there. It sounds like there is MUCH more to this story then you will obviously share. As I said in another thread to you, I am a veteran as are MANY LEO's, so why would we say anything to you on a day to celebrate our service? Again, tell the whole story UNEDITED!"

There is no whole story? When I was in University I joined a group of Vets who were not getting fair treatment. For me the first kick in the teeth was my old union job, which I was entitled to, did not rehire me. The Union would not back me. When going to Uni our GI Bill pay check was delayed for four months and longer making going to school almost impossible. I was not the only Vet this happened to.

I saw a group of people in my Uni Student Hall wanting to protest looking for people like me. I joined them! Simple as that! I have published one march’s pictures on Ugies posting last year of Leos all around us. I watched many of my friend’s cameras broken or taken away.

All we did was march on the sidewalk with our protest signs and chanted our slogans. After Uni I received a good job, expense account and a company car but in Calif. being a veteran is something not worth admitting to outside your friends. It is different today but if we loose this war I fear the same will happen. When I found getting a job with another company higher up the food chain as it were, my military service was not helping me but actually hurting me. One man told me from the interview panel downstairs after the interview that if he were me he would drop my service on my CV and filled the time with travel experience! After 6 years in this job I left America. Simple!

Never served 1 minute in jail, never had handcuffs or questioned outside a couple of speeding tickets that cleared whilst in Uni. To be hired by a NY based company in Ca demonstrates no wrong doing by my part. My company car was a mid size costing $18,230 (very early 80's). This demonstrates one has a good driving record and no arrest record! My only encounters with Leos were in protest marches and a few tickets while in the service travelling across the States on motorways.

My boarding ticket tells me someone kept an account on our protest marches. While living here in the UK far from London I imported specialized computer equipment from Huntsville Al. I had to have a special White House Lic to do this in 1987. I did not have hassles flying in those days. The hassles started when I flew to SeaTac as my mother was ill. The day I arrive was when Seattle was under protest by an angry mob doing damage and things we did not do in our protest marches or dreamt of doing. The date was Nov 30th 1999. I was questioned for 30 minutes and started getting angry but I won't show bad attitude but did ask for my interviewers supervisor. He proudly said he did not have any supervisor at this location. He was dress in a nice suit. The people who were meeting me at the airport were very concerned, as all the people from London have left customs area. I was eventually released. This was the first of many encounters since.

Sorry for being off topic but you asked for the entire story. My service record is clear of any wrongdoing as I have a good conduct with oak leaf. I drove in the last couple of years for high-ranking officers. However I did protested very loudly and was recorded many times by the press at these protest marches. I don't believe you have done this. Being in the south you probably got your old job back with promotions. I know when I was at Bragg I hitch in uniform and always received rides. When at FT Gordon I found the south very friendly. In those days the Bay Area of Ca was not veteran friendly. Many anti war people I encountered doing casual work. Their right to be so. I just go so tired of defending my service as I was not drafted and served by choice. If you had my experiences I wonder how you would feel. Some of our boys were pulled out of the protest and driven away and taught a lesson. My experience with Leos and secret documentation has scared me for life.

I do have a plane ticket if you are interested with the "SSSS" stamped on it.

Don't know what more you want to hear but I have never been charged or arrested and worse case is travelling 65 in a 55 on a motorway. The only people who saw what we did was on the news for 3 minutes, people who were at the parade but the Leos were everywhere with their movie cameras.

Question how do you account for my ticket stamp? I now travel with my medals so that the officers at the airport can see I am not the dirty rat they think I am while they are searching and questioning me why I am travelling. I never felt my country owed me anything except for my GI Bill which 4 months delay payment each year made going to school a challenge, I thought I earned that benefit along with freedom of speech.

I don't mind Leos filming the bad guys, the criminals, gunmen, crack and drug dealers but not protesters who are marching. I never considered myself a bad guy but I suffer because of Leos taking notes on fellow protesters and me at Veterans Day marches and school rallies. This is why you and I disagree on the other thread regarding secret messages. I hope you are man enough to say the truth that you put it on the customer’s copy of the ticket.

I just wish I could have my day in court to understand what I did so bad to have these marks on my plane ticket. Ms Wolf explains in her book that many protesters have suffered my fate. Even journalist! I am not the only Vet as you suggested and there are far more soldiers with more awards. I only did what I had to do at the time for my fellow soldiers and myself safety.

I am sure many IVATW are having secret documentation written about them only now it is done on computers in real time. I can only account that the age of PC being everywhere that started to effect my international travelling in 1999 to present. Before 1999 I had no problems.

The delay of GI Bill payments, 59 days in a VA hospital instead of a couple of days because of an intern’s mistake (I almost lost my left foot) and my job in high school was refused when presenting my Union Withdrawal Card with the job back promise on the back which I fully qualified were my reason for protesting! Honest truth!

I actually do not see anything wrong with this. The only effect putting a representative acronym or symbol on the back of a ticket would have is to possibly change the outcome of the court appearance. And change implies there is a possibility of leniency, rather than simply enforcing the letter of the law like some machine. This means that if you were maybe sad or smiley and polite, the judge might not convict for an offense that was actually committed. If the cop puts a-hole or aggressive and hostile, then he or she is pretty much saying convict on the offense which did occur. It is not as if some personal vendetta outside of court will occur.

Originally posted by orwellianunenlightenment
I actually do not see anything wrong with this. The only effect putting a representative acronym or symbol on the back of a ticket would have is to possibly change the outcome of the court appearance. And change implies there is a possibility of leniency, rather than simply enforcing the letter of the law like some machine. This means that if you were maybe sad or smiley and polite, the judge might not convict for an offense that was actually committed. If the cop puts a-hole or aggressive and hostile, then he or she is pretty much saying convict on the offense which did occur. It is not as if some personal vendetta outside of court will occur.

Unreal. " Change the outcome of the court appearance"...thats what you said. Hey pal, if the court appearancde, meaning the trial, is changed, that means that an injustice was done!! Cannot you see? Why should a citizen have to work for a ' smiley face ' to get a lessened fine or sentence? Why should the personal opinion of some COP count for more than the evidence? it ADDS to the stigma and prompts a judge to do something different than he would have WITHOUT the face signs....any change is extra-legal and is BAD.

Anyone that cannot comprehend the simple FACT that secret signs to a judge, under ANY circumstances, is WRONG...is simply lacking in some cognotive function...I cannot think of any other way to expalin it.

Originally posted by richierich

Originally posted by orwellianunenlightenment
I actually do not see anything wrong with this. The only effect putting a representative acronym or symbol on the back of a ticket would have is to possibly change the outcome of the court appearance. And change implies there is a possibility of leniency, rather than simply enforcing the letter of the law like some machine. This means that if you were maybe sad or smiley and polite, the judge might not convict for an offense that was actually committed. If the cop puts a-hole or aggressive and hostile, then he or she is pretty much saying convict on the offense which did occur. It is not as if some personal vendetta outside of court will occur.

Unreal. " Change the outcome of the court appearance"...thats what you said. Hey pal, if the court appearancde, meaning the trial, is changed, that means that an injustice was done!! Cannot you see? Why should a citizen have to work for a ' smiley face ' to get a lessened fine or sentence? Why should the personal opinion of some COP count for more than the evidence? it ADDS to the stigma and prompts a judge to do something different than he would have WITHOUT the face signs....any change is extra-legal and is BAD.

Anyone that cannot comprehend the simple FACT that secret signs to a judge, under ANY circumstances, is WRONG...is simply lacking in some cognotive function...I cannot think of any other way to expalin it.

Since when should anyone be "WORKING" for a smiley... You either are a douche bag citizen or your not.. the smiley face is just something to motivate you to be a better person. and Richie, if you dont want to be a better person thats your own decision.

It does not CHANGE anything. The person came to COURT. THEY WERE IN TROUBLE. The starting point is The Ticket. And they will GET FINED. HOWEVER IF there is a smiley it may go away.

You are unreal... I'd hate to be the one to pull you over. Your going to be in jail soon

This is what is written verbatim from a PowerPoint Slide... summarized from. Policing Today by Frank Schmalleger and John L. Worrall.

Police officers have the authority to make decisions that can affect individuals in profound and lasting ways.

One officer might decide to arrest someone for the first time, giving that person a criminal record.

Another officer in the same situation might feel that arrest is unnecessary and might use an informal tactic instead.

All criminal justice officials, including prosecutors, exercise discretion, but police are the gatekeepers to the criminal justice process, and without the decisions they make to begin the process, prosecutors and other criminal justice officials would never have the opportunity to decide the fate of criminal suspects.

One of the clear advantages associated with police discretion is that it gives law enforcement officers a measure of job satisfaction.
Indeed, research reveals that job satisfaction improves with job conditions like autonomy.
Autonomy and discretionary decision making go hand in hand.
Discretion is also advantageous because without it the wheels of justice would grind to a halt.
The negative aspects of police discretion probably outweigh the positive ones, mainly because the public’s attention is drawn to discretionary decisions when something goes wrong.

Just trying to bump the thread and enlighten some folks about why things are really done the way they are done... or atleast the intended purpose

Originally posted by xstealth
You're a Georgian cop, you should know Cobb county is known for their aggressive AH police force across the nation. It all boils down to money.

I agree to an extent. Remember the Cobb officers don't make more money for the tickets they write. I think Cobb is more an "old school" county that believes if you rule with an iron fist you get better results. Sometimes that is true, but sometimes as we know, its not.

Just like the new speeding ticket price increases, "for our safety" like they claim in the new radio commercials.

This is a complete lie, how stupid do they think we are? If the county couldn't get a dime from traffic violations, how many do you think they would issue?

I have to respectfully disagree on this and here is why. Look at the super speeder law. It changed nothing. What it did do was simply punish GROSS NEGLEGENCE. 75mph or over on a two lane road. That is hauling a@@ and WILL likely kill someone innocent if that driver loses control for any reason. Then its 85mph or over on a highway..like GA400. 85 on GA400 sometimes tends to be the norm..lol...but a 3,4, or 5000lbs vehicle at 85+ mph crashing IS ugly...trust me...responded to WAY to many fatal accidents. So I truly don't believe its for the money as those speeds again are VERY high and uncalled for most of the time.

Anyway, it is good to have more fair officers around, you seem to be one. Protect and serve the people, not the politicians with their hands out.

Thank you...I appreciate that.