FWIW I hate Cops, yes I said it, I have NEVER been happy to see one, and I'm a good guy. They have done nothing but cause me greif, loss of freedom, and huge amounts of money, F'm

 

Seems like to me that you broke the law, but are complaining that you got ticketed for it. Speeding is speeding, if the mudflap doesn't apply to you then it will get thrown out and usually if you bring in proof of insurance they will throw that out also. My agent will put a proof of insurance in the mail the same day as I call and I will get it the next day so it is hard for me to use it as a excuse. Motorcycle riders might be a tad more attentive to the mudflaps though since they can get hit with the rocks. Might be that you don't notice it as much, but he might. Besides it is a easy violation to notice. Don't suppose that you were also all nice and polite with him either were you? Doesn't do much good to cop a attitude with a cop.

 

Attitudes like these are why everyday we are loosing more and more of our freedoms and moving more and more towards a police state.

You will only ever get to keep the rights and freedoms that you fight for. If you won't fight for them you don't deserve them, and need to apologize to everyone (and there left behind families) that has fought to give you those freedoms.

As the grandfather of our nation Benjamin Franklin said,
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.

 

As for chips in my windshield, all mine were caused by cars throwing rocks up....never a truck. Go figure that!

As for motorcycle cops....we have a couple here where I live and one stopped me one time to check out my motrocycle! Cool cops on the bikes here!

But I'm also legal on everything too....I don't want any hassles!

 

FWIW, I hate people like you with attitudes like that.....You know; sweeping generalizations and all.......

Few, including me, want to see one unless they need one. Congratulations on not ever needing one.

If you're a 'good guy', what are you doing to catch their attention, with all the grief, and loss of freedom, and huge amounts of money? Doesn't sound like a simple traffic stop to me.....'Grief' and 'Loss of Freedom' and 'Huge amounts of money'?

 

I'd blame that more on an apathetic citizenry and overzealous, ideological politicians with their own axes to grind (anti-gun, anti-smoking, more taxes, whatever---pick your poison). Cops don't make laws, politicians do.

 

All I'm really seeing in this thread is a lot of people upset that they got caught breaking the law. If you break the law, man up and pay the consequences. What else do you expect? I agree that some police officers have poor attitudes, but after dealing with some of the people posting in this thread on a daily basis, can you really blame them?

Geez.

 

I really don't have the right to say this ...that's because somehow I feel it's more of a privilage....I'm proud of all the folks here (the majority) that have pointed out basically "What's right, is right".

I've grown so cynical over the years of my own people by the politics, national morales, public education etc. That I allowed myself to feel that I was in the minority when it came to thinking along these same lines.


This thread is larger in the dimension of just one persons rant regarding their perceived mistreatment by those we pay to do what for the most part we wouldn't.

To me it's a reaffirmation of the strength of these folks that make up the majority of the responses. And restores to some degree that all is not lost regarding my faith in my fellow man.

Thank you all for proving to me that the people here are still for the most part, proud and independent with a strong sense of promoting the moral lawful common good. And doing it so candidly. I applaud my fellow brothers and sisters.

I also applaud the moderators who have kept it in line and allowed the freedom of expression often denied in other societies.

 

I should say I have no problem and respect old school "peace officers" that can and will kick butt, with a fair and level head, and no personal agenda. But todays "law enforcement" officers are just bully politicians, using the power of goverment and law to feed there own power and egos, through what Slayer coined as "violent pacification"

Police "peace officers" should be the best among us, highly paid, empowered, and trusted. But they need to earn this trust and respect as a group, today there are way to many "bad seeds" and the "good" men around them (if there are any left) aren't doing anything about it. If you are a "good" peace officer and want the trust and respect of the people you must first police yourselves and root out all the "bully politicians" around you. Moreover you/they must stand up and refuse to enforce all the unjust and unreasonable laws the politicians have passed. You/they are the strong arm of these laws, without you they mean nothing and your enforcement/following of these laws is a consent and agreement with these unjust laws.

This man, Paul Schene is still a cop;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aBm1jI_j7c
That's a 15 year old girl, stopped simply because she let her friend drive her parents car (she was the passenger) without permission. She did not "resist arrest" (it's only natural to resist confinement) or assault anyone.

The law and the police are NOT a tax generating tool. The law is supposed to be "of the people", there used to be a common term used instead of just "the law" it was the "common law" and was the common consent of the people. With so many people breaking or just following "the law" because it is "the law", is it really the common law of the people anymore?
In no way should just getting there attention be a factor in wether or not you get stopped, and has nothing to do with wether you broke the law.
Yes an apathetic citizenry, I will agree with that, what is it you think I was getting at.

Yes cops don't make laws, but they do enforce them, and without the cops these laws would mean nothing, as I said above.
The police are not the decider of if you broke the law. We have this thing called "due proccess".

Just a reminder here's a part of the 5th amendment;
No person shall; be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law
But you do have the right, and any thoughts or beleifs to the contrary are dangerous, and how censorship gets started.
I like most of what you wrote and agree strongly with this line. I too give thanks to the moderators. This being a private forum they do have the right to limit the scope of the conversation.

 

My biggest issue I have is the majority of police break the laws of the road daily. My brother is law enforcement and so are a few of my friends. The tickets that they are quick to write you are the same rules they violate. If you are doing ten miles over the speed limit on the highway, how fast is the cop traveling to detain you? Who is putting the citizen in more danger? I find them to be hypocritical.

 

I'll tell a short story:
Last 4th of July I was living in an apartment, and at about 3AM, I was woken up by the sounds of glass breaking and a woman screaming, really screaming. I was out the door running to the parking lot gun in hand in a split second. Nobody else (excpept the girls boyfriend when she got back to her apartment) even bothered to call the police. Who's the "good guy" me or them?

If the police had shown up I probably would have been arrested for "brandishing" a firearm. (in fact I have in the past) Just who is serving "good" society, just who would you rather have around, or depend on for safety, a responsable armed neighbor that will be there in seconds, or the over reacting bully police that might show up in a few minutes. And who are our current police and politicians supporting, and who are they demonizing?

 

I will say that while there are a certain number of "bad apples", they don't represent the law enforcement community as a whole. The media, much like the loud mouthed whiny offender that gets ticketed for doing something genuinely stupid, have done every bit as much to tarnish the reputation of law enforcement as those LE officers that have screwed up.

LE is a thankless profession and don't even begin to judge me or any other LE without first taking a long walk in some of our shoes. Those that say that when seconds count, LE will be there in minutes truly have no sense of reponses to calls for service or what's entailed. If we all had magic lamps and could instantly "poof" ourselves to your doorstep every time you and the "old lady" get in a fight or the neighbor you let borrow your three iron hasn't given it back quickly enough, we'd gladly do it. But, when you call us to come quick because there's someone breaking into your house and LE flies through the city or town to get there and gets involved in a wreck, you're the quickest to crucify that person for not using due regard for safety. The media loves to report trash because it sells. For every one story you hear of an LE officer gone bad, there are literally hundreds of good stories you'll never read because the media doesn't report it.

The media has portrayed law enforcement in such a negative light that it has painted this "guilty by association" portrait for everyone to see. No, we don't decide who's guilty and not guilty therefore save your judgements of us and keep them to yourself. Yes, LE should be held to a higher standard than the general public and the overwhelming majority of us do exactly that. We are also human as are you. Everyone makes mistakes in life and the good LE officer will use discretion when it is called for.

And, for those of you that like to get on the "I'm a taxpayer and I pay your salary" high horse, I will tell you, the last time I checked, I pay taxes also and am therefore, to an extent, self-employed. I do not take orders from any tax payer. We respond to complaints that may seem trivial to you but to the complainant, they are very important. Writing tickets is a very small portion of LE. Administrators sometimes hand down mandates that require enforcement for particular offenses in particular areas. LE officers don't like the prospect of unemployment any more than anyone else, therefore they do their job.

The squeakiest wheels in this complaint wouldn't last fifteen minutes in this job on a good day. To all of you (and I've read the entire thread) that have had so many good things to say about LE, I and all of us thank you. To the rest, I invite you to visit your local Police agency. Most have a civilian ride along program or citizen academy that will give you a more in depth look at police work. If you go on a ride along, you will see the every day workings that have far more than ticket writing in their sights.

 

Agreed, I once followed a cop down the freeway for a few miles, this Ahole would gun it until he got to the back of a car and tailgate them hard, just a couple feet. Until that car pulled over and he gunned it again, he kept this up for about 15 miles and about a dozen cars. I was able to keep up with him by just following behind at just over the speed limit. All this without his lights on.

IMO if a cop needs to speed, they do have a need to, I don't have a problem with that, but they must have a need and do it with there lights on.

I really don't have any problems with what you wrote and the "good apples" do deserve our thanks. But there sure are ALOT of bad apples, and we just have no way to tell you apart until it's to late. I again chalenge you to weed out these "bad apples" cause they are "spoiling the whole bunch" and to fight the stupid rules that hurt both of us. Just like the stupid rules that got those 4 good men in Oakland killed.

You are much much more then just a tool of the politcians, or an employee of the state/county, aren't you?

 

Why is it the ones that **** and moan most about the "cops" are the ones who are most often in trouble with same "cops." Perhaps if you'd chill a bit, obey the law, stop speeding and quit being such an *** you wouldn't have so much trouble with them.

I'm 42 years old. I've been on the road since I was 15. I've never had a bad experience with a law enforcement officer.

 

Unfortunately, weeding out bad apples is a job for administrators and I have not yet risen to that level. I am, however a supervisor and I hold my people to a very high standard. I closely monitor their day to day activities and make assignments where necessary.

And, to answer your question, yes I am more than a political tool. I wrote a ticket to a town council member recently for reckless driving by speed 69 in a 45 zone. They are not above the law and he is not entitled to a free pass by virtue of his position.

I have handed down disciplinary action to two of my guys that I saw driving too fast (and caught them on radar) while just patrolling and not responding to anything. There is no excuse for it and I expect them to observe the laws they enforce. As I said, I do hold my people to a higher standard and they are a great group of officers.

To answer your other statement, there are bad apples in all walks of life from the patrol officer that screws up, to the factory worker that screws up. Bad apples are not isolated. Having said that, when a police officer stops a vehicle, they have no idea what they may encounter. The majority of the time, people are curteous and cooperative. We also, though, experience the "bad apples" of society. The people that are argumentative, the people that refuse to sign a traffic summons, the people that bail out of their car to argue or fight, and so on. Granted, these are isolated incidents, but we encounter just as many "bad apples" in dealing with the public as the public does dealing with LE, if not more.

The Oakland incident is nothing less than a tragedy. It, in many ways, is an example of a broken system that turns the worst society has to offer back onto the streets to rape, rob, pillage, and kill. As law enforcement, we have no control over what a judge or jury does after we make the arrest, which is frustrating to say the least.

Please also remember that the only way stupid rules get changed is through legislation which is done on a lawmaker level and not a law enforcement level. There are plenty of laws that are antiquated and should be revised or repealed. However, the LE officer doing their job day in and day out, has no control over this. Are traffic laws taken to the extreme sometimes by overzealous ticket writers? Yes. Many times, that is the result of mandates by administrators that answer to higher powers that like ticket revenue in the form of town and city councils. Or they are in response to complaints from citizens about traffic problems and offenses.

My people tend to be just as involved in criminal investigations as they are traffic enforcement. I would rather see them solve a break-in or robbery than write a bunch of tickets. While this may not generate the same amount of revenue, I am more concerned with offenses that actually have an impact on the community and its general safety.

If you consider the total number of people working in law enforcment and the total number of officers that tarnish an otherwise very proud and professional occupation, the ratio is actually very small. This is a job just like any other. We go to work, do our job, and go home and along the way, we try to contribute something to society in a job that many wouldn't have. The pay is low, the hours are terrible, and the appreciation is nil.

My best advice to anyone that has encountered an unprofessional officer that has truly done something outside the scope of their authority, would be to file a complaint with the officer's department. Most, if not all, departments have a complaint process.

Lastly, with regard, again, to stupid laws, the only way to get them changed is to contact your lawmakers. They are the people with the ability to change things. If they don't, it is within the scope and ability of every voter to elect someone that will.