MattTheSkywalker said:
There is a discernible difference between big city police and smaller town cops, and then there is a whole different segmetn called "traffic enforcement".
Traffic cops are the scum of the earth and I would like to drown them one by one in front of their families.
Small town cops are typcally a nephew of thejudge or town councilman or some bullshit that got appointed to the job. Most of these guys are on power trips doe to their own smallmindedness and being provincial little turds who suddenly feel important.
Big city cops are different they are exposed to hostile situations and the like. They could get shot, attacked etc etc., since urban aras generally have more crime and more concentrated poverty than smaller towns. In many cities there is also a proximity to wealth.
Tragically, most big cities are experiencing a shortage of cops and are lowering their standards. NYPD allows an Associates degree. So the dumb guys have the guns in many cases.
So get off your high horse. I know a lot of big city cops that just chase drugs around. They don't win the drug war. They move the drug war. Those guys that kick in doors and serve high risk warrants usually show up armed like a squad of Army Rangers (that was my old job, where I looked death in the face every day for no money) to get these guys.
I am not even going to address federal law enforcement. These guys are bozos of the highest order.
Police forces should be cut 75%.
Pretty fair point.
I have dealt with police from both sides. In small cities- Hackensack, Scottsdale, and Ithaca; and large cities- New York, Phoenix, Miami to name a few.
The truth is that "big city" cops understand the danger that they face every day and don't take small shit too seriously (and don't want the paperwork associated with it). Once they ascertain that you are not driving a stolen car or have outstanding warrants or aren't on drugs, they pretty much let you go with a warning. This has almost universally been my experience (well more than a dozen times). In my experience, Phoenix cops are fucking princes.
Small city cops or those from cities with mandates to derive income from traffic stops, etc.. are the worthless pieces of shit to whom this thread rightfully refers. With the use of advanced psychological technique ("yes masser officer, no sir, yes sir, may I kiss your ass, you are the greatest, I was a total idiot..."), swallowing one's pride, eqo stroking, and ignoring what is blatantly false (I really doubt it's possible to accurately "pace" a vehicle from the other side of the highway when there are no other cars to compare speed to), often a male can avoid a summons from one of these walking expired tampons. A pretty girl pretty much needs to know nothing more than her phone number (good thing the insurance companies use these types of statistics for their actuarial tables, huh?)
Their attitude comes from the inferiority complex derived from being over-glorified meter-maids and tax collectors with the same badge as their big-brother relatives who get all the "glory" but also take all the risk (narcotics, homicide, SWAT, detectives, etc...)
The fact is, unlike real cops who face the dangers that HamsterHider is referring to, these patrol-car warriors face little to no real danger when they perform their job properly. And high-speed chases? Let's start a whole new discussion on that assault to our intelligence!!!
Perhaps if more of these uneducated university-rejects were shot or in any real danger when performing their tax-collecting duties they might realize the true role they play.
Truth is, small cities look at traffic cops as a cheap way to collect extra money from their citizens with little or no risk or repercussions; no new taxes or bonds to be voted on, no public to answer to. Need more money? Lower the speed limit on a 2-lane major street from 40 to 25 MPH, sit an obese, mustache-wearing, jelly donut-eating pig in an air-conditioned patrol car in someone's driveway and just ring up the cash register. Better yet, set up a radar camera. That way there is no semblance of a defense, say rushing to the hospital for an emergency. And since the traffic judges get paid from the very same pile of money, guess who is the judge, jury, and executioner? Ever wonder why it is a
civil offense and not a criminal complaint (you are alleged to have broken the law, no?) Goes to the issue of burden of proof or lack thereof. Once again, as almost anyone who isn't a cop will tell you, in traffic court a cop's word is pretty much the word of God.
As for those of you who aspire to be cops- learn something from this discussion; it pretty much reflects the way most, if not all of us generally law-abiding folk feel. We geatly appreciate genuine concern and wanting to protect our welfare. Watch "Cops" sometime and you'll see that. But when your sole purpose seems to be to drain more money from our wallets, start asking questions and complaining about who you're really working for. Remember the logo: "to
SERVE and
PROTECT," not "to tax and fine".
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