mholhut said:
Well, some people do need a better understanding about why police do things the way they do. Whether it's Fla02LS's obligation or someone else's because most people get their "education" on such topics from what they read on the internet or what they see on TV, and we all know how reality is portrayed in those mediums. I've said it before and I'll say it again... use common sense and make up your own mind.
When I saw those images and then the post that said "Isn't it obvious why he got stopped", (a very leading question,) I thought that there are two ways this thread can go... bad and worse. Some might say he was stopped because of his race, while others might say because of style of car he's driving. Yet, some might say that he must've committed an traffic infraction. The point is, there was never enough information about the situation, so the wild assumptions started to fly. The situation was further perpetuated, IMHO, by such other comments as "love the harrassment", etc. People are going to see things in certain ways no matter how it's presented. It all depends on who's interpreting it, and their own values. Post those pictures with no caption in any forum and you'll get the same types of responses we have just seen from people who either support or dislike law enforcement.
I'm a cop whether anyone cares to know it or not. I didn't join up 16 years ago so I could be liked. If I wanted to be liked, I would've been a fireman. Who hate's firemen? No one. Even if your house burns to the ground, the owners will still thank the firemen. No one thanks a cop, simply because they are always associated with the bad things in life. Parents often see a cop in uniform and point out to their misbehaving kids, "See, if you don't behave that policeman will put you in jail." Thanks, lady... you're 4 year old son needs to start his discontent for the police at a young and impressionable age. Why not just say, "See that policeman? If you ever need help, you can go to him."
Because a fireman rarely uses anything you say or do against you in the court of law.
In a similar fashion, kids grow up being exposed to the negative aspects of law enforcement... mom or dad get arrested by the police and it's just like saying the police are bad. Or, the most popular notion, that people get pulled over for repeated traffic citations and their dislike for the police begins there. I love that... people hate cops because they get tickets when they can't drive correctly. The problem is never with them... only with the police. Don't get me wrong, there are some real toolbags in this profession that shouldn't be out there, and I understand that they paint a very bad picture of my profession. But you get that anywhere you go and in any job.
Yes, those toolbags who murder and imprison thousands of innocent people every year. That is kind of a downer to police reputation.
I despise the service I get from restaurant wait-staff from time to time... but that does not mean I "hate" them all, nor would I wish to kill any of them because of it. But no where in this world can someone loose their life simply based on what they do... other than a cop.
100% BS.
Fishers, pilots and navigators, structural metal workers, driver-sales workers, roofers, electrical power installers, farm occupations, construction laborers, and truck drivers all have higher on the job mortality rates than police officers.
Grocery store clerks, cab drivers, chauffers, and limod rivers have the highest on-the-job murder rate. 36 times all other forms of employment, including police officers.
Police are generally murdered in two basic manners... at traffic stops and at domestic disputes. If you were a waitress and new that waitresses get murdered table-side when they ask someone what thy'd like to eat, you'd certainly approach your next booth a little more cautiously.
Police are generally killed by traffic accidents, not murder. Since 1999, accidents has overtaken murder as the #1 cause for law enforcement deaths. Exclude 9/11, and S.W.A.T. raids, and that number becomes a landslide.
But again Grocery store clerks, cab drivers, chauffers, and limod rivers have the highest on-the-job murder rate.
36 TIMES all other forms of employment, including police officers.
Police act in a defensive manner during traffic stops based on two simple principles... first, the operator knows that the police are the police and their reactions are interpreted by the police; and two, the police may not have a clue who is driving a car at any particular moment. For police, you never want to be in a fair fight... you never want to be "even" with a potential adversary... you always want a tactical edge. In the photo's above, some see "harrassment" some see the police being "cautious." That's just the way it is, and that's the way it will always be.
Glad to see the petty bickering is prevalent as much in the online world as it is in reality. All the forums I visit go through the same things every time a traffic stop is mentioned. I'm glad that the members of LVC are no different. This thread has grown so redonkulous that it's no longer worthy of any opinnion lacking any factual basis. IMO, this thread should've never been started... if fuels the fire of racism and discontent for law enforcement. It's not doing anyone any good.
Yeah, well maybe if the less-qualified police officers out there would stop counting on profiling to do their jobs for them, there wouldn't be such a problem. There are 5 police officers in my family, and 7 more I know personally, and they all know the type. Find some poor sucker, accuse him of being suspicious, and keep accusing him of being a crook even if he hasn't done anything wrong.
It has happened to me before. Cop pulls you over, asks you for all of your information, and even when everything checks out, he tries to convince you that you are doing something wrong anyway.
My favorite law enforcement questions:
"Do you think it's normal to be driving this late?"
"What are you doing here?"
"Don't you think this is suspicious?"
And these are the questions I have been asked
AFTER all of my ID and documents, and record came back clean.
Some cops just can't deal with an innocent person. They want and need someone to be guilty of something. Thankfully, not all police officers are like this.
Sorry to contradict your post here, but it is just ridiculousy pro-police, and contains inaccurate information.
