<p>Agree that respect is due–why didn’t the media just respect the officer to begin with? Seems to me that media have some sorry players as well–both sides need to be evaluated as my earlier post indicated. Let’s focus a little bit on how media can push buttons of everyone, police included. Media is not above the law and respect for media is a lot less than what I have police! I am not judging who is right or wrong in this instance–just seems that there can be good cops and bad cops, just like media can have good reporters and bad reporters.</p>
<p>You really have no idea what the police have to deal with. Are you to have a debate when an officer pulls you over? They have no idea, if you have a concealed weapon under your car seat.</p>
<p>Maybe it is 80 degrees in March, but they cannot come out of that winter uniform until May 15 per their SOP. Perhaps you car fits the description of a car that has been broadcast over radio that was involved in a crime. The officer doesn’t know you, and he/she isn’t going to take any chances. From my stand point as a spouse, I rather he didn’t take the chance.</p>
<p>Maybe they have just come off a domestic abuse run where someone got injured. Do you know what the officers see? I know a small percentage of the things my husband deals with. I pretty much tuned out when he described a murder scene. How exciting it was when he called one night and said leave some clothes outside, because he had to get deloused and didn’t want to come inside with clothes he was wearing. </p>
<p>And sure, there are some where the stress has eaten away at them, and yes there are some who you wonder how the heck they passed all the exams, but please, please don’t make a sweeping generalization. I know active members and retirees. All quite pleasant people. This topic is very distressing because you are condemning the masses because of the few.</p>
<p>You are basically telling me that my husband, friends and co-workers are miserable people. I beg to differ.</p>
<p>Silvermoonlock, I’m sorry you’re having to deal with this… I’m baffled by how this thread is going.</p>
<p>silvermoonlock - no offense to your husband and friends - I’m just telling you what MY experience has been. I respect an officers authority - but I also would like to be treated with respect. I do understand why I might be pulled over when I didn’t do anything…but I expected to be treated with some respect. Instead, I have been yelled at, insulted - or even worse…ignored when I really needed help. It may be that the particular area I’m in is unusual … I just don’t know. I can imagine the stress is unrelenting, especially in high-crime areas.
I’m sure your H and friends are good, decent officers, trying their best under difficult circumstances.</p>
<p>Many of the analogies here don’t make sense. This is a career where you are in public service, paid by taxpayer money…the standards of accountability and integrity should be very high.</p>
<p>(I did not read the original link, so I am speaking in general)</p>
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<p>And they are, by and large - the analogies are relating to members of the public basing their opinion of the entire profession on their interactions with a few members. Another version of keymom’s analogy might be: “Well, the last few doctor’s I’ve seen haven’t been able to fix my problem or have given conflicting diagnoses - I’ve just reached the conclusion that all doctors are completely incompetent and not to be trusted”</p>
<p>My cousin is a police officer; he has told me enough stories about other officers to know that one should not believe everything a police officer says. I also know this first hand as a juror: Two police officers gave conflicting accounts during a trial; fortunately their conflicts did not affect the outcome of case at hand, but we jurors remarked during deliberations that is was sure interesting how their testimonies did not agree.</p>
<p>Police officers are human, and they make mistakes, and there really are some bad apples.</p>
<p>vossron, do you agree with the OP that you have little respect for police officers? I think it is a huge leap from seeing conflicting testimony (which isn’t necessarily purposeful or deceitful) to not respecting a whole profession that does a tremendous amount of good for society.
Perhaps the portrayal of police in film, TV and literature is skewed also. I am a nurse and recently went to a conference where the speaker had examined thousands of instances of nurses portrayed in film, TV and literature. Over 80% of the time the portrayal was negative with nurses being shown as uncaring, rule oriented and incompetent. Now I sure know some nurses that fit that bill but the vast majority are caring, smart professionals who are doing a very difficult job. If you go into an encounter with a preconceived notion I believe it is easy to have that perception validated.</p>
<p>I, personally, have mostly had positive experiences with police. I have never been treated rudely. BUT I work in an urban highschool and know (and have witnessed) many interactions between students and police when the police were out of line.</p>
<p>But I think the police have a difficult–and almost impossible job. They routinely deal with people who are ****ed at them…for the ticket, for the stop, for not being helpful enough. They are constantly at risk. Maybe the guy in the Lexus they just pulled over actually stole it and has an outstanding warrent for assault and will do anything to get away, maybe the kid they are arresting is high on PCP and has a concealed weapon. They never, never know. We had a young officer shot in the head recently walking AWAY from a house after delivering a teen home to his mother. </p>
<p>So, while I think the police force attracts people with a sense of machismo, I also think some of their perceived jerk-ishness is the result of being constantly “on” and always with a sense of caution/fear/imminent danger.</p>
<p>^^^ sounds about right jamiecakes. All of my negative experiences have occurred in a very high-crime inner city area where I do some work. These guys are constantly under fire.
So, I need to be more understanding…still it’s hard to be yelled at…makes me feel like I’m in 6th grade again. Or to be left alone on a corner in this high-crime area with a broken down car. Bottom line, I need to adjust my expectations I guess.</p>
<p>“do you agree with the OP that you have little respect for police officers?”</p>
<p>No, I generally respect them, but I’m wary. The DWB problem is ever-present. Around here, problems are reported in some jurisdictions and not others, so it seems to be localized to the cultures within certain departments. San Jose police were forced to keep statistics, and are shown to arrest Hispanics at much higher rates than other similar California cities, adjusted for racial population percentages. I do agree with police about assault weapons bans, but that’s another debate.</p>