Police services: Protect and Serve or Intimidate and Scare?

[♥Prof. Sugarcube♥]

Have you ever realised how strange it is that you get paranoid around a police officer, rather than feel secure?

 

This would promote discussion,as it raises questions that if they are doing the right thing to some extent.

 

Of course Police services are required to protect those that at risk, but what about thought processes when you pass by one on the street?

[Grimes]

I actually strike up conversations with them. I appreciate their work and I like to show it.

[The Radiated Banana]

I usually like to say hello and how are you to them. No one says hi to the policemen even though they are doing a great service.

[Heated Bread]

When I was very young, I trusted police.  I would even go out of my way to say hello and be friendly.  As I've gotten older, I've learned not to trust them.  My first wakeup call came from two cops who harassed me for 20 minutes at my own front door.  I won't give the details, buy they had basically no reason to be there.

 

There are good legal and practical reasons to avoid talking to police as much as possible.  Don't give them trust by default, and if you do have to talk to them, RECORD EVERYTHING.

[♠Derpeh♤]

Police logic:

 

war on drugs because they destroy lives. Kills, beats up and destroy lives if you have drugs or think you have drugs...

 

let me protect you! By being too trigger happy to "defend themself"

[Spicy Ham]

Police logic:

 

war on drugs because they destroy lives. Kills, beats up and destroy lives if you have drugs or think you have drugs...

 

let me protect you! By being too trigger happy to "defend themself"

Don't be dumb about the possession of your drugs and you wont be caught

--

Pretty nice people most of the time, but not always

just like with people of most other jobs

[BlaqkAudio]

I'd say the policemen that get the power over their head are the bad ones.

 

Me and some friends got questioned by a cop just because we were "looking suspicious." And he was talking some pretty high shit like, "I am the police officer. Whatever I say, GOES!" and shit like that. These kind of guys I believe don't deserve to wear a badge.

 

But then there are those other cops that do their jobs like their supposed to. Those I can respect, and will happily thank them for doing their job.

[Tron]

As long as they don't start becoming like the police in GTA, im very happy and pleased with them.

 

Policemen do very dangerous and hard jobs, and most of them do go through a lot of effort to keep our society safe. I encourage everyone to greet a policemen when walking past them, and not to avoid them and feel insecure.

[Ford Prefect]

I respect policemen work, I have nothing to afraid and they see it. And I glad to help them in any case.

Also I have a good friend in police, he's detective and very, very good guy.

[t0night]

see my post in the other thread about how there is a violent police state in america basically. i would not personally feel very threatened by police as a white guy, but i am still outraged over how impossible it is to actually prevent and punish the awful crimes committed by those who are supposed to protect and serve, and who consistently reveal themselves to be protecting and serving completely different interests, primarily themselves and their right to abuse power.

 

in the uk, it seems marginally better and the police unions are less of an immovable object, but i still don't trust a cop at all for the same reason that i don't trust a stranger in the street, except this stranger can pretty much ruin my life if he feels like it.

[♛ AlphaOmega ♛]

For me, it depends on the situation. Most times, im fine with them. They are there to help. Other times, like when im speeding, i get a little edgy when i speed past em. I personally have never run into racist or "bad" cops.

 

But if you think about it, you have nothing to fear if you did nothing wrong right? Police are meant to protect and serve but also be deterrent against criminals uaing intimidation.

[Python.]

Only time I've seen someone change their behavior around a police officer is when my mom is going 50 in a 40 zone

She slows to avoid a ticket

 

Other than that, nada. And I have a dozen police at our school at a time.

[F CHARLIE]

Many people will be uneasy with police because it seems unnatural that some random person is watching/judging your behavior and can punish you for an error. I have had a tendancy to speed, like most people, when traffic allows for it. Once I got my first speeding ticket I would no longer get warnings but more tickets. When the ticket is on your record for 3 - 4 years, there is a good chance a cop will get you for speeding again. At some point you feel that they do this to fund the department and some have.

 

Beyond that, you get a distinct sense that cops are too judgemental or prejudicial. The examples of Ferguson, st Luis shortly there after, Utah and Treyvon you do believe that the justice system/police have a tendancy to be racist and let that effect thier actions. I do think that many identify themselves too much with the authority they represent and sees themselves as infallible.

[Karam]

Really depends on the country you live in and nationality.

 

Like I'm syrian .. i live in saudi arabia and cops can be pretty assholes with foreigners .. depends on the cop too .. i have mixed emotions about them

[Pyrocide]

I personally think that traffic cops are a waste of tax payer money. Driving the Dallas North Tollway daily the posted speed limit is 70 in some areas and 75 in others. On average I get passed by cars when I myself am doing 85+ on that highway.

 

No one follows the speed limits on that highway, not even cops.

 

I have never met any cops (non-MP) that weren't complete assholes. May be a bit extreme, but MPs would be a more viable choice for local law enforcement. But I also think that cops get away with just about anything these days due to the fact that they aren't monitored and have unrestricted power when no one is watching. If they were fitted with badge cams the amount of cops getting away with shit and corruption behind the badges would come to a screeching halt.

 

Families of cops get preferential treatment just because they are married to one, which is bullshit. The same goes for vets. I have seen my brother get completely shitfaced drunk, hop in his truck with 2 other GIs and go off to another bar to continue drinking, get pulled over and let off scot-free because he had his BDUs and USID card with him since he was on leave. If I have to follow the law like all the other non-cops and non-military, everyone should. That shit would never fly on base.

 

Is the justice system prejudice? Absolutely.

 

Will it ever change as long as race or stereotyping is an issue? Not a fucking chance.

 

When will race and stereotyping no longer be an issue? When hell freezes over.

[>Sneaks]

When I was very young, I trusted police.  I would even go out of my way to say hello and be friendly.  As I've gotten older, I've learned not to trust them.  My first wakeup call came from two cops who harassed me for 20 minutes at my own front door.  I won't give the details, buy they had basically no reason to be there.

 

There are good legal and practical reasons to avoid talking to police as much as possible.  Don't give them trust by default, and if you do have to talk to them, RECORD EVERYTHING.

Basically the same with me. My wake-up call came sometime in high school. You seem I'm a minority, I'm sick of cops pulling me over as a "routine traffic check" or as a "random search." They're always watching m when I walk into stores, keeping an eye out just because I look like a criminal. Then there are the stories of people who have face injustice for being of a different color (although we do not know if said person in question had a criminal record)

Really depends on the country you live in and nationality.

 

Like I'm syrian .. i live in saudi arabia and cops can be pretty assholes with foreigners

Same goes for Mexico. It doesn't matter of you are a foreigner or native, cops will extort people for money. You can pay a cop to protect you or to look the other way while you do something.

 

It also doesn't help that most pigs are portrayed as douchebags in popular media (Breaking Bad's Hank comes to mind).

[Splat]

It really does depend on where you are and where you're from. They're bad in corrupt states and when they get guns like in America. In my country we have an unarmed police and an unarmed public. If you want someone with a gun you get the army