Dealing with cops, understanding your rights,.... by a cop.

Hi, I thought I'd chime in since my wife's entire family is in law enforcement.

My father-in-law is a detective, his wife is a dispatcher, my brother-in-law is a deputy, and my sister-in-law is a dispatcher also.

When I was younger, I feared and hated law enforcement. I saw them as the enemy, as a cruel, heartless force of persecution.

Years ago when I met my wife, I was distraught to find out that her father was a police officer. In fact, I almost considered cutting off our relationship. I had the perception that police officers were evil, in fact I felt that they were some of the most evil human beings alive. On a whim, they can completely ruin another humans life, and strip their liberty and freedom... sometimes purely out of spite.

That said, now I see things very differently. My father-in-law is one of the most just, honest, caring men I've ever met in my life. He would literally lay down his life to save an innocent. The same goes for nearly every other officer I've met. Yes, there are some bad apples... while most people would say it's 9 out of 10, I'd say it's closer to 1 out of 10.

Many cops are simply looking to provide a good life for their family with a secure job and good benefits. Others grew up in bad neighborhoods and want to make a difference. Some are frustrated with people that refuse to help themselves. Some are just plain horrible people... just like in any other walk of life.

If you don't see police as regular people, doing regular jobs, I highly suggest you go to your local police station and request a ride-along. It may really open your eyes. Cops are generally friendly, fun loving, and honest people. Very few are the horrible monsters that people make them out to be.

If you watch shows like "Police women of Atlanta", or "COPS", you may think that these shows are just PR stunts made to improve the image of police... sure, they may have that effect, but they are MUCH more accurate than you could ever imagine. Even one of my own family members has been on "COPS", and on the show he acted exactly as he does in real life.




Sure, some people end up drawing the short end of the stick. Sure, some people suffer abuse and mistreatment at the hands of police. But I'll tell you this... it's no worse than the abuse and mistreatment citizens inflict on each other every day. In fact, I'm much more afraid of the guy standing next to me at the gas station than I'll ever be of a cop.

The worst thing about a bad cop, is that they have more power to screw you than an average person... but don't underestimate the power of a bad person. My mother was in an accident that was not her fault, was sued by the dirtbag that hit her for several hundred thousand dollars, had to settle, and has lost almost everything. How is getting treated rudely by a cop and getting a ticket or a small jail sentence any worse? This normal citizen sentenced my mom to 5 years of poverty simply by abusing the legal system.

I have NEVER known a cop (and I know a LOT of them), that goes out randomly trying to give tickets to people that haven't done anything. They don't wake up in the morning, kiss their wife and kids goodbye, and say, "Hey honey, hey kids, I'm going to go abuse some innocent civilians today, maybe hand out a couple crooked tickets. Love you, bye!".

I'm not saying that there aren't any cops that do that, but generally, they're broken, twisted individuals. You are in just as much danger from an equally twisted individual on the other side of the blue line. The bottom line is, crooked people suck, and have the power to screw you royally in one way or another, whether they're wearing a badge or not.

reply to post by seeashrinkI'm retired law enforcement, I have been educated and my only child is an honors student in law school as we speak. I didn't appreciate your blanket statement attacking the intellect of law enforcement officers. Judging by your command of the english language, you havn't spent much time in a classroom yourself. " He who lives in glass houses should never throw stones."

reply to post by FarFromEden


Your post doesn't exactly prove your intellect!

Either does retaliating to his statement!

reply to post by FarFromEden


I can also confirm this. While not all cops are rocket scientists, in general, most are of at least average or slightly above average intelligence. Many are very intelligent. Out of probably 30 cops I know on a first name basis, roughly half have a Bachelor's degree or better education... and not always in a field related to criminal justice. Interestingly enough, I am not in a county that requires a Bachelor's to qualify for employment as a LEO... yet many of the deputies here are well educated. Many people do not even know that some departments require higher education just to be eligible to try out for a career in law enforcement.

When a person insults the intelligence of a police officer, there is a very good chance that that "stupid" cop is more educated than they are.

Additionally, many LEO children grow up to be very succesful, oftentimes with an education to match.

reply to post by brokenbullet56
I disagree...what the hell is this all about if you don't reply to people whatever the reason?? Come to that, I wasn't replying to you. What is your problem??

reply to post by iandh
On behalf of my brothers / sisters in law enforcement, I thank you.

Intelligence is a very subjective matter ,
for all i know siblings of chinese mothers could be even more intelligent,
article

i mean there must be endless studies that show you can cope life and its daily routines
including a "multi tasking" job with a base IQ below 90 ,
i believe its been proven via stats on multiple occations on papers,
so i would like to suggest that the debate of what and who is more intelligent then whom or they
be left to one self in silence ,

if i recall correctly a large portion of the mass falls under that category ,
and if correct, it was due to more usage of one brain lobe over the other (left / right),
lateralization of brain functions

i mean one could go on and on about the subject of intelligence and be just as lost
as one where before one started ,

better stop before someone shouts "witch" and its salem all over again,

reply to post by FarFromEden

I disagree...what the hell is this all about if you don't reply to people whatever the reason?? Come to that, I wasn't replying to you. What is your problem??

As you were in such haste to proclaim how intellectual you and your child are you managed to mess up your intended post reply function, so he wasn't to know who you were or were not replying to. Such hostility... Typical I suppose.

reply to post by FarFromEden


Ok then? I was just stating my opinion, no need to get all pissy about it!

As the poster above me said I guess hostility is part of your job when you don't get your way, and now your throwing a tantrum cause you can't impose your will over the internet? really?

Go back to the streets and enjoy your power trip, you have no control here

No one have even brought this up yet.


Big Guns: When Cops Use Steroids
www.infowars.com...

I know for a FACT because I was a body-builder and a nutritional supplement rep for all the gyms in my area that not only the city cops but the sheriffs dept and highway patrol are abusing steroids. I know because I sold them their estrogen blockers and protein/ amino's.

I worked out with 2 cops and they both used (I WATCHED THEM INJECT).

So not only do we have a bunch of guys with inferiority complexes but they are roid-raging on citizens.

They get it legally sometimes through "hormone therapy" from doctors willing to prescribe testosterone and clen. as well as HGH (human growth hormone)

Originally posted by iandhI can also confirm this. While not all cops are rocket scientists, in general, most are of at least average or slightly above average intelligence. Many are very intelligent. Out of probably 30 cops I know on a first name basis, roughly half have a Bachelor's degree or better education... and not always in a field related to criminal justice. Interestingly enough, I am not in a county that requires a Bachelor's to qualify for employment as a LEO... yet many of the deputies here are well educated. Many people do not even know that some departments require higher education just to be eligible to try out for a career in law enforcement.

When a person insults the intelligence of a police officer, there is a very good chance that that "stupid" cop is more educated than they are.

While this is slightly OT and may be obvious to some; education and intelligence are not exactly the same thing.

Case in point there was a young man in Maryland while I was on recruiting duty for the Army who had a BA from UMD in African studies with a 3.5 GPA who scored a 21 on the Armed Forces Qualification Test. If you have ever taken the test you will remember that it is written like all Army things at the 8th grade level. I think his GT score was about 85 which roughly translates into IQ.

He could not comprehend how he was not qualified to join after all he had a degree. He was techinally "qualified" to be an officer with his degree but with his test score could not even enlist.

This happened a lot actually even with HS students (gaduates as well) – some with quite high GPAs would score quite low on the aptitude tests while a GED holder would walk in and blow the test out of the water.

Getting a degree now is more about a financial transaction than it is a learning transaction especially with all the on-line schools for "working adults" or "alternative learning" basically you pay the money and get the sheep skin.

While some on line institutions are of course better than others one can literally “buy” a degree with little real effort or ability if they shop around for a while.

A lot of Schools especially larger state institutions are no longer as vested in the business of educating and preparing young people for the work place as they seem to be in the business of making money - used to be a school was judged by who they would not let in (their admissions exclusivity was in direct relation the value of the degrees they proffered upon one - see Harvard, and Yale as examples) rather than how many graduates they can crank out to pay the bills.

I do; however, back on topic that there are a good many intelligent and competent police and even like in my example Soldiers (more smart kids actually join the infantry seems to me than the other disciplines) but please do not confuse education with intellect.

I have in my time met, worked for and with many educated idiots (worse is they usually tend to use their education as a validation of their bat-crap, fail ideas) while learning a great deal from people with little to no formal education at all.

I am a LEO supporter myself and have never ever had issues with them as a group.

Originally posted by seeashrink

Will the ignorance never end?

That depends. Are you planning on educating yourself any time soon?

Everytime I hear one of you guys talking about defending yourself physically from a cop that you don't feel has a right to stop you, for whatever reason, I cringe.

My individual rights being abused by someone who enforces the law but doesn't know it makes me cringe as well.

You swing on some young hothead cop, he is liable to kill you because of his inexperience.

I could live with that. I've put up with a dirty one twice now looking for drugs, not because there was probable cause, but because he wanted to get high.

You swing on some old cop like me and he is liable to do the same thing because he wants to go home that night and he knows that you are a third his age and your stamina is a lot longer than his. Either way, it's a bad ending for everyone.

I never even implied that I would swing. This is the problem I have. Here you go making **** up in order to justify yourself. In the situation that you're talking about, I would evade being arrested and use violence as a last resort to protect myself from that which would harm me.

You sound like a bunch of school children. Grow up and step into the real world.

In otherwords, "obey me because I think I have authority."

Contribute something to society to make it better and quit this rediculous crap.
Seeashrink

That's self-projection if I've ever seen it. You terrorize people for a living and you're asking me to make the world a better place? You quit the ridiculous crap.

reply to post by brokenbullet56
AMAZING....You attack me for responding to someone else, and when you get the type of response any clear-thinking person would have expected, you lash out in an orgasim of hostility. I do hope you don't have access to any type of weapons or sharp objects.

reply to post by Loki Lyesmyth
Tell me, Loki Lyesmyth, if you or your family were ever attacked by one of the meth-smoking street scum I saw on the streets not long ago in Daytona Beach, would you expect help from the roid-raging, inferior-complexed local cops?? Or would you just roll over and take it?? I believe you would be screaming for the cops to get the scum who mugged your family so loud they would hear you in Orlando.

reply to post by Azp420
This is my first experience on this type of site. If I made a mistake it wasn't due to any haste, it was a simple mistake. As for the rest of your comment, I don't need to brag. My family and I are very secure unto ourselves, thankyou. A comment I considered derogatory was made about the intellect of law enforcement and I responded. Why does that threaten you? It seems to me half the people on this site stopped taking their meds a long time ago.

Originally posted by surfnow2
reply to post by theQuest

 

you can record whatever you want but if you are in an accident and you are interfering or not cooperating then this changes things. it seems like everyone here who dislikes cops is looking for reasons to cause problems when something happens. people who continuously get pulled over turn around and blame the cop. why?
how about taking responsibility for your actions not in front of me but to yourself.

Please re-read my post carefully, I stated these are the actions that I take when I am pulled over by an officer. An accident is completely different. I take these step to protect myself. If I am guilty of an infraction then I fully expect to recieve a citation. These steps aren't used to get me out of a ticket, these steps are used to ensure that I am treated with the same respect that the officer expects to recieve. Nothing more, nothing less..

the same people that bi@ch and complain about police officers are the same ones.
violating the laws we are sworn to enforce. so for those who hate cops and think we are all scumbags
when you need to be pulled out of a car thats on fire, assist you when your lost, find the person who robbed you
and stole your car, came to your house because there was a home invasion...... we are good in your eyes now, but when YOU violate a law and we write YOU a ticket. we are the bad guy, right?

the mirror is in the bathroom

reply to post by surfnow2

the same people that bi@ch and complain about police officers are the same ones.
violating the laws we are sworn to enforce.

Oh wow you don't even realize know how absurd you sound? That fact is that most are honest law abiding citizens who are sick and tired of being extorted, robbed, beaten, tasered, and even murderd for never having harmed a soul

so for those who hate cops and think we are all scumbags
when you need to be pulled out of a car thats on fire, assist you when your lost, find the person who robbed you
and stole your car, came to your house because there was a home invasion......

So being extorted, robbed, beaten, tasered, and even murdered for never having harmed a soul on a regular basis is justified as long as you guys help a few people out now and then? Fact of the matter is justice department statistics show honest citizens stop more crime then all LE in the entire country combined! They also help more people save more lives etc. You seem to have bought your own hype you were fed at the academy or elsewhere. However it is just not true. I will gladly exchange being extorted, robbed, beaten, tasered, etc. for taking personal responsibility for handling my own problems but I am forced by you folks to use you even if I don't want to.

we are good in your eyes now, but when YOU violate a law and we write YOU a ticket. we are the bad guy, right?

Writing tickets is extortion to bring revenue in. Their are no laws that tickets can be written for they are just arbitrary municipal corporate policy statutes where there is no victim and no one has been harmed or brought a claim against any man or woman therefore they are unlawful and unconstitutional. However the culture believes they are laws and tolerates your extortion in general. But you would think you would get a clue something is wrong when so many people come on these threads and castigate you guys for it. Do you realize how many lives you intervene in and harm when they were harming no one? It is wrong and until you realize that you are heading for a backlash sooner or latter. The universe has a way of returning everything you put out back you eventually.

But thanks for illustrating the prevailing cop attitude that we must all be criminals of we complain of being extorted, robbed, beaten, tasered, and even murdered by you and your ilk for never having harmed a soul and done in the name of protecting us and helping us.

reply to post by FarFromEden

This is my first experience on this type of site. If I made a mistake it wasn't due to any haste, it was a simple mistake.

I found it to be quite ironic that you made such a simple mistake while attempting to defend the intelligence of law enforcement. Amongst the confusion caused by your mistake (and having it pointed out to you) you then lashed out in a very hostile manor at other posters rather than remain calm and apologise for your mistake (something I would hope for but sadly not expect from an individual involved in law enforcement).

As for the rest of your comment, I don't need to brag.

I didn't think cops made enough to be able to?

My family and I are very secure unto ourselves, thankyou.

If you're so secure then why become so threatened when someone questions the intelligence of the police?

Why does that threaten you?

Not threatened baby, I just don't like to see cops acting like they're king of the world.

It seems to me half the people on this site stopped taking their meds a long time ago.

LMAO this is what I'm talking about. Just settle down bro. I hope you have more restraint on the beat.


As for the intelligence of police debate, everyone knows that nobody who is capable of becoming a doctor, lawyer, engineer, etc goes for a career in law enforcement. Just saying.

But hey, if you're so secure, you don't need to worry about how everyone else perceives the police, right?

reply to post by Azp420
I see by your lack of command of the English language that you struggle with certain concepts, even Einstein made mistakes....like his universal constant theory. What's that, you ask? How sad for you.