As the dad of a law enforcement officer, I’d say they aren’t your friends even when you are the victim of a crime. You need them, but you likely won’t be friends. Plenty of victims call the police and end up having a warrant themselves, so they get arrested.
And for a person of color, how one interacts with the police, based on where you live, may just save your life.
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I don’t trust cops. I have told my kids not to engage them. They are not your friends.
Many years ago I was lost in a bad section of town some where in NJ. I needed directions on how to get back on a freeway. I saw a cops car parked on the shoulder. I drove on the shoulder for 10-20 yards before I reached them. As soon as I got out, they started yelling at me about driving on the shoulder in trying to avoid the traffic. They wouldn’t let me explain. They were very aggressive, so I took the ticket and left. I later wrote to the local chief of police about the incidence. I then received a threatening letter from the police about they knew where I lived. I ended up going to court to settle the ticket. Ever since then I avoided police.
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Does it have to be “all in” or “all out”? 
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In my state the hearing is not required but the arrestee must be notified of the option to have that hearing. They have 30 days post arrest to request the hearing. At least that is how it was at the time of my retirement.
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Once I am a victim of a crime Cops don’t really help me. 99% of the time cops aren’t going to recover stolen property. Can they assist in holding the party responsible for the crime? Yes, but they get things wrong enough I will gladly avoid them.
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So no police report for an insurance company?
Who do you call if you’re a victim of a crime?
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I have to say that I’m really surprised by some of the comments on this thread. I grew up with LEOs in my parents’ circle of friends and have a few now as well. I feel like the bad seeds, that are also in every profession, are few and far between. I would definitely trust a police officer to go for help and would absolutely follow instructions to the letter if pulled over.
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Of course you get a police report for the insurance company, but then basically they are filling out some paperwork that anyone that can read and write could do. That is all that happens. They are not getting your stuff back.
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99% is way high but using it as a reference, 99% of people can’t describe their property well enough for recovered property to be returned to its rightful owner.
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Massachusetts.
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They found my stolen car, but I sure didn’t want it back. Thankfully it was totaled.
That’s where I live. The driver lost their license for at least 180 days because of the refusal. Ask your husband if the person was found not guilty, or it resulted in a continuance without a finding.
Your license will be suspended until you appear in court, but you will beat the drunk driving conviction. In this case, the driver was already pulled over to the side of the road with a flat tire (at 3 a.m.). The cop smelled alcohol and asked if she had been drinking. She said no. The field sobriety test was on tape and what the cop said didn’t match up with report. The cop never saw her driving. Refused breathalyzer.
It was pretty slam drunk for the defendant. The cop never saw her driving drunk. And the fact that the field report didn’t match the tape only made it worse for the State cop who had only been on the job for 6 months.
“Who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes?” 
Yes this. So many use outliers as the norm.
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Your license will automatically be suspended for at least 180 days if it’s your first offense. Being found not guilty will not shorten that suspension.
Losing your license for 6 months is better than a DUI if you can manage getting around without a car.
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I try to avoid interactions with law enforcement but when I have needed them the officers in my town have been pretty compassionate and kind. But I live in the kind of town where police officers will play pick up basketball with the kids or help find a lost dog. Y’know how there were a lot of police departments that added mental health crisis teams in recent years? Our town has had social worker mental health crisis teams in conjunction with the police department for 50 years. They take the non violent calls or ride along with officers.
I definitely don’t feel this way about all police officers in other areas.
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I’m certainly a a bit biased, but I agree with you. We live in a world where the extremes get amplified and perception is reality.
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That is not their job.
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