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Posted: 1/15/2006 6:35:25 AM EDT
[#1]
BTW:
I voted "doing a tough job under scrutiny." I don't think 99.9% of officers join the force to harrass the public out of malice of memory. I do, however, think they feel alienated at times and are subject to bad days and bad decesions just like the rest of us, but fall prey to exposure because of their job. What started out as an attitude of wanted to help can quickly turn to ire under these circumstances; and I personally think that if the media would knock their shit off and report fairly and equally, rather than sniffing for blood in the water, the general public would be better off. For those of you who do not know, I am writing a book on LE/Non-LE unity. This won't be an official poll, but it peaks my interest. |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 6:37:13 AM EDT
[#2]
I think they are good people doing a tough job under scrutiny and on this board are just like us and would bust ass to protect our rights.
A lot of folks on this board think there should be no police, and everything they do is wrong. I don't understand how you can try to argue about incidents in which you have zero information about. ie the Dallas police/rollerskate thread. 
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Posted: 1/15/2006 6:39:22 AM EDT
[#3]
WHY do people keep making 5 option polls?
Alternatively, WHy can't goatboy fix the polls? |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 6:41:26 AM EDT
[#4]
What's wrong with 5-option polls? |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 6:42:47 AM EDT
[#5]
I really believe that the police have a very hard job to do and that they do it as well as they can.
The unfortunate thing is that because of political policies which they have no part in formulating the police are used as tax enforcers through the issuand of speeding ticked and other fines. Most law abiding citizens do not see the really tough work that LE does. There only experience with LE is being pulled over on the highway and being given a ticket. Sad really. |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 6:45:22 AM EDT
[#6]
I voted:
Constantly think they are above non-LE and not subject to the same rules There are quite a few good guys though
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Posted: 1/15/2006 6:52:32 AM EDT
[#7]
I think most cops are doing the best jobs they can with the tools they are given. The cops here in Austin are under constant scrutiny from the media. All they have to do is put a minority in a wrist lock and the NAACP, LULAC, and every other fringe nut group comes out and says they are racist. It's crap, and it has to wear on you. My hats are off to them. Most of the ones I work side by side with are good guys, and IMO seem to be doing a good job.
On the flip side, there will always be assholes at any job, and I am sure the police department is no different. They are just higher profile assholes with the ability to shoot you. |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 6:53:33 AM EDT
[#8]
Which is much of what I'd like to convey in the work. There is an "us versus them" attitude, but I honestly believe much of the animosity is misdirected. I hate to generalize, but many of us fall prey to attitudes we have yet to truly examine because we search for a certain clique to adhere to. On this board, and others, that is typically regulated to two classes: cop bashers and cop supporters. I doubt very seriously either classification is correct and without flaw - the problem with text-only discussions, I suppose. |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 6:53:56 AM EDT
[#9]
I say it is really all of the above.............
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Posted: 1/15/2006 6:55:58 AM EDT
[#10]
So, two questions for you: 1. What drove you to that decision (no need to be specific)? 2. Any interest in answering any screening questions to be included? |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 6:57:54 AM EDT
[#11]
I'd say every choice is represented by different cops in every department.
some are high and mighty, some are good guys, some are just plain stupid. kind of like the general public, except these guys have arrest powers. |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 7:00:59 AM EDT
[#12]
That's what happens when the media sharks smell blood and people start throwing the race card around There's no winning as long as people remain complacent in their ignorance and jump on any bandwagon because someone with the same etnicity as them spews hatred. Sad, but true. Many professors I work with have commented to me, "Oh, so you are pro-police, eh?" I just respond, "No. But I am anti bullshit and not afraid to call you on it." |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 7:02:38 AM EDT
[#13]
Every occupation has it's assholes and they are the ones you remember and who you tend to characterize the rest with.
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Posted: 1/15/2006 7:03:21 AM EDT
[#14]
Well, yes, of course. But the idea is to formulate a generic opinion. Any career choice will have all of the poll choices within their ranks. |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 7:03:36 AM EDT
[#15]
The 4th and 5th option always have the same number of votes, and the total never adds up right. Also why can't goatboy fix the spell check, too? It's described in the benefits for a membership! Edited to add that IMO most cops are good but there a number of assholes too. That could be said about any occupation, though. From my limited experience, in rural areas about 90% are good and in urban areas about 75% are good. |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 7:04:55 AM EDT
[#16]
Which is a sign of ignorance to the actual facts and adds to bias through a lack of realistic information... Wouldn't you agree? |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 7:06:42 AM EDT
[#17]
I like the skirts roller girls wear.
G |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 7:08:22 AM EDT
[#18]
Oh, I see. I have created 2 polls, I think, so I was not aware of that. Perhaps next time I will limit the options to vote only one option and limit the options more carefully. As for the spell check, I don't use it so I had no idea it was broken. Type it into Word and then copy and paste here until it is fixed. Just a suggestion. I didn't know non-team members didn't have the spell check feature. |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 7:09:25 AM EDT
[#19]
Hey, buddy, no argument there! I didn't reply to the thread, but I sure liked the pictures! She was a cutie. |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 7:13:20 AM EDT
[#20]
"All of the above".
Most cops are good guys, but just like in any profession, there's that bottom 10%. It's easy for people to get carried away when they're given authoritah. LEO's need to be held to a high standard because an asshole cop, unlike a plain-vanilla asshole, can really screw up your life. |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 7:14:28 AM EDT
[#21]
I think it varies widely between departments. I know one PD locally that are a bunch of assholes. They commit crimes and use their cop status to get off and they act like they are above everyone. I had a judge agree with me about the cops in this certain town. On the other hand, I have had totally positive interactions with some other departments. I think a huge amount of the division between so called "cop bashers" and "JBT apologists" simply comes from what the departments are like in their local area. Clearly if you live in/near a town where the cops are corrupt jerks you will always be suspicious of any cops actions. On the other hand, if all the cops you know are really nice, you are going to think people that complain about JBT's are really just people that got what they deserved and are distorting the facts afterwards.
The biggest problem I see it the unilateralism among some people on this issue. It seems like some people can never accept a cop did right, or a cop did wrong. It is this kind of dillusion that scares me. |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 7:24:06 AM EDT
[#22]
Sometimes the issues are not clear enough to accept any gray area. Once again, I apply this to the media sulking around every corner looking for bad news and those who vehemently buy into it. Ignorance is one of those things that is comfortable because one needent question their so-called knowledge. Think about it. How many teachers actually support the "No Child Left Behind" act? How many cops would love to not have to do the paperwork that stems from an arrest for a joint? How many construction workers are upset that they have to tie off over 8 feet? How many parents want to be arrested because our kid stole something and we beat their ass, only to be labled as child abusers? They gray area is never reported, because that is not what brings in the support. We have become an ignorant society that believes anything we see or read - when we can understand it, of course. |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 7:31:10 AM EDT
[#23]
+1  |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 7:32:55 AM EDT
[#24]
Yep. Some of the cops I know who were assholes, were assholes to everyone, including other cops. |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 7:38:42 AM EDT
[#25]
What is with all of theses Cop threads.....
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Posted: 1/15/2006 7:39:27 AM EDT
[#26]
If I could, I would vote for the two above. Since I can't, I won't. There are assholes in every profession. I figure LEOs are just seen more than other professions, so it may seem like there are more. You should work construction for a while... |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 7:44:55 AM EDT
[#27]
Is it taught to the cops that they should confiscate all of a homeowners guns when the homeowner uses ONE of them to take down an intruder? Is that one of the "rules" the blindly follow?
For the most part I think cops are more of a psychological and visual deterent than anything else. Show me statistics of how many cops prevent a crime in progress or before one happens as opposed to showing up to take a statement, fill out a report, and/or fill a body bag. The idea of police keeps honest people honest. Criminals are still criminals and still commit crime, sometimes taing cops down with them. In the case of highway police, they're more of a problem than a solution. Any time I'm driving and traffic is flowing good and all of a suddent comes to a crawl, more times than not it's because a trooper has merged into the flow and everyone drops down to or below the posted speed limit or because a cop has someone pulled over and people think the cop is going "see" someone going 10mph over and chase them down in the middle of writing a ticket. |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 7:45:21 AM EDT
[#28]
Was an Industrial Electrical Foreman for over 8 years, and been in the trade since 1993. Done everything from helper to Project Manager. The irony is not lost on me. |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 7:47:59 AM EDT
[#29]
The middle three options for the majority of police in my area.
The bar needs to be raised concerning the qualifications of LEOs. I love the laws of this country, and have nothing but respect for Policemen who uphold the law and arrest criminals. When they start thinking that they are somehow above those whom they serve and harrass good citizens, there is nothing worse in my book. |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 7:48:33 AM EDT
[#30]
You're confusing policy with policing. Two totally different animals. You do the job assigned, even though you may not agree with all the ways you are told to do it. Now, there are lines that cannot be crossed, of course... I would never respect a cop that came for my guns. But I'll respect the one who holds policy and does not lose his job issuing me a ticket like he or she is told. Big difference, depending on perspective. |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 7:51:27 AM EDT
[#31]
Mine is a little different. Read the very first two posts, specifically the second one, and you'll know why I posted it. Posting in a thread after reading the original post is not conducive to being a part of an active and intelligent conversation. Hint: I am writing a book and just gauging responses - as was said in the first reply to my thread, and by me no less! 
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Posted: 1/15/2006 7:52:37 AM EDT
[#32]
Good point. Elaborate? |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 7:58:24 AM EDT
[#33]
But aren't police enforcers of town/state/county policy. Policing and policy go hand in hand, don't they? |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 8:02:15 AM EDT
[#34]
Commercial elect here - been a foreman, never PM. Got no plans of being a foreman again - too much...well, you know. |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 8:12:01 AM EDT
[#35]
Decent people doing a tough job under one sided rules. a job only about 1:1000 people is qualified for and only about 1:10,000 would be good at.
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Posted: 1/15/2006 8:13:24 AM EDT
[#36]
I notice if you give a LEO a small ammount of respect, he will appreciate it and give you more if not the same back. Its just the smaller percentage that makes you hate all cops. Its kind of ironic, police officers pleaing us not to "profile" them.
 I also notice the bigger the city, the more down to earth the cop will be. You tell a cop to stay safe or something, they get off on that. lol
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Posted: 1/15/2006 8:14:28 AM EDT
[#37]
It is different. The background checks, and mental heath screeing means there is a lower asshole:goodguy ratio than the average work place. |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 8:22:04 AM EDT
[#38]
I agree. Only the best applicants should be hired. A lessor quality applicant should never being hired instead due to family ties, gender, or "diversity." The only smart thing Bernard Parks ever said was "Rampart was the story of gangsters who became cops, not cops who became gangsters." That quote should be posted on the wall of every LE recruiting office in the nation. read that when they are considering overlooking those "petty" crimes in the applicants backgrounds be he she fill a certain diversity goal. For a while we were so desperite to hire female asians that I'm surpised we were not pulling them out of the rub & tug massage parlors and offering them a choice of a academy slot or jail. We rolled one out becuase she simple could not meet the post standards for impact weapons. in training and testing she always went for the head. |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 8:25:44 AM EDT
[#39]
Of course, bro! But with elections come policy changes. A person who was hired to enforce laws 10 years ago can face a myriad of changes. We, as non-LE, are subject to those changes. But if they disagree, they can't bitch about it. They can end a career or go with it. Like I said, there are lines to be drawn, but DUI checkpoints would not meet my criteria for a change of career. Banning guns, of course, IS a career-ending event for MOST cops - I would think. So yes, policy and policing go hand in hand, but only to an extent. When the "don't ask, don't tell" policy in the Army was effected, I didn't desert my country or go AWOL. I did my job. Homosexual haters would then call me a "conformist?" Not much difference, really, except in the comprehension and perception. And it is indeed all about the perception, sir. Your thoughts? |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 8:32:07 AM EDT
[#40]
Oh yes, my friend, I know all too well. I've done Industrial, Commercial, and Residential. From stringing Romex to terminating 12,470 swithching stations... From digging ditches to bidding and running work... From bonuses to threats of being fired... BTDT! It ain't always fun, and no where else can the adage, "shit rolls downhill" be found to be more applicable. I was told at one time, "You WILL learn at least enough Spanish to allow non-English speaking individuals on your crew as helpers." I told them to go fuck themselves and handed in my Nextel that day. Policy is not lost on me! I didn't mind being a foreman, because I like stress. But the bullshit antics that went with it were too much. I imagine cops feel similiar. |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 8:37:31 AM EDT
[#41]
Fuckin A, a big +1. Raise the bar, eliminate a butt-load of current problems. Fat women trying to prove themselves should NOT be allowed any uniform, any time, for any reason. Want diversity? Hire the best, the better, and the proven. Everything else is PC compliance. Do a search for GlockGirl23, a cop here. No more disdain exists than what she feels by working her ass off to make it when they are now giving the positions away. Raise the bar, and change the standards. A clean record does not make you qualified to police the public. MHO. |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 8:39:02 AM EDT
[#42]
Mutual respect is key in any aspect of one's life, bro. Good post. |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 8:40:27 AM EDT
[#43]
I'm going to address two good points brought up so far.
Of course police are a psychological tool. That's why there are uniforms, dedicated patrols, marked cars, neighborhood watches, and the guy in the stupid "McGruff" suit. It works very well. Next, police DO catch a lot of crime in progress. Maybe 40% of my felony arrests on patrol were that way. Car thieves for example.(I used to cruise mall parking lots for them) Burglaries are another. Of course, DWI's or selling crack on the street corner by their very nature are crimes in progress. Can't arrest for a lot of stuff unless I observe it. |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 8:40:53 AM EDT
[#44]
Our shop sent a letter around offering Spanish classes. As I understand it, no one applied. 
Stress I can deal with; BS just pisses me off to no end. I'm working at the new Plant That Will Help Destroy The American Auto Industry - otherwise known as the Toyota plant - here in SA. I've been building the mock-ups here; racks, disconnets, panels, etc. Way too many Japanese dudes always over my shoulders taking pics... One thing I will say, Toyota manages their QC program very well. About a month ago I was working up on the catwalk, and BOOM!! the bldg went dark. Another electrical contractor terminated 13.8K conductors in a One conductor (a hot) was actually resting on a metal part - they told me the exact part, but I don't remember what it was. Insulation wore through and SHAZAM!! EDIT: damn, I'm hijacking the crap out of your thread...sorry, man. I gotta go anyway. |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 8:53:24 AM EDT
[#45]
I think most cops are good but there are a number of ass holes like in any demographic. The problem is in general, the police don't do a good job of policing their ranks. The result is one bad apple tends to spoil the whole bunch in some people's mind.
Bomber |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 9:03:54 AM EDT
[#46]
#3, #4, and partial #2 for the vast majority of police.
This countries law enforcement went from being "civilian peace officers" to militaristic law enforcement. There is no question that the police are "more equal" then the citizen when it comes to rights and powers, and is a protected class. |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 9:10:09 AM EDT
[#47]
Hi Richard, good to see another GlockTalk refugee over here. Also good to see the book is going well.
 I voted #5, but as an LEO myself, I may be a little biased. |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 9:16:54 AM EDT
[#48]
Certainly not. There is much more to it than that. But a dirty record should certainly disqualify you. |
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Posted: 1/15/2006 9:20:04 AM EDT
[#49]
No worries about a hijack. My thread, my rules, and I like other sparkies sharing their opinions
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Posted: 1/15/2006 9:20:15 AM EDT
[#50]
I would definitley not agree with #2....there are definitely some (very few, but some) on this board who would be first at your door to collect your guns if a ban was passed. And the first to shoot you and your wife, kids, and dog if you refused to comply... |
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