not accusing anyone of anything just asking a question.why does it seem that leos tend to treat everybody like they are on the 10 most wanted list? even when it's just a routine traffic stop

UM, there is no such thing as a "routine" stop.  

I think its because they get s**t on all day.  They are just human beings eh.  How long do you think your charming personality would last when your day consists of being lied to, threatened, and generally looked down upon by the people your trying to help.

Nothing short of 6 figures would get me to be a cop.  So your left with 2 types of people that become cops, type 1. those with a genuine interest in helping people, and 2. those who have something to prove to themselves, the world, their uncaring mommy, yada yada yada

of course this is all from the wild f***ing guess school of psychology [;)]

Well,when you have 87 yr old great grandmothers hauling 500 pounds of dope,12 yr old kids killing each other,people shooting at you because THEY called you to come to their house but do not like the outcome,you try to be a little bit cautious about walking up to a car.Most other LE officers including myself are Christians.We are not in a bad mood,mad ect.nor do we think we are better than anyone else.We just do things a little different than the general public.Like everyone else,we just want to go home safe at the end of EVERY day.As far as the pay,most of us have more than one job to pay the bills.We do not do it for the money but for the people that realy need us.I am a fourth generation po.It's just in the blood.God Bless...

i'n not defending the attitude most cops have but I can most certainly understand it. I've worked side by side with cops for over 13 yrs and I can never do what they do. They get abused repeatedly, day after day after day and they must sit there and endure it. Nobody ever calls 911 when they're happy. Only when they're pissed, upset, suicidal, or emotionally disturbed do they call the police. So, by definition, cops enter a hostile and confrontational environment on almost every call. How would you like to be a caucasion cop in a minority neighborhood? You are a racist by default and are treated as such irregardless of whether you are or are not doing the 'right thing'. And god forbid if you strike a minority.....

As far as car stops go they are considered to be one of the riskiest 'routine' things police officers do (the other is domestic disputes). One never knows if the person behind the wheel is a cop killer, a dope slinger, intoxicated, or high on narcotics. Age ans sex mean nothing. I've seen 70+ year old men and women hiding drugs in  their grandkids diapers for god sakes. You can't imagine what goes on. I don't blame the cops for being very wary during car stops. I know I would be if I was a cop.

When I get pulled over I do whatever it takes to put the cop at ease. Turn on the interior light, turn off the engine, keep hands in sight at all times, make slow and deliberate movements, etc.........

I don't know but it seems most cops I've dealt with have been cool.

There is also always that one bad apple in the barrel that spoils everybody's reputation.  Most of the LEOs that I have met were very professional and easy to get along with.  However there was once when I got pulled over and I treated the guy just like every other cop I have ever been pulled over by and got a 20 minute lecture about cr*p.  

My $.02

Doorgunner you nailed it on the head.

To “liquorbox”. Do I have the name right?

Hmm. 22 years - 17 in uniform, 12 non-supervisory. Large city in the east. Now retired.

4 on 3 off. That’s (roughly) 200 days times 12 years  = 2400  work days.

Let’s be conservative and average it to 3 traffic stops per shift to account for different seasons, time of day, etc. My department had dedicated traffic officers, but that never appealed to me.

That’s  7,200 total traffic stops.

One complaint.  Yep, just one. Oh, lots of people  went to court because they didn’t like getting a ticket, but who does?  Personally, I didn’t like writing them, but then - it’s part of the job. A cop who never writes a ticket is gonna hear about it.

Are you sure you don’t bring out the worst in people?  That is not an excuse for the police officer, just something to think about. Your experience may not be typical, and of course mine may not be either, but if I had to guess I’d say I’m more familiar with the subject than you are.

Justin - No offense, but be careful with the broad generalization of the religious affiliation of police officers. It might be a regional thing.

Mike

I've always given the cops a friendly greeting when I happen to meet them, for whatever reason. The problem most people have with the cops is that they instantly treat 'em (cops) like they are "the enemy." Me? I have no ill will toward ANY cop, and I let 'em know it, through my actions and the attitude I show them. And ya know what? Never a problem.

I've been a road patrol officer here in Miami for the past 19 yrs.
Miami to say the least is a high crime, and  hostile environment.
I believe that one becomes a product of their environment, but that is still no excuse for lousy weak minded police work.
WE ARE PROFESSIONALS gentlemen, and ladies.
We are at the line between good and evil, to stop the evil, not become a party to it.

Stay strong in mind and SPIRIT, don't give in to the stereo type of sarcasm, as a sign of maturity.

Our job is demanding, but the honor comes to those WHO SERVE OTHERS.

You all take good care!

TroDog  

My two cents is this:

I believe that anybody doing any job needs to be as safe as possible.  I would vote for morters and missles if that is what was required to help police men/ women be safe.  I have never liked the idea of not having the tools I need when other people put their lives in my hands, and reciprocate that to anybody.  

With that said, police are trained to handle difficult people and provide a public service.  Many of us are in trained to provide a public service, mine happens to be anesthesia, its time to pick a new carreer or get an attitude adjustment if you can't handle the vocation inwhich your were trained to do.  Everybody can be made accountable through litigation.  

flashman
thanx for the input/info.didn't think what i've put up with the last few times i have been stopped was normal thats why i asked the question,looks like i've just been real lucky lately.
as far as tickets go i've only gotten 2 that didn't earn or deserve(20 years)and i prevailed in court,everything else i earned,nothing in the last 5. to everybody again thanx for the answers

You deal with irate, immature, and pissed off citizens all day and then ask me why LEO's always have attitude.

I always try to give respect first and my department teaches approach determines response but most citizens are pissed off at you that they got pulled over for something they did wrong.

So they can go home alive

At one time (years ago) I had a job working with the public (convenience store), lasted 10 months, never do it again. I truly understand. I hate people too. 99% of the population is either a thief or just rude. Screw'em all.

Funny, but sometimes I get more respect from convicts that know the system than drunken bank VP's who start that "I pay your salary" crap.

I once had an interesting conversation with a convict trustee who promised me that he'd "take care" of a lippy drunk I had booked. He verified a thought I had about how long the average [puke] off the street would last in the joint before he got killed just because of his bad manners (answer: about 15 minutes).

Attitude and intimidation are the first lines of defense.  By creating an authoritative atmoshpere, a piece of shit scumbag is less likely to try something.  An LEO who smiles and jokes with people they don't personally know, will lose some of this atmosphere and will have less command of the situation.

First of all, Callahan is completely right- THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A 'ROUTINE' TRAFFIC STOP.  There are no 'low-risk' traffic stops, there are only high-risk and unknown-risk stops.  Every time I stop a car for a traffic infraction, I have no idea who (or what) is in the car.  I've had polite, respectful treatment from hardcore felons who had felony warrants, and I've had to fight with Joe Businessman who had a bad day and thought I was picking on him for giving him a speeding ticket.  I've had normal-looking citizens try to run me over on a traffic stop.  Other officers have had well-dressed, professional-looking women pull guns and try to kill them just because they were tired of getting tickets.

Here's the problem.  When you, Joe Citizen, get pulled over for speeding or whatever, you know that you are just a normal guy who happened to make a mistake.  You know that you don't have any weapons or drugs in the car, and would never in your wildest dreams think of assaulting the officer.  The difficulty comes when the officer doesn't treat you like he knows these things, too.  You assume that the officer should intuitively know that you are 'one of the good guys'.   Frequently, people get offended and think the officer is being rude when really all they are doing is being firm.  Most people don't like being told what to do, no matter how professionally it is done, and will perceive this as rudeness on the officer's part.

It's true that some officers have difficulty being firm but polite and remaining in control of an encounter without coming across as overly aggressive or badge-heavy.  This is a skill that is learned only with experience.  Some officers don't have good people skills and never learn how to be truly professional.  That's life, folks.  We don't have a giant pool of perfect people from which to draw police recruits.  In fact, the quality of recruits seems to be going down nationwide, for a number of reasons that I won't get into here.

Liquorbox, I have to say that by far the majority of cops I've talked to have been cool.  Thinking back there have been only 2 that had attitudes.  One was a complete mental case.  Obviously, way stressed out.  I really hope he doesn't get whooped.  This guy was just a traffic cop.  I would imagine that city police have a lot more stress.  Percentage wise I would say that I run into just as many civilians with attitudes.

What really leaves a bad taste in my mouth is the way the media treats cops.  It used to be that way for the military. Now we can do no wrong - relatively speaking. I can't believe it takes something like the WTC for the media to give the police some credit.

The one thing I didn't see mentioned as a factor is fear. We are taught to use anger to help control fear. Might not be the best idea for a traffic cop.

When I was a Para Medic years ago, and currently in the ER, I found the following to be true.
LEOs are either real good guys or a**holes, nothing in between.
In the rural areas the LEOs were usually real good guys, usually 90% good, 10% a**holes.
In the big city it was just the other way around.
It not that I didn't like any of them, I just would rather work with the Rural LEOs.
When we get into the Feds..............that's another story.  In civilian life and Mil life I hated working with the FBI or the spooks.  Man what a group of self righteous, above the law thinking, egotistical jerks.  Its no wonder the locals hate them.
I play golf and sport shoot with a lot of these guys, met most of them in a medical class I was teaching, and on the job.
I guess I know why they become A**holes, I just don't understand why they would choose to stay in a line of work where your first thought each morning is regret that you have to go to work and hatered of the people they will have to deal with everyday.
good luck you guys
DA