It saddens and angers me that people use such stereotypes. My uncle is a retired cop and he is a wonderful person. Those willing to put their lives on the line to make the country a safer place should be held to the highest respect. Innocent until proven guilty.

The fact is, many opinions expressed in this forum are very valid--those from the OP and those from people who've had bad encounters with police. I've had the opportunity to work careers on both sides of the legal spectrum. As a cop, I observed a high incidence of ego-mania with many coworkers, and I'm sure on some level I was guilty of it myself; it is much more prevalent in the men, however. At some point, a good number of cops begin to believe they are untouchable and that if they engage in bad behavior, it'll be overlooked. There are many levels of this; at it's minimum, it amounts to using any excuse to pull over an attractive woman; at it's maximum, it amounts to officers engaging in activities with prostitutes, drugs, or worse.

I worked in one department that was entrenched in scandal all the time in levels large and small. It was unbelievable the things that went on. I thought it was a disgrace. I later took a job with another agency and it was the exact opposite. These cops had integrity and I witnessed no questionable behavior. These were the kind of cops that every city wants to have.

When I began working on the defense end, I had to put up with defense attorneys always pissing and moaning that ALL cops lie. It really griped me because most of the guys I had worked with in the profession were anything but liars. However, there's a population of bad cops out there who do stupid sh*t and wind up getting themselves wrapped up in the media. It's understandable that the media will devour a good-cop-gone-bad story because cops are held to a higher standard of behavior simply by what they do at work . . . a big part of which includes taking people's freedom away.

It is only my opinion, but I believe they hire officers too young today. A person has to have an extreme level of maturity and sense of self control to do the job right. There are too many temptations in a law enforcement job and too many ways to fall prey to peer pressure for officers who don't have themselves squared away in their head. Once you succumb to the "us versus them" mentality, you begin to think of yourself as "different" from the average guy and feel the only people that really understand you are other cops.

I have found that those who proclaim the loudest against police and give accounts of extreme abuse of authority by the law usually have done something to create the bad blood by their own actions (which they never seem to mention during their ranting). However, not ALL those who express negative opinions about cops are just sour grapes because they've been caught breaking the law. Many good citizens do encounter unwarranted treatment by officers who have over-inflated perceptions of themselves, have maybe had a bad day, or who are downright criminals themselves . . . Each of these situations has to be judged on it's own merit, just as cops should be.

Originally posted by JWH44
Greetings ATS,

I think it is high time I speak out about a trend that I see on these forums that is extremely disheartening to me; the unabashed blanket characterization of law enforcement officers as monsters, thugs, fascists, etc, etc…

Hello. I'm not one to criticize or label, so this is not aimed at you, the OP.

My most recent legal escapade consisted of some Hell Raisers blowing into town and looking up info. on the Internet. I got mixed up in it, and was called out. The "Take it to the Street" thing.

So, there I am, in a dark area. I am quite capable of understanding speech, and I was targeted. The last time I saw an officer, he was looking at me oddly as he rolled out. Then, some guy out of the shadows tangles. I humiliated him, then drew a chump charge. This will not be forgotten.

I've seen them good and bad, there all physical entities, and I will taint their image.

So, dust yourself off, get on your White Hat, and ride high: My Friend.


[edit on 3/21/2010 by passingthought]

[edit on 3/21/2010 by passingthought]