by minimus 103 Replies latest jw friends
The police agencies in this area require a bachelors degree. But then think of all the business executives with their degrees and how trustworthy they are.
The difference, Blondie, is that business executives don't have any legitimate pretext to beat the shit out of you if you don't do what they tell you to do.
The attitude of city cops largely depends on the social and political climate of that city.
I'm sure that's true to a point. I think the chief of police and his ideals makes a difference also. An example:
Our old police chief was bound and determined to crack down on speeders...so he put patrol officers out in speed traps to catch speeders. All they did was sit and wait for a speeder and write tickets. If there was a call, they'd go do that and then find a new spot to sit and wait.
And they did this in the more affluent areas...they didn't do it in the seedier areas. It wasn't safe enough in cracktown. People in the nicer areas were less likely to give you lip or cause a scene. They're favorite day to do it was Sunday morning. Church goers rarely shoot cops.
But the new chief retracted that style of policing speeders. He put them on patrol. Imagine that...patrol officers actually patrolling. Now they're in traffic and their presence alone keeps people in the area slowed down and they don't have to write as many tickets. We'll see how long this lasts though. Revenue to the city will go down with the number of tickets written going down.
This is a small example but it shows that what the chief (or in your point, the city council) wants to emphasize can make a difference in the makeup of the force and how they are viewed by the community.
JWoods: "One bad apple. With today's instant news obsession, even if it were 1 bad act out of a million difficult calls, it is going to get played for a week complete with the videotape."
No, I do not trust them. As for that 'one in a million' or even one in a thousand cliche it is absurd to think that any institution or group of people has such a fantastically high degree of integrity. Second, from what I've personally seen and first hand reports I've heard they; kick frail and homeless people sleeping on a bus bench, steal your weapons after recovering them from thiefs who burglarized your home, rape your sister, beat up on people they've chased on the highways, etc. None of these examples came from the media.
villabolo
The PDs are usually a reflection of their bosses. But I think many chiefs do not look into every situation. They let the captains take care of that. Basically, I believe cops should be respected (because they've got a gun and I don't).
Yes, I trust them; I work for the police.
There are many honest, caring, ones out there.
One day, I'm going to write that book. I am!
Sylvia
The PDs are usually a reflection of their bosses. But I think many chiefs do not look into every situation. They let the captains take care of that. Basically, I believe cops should be respected (because they've got a gun and I don't).
And because the alternative is open anarchy. BTW, we have had extreme ups and downs in the quality of the police department in both Dallas and Fort Worth. It has largely depended on the integrity of the Chief at the time. Some may remember the cop who was accused (with quite a bit of evidence) of trying to take out a hit-man contract on Dallas Cowboy's wide receiver Michael Irvin? Took quite a bit of doing to get him off the force, too. Other locals might recall a certain black Chief who immediately demoted or fired every single high-ranking officer that he could find if they were white or hispanic. Wrecked the department morale for more than 2 years for everybody involved - both those promoted and those demoted alike.
Police forces are filled with blockheads who barely scraped through high school, have not the intelligence and mental discipline for college, are addicted to adrenaline rushes, and who are attracted to a position of power. Why in the world would I trust such a person?
This is soooo true.
I have not even a traffic ticket on my record so I'm in no way biased and I live in an area that is rated one of the top 5 places to live in the United States. This is because it is loaded with law enforcement residents.
"Blockheads" is the word that comes to mind when I think of all FOUR police/sherriff officers that live on my street! My daughters were out walking at dusk and get stopped by a law enforcement and told to "go home" ... "you have no business out this time of night". First they were interrogated. They were two 17 year olds walking on the sidewalk at dusk!!!
Another time one was sitting in a pick up truck at the park behind my house in perfect view from my bedroom window. She was breaking up with her boyfriend and wanted privacy. It was 8:00 PM. A police officer picks her up, tells her to get in his car and drives her home "for her own protection."
Totally ridiculous overboard behavior from people making $80,000 per year with no real crime to fight! You can't drive down the street without seeing at least one cop car! Seriously.
And then you hear of all the corruption that goes on and it baffles the mind. I just imagine them sitting in their living rooms smoking the weed they stole from the 35 year old's back yard that morning....
Oh, I forgot the cop they call the "Hammer" because he punches his suspects straight in the forehead and knocks them out cold. They end up with 3rd degree concussions and then are accused of either accosting an officer or fleeing the scene.
No regard for the Constitution (doubt they've read it) or the Bill of Rights (ditto).
And then they laugh about it and tell these stories at the block parties on the 4th of July!
And because the alternative is open anarchy.
LOL. I don't know if you realize this or not, but society largely polices itself. Cops enforce the laws that happen to be important at that particular time, in that particular place, due to politics and social prejudice. I think you'd have a hard time accepting the fact that the vast majority of crimes go unpunished, but it's true. Which activities the government chooses to criminalize has very little to do with staving off anarchy. Instead, most policing is done to keep social classes seperate.
Why are so many people openly negative about cops? They are people with jobs just like anyone else. Some are good, some are not so good. That's why cases go to the courts. Just a few things for which cops are invaluable:
Now, ask yourself how difficult it would be for you to perform all of these tasks of protecting and serving the public in a polite and respectful manner when you are confronted with attitudes such as a few of the ones on this thread.
