Not All Cops Are Trigger-Happy Rednecks

[ivan astikov]

If the majority of police officers were so altruistic, they should be willing to do the job for a minimum wage. Nobody is forcing them to take such a challenging job.

One could say the same thing about doctors, lawyers, firefighters, and pretty much anyone else who does a job they like because they like helping other people.

Yes, that's right. Helping someone is its own reward and if those people were really in their profession to help others, not set yourself up as being so important that you need better financial recognition, then they too should be happy on a minimum wage.

 

[Babale]

If the majority of police officers were so altruistic, they should be willing to do the job for a minimum wage. Nobody is forcing them to take such a challenging job.

One could say the same thing about doctors, lawyers, firefighters, and pretty much anyone else who does a job they like because they like helping other people.

Yes, that's right. Helping someone is its own reward and if those people were really in their profession to help others, not set yourself up as being so important that you need better financial recognition, then they too should be happy on a minimum wage.

OK, you tell all those people to go work for minimum wage while I buy every house on the market and give the deeds to random homeless people on the street. Alright?

 

[Todderbob]

Overall, cops do us all a great service by making our lives safer. Of course, the thousands of arrests that go perfectly smoothly and put deadly criminals behind bars are never reported, but when a cop shoots a gundealer because he looked like he pulled out a gun, we're all morrally outraged.

Why can't we all recognize the great service 99.9% of cops do us, and realize that the other cops are the exception, not the norm?

Fucking well said! I was at the G8 protests in London last year (not protesting, I used to work round that area) and I saw some mad anarchist slagging off a bunch of cops outside a bank. Anyway, he was saying shit like "All cops are pigs and pigs are only good for slaughter" and other really repugnant shit. The police were just standing there taking it, which I thought was admirable. Anyway, some of my best mates are cops and so I was really offended by this so I said to him "You do realise that if someone punched your lights out 'cos of what you're saying, they're the only people round here who'd give a shit, right?" People don't appreciate cops enough, IMO.

Yeah, I've got to agree with you both, here.

Cops do us a great service, and despite the fact that some cops are douche bags, not all of them are -- most are not.

I am not against the police. I am afraid of the police. -Alfred Hitchcock

If they want my support they can try to be friendly.

I don't fear the police -- I have no reason to.

I'm a 20 year old male, and have always been a big, mean looking kid -- admittedly I am white, so I've got that going for me. But, I've never had a run in with the cops that turned out negatively for me, and there were repeatedly times when by all rights it could have.

I've always been a mouthy, sarcastic jerk of a person. I'm acerbic and sharp tongued, and despite this, and my size (6ish feet, and now around 200, but formerly around 300 pounds), every interaction with cops I've had was a positive one.

In high school, I skipped class and smoked pot. I was still on decent terms with the officers who worked at my school, and most of the cops who worked at/around the station (which is next door to my high school). Really, the only regret I have was not being nicer to them, and working harder in school. I didn't get in any trouble with them, and wouldn't have gotten in any without first starting trouble.

People bitch about cops a lot, and I've had quiet a few interactions with them (usually friendly, no business other than chatting), and the few times it's been anything other than shooting shit (or talking guns -- even high school, I was a fan of firearms...) it's been quick, professional, and reasonable. People need to stop bitching about "cops" and start bitching about individuals.

 

[MTCicero]

It would be helpful if the OP could link to the post of the person who claimed that "All Cops Are Trigger-Happy Rednecks", because I can't find it.

Yeah, the OP should get it right -- it's "inbred redneck dickless assholes".

Awww! I've got a widdle stalker!

Isn't she the cutest thing?

 

[Lord Ashtar]

Actually saying they do a job they like because they like helping other people makes no sense.

Why is a person enjoying their job such a silly notion to you?

Helping someone is its own reward and if those people were really in their profession to help others, not set yourself up as being so important that you need better financial recognition, then they too should be happy on a minimum wage.

Out of sheer curiosity, what do you do for a living?

 

[gonzomax]

I heard a noise in front of my house. The cops had pulled over a couple teens. They were being very abusive and nasty to them. I went to the front yard and pretended to trim my front tree. The cop yelled at me and told me to go back in my home. I asked him what he was talking about and he bitched at me for a while threatening me with arrest for not following a police order. He eventually calmed down and went away. I felt like I saved the kids a beating.

 

[Todderbob]

I heard a noise in front of my house. The cops had pulled over a couple teens. They were being very abusive and nasty to them. I went to the front yard and pretended to trim my front tree. The cop yelled at me and told me to go back in my home. I asked him what he was talking about and he bitched at me for a while threatening me with arrest for not following a police order. He eventually calmed down and went away. I felt like I saved the kids a beating.

Aww, aren't you just a super hero savior.

 

[ivan astikov]

I'm a student of life, currently unemployed, because if I had to work for someone else, unless I was stoned, I'd end up on a charge sheet for knocking someone out.
Yes, I have anger issues and avoid them the best I can by not putting myself in situations where I get angry.

There you go; a bit more personal information, for those who like to use such things as ammo.

 

[kushiel]

I'm with the OP.

I'm also smack-dab in one of the demographics least likely to have contact with the police. Young white female driving a 4-door family sedan who doesn't smoke pot, have illegal weapons or do anything that would grab the attention of a police officer.

It's hard for me to have sympathy towards people who do something they know will get them in trouble (like carrying marijuana on their person) and then bitch when they get caught.

Why don't you get a fucking clue. No one here is saying we should sympathize with criminals. The whole point is that sometimes it's the COPS who act like criminals.

Those who view them as bastions of all that is good and right tend to turn a blind eye to their abuse of power.

I do believe that some on the other side of the fence do the opposite and think of them all as untrustworthy.

The truth lies in the middle as is usually the case.

Because almost everyone on this board that bitches about corrupt cops and how much the cops suck are people who feel like they are being violated with a metaphorical taser because they can't concealed carry.

 

[ivan astikov]

This "concealed carry" fetish tickles me. Does carrying a weapon give you some kind of a magic aura that stops criminals shooting at you, or do you just rely on your "quick draw" instincts?

 

[Hal Briston]

There you go; a bit more personal information, for those who like to use such things as ammo.

I'll forgo any fish-in-a-barrel comments and instead commend you for tossing an admission like that in a thread such as this. Gutsy.

 

[Cat Whisperer]

Just to muddy these waters a bit further, if you want to look at a truly dangerous profession, look up the statistics on injury and death for construction workers. In North America, where we have OSHA and OHS, never mind in countries where life is cheap.

Across the United States, construction ranks as the most dangerous industry, representing about 20 percent of all work-related fatalities, according to federal statistics.

Deaths rose from 1,131 in 2003 to 1,226 in 2006. By comparison, 836 workers died in mining accidents last year, and 447 died in manufacturing. The government reports between six and seven construction deaths per 1,000 workers.

(From this site.)

I always think of statistics like this when people talk about how dangerous it is to be a cop, and make excuses based on that. Which is worse - killed by a criminal or killed because your project was behind schedule?

 

[Todderbob]

Just to muddy these waters a bit further, if you want to look at a truly dangerous profession, look up the statistics on injury and death for construction workers. In North America, where we have OSHA and OHS, never mind in countries where life is cheap.

Across the United States, construction ranks as the most dangerous industry, representing about 20 percent of all work-related fatalities, according to federal statistics.

Deaths rose from 1,131 in 2003 to 1,226 in 2006. By comparison, 836 workers died in mining accidents last year, and 447 died in manufacturing. The government reports between six and seven construction deaths per 1,000 workers.

(From this site.)

I always think of statistics like this when people talk about how dangerous it is to be a cop, and make excuses based on that. Which is worse - killed by a criminal or killed because your project was behind schedule?

Playing devils advocate, Construction workers make up 20% of work related fatalities, yes -- how many do cops make up?

What is the ratio of cops to construction workers?

I think there are probably more construction workers than their are cops (maybe 2, maybe 5 times as many), and I doubt that cops make up 10%, or even 2% of the total on the job fatalities, to give it an even stat by weight... I'm just curious, as you cited one out of four numbers needed to get an accurate understanding of the situation.

 

[gonzomax]

http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/1500/1/?redirectURL=http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-04-08/the-20-most-dangerous-jobs/ Here are the top 20 occupations for injury. Cops are no.12.

 

[FoieGrasIsEvil]

http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/1500/1/?redirectURL=http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-04-08/the-20-most-dangerous-jobs/ Here are the top 20 occupations for injury. Cops are no.12.

Hm, no window washers on that list. Thought for sure they'd be on there.

 

[kushiel]

http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/1500/1/?redirectURL=http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-04-08/the-20-most-dangerous-jobs/ Here are the top 20 occupations for injury. Cops are no.12.

Hm, no window washers on that list. Thought for sure they'd be on there.

I was about to ask if you meant squeegee kids, but then realized you meant the people who wash windows on high rises.

 

[Cat Whisperer]

Just to muddy these waters a bit further, if you want to look at a truly dangerous profession, look up the statistics on injury and death for construction workers. In North America, where we have OSHA and OHS, never mind in countries where life is cheap.

Across the United States, construction ranks as the most dangerous industry, representing about 20 percent of all work-related fatalities, according to federal statistics.

Deaths rose from 1,131 in 2003 to 1,226 in 2006. By comparison, 836 workers died in mining accidents last year, and 447 died in manufacturing. The government reports between six and seven construction deaths per 1,000 workers.

(From this site.)

I always think of statistics like this when people talk about how dangerous it is to be a cop, and make excuses based on that. Which is worse - killed by a criminal or killed because your project was behind schedule?

Playing devils advocate, Construction workers make up 20% of work related fatalities, yes -- how many do cops make up?

What is the ratio of cops to construction workers?

I think there are probably more construction workers than their are cops (maybe 2, maybe 5 times as many), and I doubt that cops make up 10%, or even 2% of the total on the job fatalities, to give it an even stat by weight... I'm just curious, as you cited one out of four numbers needed to get an accurate understanding of the situation.

That's a good question; I suppose you'd need to know construction workers per capita, cops per capita, and deaths in each field. Or look at gonzo's link.

My point is more general, though - we think of cops as having a very dangerous job and give them a lot of leeway for it, when in fact there are many other jobs that are as or more dangerous.

 

[gonzomax]

Cop stories have proven to be good TV. You don't get wrapped up in programs about the work of a garbage collector . That is why people think cops have such a dangerous profession. But cop shows are dramatizations. they are not the truth. It is not nearly as dangerous as it is portrayed. But after 50 years we think they can solve any crime in an hour.
Doctor shows are the same. They have had incredible TV press for decades. That is part of the reason we think they are so special. People have been trained to believe it.

 

[FoieGrasIsEvil]

Cop stories have proven to be good TV. You don't get wrapped up in programs about the work of a garbage collector . That is why people think cops have such a dangerous profession. But cop shows are dramatizations. they are not the truth. It is not nearly as dangerous as it is portrayed. But after 50 years we think they can solve any crime in an hour.
Doctor shows are the same. They have had incredible TV press for decades. That is part of the reason we think they are so special. People have been trained to believe it.

What's really weird is that almost all of the time the camera footage is from the cop's own cruiser...and rarely does it catch him being the abusive jerk many say he is!

And when it does..."you're fired"

Amazing how that works.

 

[gonzomax]

Actually saying they do a job they like because they like helping other people makes no sense.

Why is a person enjoying their job such a silly notion to you?

Helping someone is its own reward and if those people were really in their profession to help others, not set yourself up as being so important that you need better financial recognition, then they too should be happy on a minimum wage.

Out of sheer curiosity, what do you do for a living?

A person enjoying a job? I have no problem with that.
It is a sentence that with 2 likes in it that is annoying. If you said they do the job because they like helping people .i would be OK.
I are a retired design engineer. I often was a liaison between engineering and manufacture.I kind of liked it ,except it was a life of endless deadlines that were nearly impossible to make. There was never enough time .