Why do people not like police?

[ViperGTS]

La Policia seem to polarize the general population. Many people I know, my roommate included, detest the police, and I do not understand why.

In any group of people or workers (blue collar or white, it matters not), there's going to be a few jackasses, and a few people who will abuse their power. Does that mean that they should all be scorned?

One person I know hates the police for no reason other than they put her in jail for a night when she was caught stealing stuff from a clothing store. Every time she sees a cop, she starts making squealing noises like those of a pig. I really feel the need to slap her at these times.

Personally, I have the utmost respect for the police in general, because they do about the most difficult job in the world: enforce the laws that keep us safe, yet which we intentionally choose to disobey. I know there's a few dipshits out there but I don't judge them all accordinly.

 

[Leo tickles]

Most of the policemen I have come in contact with try to give off a "I'm better than you" vibe.

On the other side, I knew a very good gentleman who works for the police and I sometimes email back and forth with him. He helped me during some rough times.


My guess is that the folks who hate the police have had negative experiences with one, and got the impression that every policeman and policewoman are like that.

Me personally, I don't care. If I'm walking down the street with a Wendy's bag with fries pouring out and a cop drives by staring at me suspiciously, I smile and keep walking.

 

[Cosmo_ac]

Hmmm..tough question with no simple answer Viper. SOme people dislike the police because they feel they have been wronged by them(which in some cases is true.). SOme dislike the police because they are an extension of "the man" and force others to abide by laws which they see as unnessary (Unable to smoke pot for an example.) Others dislike the police just because they are plain criminals and break the law constantly, and of course dont want to have to deal with the police.

Personally, i've seen all three. Personally, i'm fairly nuetral to the police. I don;t dislike them, but i don;t totally trust them or fawn over them either. I take it as a case by case bases.

 

[Goodieluver]

People hate police because police represent the govt and law\rules. For the best example, look at how pissed off some people get when they get caught speeding and go off on cops. Instead of being pissed at the cop, be pissed at speeding or doing whatever illegal you've done. Hell, when i have been caught by the police for whatever reason, i was pissed at myself, not them.

Hell, 4 years ago i coulda been busted for a massive party i had when a cop knocked on the door, i opened it with a margarita in a blender behind the door, he knew we were underage and piss drunk, all he asked was if everyone was signed in and for them to check in. Cops are decent human beings, even the crooked ones but most times its douchebags who end up causing the cops to act like assholes

 

[PainTrain]

Personally, I have the utmost respect for the police in general, because they do about the most difficult job in the world: enforce the laws that keep us safe, yet which we intentionally choose to disobey. I know there's a few dipshits out there but I don't judge them all accordinly.

My thoughts exactly. Police are needed now more than ever. If it were up to me, the police would have far more power than they currently do.

 

[johnttickle]

I have no problem with the police. I don’t break the law, hell I don’t even go above the speed limit anymore, so I have no reason to hate the police. I always vote pro police, when the time comes around to give them more funding. They do a tough job and hardly get the credit deserved. True, there are a few police out there with a power trip, but I hardly ever run into them, and for the most part they are good people. The only people that need to fear the police are law breakers.

Aloha, John

 

[steph]

This is so funny~I was watching COPS tonight w/some friends. They were busting these young kids that ended up having about 20 oz of weed in the car. Officer was responding to a noise complaint about their loud car stereo, called in by neighbors in the middle of the night. This one guy starts yelling at the TV~"that's bullshit, that's bullshit~it's illegal search and seizure!"

Um, no, it's not, jackass~criminal justice was one of my majors. If you're violating the noise ordinance, the police are obligated to check it out. Like the work I do, the police rely heavily on instinct. If they feel someone is acting "weird," in a court of law, that is reason enough to search your car, and you will NEVER win against them if you're stupid enough to think you can fight this~and ever notice how they ALWAYS find something more in the car than the "pulled over" claim they have in their possesion~why IS that???

They don't NEED to obtain a search warrant to check out your vehicle. I don't smoke but I certainly don't oppose anyone else's right to partake (a lot of my patients have great results) and I've lobbied to help get it legalized in Cali. I asked said temper tantrumette what he'd done to help legalize it. He had no response.
Gee, I'm shocked.

It's a shitty, thankless job, your life is always in danger and almost everyone you meet hates you. Of course the majority come off as jerks, woudln't you if you were always on the defensive? God forgive you ever need one to save your life one day.
XOXO

 

[kis123]

The color of my skin doesn't afford me to like them very much. When they do away with racial profiling, I'll do away with my generally negative opinion about them.

I know all cops aren't racist, but I shouldn't have to figure out which ones are which.

 

[lespieds]

I just try to stay away from them.

LAst year this cop wanted to throw my then 9 year old son in jail for fighting.
I don't know why he did not, but he was acting all bad and shit. I have n't cared for them since.
Some other cop in our old town shot and killed my wife's nephew...

The thing is, if the cops come to see you at your home or if they pull you over, it is not good news.

That is why people don't care for cops.

 

[Red Jester]

Cops are not there for my benefit. I know that they exist for the benefit of society (which results in my benefit in the end) but for a 1 on 1 perspective they can only affect me negatively. Its not like you'll be walking around in public and a cop will say "I saw you help that old lady across the street, HAVE SOME CANDY!" They exist only to punish you, so you've no choice but to regard every thing you do around them with extreme caution. What people fear they eventually grow to hate, then they forget fear altogether.

 

[Cosmo_ac]

The only people that need to fear the police are law breakers.

thats an inaccuracy John. The only people that need to fear the police are peole the police "Think" are law breakers. Which of course can pretty much be anybody.

 

[Scouse]

I had a paragraph or two planned in my head, but after reading what Red Jester wrote I just can't compete.
Very well put mate 🙂

 

[Headsnap]

Cops are not there for my benefit. I know that they exist for the benefit of society (which results in my benefit in the end) but for a 1 on 1 perspective they can only affect me negatively. Its not like you'll be walking around in public and a cop will say "I saw you help that old lady across the street, HAVE SOME CANDY!" They exist only to punish you, so you've no choice but to regard every thing you do around them with extreme caution. What people fear they eventually grow to hate, then they forget fear altogether.

That's pretty much it, although I'd add a couple of other points. Firstly the moaning that the police do about having a "dangerous" job. Their job is no more dangerous than that of a bouncer or a close protection guard yet neither of those two get £16,000 a year starting salary, a cushy pension (which can be payable from as early as the age of 45 in some cases) and the prospect of vast unpaid leave and compensation payments should something go wrong. There's also the fact that for every 10 decent plods who do their jobs with conviction, conscientiousness and compassion there is at least one who is a total sleazebag bribe-taking shitehawk, and another 1,000 who are ineffectual, effete, lazy bastards who only do the job because it is a job to do, who are more concerned with being "The Big I Am" and getting their wages at the end of the month than they are with any notions of decency or being a boon to society.

So yeah. Take your pick, basically.

 

[johnttickle]

I am curious about some things for those of you that don’t like the police.

If someone hits your car and then takes off, what are you going to do?

If someone abducted or molested your child, wife, or any loved one, what are you going to do?

If someone broke into your house and stole your belongings, what are you going to do?

I could go on forever with different scenarios, but you get the picture.

Aloha, John

 

[badreligion]

because some cops tend to have an inflated ego and feel they are above the law

 

[jkb]

Cops are not there for my benefit. I know that they exist for the benefit of society (which results in my benefit in the end) but for a 1 on 1 perspective they can only affect me negatively. Its not like you'll be walking around in public and a cop will say "I saw you help that old lady across the street, HAVE SOME CANDY!" They exist only to punish you, so you've no choice but to regard every thing you do around them with extreme caution. What people fear they eventually grow to hate, then they forget fear altogether.

This I think is the biggest reason of all but actually most of what everyone said is quite true.

Whether you are a criminal or a law-abiding citizen, a cop is sort of like the proverbial bearer of bad news. If you are approached by a police officer, chances are you are in deep shit regardless of whether or not you actually did anything wrong or illegal.

The cops on a power trip tend to distort people's perception of the police as well. A few bad apples will always spoil the bunch. Look at people's perceptions of Muslims and Arabs after 9/11. I bet you wouldn't trust all that many Iranians, even the average Iranian person, after their president threatened to destroy Israel. It's the same thing here. All that's needed is for one cop to act up to destroy the credibility of an entire police force. I had a friend who got roughed up by a cop just for putting his feet up on a subway seat (and then received the "you're lucky I didn't arrest you" speech). This sort of thing, along with incidents of police brutality and tasing college students, makes all police look bad.

The biggest problem in my book is the fact that there are way, way, way too many laws in this country, the bulk of them ranging from useless to tyrannical. While it's the politicians who create these laws (because politicians are always on a power trip), it's the police's job to carry out these laws. If laws were properly legislated and created, there would be only few of them and they'd all be absolutely necessary for our freedom and safety. But when every other little thing is illegal, and every little thing is punishable by fines and arrest, suddenly even good decent people are looking over their shoulders in fear of those who issue the fines and make the arrests: the cops.

To extend that point, there's also the fact that people won't ever argue with someone who makes the rules, only those who inform you of or enforce them. When someone at the supermarket is pissed off because they can't get something on sale, they don't yell at the owner or manager, they yell at the cashier. At the bank, say some rule created by the bank's corporate execs prevents a customer from cashing a check. The customer doesn't complain to those execs, they sit there and yell at and interrogate the teller. It's the same thing here. People won't ever take their complaints to the politicians who make the laws (poorly), they yell at the cops who have no choice but to enforce the law.

And yes, there does often seem to be an "I'm better than you" or "I'm more valuable than you" attitude in both law enforcement and the military, but again, it's not everybody.

 

[Fire_Sprite]

I am curious about some things for those of you that don’t like the police.

If someone hits your car and then takes off, what are you going to do?

If someone abducted or molested your child, wife, or any loved one, what are you going to do?

If someone broke into your house and stole your belongings, what are you going to do?

I could go on forever with different scenarios, but you get the picture.

Aloha, John

I'm curious about some things for those who don't like needles.

If you need to get vaccinate for the flu, what do you do?

If you're allergic and going into anaphylactic shock, what do you do?

If you're a heroin addict and you're hurtin real bad, what do you do?

I could go on forever, but John only posted three.

Shake it more than twice and you're just playing with it, Fire.

 

[johnttickle]

I'm curious about some things for those who don't like needles.

If you need to get vaccinate for the flu, what do you do?

If you're allergic and going into anaphylactic shock, what do you do?

If you're a heroin addict and you're hurtin real bad, what do you do?

I could go on forever, but John only posted three.

Shake it more than twice and you're just playing with it, Fire.

Good one Fire Sprite. LOL!!!
I don't have a problem with needles, the Marine Corp. took care of that 25 years ago. But that was a great come back.

Mahalo and Aloha, John

 

[kis123]

I am curious about some things for those of you that don’t like the police.

If someone hits your car and then takes off, what are you going to do?

If someone abducted or molested your child, wife, or any loved one, what are you going to do?

If someone broke into your house and stole your belongings, what are you going to do?

I could go on forever with different scenarios, but you get the picture.

Aloha, John

With all due respect, let's talk about some scenarios shall we???

Oh, are you talking about the cops that ACTUALLY show up when there's a crime committed? I wouldn't know what you're talking about since they almost NEVER come when you call them! I'm still waiting for the cops to come since the spring when an addict under the influence tried to get me to open my door to him. I'm still waiting for the cops to come over after someone tried to break into the home I'm sweating to pay the mortgage every month.

I'm still waiting for action to be taken against the cops who hit my son (then 16) in the temple while so-called trying to subdue him during a panic attack. They knew he was autistic and scared but they beat him in my front of my face then threatened to arrest me! What did I do wrong? Glad you asked! I asked him for his badge number so I could report his conduct! He threatened to arrest me because he didn't want me to report him for brutalizing my son!

I have little respect for them and I have many more reasons than these; these are just the highlights, believe me!

 

[johnttickle]

With all due respect, let's talk about some scenarios shall we???

Oh, are you talking about the cops that ACTUALLY show up when there's a crime committed? I wouldn't know what you're talking about since they almost NEVER come when you call them! I'm still waiting for the cops to come since the spring when an addict under the influence tried to get me to open my door to him. I'm still waiting for the cops to come over after someone tried to break into the home I'm sweating to pay the mortgage every month.

I'm still waiting for action to be taken against the cops who hit my son (then 16) in the temple while so-called trying to subdue him during a panic attack. They knew he was autistic and scared but they beat him in my front of my face then threatened to arrest me! What did I do wrong? Glad you asked! I asked him for his badge number so I could report his conduct! He threatened to arrest me because he didn't want me to report him for brutalizing my son!

I have little respect for them and I have many more reasons than these; these are just the highlights, believe me!

Wow, that’s not cool that they never showed up for those instances. I guess they are really different from city to city. They have always come when I called them. They were right there when my house got broken into in Seattle, and when my car got stolen, which they found a week later. I am lucky I guess, for their quick response to me. I am sorry again that they didn’t show up for you, which is not cool. I understand your dislike for them then. Good luck to you.


Aloha, John

 

[P[a]pi]

I'd say it's about 50/50 whether or not a cop is good or bad.

Some people, like to say the glass is half full, others half empty.

But, if I had to lean one way I'd say half empty. I'd say more cops are bad than good.

When I say bad I mean bad attitude, to racist, to abuse of power. But, most people in any profession are bad in my opinion.

I know we need cops though. And I'm always respectful to them, but I'm respectful to them for fear that they will kill me or ruin my life... so does that really count? haha

 

[SlaverTickler]

Most people who don't like police have either broken the law or make a habbit of hanging out with people who brake the law. Personaly I haven't had any trouble with cops. I'm a middle class white guy with no record, and no intentions of getting one soon. I don't use drug, don't steal, and just generaly stay out of trouble. I really think it's funny when I hear someone say a cop gave them a hard time for nothing, normaly nothing means nothing they felt they deserved it for. When my dad was a teen, he knew guy who got slapped around by cops for just looking at them the wrong way, and guess what when my old man was younger EVERYONE he knew was white. For those of you who want to play the race card go elts where it won't wash with me.

 

[JimmyBoy]

I have no problem with the police. One time I was smoking on one of the outdoor train station platforms. I didn't notice the cop walking towards me and says, "Are you smoking? You know that's not allowed here." I threw the clove on the floor right away and stepped on it and told him that I honestly had no idea we couldn't smoke here. He said, "Don't smoke here again. It's a $100.00 fine for people who smoke in train stations. Don't do it." and then walked away.

I could have been fined and have had to go through the hassle of paying it but instead he let it slide. Cops can be very nice sometimes.

 

[chicago]

I don't dislike all cops. The cops here in Chicago come into my work all the time, and they're pretty damn cool.

However, anytime I visit my hometown, I can't stand the cops there. There is only about 10,000 people in my town. The town is divided by a set of train tracks. Everyone knows everyone, their family, and what side of the tracks they're from.

Unfortunately, nothing ever happens in a town like this and so the police get bored and pull you over for bogus reasons, just because you're a college kid out late. Not to mention, half of them are crooked and if your parents are the mayor's cousins or something, you can basically do no wrong.

They're all on a power trip and think they're on NYPD Blue or something.

 

[kis123]

Most people who don't like police have either broken the law or make a habbit of hanging out with people who brake the law. Personaly I haven't had any trouble with cops. I'm a middle class white guy with no record, and no intentions of getting one soon. I don't use drug, don't steal, and just generaly stay out of trouble. I really think it's funny when I hear someone say a cop gave them a hard time for nothing, normaly nothing means nothing they felt they deserved it for. When my dad was a teen, he knew guy who got slapped around by cops for just looking at them the wrong way, and guess what when my old man was younger EVERYONE he knew was white. For those of you who want to play the race card go elts where it won't wash with me.

Well, that's an interesting perspective coming from a middle class white guy. Talk to me about it when they start racial profiling you. Talk to me about it when they unnecessarily beat your disabled black son in your face then threaten to arrest you because you want to report it to his superiors.

I'm black, my son is black and those cops were white. Would they have beaten a white boy up like that? I don't know--I just know what happened to me.

Middle class white males who don't get racial profiled can go "elts where " since they have no idea what it is like to live in brown skin everyday.........

***disclaimer*** I'm not saying all white cops are racist, I just know how it feels to run into two of them!!