Why do cops become cops?

[Thistle Harlequin]

The cop that arrested me the other day looked like the kinda guy that got teased in High School for being fat, ugly, and dorky by "cool" guys like me. So I think that's why he became a pig, to get back at people better looking than him.

What do you think? (btw. I got a dui, pulled over for speeding)

In the end, he's still fat and ugly and I'm still cute. "You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig." -Obama


Although I'm glad we live in a world with Police. We need them, for the right reasons.

[Bikerpunk]

Most of them have serious attitude problems.

[Buster Friendly]

I've actually considered getting a job in some branch of law enforcement.

Mostly because it pays better than my current gig, and there's fairly good job security built in.

They don't let you crack yuppies upside the head with your baton though.

And I'd be surrounded by cops all the time.

Not good.

The money isn't enough to deal with the hassle.

Some cops I know are deffinitly the picked on as kids type.

Some are the jocko-homo dumb as bricks types, big brutish bullies who miss being on the football team.

Some are just working class guys who took a job with benefits, and a retirement plan.

Some are cool dudes who discovered that a masters degree in theater tech. didn't give them many employment options, the absurdity of their jobs isn't lost on them.

In every really hardcore martial arts school I've ever studied in at least half of the hardcore devoted students are law enforcement of some time (mostly corrections officers for some reason.)

I've met alot more cops than I ever thought I would. Some are cool, some aren't.

[Buster Friendly]

I'd also add that the job sort of lends it's self to bad attitude.

Think about your job.

Think about the worst customer/client situation you've ever had to deal with.

Now think about what cops have to deal with just about every day.

It's kind of going to wear a person's sunny disposition down a little, and make them skeptical of everyone they meet.

eh.

As agents of the coercive force of the state there's really no excuse for the police, but that's a larger issue, and has little to do with them as individual humans.

[mystoo]

I'm sure there are some cops out there who do it for the right reasons. That whole 'protect and serve' thing but I think alot of them are in it for the power, control, and 'hey, don't trip over your ego'. As to why cops are such dicks-because they can be.

[Bikerpunk]

Even the ones who are in it for the right reasons --- cover for the ones who aren't.

[mystoo]

I don't want to believe that.

[Bikerpunk]

It's called the Thin Blue Line, and cops know not to cross it.

You look the other way when your buddy's wife comes in with a black eye and a couple of broken teeth, and maybe some day you have a bad day and crack some visible minority across the face with a nightstick--- your partner will testify the guy tripped and fell.

An officer who rats another out finds himself threatened pretty quick.

's why I never went into that line of work...

[Buster Friendly]

No this is true.

The cops I know have an ingrained mentality of not questioning the actions of other cops unless they're real fuck ups. Even then they try to to say anything anyway.

[Pull~My~Hair]

i've thought about being a cop when I see people getting away with things that are just ridiculous ..i get really pissed when I see someone driving like an idiot in front of a cop who is too lazy to pull him over..but I would never ever work in the police system

[Bikerpunk]

What you don't see is the special marking on the car that indicates said person is either a cop or cop family --- they don't write tickets for their own.

Either that, or they've made their quota for the month. Spend your life writing traffic tickets, you stay on the beat for a while. Stop a murder, you make captain.

[KilLAtomiK]

next time dont drink and drive

[Bikerpunk]

There is that, yes.

Cause I guarantee (you), if you're drunk and (you) hit me, if you don't kill me I **WILL** put (you) through (you)r own windshield.

Where you see (you) think one, not 2nd person singular, yeah?

[Thistle Harlequin]

next time dont drink and drive

duh.. next time i get 120 days in jail


if you knew my street though, getting struck by lightning would have been a higher a chance..but i agree. Just talking about the cop though. And his personality. He asked where I worked, and I was being nice, the whole time I was being nice and cordial he told me I don't have to be nice to him (WTF? the whole time I was being nice and cooperative) and he kept bragging that he got a tattoo at my shop by my co-worker) What did he expect me to say? I don't get it... obviously this cop has issues...

[Bikerpunk]

duh.. next time i get 120 days in jail

I'd rather you thought - no, I don't want to end up looking like that thing I'm licking in the video.

KillAtomik knows what happens when you lose control of a car at speed, and is proof that REALLY BAD SHIT can happen in a car, even sober.

Why compound it by driving incapable of driving properly is amazingly beyond me.

You're alive and OK and noone else got hurt. How would you feel if either case had happened?

[Thistle Harlequin]

I'd rather you thought - no, I don't want to end up looking like that thing I'm licking in the video.

KillAtomik knows what happens when you lose control of a car at speed, and is proof that REALLY BAD SHIT can happen in a car, even sober.

Why compound it by driving incapable of driving properly is amazingly beyond me.

You're alive and OK and noone else got hurt. How would you feel if either case had happened?

I've been in a bad car accident when a drunk driver in a truck hit our car and we spun around the fwy and rolled over on the freeway edge/hill 3x's....we survived. The point isn't about drunk driving, the point is about why cops become cops. If someone isn't capable of driving under the influence then I agree, they shouldn't drive. .08 is the law, that doesn't mean that higher than that you aren't capable of driving well. I passed all the tests besides the blowing in the machine one. I was capable of driving, my body weight and alcohol level were just high by law. And I'm a very thin guy, I Don't get it, when they were writing my paperwork in the holding area, they asked my weight and I told them,and they said they were gunna lie and write 130lbs anyways, but then when they took my mugshot they asked me again and I said that those cops said they were gunna put 130 but they were like "well I need your real weight" ..so wtf? ugh..

[Bikerpunk]

I dunno, I was just expressing concern for your wellbeing in passing.

[Thistle Harlequin]

I dunno, I was just expressing concern for your wellbeing in passing.

Well of course I'd hate to hear about an accident and people getting hurt because of an accident, drinking or not..
but I didn't make this post to get attacked either...

I just wanted to state that before anyone starts to attack me

That's not what this post is about.

[Thistle Harlequin]

Even the ones who are in it for the right reasons --- cover for the ones who aren't.

yeah, that bites!

[episode allah]

next time dont drink and drive

[Head Wreck]

over here we have special constables. 90% of them are closet megalomaniacs and show off's that lack any intelligence. the whole world it seems can see the phallus protruding from their foreheads, as the real cops wont let them in full time but allow them to volunteer.

there are some real genuine cops round here. its just the jumped up security guards, volunteer part timers and club bouncers who are 90% "a shade off".

The only time i had an Issue with an officer is when one nearly drove his car into my car after booting it down the fast lane without lights on.

pissed me off so much that when he pulled me i got out on a busy highway and stormed towards him (yes i know you DONT do that in the states, but over here they ask you into the back of thier vehicle while they talk to you, to make sure you cant speed off)., causing him to yell get back in your car. (i did not want him looking in my vehicle, nothing illegal, just things that may cause a panic).

cop asked me why i didnt check my mirror.
"yes i fucking well did" (here i realise i should wind my neck back in)
"where have you come from?"
"RAF Caerwent" (i am actually still in camoflage gear and still covered in mud asife from the spot where my cheat webbing was)
"where are you going?"
"home" (first reaction, i expected him to ask where exactly)
"of you go sir, dont do it again"

no warning, no producerate. no vehicle check over (which i was dreading, i had ALL my kit in the boot, including Two VERY realistic Airsoft guns,). i think he realised i had him over a barrel over his speed

[Ajax Knucklebones]

I'd also add that the job sort of lends it's self to bad attitude.

Think about your job.

Think about the worst customer/client situation you've ever had to deal with.

Now think about what cops have to deal with just about every day.

It's kind of going to wear a person's sunny disposition down a little, and make them skeptical of everyone they meet.

eh.

As agents of the coercive force of the state there's really no excuse for the police, but that's a larger issue, and has little to do with them as individual humans.

My dad's a retired detective and about everything I read here is true. There are bad cops and there are good cops. Just like every other job in the world, different people enter the career for different reasons. And yes, I truly believe it is one of the most ungratifying jobs a person could have. Think about it.....Risking your life everyday for most people that can't stand you. Being called pigs, bacon, and donut eating lazy fucks all the time. My dad took the job because it paid well and had great health and retirement benefits. Though....I can tell you...He hated the job. Retired 20 years to the day and in that time saw shit that nobody should see for the money he made.

Do good cops look the other way when bad cops do shit? Ummm....Of course...Wouldn't you? Especially if you're depending on these bad cops to cover your back and keep you alive if you walk into a dangerous situation. Cops are just like soldiers. They depend on themselves. Rat on a bad cop and your life becomes instantly alot less worth anything to other cops. Watch "Serpico". It's a true story. He ratted on bad cops and almost was killed for it. The biggest part about being a cop is making sure you go home alive. You do what you have to, to make that happen. If that means look the other way....It sucks...But they're really isn't much of an alternative unless you want to quit the force.

I grew up on Long Island being a cop's son. Talk about fun. You don't know how many times my friends would tell me my dad was a bad cop because to them ALL cops were bad. You don't know how many times I had to hear how my dad was "on the take"...You know, because ALL cops were on the take. It sucked! If my dad was on the take, then I think we'd be eating alot better than everything in my parent's cupboard being "generic" brands.

It's incredibly hard for me to not be bias here, but the fact is Thistle, you've drove drunk and got fuckin' caught. Life sucks, but yeah, if you're gonna break the law, you better be real good at not getting caught and if you do, well Hell, like the Baretta song goes, "Don't do the crime, if you can't do the time." Am I saying I never drove drunk before? Fuck, I think we all have. But if I ever got caught, which, thank Jebus, I never did, than I would deal with it. I wouldn't explain it as everybody in your neighborhood does it. I would accept full responsibilty. Did that cop treat you like shit? Yeah and that sucks, but cops aren't salespeople at a clothes store. They aren't paid to be super nice. They're paid to enforce the law. Some of them have good dispositions, some do not. You got one with a bad disposition. If I was in your position and was treated like that, would I think the cop was a dick? Sure, but it doesn't mean all cops are dicks; or all cops were nerds in school who just want power. My dad grew up being a "Greaser". Back than he would be the "cool" guy in school. Later on, without a college degree, being a cop was the best job he could get. So, he took it. Did it make him happy. Fuck no. He was a grumpy fuck when I was growing up, but I respect him because I know, he HATED his job, but kept it for us.

When I gratuated high school, my dad told me that maybe I should be a cop. With what I saw him go though daily.....There was no fucking way.

[Ajax Knucklebones]

***if you knew my street though, getting struck by lightning would have been a higher a chance***

My original quote-***I wouldn't explain it as everybody in your neighborhood does it.***

Sorry, Thistle. I read so much comments here, I misunderstood. It's not that everyone does it on your block.

[Mr Karl]

I don't think I've ever heard of a big cop layoff...........yet

[episode allah]

I had a bad experience with a policeman several years ago. Basically i was drinking on the street, wandering through town alone in the evening totally minding my own business when two policemen stopped me and took my 2.5 liter bottle of cider and poured it out over the gutter (public drinking is forbidden here). I asked them for a refund and things just went downhill from there. The policeman didn’t liked being talked to as an equal and admittedly I was being a bit of a smart-ass and wanted to chat about how things are different in central Europe and how as far as I was concerned i was being hassled on the street by men in strange uniforms who had stolen and destroyed my private property. Yeh so basically I was being an idiot, but fuck was I a harmless idiot! Like totally cordial, quiet and polite, just asking them questions about whether they thought what they were doing was fair etc.

Next thing I know a paddy wagon pulls in, I get handcuffed inside and taken to the central police station, stripped to my boxers as they ‘searched’ for a knife, and put me in a cell to ‘cool off’. I was later told in court, much to the entire courtroom’s laughter that I’d said “Aliens! Aliens! You’ve abducted me from the street and taken me into your strange ship”. Anyway I got let out at like 3AM and I thought it was all done and dusted but 6 months later I got a summons to court and that’s when I started to get anxious. A criminal record at 22 isn’t an optimal position to be in. I asked for advice from some friends of our family and was told that maybe I should go and apologize to the policeman in question to see if we couldn’t smooth things out and have the charges quashed….

So one day I called into the station, asked to speak to so and so and out he comes, apparently still pissed, with hatred in his eyes and went hardcore on my ass. Shouting at me, making threatening gestures and totally unprofessional; I was taken aback and frankly, pretty upset afterwards. I knew then that this piece of shit was going to be at court to testify against me and that I better get a solicitor. Which I did. And sure enough shit for brains did appear, did appeal to the Judge to get me convicted and sentenced with a criminal record, and if it weren’t for the fact that I’d brought my mother along (and gotten a solicitor) I would have been given one. So I was told to plead guilty to all charges which where 1) threatening and abusive behavior 2) drinking in public and 3) drunk and disorderly. Pleading guilty to 1 & 3 was depressing; all id done is spoke my mind in a totally polite manner. And I still reckon that that orangutan piece of shit got a bee in his bonnet coz I had a tattoo

As it is I got what basically amounts to ‘permanent probation’, which means that if I ever get caught for something again im getting a conviction, even jaywalking. What really pissed me off is that a month later, I was in town and my friend got assaulted by some really dangerous bastard that was basically going up and down the street intimidating, assaulting and stealing from homeless people. So we rang the police, once, twice, three times (the guy was now sitting with his friends on a park bench) and eventually, after like 40 minutes (this was in the city centre) they sent one guy on a bicycle who had a chat with them and then fucked off. So for me, a person who treated an officer of the law as an equal, they send a paddy wagon, but for some violent fuck they send a bicycle….wankers!!

Then like three weeks later I was going into a bar and they refused me at the door, so I showed them my ID coz I thought I was being refused because I looked under 18, but no, the bouncers told me that they’d seen me being arrested (same street) and that I was barred, permanently and forever. Tossers!!
Sorry, i just had to get all of that off my chest!

So while the only significant experience that I personally have ever had with the police is a bad one, and the same is true of many of my friends, I really don’t think its fair to tarnish all police with the same brush. I’ve also met policemen in pubs that have openly admitted to me that they wont bust someone for possession of hashish if its for personal use as well as ones that actually say they’re smokers. Police have also basically apologized for confiscating grass plants from my friend’s house citing that ‘its just our job’. Police come in all shapes and sizes, but like Ajax and buster said, it’s a tough job and someone needs to do it.

In all honesty if you were drinking and driving on my street I wouldn’t give two shits about how charming and hansom you are, I’d slap your ass up on dashboard and arrest you straight out. Driving under the influence just isn’t cool.

[SyntheticShock]

I'd become a desk cop just so I could wear the uniform.

But really, I couldn't do what they do everyday, they get major kudos for going to work not knowing what's in store for them, not knowing what kind of people they could be pulling over or arresting, they take a lot of chance with their job, and I think cops are under-rated sometimes, at least the "good" cops. I'm glad that there are so many people who want to make a career out of it.

But I have known people who wanted to becomes in law enforcment to feel in control, and others who want to work in the industry so they can become "bad" cops and take bribes, steal evidence (ie. drugs), etc.

[Thistle Harlequin]

[QUOTE=SyntheticShock]I'd become a desk cop just so I could wear the uniform.

QUOTE]
I've thought about being a desk cop before (while sitting in the booking cells), that looks like the easy job, and you get to have a bad attitude... too bad I don't quality

[Thistle Harlequin]

I wasn't complaining about my dui you guys. I could have said "I got pulled over with tinted windows", and maybe I'd get different replies, I dunno. anyways, I am taking responsibility of what I got caught breaking and I wasn't complaining about that...that wasn't the point of this post. Geez Louise.

[Morning Glory]

you made fun of "fat, ugly, dorks" in highschool and you want us to feel sorry for you because you got a ticket when you were driving drunk?

I got no love for cops, but you won't be getting any sympathy from me either.

[DoctorZ]

Oi, I'm a fat... maybe not quite ugly, but I'm still a dork! I take 2/3rds offence!


Cookie if you can understand what I said....

[Bikerpunk]

For the record, he never said that he made fun of them, only that they were.

[DoctorZ]

"guy that got teased in High School for being fat, ugly, and dorky by "cool" guys like me."

I'd say that qualifies.

[Bikerpunk]

Guys LIKE him, but not him.
He's suggesting they'd look at him as being LIKE their previous tormentors.

[One Eyed Cat]

I've known both good and bad cops over the years. The key to dealing with them: You have to be able to size up the situation very quickly . o 0 On a Warm Summer's Evening ...

OEC

[Morning Glory]

well yeah, I do think that a lot of cops are looking to "get back at" society for some reason or another. It seems to be when you are an officer you only see two kinds of people: either you're a cop or you're a criminal.

[One Eyed Cat]

well yeah, I do think that a lot of cops are looking to "get back at" society for some reason or another. It seems to be when you are an officer you only see two kinds of people: either you're a cop or you're a criminal.

Those would be the bad cops. You have to read that quickly. Things just go south with cops like that.

OEC

[Thistle Harlequin]

you made fun of "fat, ugly, dorks" in highschool and you want us to feel sorry for you because you got a ticket when you were driving drunk?

I got no love for cops, but you won't be getting any sympathy from me either.

I'm not asking for sympathy, I never stated that in my post!! I don't know where you guys are getting some of your information from..lol But anyways, the post was about why cops are cops not about my DUI.

Some people are getting it, and some people aren't.. Whatevez. I didn't start this post to fight and argue and I certainly don't want it to continue in that way.

[Thistle Harlequin]

Guys LIKE him, but not him.
He's suggesting they'd look at him as being LIKE their previous tormentors.

The cop was wanting to be all friendly with me, and kept bragging about his tattoo he got at my shop. And on our way to the jail he kept bragging about it some more and asking me personal questions I didn't want to answer... so I lied because I didn't want to let them know the truth about myself.

They didn't even know that you need to get certified by the health dept. to be a piercer/tattoo artist. Those were the kinds of questions they kept asking me because "they were curious" ....as a cop, I think you should know those laws.

[Thistle Harlequin]

well yeah, I do think that a lot of cops are looking to "get back at" society for some reason or another. It seems to be when you are an officer you only see two kinds of people: either you're a cop or you're a criminal.

My cop seemed like a robot. Everything he was telling me was like he just memorized it from a book and was repeating it. Totally dorky. My cop really seemed like he was bullied in his days. Just my opinion...

[Cafe_Post_Mortem]

I know people go into police work with good intentions, not all of them, but I would say a larger number. And I know there are good cops out there or at least I try to believe that.

The problem is, I worked nights, lived 15 miles from work, and had no car. I got to meet a lot of cops on my 1am rides home. Now of course since I wasn't breaking the law and had just came from 8 or more hours on my feet with a 15 mile bikeride before and after, and I was always polite to the officers they usually treated me with the respect you would expect from a professional law enforcement officer, In other words, little to none at all. After the first few stops I had eliminated all of the reasons they said they stopped me, which lead to them making up reasons.

I hear a lot of police officers complain about how the public treats them, but i cannot help but believe that turning the other way when a cop acts like an asshat may be part of the cause. Sure a lot of cops may be good guys, or honest hard working joes, but it doesn't matter because for my own safety I have to assume they are all abusive, sleazy and maybe even criminals.