Internet Cop Bashing

[quikdraw67]

All of my interactions with cops have been positive, even when I got a speeding ticket.

We deal with PSP at accident scenes, and they are professionals.

Yes, I have a brother and numerous cousins who are retired LEO.

But my take is that those that bash cops had a negative interaction due to their actions.

JMHO YMMV

 

[venomballistics]

If it were JUST internet cop bashing, that'd just be their God given constitutional rights.
Since you, as law enforcement officers, swear an oath to protect and uphold those rights, perhaps we could enjoy the irony.
We've endured a fair string of riots in this country over related issues. Its not confined to the web.
As I've read the accounts of those such as Charlie Sherril, and the Faulkner files, I pray many of the old guard make it to retirement. this isn't your generations mess.
I really think there's a higher concentration of those who want cops dead, and are willing to facilitate it than there used to be.

 

[Beemerguy53]

I am the son-in-law, brother, and father of law enforcement officers...all honorable men who served or are serving the citizens with integrity...so my views might be considered a bit -- ahem! -- biased.

The vast majority of cops do a tough, challenging job, and they do it well. On any given day, they have to function as cops, medics, lawyers, psychiatrists, social workers, mechanics, veterinarians, building inspectors, negotiators, counselors, and more.

Are there bad cops? Of course...no surprise there. But the real question is what police agencies do about them, and these days, they diligently avoid hiring those who can't hack it, and get rid of those on the job who perform poorly.

I worked with Baltimore cops every day of my 30 year Fire Department career. They used to tell us there was no way they would ever go into burning buildings for a living; I used to tell them I could never be a cop because I have no tolerance for knuckleheads, and because police cars aren't big enough to hold all the ammo I would want to carry...

Old cop, thanks for your service...enjoy your retirement...

 

[Skeet 028]

Worked around cops my whole FD career. Admins tried to make us Public safety to save money...Luckily, we blocked that. Wouldn't want to be a cop. Where I worked was where the admin people sent all the cops with troubles in their history. Kinda seemed the biggest troubles for most of those cops were administrators. Seems to me being a cop was a thankless job. And I did Fire investigation(fire cop?). Most of the problems we had with the police was caused by the people they had to deal with. I saw some things done by police that should not have happened. and a few times I called 'em to task for their actions. I even got called to testify at trials. 98% or more of the time the police were not guilty of what they were charged with by the public. Working around/with/for the public is hard. Working as a paramedic with all our safeguards for dealing with people at their worst guaranteed people attempting to sue us for their own actions. Cops are no different than anyone else out there...we all get POd with what happens. Thankfully we have people that put themselves at risk for us.. BTW...that does not include the administrators.

 

[LVSteve]

Be careful what you wish for with the qualified immunity thing. If it goes away for the cops, then it will go away for everyone else. It will become impossible for any city or town to do business. Contrary to what you may hear or want to believe, qualified immunity does not protect anyone who commits a negligent or criminal action in performance of their duties.

It will become impossible for any city or town to do business.

Towns and cities shouldn't be doing business. They should be meeting the needs of the residents.

Contrary to what you may hear or want to believe, qualified immunity does not protect anyone who commits a negligent or criminal action in performance of their duties.

I got a good laugh out of that one. Who runs the disciplinary/investigation process in many places? Why the city/town council, of course! No conflict of interest there, I'm sure.

 

[biku324]

You need to get up to snuff on law.

Cities and counties are 'municipal corporations.' Qualified immunity protects municipal corporations and lawful employees from damages if actions of their employees are within the scope of their duties and were performed within the scope of their training. Whether those action were in fact within bounds is inevitably a question for the courts, not executive agencies.

 

[Mule Packer]

When I hear individuals make negative remarks about all law enforcement in general, I'm reminded of a quote by Samuel Johnson.

"A fly may sting a stately horse and make it wince, but one is still a stately horse and the other still a fly."​

- Samuel Johnson​

Bottom line...just consider the source.

 

[UncleEd]

I've had quite a few police friends. Good
people.

But being from Chicago, I'm also aware of
how rotten segments of police forces can
be. The memory of the Summerdale
scandal is still pretty fresh for me.

And not so long ago I read of how a
leading Chicago detective ran a jewelry
theft ring across the U.S.

And very recently, anyone here know of
Chicago LEO Ronald Watts?

It only takes one officer out of 100 or
200 to spoil the image of all the rest.

Bad cops need to be harshly treated.

 

[Rustyt1953]

Cops are not conscripts. They sign on the dotted line of their own volition to receive pay knowing full well what the job entails. How they deport themselves is now in the public eye as video cameras abound.

The negative and unprofessional video encounters will be plastered on the web more quickly and more widespread than the positive interactions.

Good, ethical cops are smeared with and carry the stains of the bad ones thereby garnering mistrust from the masses.

Tis the age we live in.

 

[Ghost Magnum]

One of my pastors helpers is a career police officer. He fills in for my pastor occasionally. He uses his experience as a police officer to preach from the Bible from his perspective. Modern anti police politics and the injustices he witness throughout his life really drives home the world view of police officers.

 

[Pisgah]

A good cop's worst enemy is a bad cop, and the reason cop-bashing has become so widespread is because of the perception that it is almost impossible to get rid of obvious bad ones. My county suffered for quite a while under a Sheriff who eventually went to prison for numerous federal felony convictions accompanied by his upper-echelon staff. Our new Sheriff had a tough job regaining public confidence, but he has succeeded at amazing speed because he is the type of officer we ALL want on the job, and he will not tolerate anyone under him who is not equally dedicated and professional.

If you're one of the good guys, go after the bad ones. Everything will turn around, fast...

 

[Kanewpadle]

I give cops the benefit of the doubt until they prove otherwise.

 

[sigp220.45]

“The tree remembers what the axe forgets.”

Looks like we have some trees here.

I have put three cops in prison, for what its worth. One is still on death row.

 

[Xfuzz]

Retired 30-year Big City Copper...

If I had been looking for love I would have
joined the Fire Department.

 

[biku324]

“The tree remembers what the axe forgets.”

Looks like we have some trees here.

I have put three cops in prison, for what its worth. One is still on death row.

A criminal with a badge is still a criminal.

 

[MelvinWalker]

I personally caught a dirty one red handed. I knew I caught him before he could think of a lie, so I made him sign a statement immediately. He was fired and I never saw him again. The department declined to prosecute for fear of publicity.

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

Retired 30-year Big City Copper...

If I had been looking for love I would have
joined the Fire Department.

Reminds me of the advice a senior E-6 in the Navy gave me when I made E-6: If you're not pissing someone off, you're doing something wrong.

 

[Ματθιας]

I'm not anti-police, I'm anti-bad cop. Society needs police.

The problem is that there are a number of bad apples, and they do what they do because some of their colleagues look the other way.

The other thing is that since everybody has a camera, police interactions are posted for everyone to see and comment on.

 

[lkabug]

Old Cop, your rant is well deserved.

 

[IAM Rand]

Kinda funny how this was started as a condemnation of cop bashers on other websites and there are some here that appear to be of that same camp. Cops are just like everyone else.

There are bad priests, firefighters, congress members, postal workers, etc. How long does it stay on the nightly news when one of them does something bad. But a cop does something bad and it burns for weeks on every news media outlet. Whether we do it right or wrong it is all the optics and we all get branded with the same iron. When one of the other does something bad, it was just a rotten apple.

What we see, smell, taste day in and day out builds up. Some can handle it, others get destroyed by it. Yet we all get affected by it and somehow we keep on going on. I am not going to call out the sour grapes here but, you know who you are. What is the saying, "Walk a mile in someone else's shoes before criticizing them." So you have gotten a ticket from them or a less than sympathetic attitude from an officer. Instead of condemning that officer, wonder what made him/her that way. What have they seen, smelled, or tasted that so affected them to become what you so despise.