Could you be a police officer?

[Truthiness Inspector]

Could you be yelled at, accused of "violating" people's rights everyday, threatened with being sued, could you pass the requirements necessary in your state to even get hired? And if so, why would you even bother?

[Dr. Strange]

1. Nope.

There'd be a mess load of hurting people if I had that kind of power and then had to deal with any kind of assholery.

[Truthiness Inspector]

4. Honest answer

which I appreciate, but remember your answer every time people shit on cops who use above-human self-control and take shit most humans would NEVER take.

[Dr. Strange]

7. Oh I agree.

And I fully admit that if I had to deal with it, I'd probably find myself getting sucked in to the "us and them" mentality of the thin blue line.

[Ptah]

2. No.

[blonndee]

3. No. I'm an asshole, but not THAT kind of asshole.

Not at ALL.

[Truthiness Inspector]

5. What kind of asshole are you then? n/t

[blonndee]

6. Not the police kind, obviously.

[Truthiness Inspector]

8. Exactly

NOT the kind who has to deal with angry, violent people and find a way to diffuse the situation.

[blonndee]

9. I'm a public school teacher.

Don't tell me I don't deal with "angry, violent people" and don't have to "diffuse" s*** ALL THE FREAKINg TIME.

Edited for language

[Truthiness Inspector]

16. I hear you

Don't take my post as an insult. As I said in a thread earlier tonight, one of my best friends is a teacher. When the shit goes down, she is stuck in it, and calls the police...that is my point, that is not a slam on you or her. Au contraire, I think you guys rock.

[Oeditpus Rex]

10. No. way. in. hell.

I went through the local PD's citizens' academy a few years ago. I have a great respect for cops, and little for those who dismiss them as "assholes" or whatever.

[Truthiness Inspector]

14. Good for you

You took the time to get a little taste, and I do the same for teachers, etc, a la walk in their shoes for mile.

[LeftyMom]

11. Polyester pants, in this climate? That's just asking for a rash!

Seriously though, I'd prefer a career that didn't involve violent oppression of the working class.

[Oeditpus Rex]

15. You could be a security guard

at Walgreen's. :D

[LeftyMom]

17. .

:scared:

[Truthiness Inspector]

18. Forget what you said about clothes...

Violent oppression of the working class? Are you insane? Are you really that willing to admit you have no idea what you are talking about? Most disturbing answer so far.

[LeftyMom]

30. No, I totally meant that.

Your failure to see the obvious is not my problem.

[Truthiness Inspector]

33. What is obvious?

[LeftyMom]

41. Many "crimes" consist only of being poor or working class.

Say you don't have the $100 or so to pay your car registration. You've still got to get to work to get that money, right? So you drive, you get pulled over, the state dings you for a grand because you didn't have $100. Don't pay that? Now you're looking at a warrant, and the loss of your freedom (and therefore your job and income) because you didn't have the cash when it came time for your annual payment of protection money to the state.

Try driving around in a kinda poor, beat-up car, and see how much more often you get pulled over than in a newish late-model car.

The drugs of the poor are criminalized. The drugs of the rich are covered by health insurance. When wealthy people get busted for drugs, they go to rehab (see Cindy McCain, who was doing shit that would put anybody else in the federal pen for a decade plus) when the poor get busted, they go to prison.

Call 911 from a wealthy neighborhood. The cops show up, they show up fast, and they're professional. If you're a victim, they'll treat you like one. Call from a working class neighborhood, and half the time they don't show up at all, and if they do they'll be dicks about it. And God help you if you're a person of color and you have to call the cops, even if you're an obvious victim they'll probably be looking to run you in anyhow.

The purpose of police, and the reason we have so many of them, is to protect the propertied classes and keep the working classes from getting ahead. If you think otherwise, you're either damned naive, or you grew up in a very different neighborhood from mine and just don't know any better.

[Lyric]

53. Halle-fucking-lujah.

:thumbsup:

[ThomCat]

70. Absolutely! Police were created to protect the rich

and they still mostly serve that purpose today.

x(

[Downtown Hound]

72. May I get a big FUCK YEAH for this post!

Well said, LeftyMom.

[Kitty Herder]

36. I'm with you on this, LeftyMom. nt

[alarimer]

61. It is true though.

And has been true throughout history. They were used to break up strikes (at the bidding of the plant owners or other captains of industry) at any number of places.

[Inchworm]

12. Couldnt do it

I try to give "cops" that consideration generally, but usually feel like a dumbass for doing so afterwards. I did say usually. I knew a few officers, agents that were the best people on the planet. Sadly, that is an oddity.

:hi:

[AlCzervik]

13. besides everything you've described their uniforms look they're made of unbreathable

fabric which would be hot and uncomfortable and i really hate hats, for i don't look good in them and for tow they wreck my hair.

[FloridaJudy]

19. Nope.

I couldn't pass the physical requirements: I have a few health conditions that would make that impossible, unless they assigned me to a desk job. Maybe if they gave me a job investigating fraud I could do it - and be good at it - but I think one still has to spend a few years as a street cop before getting those kind of assignments.

As to the psychological stress, hell, I've been a nurse for over thirty years. I've been there, buddy - at lest the yelled at, despised and threatened with lawsuits part. I've even been physically attacked by patients who were not in their right minds at the time.

[Truthiness Inspector]

22. Nurses rock, and take much of the same shit for the most part

You understand. I know you've been attacked, I've watched it, not you personally but your sisters/brothers. I just thought this topic needed to be raised. You guys get it too, big time, but most people don't understand that either.

[Lil Missy]

20. Nope. It's a very stressfull and thankless job. n/t

[harmonicon]

21. probably not

Assuming that I wasn't fat, out of shape, and didn't have a bad knee, I still don't think I could do it. I could probably handle the getting yelled at, but I don't think I could ever use a gun, even when I feel others would be completely justified in doing so. Unless my life were directly in danger, I don't think I could hurt another person. Sure, that's usually the case when the police have to use force, but it's also their job that puts them in that place.

[Robeson]

23. No. I couldn't be a hypocrite. I couldn't enforce laws I don't agree with....

...kind of the same reason I've never wanted to be a mod here on DU...;-)

[Cabcere]

24. I really don't think I could.

My little brother is looking into law enforcement, though, and I kind of worry about it - it's not an easy job, and I feel like it can be quite dangerous. We'll see if that pans out, though - he's only 17 and has changed his mind many times before.

[Connonym]

25. Nope

for a variety of reasons. Mostly no because I can't handle confrontation.

[Truthiness Inspector]

29. Another honest answer

And it takes all kinds to make the world go round. Some of us deal with confrontation everyday, we are paid to do it. Do I "like" it, no I really don't. Do I do it, hell yes!

[opiate69]

26. I would love to be a detective.. and would probably be very, very good at it..

but, every agency (around here at least) requires at least 6 months in uniform first, and I just don't think I could do that.

[Solon]

27. I don't know...

Frankly I'm an asshole, but of a different type than them, I don't know if I can sarcasm myself out of a gunfight.

Obviously, not all cops are bad, but it varies greatly by area and the professionalism of the police force. I've learned perspective when, everytime I rode with one of my friends, who happens to be black, he would get pulled over EVERY FUCKING TIME WE WENT OUT. Cops harassed him constantly, and he has a clean record! Inexcusable shit like this makes me not trust cops.

[Truthiness Inspector]

32. What city? n/t

[Solon]

34. Not a single city, but more a Metro area, relatively large one as well...

Note, this is all in Missouri, and police departments I've dealt with myself.

St. Louis County Police: Kinda mixed, they profile like mad, but when its just my own white self, I can get away with speeding with just a warning.

St. Charles County Sheriff's Department: These guys are assholes, and will get in your face and yell at you while holding a nightstick when you haven't even raised your voice. Also profile like crazy, black folks aren't welcome around St. Charles County. Have a reputation of stealing drugs for personal use.

St. Charles City Police: Slightly better in being professional, however, still a profiling problem, though at least they don't beat black people, at least not in front of me.

St. Peters City Police: Worse than St. Charles City, especially in profiling, but they are a much whiter and more affluent area of the county.

O'Fallon City Police: Bad reputation, overall, mostly due to the fact that they have a bad habit of breaking skulls for fun.

Other departments around here have just as bad, and one has a stellar record, University City's police department is world class, professional, and helpful. Hell, I was able to approach a police officer in U-City while he was sitting in his car to ask a question, and he didn't even threaten to shoot me if I get closer, that's a plus in my book.

Most of my experience with cops in this area was as a victim(car was broken into), and the few tickets I've had and parties that broke up. Most of the time I encountered cops was in the presence of some of my black friends, usually when they get pulled over, for breaking no laws of the road, but so the cops can search their cars. Of course, one time the cop actually found something, a dime bag, and stole it too, let us go without a write up for anything. This isn't an unusual story either.

[Truthiness Inspector]

37. File a report with the Sheriff if you believe what you wrote

Otherwise, you sound like people I deal with everyday, with every excuse in the book.

[Solon]

43. Excuses for what, may I ask?

In addition, do you think I'm stupid or something? If I went to the Sheriff with a complaint that one of his deputies stole some drugs from me, what the fuck do you think would have happened? I would have been sitting in jail, that's what. I was just thankful that I got away when I did. I have a squeaky clean record, even worked as a security guard trained by the St. Louis City Police department. Outside of our backward fucking drug laws, I never broke any other law, excepting a few speeding tickets, and that was years ago.

[snailly]

45. Why did you go into this line of work?

I really want to know.

[backwoodsbob]

55. my uncle is lead detective in our local department

No CHANCE I would put up with the crap he describes.

For every violated my rights mean cop story you read there are probably 100 stories cops could tell you about assholery from people they deal with.

He told me once about a guy who spit in his face for writing him a ticket for going 72 in a 45 when he was on road duty.I'd of shot the dude if it was me.My uncle just cuffed him and talked to him,didnt arrest him

[snailly]

42. I grew up in different parts of STLCounty

It does and doesn't matter where you live. Black and White. Valley Park area, you are toast if you have a history or you happen to live near some white fool who does. If you live up in Florrisant, chances are some black fool has been dancing with the cops for years, so you're screwed.
STL is one fucked up place. Totally segregated and nasty.

[Fox Mulder]

28. No.

I don't want the power to shoot someone if I had to.

I'm anti-violence.

[Doc_Technical]

31. Not a chance.

Those mean streets would eat me alive.

[Kitty Herder]

35. Absolutely not!

I'm not temperamentally suited for that kind of work. I think I'd shoot myself after a week of it.

[snailly]

38. Could you be an asshole on a daily basis?

Be a bully who just wants to interrupt the lives of law abiding citizens? Arrest them for nothing infractions so you can be a "hero"?

[Truthiness Inspector]

40. Examples?

Give the names and departments where these individuals work of course.

If you truly think officers are screwing with you, bust them out.

[krispos42]

39. I got a 96% on the South Dakota state trooper written exam

Unfortuanely for me, I was overweight, out of shape, and have terrible uncorrected eyesight.

[littlebit]

44. I don't think I could.

With my temper I would probably shot someone just because they were getting on my nerves.

[Radical Activist]

46. No. I like people and enjoy treating everyone with respect.

I would like to stay that way. I also have a very flimsy respect for the law considering the assclowns who write them.

[Jamastiene]

47. I don't think I could do it.

I'd make Private Benjamin look like a seasoned tough girl. I don't like waking up early. I would TOTALLY get pissed off if the perp ran from me, thereby causing me to have to run. That would piss me off the most. I'd probably be kicked off the force after the first time that happened, because in between gasping for breath after running, I'd be cussing and smacking them asking them if they thought they were funny making me have to run. :evilgrin:

Not to mention if they told me to arrest prostitutes or potheads. I just don't see the MAJOR crime there. :shrug:

I'd make a HORRIBLE police officer. I'm not so sure I even make such a "good" citizen, to be honest.

I don't agree with half our archaic, insane, silly assed laws. Sure, the major ones make perfect sense and I have no beef there. It's the silly ones like no pot smoking and no "working girls" and no public nudity, EVER. I can understand having a general standard for being clothed in most situations. I got no beef with that, but I don't get why it applies ALL the time. How do you open up a nudist colony when the laws say you gotta have clothes on ALL THE TIME? I wasn't born with clothes on. Anybody here born fully clothed? I wasn't. It's the clothes wearing bit I seem to hate the most. :shrug:

[SPKrazy]

48. I'm Not A Cop

However I get accused of violating people's rights often, threatened with being sued, cursed at, hit at, spit at sometimes. I don't get to carry a gun either. Not even a Taser.

I'm a mental health professional in a hospital psych unit. I guess our weapunz are nice 18 gauge needles and a show of force in numbers when necessary. Non-violent crisis intervention. Talking people down, preventing them from hurting other patients or staff members, taking them down physically are all part of my job.

I now work in "geriatric psychiatry" which is less threatening, but I've worked in general psychiatry too. I've seen 5 or 6 cops bring a young violent and psychotic male up to the unit, took them all to subdue him. Leave him with a couple of small middle age women (who were nurses working that unit) and take off out of there.

Of those two nurses, both are retired and on disability. One nearly had her skull bashed in by a guy like the above described one. The other was attacked, hit by a patient wielding a drawer that they tore out of a dresser that supposedly had drawers that wouldn't come out and were not hard enough to take care of things.

We've had Sheriff's deputies and local police officers, all who have been or should have been oriented that when they come to the hospital they are to check in with Security there first. Instead they come up to our unit wearing their sidearm. This is a no no as there may be someone who would go for it. Most are apologetic and say they didn't know, one refused to give up his weapon, so we told him he couldn't come on our unit. I've had cops call and try to pump information from me or other staff on patients or staff.

We used to have a state police officer who worked a lot with DEA who's job it was to bust nurses and any health care professional who was caught diverting medications somehow. I don't fault him for his job, there are some health care professionals, like in any profession who have problems. I saw him in an office waiting for the staff member to come to be interviewed by him and he started snooping around the office he was in looking an employee file.

Now I've also seen well behaved officers and deputies, I've had to speak to many of them for my job. I've had to call the police twice. Once when my neighbors wewre so loud that they were in all likelihood violence. They took care of the situation. Every domestic case is a potential death situation for them. I have great respect for the majority of these men and women.

I also know that they risk being shot at daily, we aren't I was merely pointing out that our nurses, CNA's doctors, respiratory therapists, social workers, etc. are in risky situations every day as well.

Thanks

Oh could I be a cop? No, I'm not the temperament necessary.

[otherlander]

80. If it means anything, SPK...

I wouldn't have guessed that you did that.

[LaurenG]

49. No

My ex was a cop for our entire 19 year marriage. He started out a very nice man and turned into a control freak with a drinking problem on a power trip.

The academy doesn't teach you how bad it's going to be and at the time of our marriage they had no support services for law enforcement officers. They had Internal Affairs who I would never call a support agency for police officers.

Marriages dissolve and the people wearing the uniforms tend to become unhinged and unbalanced. Things may have changed over the last few years but I would never recommend anyone I cared about becoming a police officer.

The power trip will seduce the most down to earth and the pain of seeing death and destruction causes many to lose integrity, it's treading a very fine line and it's a darn hard job emotionally.

[Coyote_Bandit]

50. Nope

I'm visually impaired and would never be able to pass the firearms exam. Also have a minor hearing impairment that sometimes impacts my balance.

[Wcross]

51. No. A lot of child molesters would never make it to jail.

A lot of drunk drivers, while not injured in the accident would suffer from "post accident contusions". Too many rapists would arrive at the jail as eunuchs. Too many wife beaters would suffer from transportation injuries. Too many animal abusers would suffer..........

I understand my weakness so I would avoid that profession. I understand that these people are only accused of a crime and not convicted but I wouldn't trust myself if I KNEW they were guilty.

[Lyric]

52. Police officers are not all villains. But they aren't all heroes either.

The problem is not that We The People don't recognize that police officers are only human, and can make mistakes--the problem is that sometimes *they* don't. Police officers function under the assumption that they are doing The Right Thing, and when they *aren't* doing The Right Thing, the only recourse that American citizens have is to suffer anyway and hope the matter is recompensed and/or punished later--that is, if the citizen in question survives the encounter.

And we see how seldom prosecutions against inept, vicious, or corrupt police officers actually end up with convictions. There's a reason for that--police are given more leeway and more benefit of the doubt than average people are. So if that's true, then they also have to be held to a higher standard of conduct and ethics than average people are. It doesn't make any sense to claim that police are "only human" when they have such a heavy legal advantage.

They aren't all assholes. They aren't even mostly assholes. But when the ones that ARE assholes get to walk away without consequences because the law gives them leeway that "normal" people aren't privy to...people start to get angry, resentful, and deeply mistrustful.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

54. yes and no.

[flvegan]

56. I'd like to be an animal cop.

You know, animal control cruelty investigator.

I wouldn't last a year.

[Dr. Strange]

62. OMG! That's it!

flvegan is...the Punisher. A hard-ass vigilante who goes after puppy mills and cockfighting rings.
I don't know what you'd want on your shirt, though. Would you stick with the skull or try something different?

[flvegan]

63. Same picture

but it'd have dog ears. Close cropped, too for the "evil" look.

[sammythecat]

77. I don't know if there is such a specific job,

but that would have appealed to me at one time. Now, I'm sure I couldn't handle it.

That would be a terribly depressing job. I imagine a successful case would result in the animals going to the pound. Every day dealing with despicable people and their hapless victims. Every case a sad case. I'd need good drugs to get me through that. If I didn't do myself in first, sooner or late I'd probably wind up doing serious jail time.

[Robb]

57. I spend a lot of time around police

I see people get into it for every reason under the sun.

Upthread someone made the great point - they operate under the assumption they are doing the Right Thing. Not only because of training, but because they simply couldn't function otherwise. There are a set of rules and laws they have to examine absolutely - yes or no. Otherwise there's no way to do the job.

Could I do it? I admit the sense of justice appeals, the idea you're helping that move forward. I toyed with the idea briefly.

But it is hard, hard work. There are so many unknowns any time you're in contact with the public. Every traffic stop could be the guy who wants to shoot you and speed off. Every unlocked door you find on the beat means you have to "clear" the building, and you never know if it's just a shopkeeper who forgot, or some guy on the run for something big. Who just wants to shoot you and speed off.

Worse, I imagine, than constantly being second-guessed by everyone else is second-guessing yourself. How keyed-up to be when you enter a dark building, or approach an unknown person in a car, or even arrive at an accident scene... I can't imagine. The demons certainly must come when police sleep. Or try to.

I still believe the vast majority are there to do good. There's no way most would go through all the crap just for the power trip, there are better ways to get there. The ones that suck, suck for hundreds of reasons. Probably half of those have nothing intrinsically to do with being a cop.

I've seen bad ones. And they are very, very bad. There's an alternate reality police live in, for all the reasons I mention above, and disconnect is inevitable for those prone to it from the get-go.

So, no. I couldn't do it. I'm glad someone does, however, and I feel for those who are eaten alive by it. :(

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

58. Do I get to tase some GD-P-ers?

If so, count me in!!!

:rofl:

[Throd]

59. I wouldn't trust me with a billy club.

It would only be a matter of time before I'd whap some smart-ass in the throat with it.

[alarimer]

60. That profession attracts assholes to it.

As a general rule I don't trust cops. Far, far too many people crazy with power are attracted that profession.

If people complain about cops, they generally deserve it. They shoot a guy (or rather 2 or 3) in New York and get off scott-free. This happens time and time again. They get away with beating confessions out of people and all sorts of other things. They DO violate people's rights. ALL THE TIME. Just ask anyone (especially male) who happens to be a minority. They get harassed by cops all the time even if they have done nothing wrong.

So, no, I couldn't do that job because I am generally not an asshole.

[Xipe Totec]

64. I'd be more of a CSI guy

Forensic systems analyst, that would be wicked cool.

[AwakeAtLast]

65. That's what happens to teachers, too.

We see police officers clients in their early years. ;)

[La Lioness Priyanka]

66. yes i could. no, i wouldnt want to.

[Deja Q]

67. Nope.

Because if I had to handcuff or haul in a drunk driver or wife beater, I doubt I'd be able to restrain myself. Or, rather, the most I can do is to advocate what not to do in life and why.

[Gormy Cuss]

68. Getting yelled at and threatened with lawsuits happens in a lot of jobs.

The risk of getting hit by cars, shot, or punched is lower in most other occupations however. OTOH, none of that excuses the behavior of assholish cops -- they should find other work.

As to why even bother, some people find satisfaction in law enforcement in spite of the load of crap that comes with the job. Me, I have a low tolerance for adults behaving badly. I'd be a really bad cop.

[Rabrrrrrr]

69. I couldn't stand the constant pressure from civilian jackasses,

and I can't imagine willingly going into hostile situations in which I might be shot or worse.

Mostly, though, it would be the constant second-guessing and hatred from a certain segment of the liberals for whom no cop can ever do good or what is right, no matter how terrifying the situation or helpful they might actually have been.

[pitohui]

71. i doubt i could pass the requirements

police officers can't normally be sued for doing their job in the line of duty, and i would expect prisoners to yell, spout off, accuse, and TRY to file lawsuits, it's what scumbags do, and it isn't usually the nice people that i would be arresting

that said, i'd be amazed if i could be hired, i'm certain i don't meet the physical requirements and doubt i could pass the mental requirements altho i'm not sure how they test for these

why would i bother, probably for the money and the great benefits, isn't that why most people go to most jobs in the morning?

[Downtown Hound]

73. Nope. Generally I think police suck

Our whole economic system is designed to keep the few wealthy at the expense of the many, and the police are its enforcers. I would never become a cop and have no desire to be friends with anybody that does.

[Orsino]

74. Having to enforce laws I don't believe in, contributing to the world's highest incarceration rate?

I doubt it.

[NoGOPZone]

75. If my brother can do it, anybody can nt

[DS1]

76. No. The police I've worked with were always way too high strung

[crimsonblue]

78. no

i like preserving and defending the Constitution, so being a cop would bring up inherent conflicts of interest.

[Taverner]

79. Nope - my dad was a cop

And I saw what it did to him.

Pre-police, he was a lefty beatnik who drove a motorcycle, wore a beret and sandals. Played bongos.

Post-police, think Bill O'Reilly without the class

[NMDemDist2]

81. nope, I have too high an IQ

police officers don't do well with high IQs