How can police officers get away with being a$$es?

[8circles]

First, let me just say that I am not anti-police at all. I know a few personally & they're great people. The ones in my small town are amazing even. But I just had to call the police department in the nearest big city & it was beyond unpleasant. It left me in tears. & I received no help at all.

 

Story: I was in an accident almost a month ago. I called the police at the scene & was told that for minor accidents just exchange info & report the accident ASAP in person. I exchanged information with the other driver (as much as he was willing to give) & then went to the police department. They gave me an accident form & told me to fill it out as best as I can. The officer explaining it actually said "you don't need all the information about the other driver, just give what information you have". So I sent in the form with the driver's name, license plate & VIN number. It was sent back indicating not enough information about the other driver. I called the non-emergency number to ask how I should proceed from here & was treated like an idiot & as if I were making accusations against the police department. :confused: What a way to start the day.

 

I feel bad for all the people who have to count on people like that to keep them safe. I know it isn't rational but this is why I don't like people. People suck.

[mommaduck]

Unfortunately, yes, they are allowed to be...

 

Sorry, you're having to deal with the horse's rear end of one.

[Riverland]

I have been very unimpressed with the police officers in our area. They treat people very poorly. Especially with teenagers... youth group playing ghost tag in a public park near the church, rounded up like criminals, police not allowing them to leave until parents physically come, kids told they may have to go to juvy for the night, one kid threatened with deportation because his parents were out of town, names recorded in case there is further "trouble" at that park, THEN changing attitude to be much nicer once parents start arriving.... All this for ghost tag 1/2 hour after dusk (around 7pm) in a safe, trouble-free neighborhood. Seriously?

 

My BIL is a former police officer in a neighboring town. When I share the stories of our town, he says the officers are on a power trip. I agree.

 

I know there are many good officers, but it only takes a few to ruin the reputation of the whole force.

[Amy in NH]

One officer in a small town near here tormented a guy to the point where the guy snapped and shot him. Everyone knew about the ongoing problem. There were no consequences for the officer. When he pulled the guy over on the fateful night, the guy asked for a police backup so that he would have someone else there to protect him from the officer, but the officer refused to call in anyone else.

 

Now some legislators are trying to name a portion of highway after the officer, but locals keep showing up at the public hearings to testify against it. Not that the officer deserved to be shot and killed, but he certainly doesn't deserve to have a highway named for him.

[tmulcahy]

So are people at the post office, the hospital, the library, Wal Mart...etc. It seems some days it is more the norm than the exception. It is hard for me to handle as well. Mean people stink. Sorry he ruined your day.

[8circles]

Thanks everyone. It helps just to vent.

[tntgoodwin]

You have to realize that they deal with the worst parts of society.

[----]

.

[Parrothead]

Complain. Loudly and often. Don't forget to get names.

 

I worked in two different departments. Neither would allow officers to take "power trips."

 

Dh has worked both local and federal. None of the departments he has work with put up with that kind of BS either.

[astrid]

You have to realize that they deal with the worst parts of society.

 

....which should make it such a breath of fresh air for them when they deal with someone who is professional, competent and pleasant such as momoflaw, the OP.

 

I'm sorry, OP. The more stories I hear like this, the more my respect for the profession dwindles. Yes, I realize not all officers are like this. But unfortunately for most of us, the times we find ourselves in need of their services are the times we feel at our most vulnerable. A little understanding, respect and human kindness can go a long way.

 

astrid

[8circles]

You have to realize that they deal with the worst parts of society.

 

I do understand that. I don't think that means they get to assume that everyone who calls asking for help is "the worst parts of society". I mean, seriously..

me: explain background situation. "How should I proceed in submitting this accident report with all the necessary information?"

response: "You should have asked when you picked-up the form"

me: "OK, but I didn't. What should I do now?"

response: sigh "You should have asked when you picked-up the form"

me: "If I go back to the PD where I picked-up the form will I be able to get help?"

response: "I don't work with 'what-if's'"

Repeat a few times with me trying different wording. His language & tone were worse each time.

I realize that there are way more dire situations that need the attention of the PD but if they aren't willing to help anyone like me then just don't have anyone answer the phone & have a recording letting people know that if it isn't life or death then just hang-up because they don't care.

 

I've contacted a friend who is married to a police officer (almost captain) in another district & he advised me on how to file a complaint. Despite following his suggestions I was still treated like an idiot but at least I got some help. However, I had a feeling during the whole call that the Sgt I was speaking with was laughing at me inside. He did say that the man I spoke with is a retired policeman.

[8circles]

....which should make it such a breath of fresh air for them when they deal with someone who is professional, competent and pleasant such as momoflaw, the OP.

 

I'm sorry, OP. The more stories I hear like this, the more my respect for the profession dwindles. Yes, I realize not all officers are like this. But unfortunately for most of us, the times we find ourselves in need of their services are the times we feel at our most vulnerable. A little understanding, respect and human kindness can go a long way.

 

astrid

 

Yes, thank you.

[BarbecueMom]

Did you talk to an officer or a civilian dispatcher? If you think officers are on power trips, you should see a dispatch center! :glare:

[swellmomma]

I have dealt with a couple out right mean and cruel ones over the years. 1 I reported and did get an apology from. The other I didn't need to report, the other officers at the scene stepped in and dealt with her immediately. I have dealt with a few that were awesome people and very suited for this profession. The rest were somewhere in the middle. The 2 that I first mentioned, 1 called me a criminal and caused bruising on my hands when I had to get fingerprinted as part of a criminal record check because there was someone with the same name/info with a record. The other was screaming obsenities at me and accusing me of murdering my son when he was missing and I had called the police to help search for him.

[8circles]

I have dealt with a couple out right mean and cruel ones over the years. 1 I reported and did get an apology from. The other I didn't need to report, the other officers at the scene stepped in and dealt with her immediately. I have dealt with a few that were awesome people and very suited for this profession. The rest were somewhere in the middle. The 2 that I first mentioned, 1 called me a criminal and caused bruising on my hands when I had to get fingerprinted as part of a criminal record check because there was someone with the same name/info with a record. The other was screaming obsenities at me and accusing me of murdering my son when he was missing and I had called the police to help search for him.

:grouphug:

[coopsgrl98]

You have to realize that they deal with the worst parts of society.

 

:iagree:

 

My DH is Law Enforcement as well... They very rarely get a "good" call. Some guys have a bad day, some just have a lot of stress... It's not an easy job to do and they do it because they love it, not for a power trip or for the money.

 

I'm sorry that you had this horrible encounter. Local agencies here don't have you fill out your own traffic incident report. That's not what you are for... you are the victim. I know that it doesn't take away the stress that you are going through, but please don't see them all as this way.

 

They are truthfully out there to help you. Unfortunately, this officer or the department he works for doesn't work that way. Maybe you should consider talking to the department to find out if this is SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for traffic accidents or if this was a mistake on the officers part. Maybe that might help you understand or if it was a mistake, then it may not happen to someone else.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

I've had two really terrible experiences (way worse than what you're talking about) with police officers- one when I was 14. That time, my parents called the chief of police and reamed him out- too long to get into the whole story, and I was issued and apology from the officer. Another time, I was 24 or 25 and was treated horribly by an officer who made me get in his cruiser for no apparent reason. He said he stopped me because the light above my license plate was out. More stuff happened, but he kept me in the cruiser for a long time before letting me go. It was very creepy and scary. I did write a complaint letter after that, too.

 

Other than that, I have had many good experiences with police officers. I just wish that in more professions, they would do a better job of weeding out the bad apples.

 

Sorry you had a bad experience. :grouphug:

[Create Your Ritual]

I'm wondering the same thing about Chiropractors ... mine is a royal pain. ;-)

[Farrar]

All my experiences with the police when something really bad has happened - when dh was mugged, when my purse was stolen, when there was a shooting on our block, when I helped a woman get out of a car where a man was trying to beat her (yes, that's at the top of my crazy neighborhood experiences list) - have been positive. The police were responsive, kind, personable, and generally really good to deal with.

 

Almost all my experiences with the police in bureaucratic matters and just on the street kinds of things have been negative or frustrating. Oh well. At least it's not the other way around.

[jelbe5]

First, I want to preface this by saying we also have some police officer friends and they are wonderful, wonderful people.

 

When I was in school some years ago for my Master of Social Work we were told in our psychopathology class that individuals who present with Antisocial Personality Disorder (Sociopath) frequently go in three directions: criminal, lawyer and police officer!

 

A few weeks ago we were in a parking lot of a restaurant. We pulled into a parking space, next to a car with three young women in it who were talking, etc. As my dh attempted to exit out of the driver's door of our car the car next to us started to move. If he had not jumped back in they would have crushed his leg. He yelled at them and they drove away, laughing. I am sure they bumped the open car door but my dh was not sure. Anyway, he got the plate # and called the cops. They said he had to come down in person, so while the kids and I went into eat he hopped in the car and went down to the station (it was not that far) to make out a report since he had a plate number. Once he got down there they told him there was nothing they could do since he was not hurt and there was not damage to the car! :confused::mad: Needless to say we were pretty annoyed about that! So I really feel your pain and frustration.

[Desert Rat]

It's a tough job. They deal with complete morons all day. My first answer though was because they have guns!

[Cortana]

I have a ton of respect for law enforcement officers. But in our city they have a horrible record and only a handful of them are good guys. Every few months there is another story in the news about our police department being under review for something, generally it involves a civilian death. The running joke in our city is if there isn't a chance to shoot someone then the police won't get involved.

 

Dh called to report some questionable activity in our neighborhood a few months ago and got the jerk of the day on the phone who basically chewed dh out for wasting his time. The activity stopped a short time afterwards, we found out recently it was because others in our neighborhood had also been blown off by the police and contacted one of the local news stations who investigated and found out that it was indeed illegal activity. Suddenly the police got involved and the activity was stopped.

 

A house not too far from ours was broken into and a lot of expensive musical equipment was stollen. The vicitim was told by the police that they no longer had a division to handle home invasion robberies and the vicitim would have to do his own investigation and find the person who did it. Our neighborhood used to be a really nice, safe place to live. Not anymore. :(

[BarbecueMom]

A few weeks ago we were in a parking lot of a restaurant. We pulled into a parking space, next to a car with three young women in it who were talking, etc. As my dh attempted to exit out of the driver's door of our car the car next to us started to move. If he had not jumped back in they would have crushed his leg. He yelled at them and they drove away, laughing. I am sure they bumped the open car door but my dh was not sure. Anyway, he got the plate # and called the cops. They said he had to come down in person, so while the kids and I went into eat he hopped in the car and went down to the station (it was not that far) to make out a report since he had a plate number. Once he got down there they told him there was nothing they could do since he was not hurt and there was not damage to the car! :confused::mad: Needless to say we were pretty annoyed about that! So I really feel your pain and frustration.

 

I'm confused. The driver of that car almost hit your car in a parking lot, but what was the offense? We used to get a lot of calls from people who wanted us to track someone down, warn them about something, and force them to apologize. Stuff like that is frustrating, I know, but I hated getting calls like that as a dispatcher. The caller wanted something done (what, I don't know), the officer was ticked at us for giving them that call in the middle of something else (no, I can't just ignore it and make it go away), and the only thing the officer could say was, "We'll keep an eye out for it.". Then the officer would come in and gripe at us, the caller would call back and gripe at us... THAT'S why you get a cranky voice on the other line when you call the police.

[Truscifi]

I'm confused. The driver of that car almost hit your car in a parking lot, but what was the offense? We used to get a lot of calls from people who wanted us to track someone down, warn them about something, and force them to apologize. Stuff like that is frustrating, I know, but I hated getting calls like that as a dispatcher. The caller wanted something done (what, I don't know), the officer was ticked at us for giving them that call in the middle of something else (no, I can't just ignore it and make it go away), and the only thing the officer could say was, "We'll keep an eye out for it.". Then the officer would come in and gripe at us, the caller would call back and gripe at us... THAT'S why you get a cranky voice on the other line when you call the police.

 

I'm not sure, but I think her point was that they told him to come in person to fill out a report, then when he did so they told him there was no point as there was nothing they could do. Why tell him to come in at all?

 

I used to work for the local sheriff's dept. The vast majority of our officers were good people, but there were a few who I swear only became cops so they could get away with bullying people. Those few give the rest a bad name, unfortunately.

[tntgoodwin]

I am not a fan of cops, in general, due to knowing too many of them. I was only halfway through the police academy, and I didn't like myself and what I was becoming.

 

Law enforcement tends to attract a certain type of personality. Add to that the paranoia that gets instilled in them and the fact that most of the time they are dealing with criminals and people lying to them, their attitude can be somewhat understandable.

 

It helps me to remember two things:

 

1. When seconds count, the police are only minutes away.

2. You are 8 times more likely to be killed by a cop than a terrorist.

[BarbecueMom]

I'm not sure, but I think her point was that they told him to come in person to fill out a report, then when he did so they told him there was no point as there was nothing they could do. Why tell him to come in at all?

 

I used to work for the local sheriff's dept. The vast majority of our officers were good people, but there were a few who I swear only became cops so they could get away with bullying people. Those few give the rest a bad name, unfortunately.

 

The "in-person" report thing might have been the dispatcher thinking there was actually a minor collision, and not a near-miss. Still, officers (especially the bullies) tend to take that out on dispatch.

 

If any of the officers at my former department flipped out or were arrested for some violent act, I've got a short list of names to guess from. :001_smile:

[WishboneDawn]

I've generally had good experiences with police officers. I've got a good friend right now who's a recently retired RCMP officer and she's everything a good police officer should be.

 

BUT...I don't quite buy the few rotten apples idea. Police officers often live inside a sub-culture and sometimes the whole sub-culture can be rotten and taint even the better officers. It can happen with any work environment, it's just that in most work environments the employees aren't armed.

[kalanamak]

It's a tough job. They deal with complete morons all day.

 

You think they'd be happy to deal with someone normal.

 

I found out something unfortunate in my old town: when I lived in a tiny, old house, I was treated one way, but when I had three acres with a view in a nice part of town, they were VERY, very nice to me. I appreciated the niceness, but I knew they knew who paid more taxes.

 

My son is afraid of them, having been stopped, with his Papa, at so many parks. Hubby keeps getting cell phone users calling in a perv. Happily, kiddo is out growing play grounds, and 60 year old men at the beach in the middle of the day with a 9 year old is somehow less alarming than one pushing a swing in the playground.

[HSMom2One]

I am not a fan of cops, in general, due to knowing too many of them. I was only halfway through the police academy, and I didn't like myself and what I was becoming.

 

Law enforcement tends to attract a certain type of personality. Add to that the paranoia that gets instilled in them and the fact that most of the time they are dealing with criminals and people lying to them, their attitude can be somewhat understandable.

 

It helps me to remember two things:

 

1. When seconds count, the police are only minutes away.

2. You are 8 times more likely to be killed by a cop than a terrorist.

 

You do realize this sounds very condescending, right? As the mother of a very fine police officer I take offense at your statements.

 

There are good cops and there are not so good cops. To group them all into one category is nothing but blatant prejudice. That makes as much sense to me as accusing you of being a dead beat dad because I've known a good number of men that are.

 

Lucinda

[tntgoodwin]

I am sorry, I did not intend to offend anyone.

I did say in general, and that is based on my time in the police department. There are definitely bright spots in the profession, and I assume your child is one of those.

I am not sure how anything in my post could be construed as condescending. Again, I did not intend to offend.

[WishboneDawn]

I am sorry, I did not intend to offend anyone.

I did say in general, and that is based on my time in the police department. There are definitely bright spots in the profession, and I assume your child is one of those.

I am not sure how anything in my post could be construed as condescending. Again, I did not intend to offend.

 

I thought you made some good points.

 

We have to be extra vigilant and critical when looking at the police. These are the people we've let protect us.

[Chris in VA]

Coming from the perspective of having had multiple dealings with the police, it's hard to hear people bash them.

For sure, tho, good points about "bad apples" have been made in this thread, and also the point about the subculture--much like the military, isn't it? (not to open a COW or anything...).

 

I, for one, will continue to tell my daughter that police are there to protect us, do a fabulous job, and are utterly trustworthy, despite other people in our family who believe they are pigs, out to get us, and worthy of nothing but spit.

 

Talk about black and white.

[kiana]

And really, it's somewhere in the middle. There are good cops/bad cops. I've never personally had a really negative encounter (I did have one curse at me, but he then gave me a warning when I really deserved a ticket, so I still don't count that as negative), and had a lot of positive and helpful encounters.

 

And yet I have a friend where the police came to the wrong address on a drug raid, executed a no-knock warrant, dragged him out of bed and beat the living crap out of him, because apparently he swung at someone in his sleep.

 

The real issue is when the good ones are part of the 'close ranks to protect brothers' crew imo.

[8circles]

Coming from the perspective of having had multiple dealings with the police, it's hard to hear people bash them.

For sure, tho, good points about "bad apples" have been made in this thread, and also the point about the subculture--much like the military, isn't it? (not to open a COW or anything...).

 

I, for one, will continue to tell my daughter that police are there to protect us, do a fabulous job, and are utterly trustworthy, despite other people in our family who believe they are pigs, out to get us, and worthy of nothing but spit.

 

Talk about black and white.

 

I don't know. I don't agree with bashing anybody inxluding police. But its hard to keep telling my kids that the police ware there to help when I don't aalways think that's true.

Im not sure what to teach them honestly.

 

And really, it's somewhere in the middle. There are good cops/bad cops. I've never personally had a really negative encounter (I did have one curse at me, but he then gave me a warning when I really deserved a ticket, so I still don't count that as negative), and had a lot of positive and helpful encounters.

 

And yet I have a friend where the police came to the wrong address on a drug raid, executed a no-knock warrant, dragged him out of bed and beat the living crap out of him, because apparently he swung at someone in his sleep.

 

The real issue is when the good ones are part of the 'close ranks to protect brothers' crew imo.

yikes! That's a horrific story. I agree with your last sentence.

[Alicia64]

One officer in a small town near here tormented a guy to the point where the guy snapped and shot him. Everyone knew about the ongoing problem. There were no consequences for the officer. When he pulled the guy over on the fateful night, the guy asked for a police backup so that he would have someone else there to protect him from the officer, but the officer refused to call in anyone else.

 

Now some legislators are trying to name a portion of highway after the officer, but locals keep showing up at the public hearings to testify against it. Not that the officer deserved to be shot and killed, but he certainly doesn't deserve to have a highway named for him.

 

Wild story. What happened to the guy who shot the officer, I'm afraid to ask?

 

Alley

[Impish]

There are good cops and there are not so good cops. To group them all into one category is nothing but blatant prejudice. That makes as much sense to me as accusing you of being a dead beat dad because I've known a good number of men that are.

 

Lucinda

:iagree:

My brother is a police officer. I've known several incredible people who are officers.

 

I really loathe the attitude so many have about police officers. Calling them pigs, etc. It seems to be acceptable to bash them, talk crud about them...

 

Never ceases to amaze me, though, that when that same person is in trouble, they have no hesitation about calling those same 'pigs' for help, asking them to put themselves in danger.

 

If police officers are good enough to risk their lives for you*/your family, perhaps they are good enough to at least not be subject to insults based upon the same job that saves lives?

 

*general 'you'.

[Alicia64]

BUT...I don't quite buy the few rotten apples idea. Police officers often live inside a sub-culture and sometimes the whole sub-culture can be rotten and taint even the better officers. It can happen with any work environment, it's just that in most work environments the employees aren't armed.

 

This is pure wisdom.

 

The "one rotten apple in a barrel" idea gets far too much coverage in our culture. What Wishbone said is on the mark. And, without a study in hand, I think research supports this idea. But just talking in theory.

 

I've had great experiences with police. Don't know if it's mattered or not that I've always lived in high end, snooty areas -- where the neighbors are abusive and the cops are friendly!

 

Alley

[Ksol]

:iagree:

My brother is a police officer. I've known several incredible people who are officers.

 

I really loathe the attitude so many have about police officers. Calling them pigs, etc. It seems to be acceptable to bash them, talk crud about them...

 

Never ceases to amaze me, though, that when that same person is in trouble, they have no hesitation about calling those same 'pigs' for help, asking them to put themselves in danger.

 

If police officers are good enough to risk their lives for you*/your family, perhaps they are good enough to at least not be subject to insults based upon the same job that saves lives?

 

*general 'you'.

 

 

:iagree:

[brehon]

Did you talk to an officer or a civilian dispatcher? If you think officers are on power trips, you should see a dispatch center! :glare:

 

:iagree: Heaven knows that's the truth. I swear there are 3 dispatchers who *will* get either me or one of my colleagues killed one day. And I am not exaggerating.:glare: It very nearly happened a couple of years ago when one forgot to tell the responding medic unit about the domestic disturbance with weapons when they were dispatched to a "traumatic injury".

[Renee in NC]

:iagree: Heaven knows that's the truth. I swear there are 3 dispatchers who *will* get either me or one of my colleagues killed one day. And I am not exaggerating.:glare: It very nearly happened a couple of years ago when one forgot to tell the responding medic unit about the domestic disturbance with weapons when they were dispatched to a "traumatic injury".

 

My aunt is a dispatcher. I am very sorry for anyone who gets her when they call 911!:lol: I remember listening to a recording of a very disturbing 9-1-1 call recording on the radio last spring. The caller was reporting that her father had just found her brother (deceased) and he had obviously been murdered by her other brother. I don't think the dispatcher believed her, and kept getting her to repeat the story over and over again, asking really dumb questions, repeating back the wrong story, etc. It was horrific!

 

You think they'd be happy to deal with someone normal.

 

I found out something unfortunate in my old town: when I lived in a tiny, old house, I was treated one way, but when I had three acres with a view in a nice part of town, they were VERY, very nice to me. I appreciated the niceness, but I knew they knew who paid more taxes.

 

My son is afraid of them, having been stopped, with his Papa, at so many parks. Hubby keeps getting cell phone users calling in a perv. Happily, kiddo is out growing play grounds, and 60 year old men at the beach in the middle of the day with a 9 year old is somehow less alarming than one pushing a swing in the playground.

 

Parenting while older is a crime now? :001_huh: I would assume that he was someone's grandfather. My cousin in CA gets pulled over all the time for his crime - "Driving while poor." He drives a really old, beat up car and gets pulled over all the time for nothing.

[BarbecueMom]

:iagree: Heaven knows that's the truth. I swear there are 3 dispatchers who *will* get either me or one of my colleagues killed one day. And I am not exaggerating.:glare: It very nearly happened a couple of years ago when one forgot to tell the responding medic unit about the domestic disturbance with weapons when they were dispatched to a "traumatic injury".

 

:svengo: Believe it, seen it and worse. Yes, it's a lot of stressful multitasking but it ain't rocket science!

[WishboneDawn]

:iagree:

My brother is a police officer. I've known several incredible people who are officers.

 

I really loathe the attitude so many have about police officers. Calling them pigs, etc. It seems to be acceptable to bash them, talk crud about them...

 

Never ceases to amaze me, though, that when that same person is in trouble, they have no hesitation about calling those same 'pigs' for help, asking them to put themselves in danger.

 

If police officers are good enough to risk their lives for you*/your family, perhaps they are good enough to at least not be subject to insults based upon the same job that saves lives?

 

*general 'you'.

 

I've got several relatives and a good friend who are retired RCMP. They were all very good police officers and I agree not all should be painted with the same brush but there's got to be room for criticism. There should be a middle ground where we can truthfully discuss the bad with the good.

 

There are many jobs where people put themselves at risk for the rest of us but we have to remember that however heroic they are, they're still human and still fallible and it's up to the rest of us to keep an eye on them and ensure they don't abuse the trust and power we've given to them.

[Impish]

I've got several relatives and a good friend who are retired RCMP. They were all very good police officers and I agree not all should be painted with the same brush but there's got to be room for criticism. There should be a middle ground where we can truthfully discuss the bad with the good.

 

There are many jobs where people put themselves at risk for the rest of us but we have to remember that however heroic they are, they're still human and still fallible and it's up to the rest of us to keep an eye on them and ensure they don't abuse the trust and power we've given to them.

There's always room for criticism. No matter what. Human nature guarantees that.

 

I get tired of the name calling of ALL officers. ie a patrol car going by and someone oinking or saying, "Pig". Or saying, "I don't like cops, they're jerks/power hungry/etc" but heaven help the person that makes that blanket statment about any other job/race/religion/socioeconomic group.

 

As I said earlier, folks have no problem yelling PIG!, but then expecting those same 'pigs' to put their lives on the line when needed.

 

Balance would be nice. Just b/c someone wears a uniform doesn't make them perfect...nor an automatic a$$. Be it a police uniform, firefighter, or soldier.

[brehon]

:svengo: Believe it, seen it and worse. Yes, it's a lot of stressful multitasking but it ain't rocket science!

 

Listening to the dispatchers (who work for the same county as I do, but in a different department) you'd think it was on par with landing on the moon or something. The head of Comm recently had to instate a rule which prohibits the dispatchers from accessing facebook when they're on duty. One of my station mates caught one of the EMS dispatchers updating her facebook status while simultaneously dispatching a 911 call. He (my station mate) happened to be on fb and saw the status update while listening to the call on the radio.

[8circles]

There's always room for criticism. No matter what. Human nature guarantees that.

 

I get tired of the name calling of ALL officers. ie a patrol car going by and someone oinking or saying, "Pig". Or saying, "I don't like cops, they're jerks/power hungry/etc" but heaven help the person that makes that blanket statment about any other job/race/religion/socioeconomic group.

 

As I said earlier, folks have no problem yelling PIG!, but then expecting those same 'pigs' to put their lives on the line when needed.

 

Balance would be nice. Just b/c someone wears a uniform doesn't make them perfect...nor an automatic a$$. Be it a police uniform, firefighter, or soldier.

 

If my posts came across that way I'm truly sorry. I don't believe in name-calling.

[WishboneDawn]

There's always room for criticism. No matter what. Human nature guarantees that.

 

I get tired of the name calling of ALL officers. ie a patrol car going by and someone oinking or saying, "Pig". Or saying, "I don't like cops, they're jerks/power hungry/etc" but heaven help the person that makes that blanket statment about any other job/race/religion/socioeconomic group.

 

As I said earlier, folks have no problem yelling PIG!, but then expecting those same 'pigs' to put their lives on the line when needed.

 

Balance would be nice. Just b/c someone wears a uniform doesn't make them perfect...nor an automatic a$$. Be it a police uniform, firefighter, or soldier.

 

I agree with that.

 

I have to admit I feel the same way about *gulp* politicians. I used to be quite involved in the PC party's youth wing provincially and got to meet quite a few politicians. There were some complete and utter arses but more often they were sincere and hardworking people who felt a real sense of duty.

 

I'm thinking that attitude we get where we label all memebrs of a given profession "pig" or "crooks" might be the first step in giving up that responsibility for oversight that I mentioned then? Maybe giving them all a bad label is as damaging as putting them on a pedestal. After all, the effect is the same. We either trust them too much or give up on them and in both cases, stop watching what they do day to day.

 

ET: PC party!!! Not the Conservatives. Just have to make that clear. All the Canucks will understand why. :(

Edited August 7, 2011 by WishboneDawn

[BarbecueMom]

Listening to the dispatchers (who work for the same county as I do, but in a different department) you'd think it was on par with landing on the moon or something. The head of Comm recently had to instate a rule which prohibits the dispatchers from accessing facebook when they're on duty. One of my station mates caught one of the EMS dispatchers updating her facebook status while simultaneously dispatching a 911 call. He (my station mate) happened to be on fb and saw the status update while listening to the call on the radio.

 

We had a ban on Internet browsing (due to laziness), Yahoo games (due to porn viruses producing pop-ups), and texting in the dispatch room (due to extramarital affairs). I'm sure confidentiality factored in there somewhere.

 

I did use Facebook once to wake up a bunch of hungover students (college town) to move their cars off a parade route. This was back when Facebook was only opened to certain college networks and kids put their dorm addresses on there.

[kalanamak]

 

I get tired of the name calling of ALL officers. ie a patrol car going by and someone oinking or saying, "Pig".

 

I guess I should be happy with the people I know. I haven't heard that term since 1975, and never by anyone over 16.

[brehon]

I guess I should be happy with the people I know. I haven't heard that term since 1975, and never by anyone over 16.

 

 

Yep. I much prefer the term C.O.P.

 

 

 

 

Canary On Patrol -- for their habit of rushing into known and even should have known hazardous scenes...and I'm not talking about someone with a weapon. Green smoke coming from a visible container = don't go near.

 

A couple of years back I sent a cartoon from an EMS journal to my bil who is a police officer. Picture 2 guys in Level A Haz-Mat suits: 1 of them is reading a note and the other one is kind of slumped over with an arrow stuck in his back. The note was obviously attached to the arrow and reads, "It's from the paramedics...if we need them, they'll be staging way back."

 

Bil laughed so hard he literally had tears running down his face. He posted it in the day room at the sub-station he was assigned to at the time and said that all the cops there also got a real kick out of it. Because it rang true to all of them.

[Alveraz]

Didn't get a chance to read all the responses, so sorry if I'm being redundant but if no one was injured, it's not a police matter unless an officer witnessed the accident. It's a court and insurance matter. I'm surprised the police even let you go as far as you did. I live in Los Angeles. Cops here would literally laugh in your face if you wanted help regarding a non-injury car accident. It just doesn't happen.

 

Call both insurance companies, then call a lawyer if you need to sue. It's that simple. This isn't about cops being bad guys, it's about police departments prioritizing the service of their community. Hundreds of non-injury car accidents happen every day in every city. If cops handled every case personally they'd be even more worthless to the community then they already are.

 

This is where voting for more cops comes into play. Make your statement at the voting booth and with your local representatives. Cops nation-wide are spread more thin than you can imagine. You want them handling non-injury car accidents or violent crimes? You be the judge.

 

Might I add, my mother and step-father are 25 year veterans of the police department.