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Random Quote: Dignity's got nuthin' ta do with it. You're hangin' out with us now! Syd the sloth (Iceage)
Recently, a California website ran an e-mail forum where the topic was "Policing the Community." One of the civilian email participants posed the following question:
"I would like to know how it is possible for police officers to continually harass people and get away with it?"*
From the "other side" (the law enforcement side) a cool cop with a sense of humor replied:
"It is not easy. In California we average one cop for every 2,000 people. About 60% of those cops are on patrol, where we do most of the harassing. One-fifth of that 60% are on duty at any given moment and are available for harassing people. So, one cop is responsible for harassing about 10,000 residents. When you toss in the commercial, business and tourist locations that attract people from other areas, sometimes you have a situation where a single cop is responsible for harassing 20,000 or more people each day.
A ten-hour shift runs 36,000 seconds. This gives a cop one second to harass a person, and three-fourths of a second to eat a donut AND then find a new person to harass. This is not an easy task. Most cops are not up to it, day in and day out. It is just too tiring. What we do is utilize some tools to help us narrow down those people which we harass.
They are as follows:
PHONE: People will call us up and point out things that cause us to focus on a person for special harassment. "My neighbor is beating his wife" is a code phrase we use. Then we come out and give special harassment. Another popular one on a weeknight is, "The kids next door are having a loud party."
CARS: We have special cops assigned to harass people who drive. They like to harass the drivers of fast cars, cars blasting music, cars with expired registration stickers and the like. It is lots of fun when you pick them out of traffic for nothing more obvious than running a red light. Sometimes you get to really heap the harassment on when you find they have drugs in the car, are driving drunk, or they have an outstanding warrant.
RUNNERS: Some people take off running just at the sight of a police officer. Nothing is quite as satisfying as running after them like a beagle on the scent of a bunny. When you catch them you can harass them for hours.
CODES: When you can think of nothing else to do, there are books that give ideas for reasons to harass folks. They are called "Codes" Penal, Vehicle, Health and Safety, Business and Professional Codes, to name a few. They spell out all sorts of things for which you can really mess with people. After you read the code, you can just drive around for a while until you find someone violating one of these listed offenses and harass them. Just last week I saw a guy smash a car window. Well, the code says that is not allowed. That meant I got permission to harass this guy.
It is a pretty cool system that we have set up, and it works pretty well. We seem to have a never-ending supply of folks to harass. And we get away with it. Why? Because the good citizens who pay the tab actually like the fact that we keep the streets safe for them.
Next time you are in my town, give me a single finger wave. That will be a signal that you wish for me to take a little closer look at you, and then maybe I'll find a reason to harass YOU.
Looking forward to meeting you!"
__________________
"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a
pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly
used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming--WOW--What a ride!!!"
-Stuart Wilde-
What a BullSh!t answer, amusing yes, but still a bullsh!t answer! And they wonder why a lot of common folk won’t help them or trust them. F#@king idiot, their sh!t stinks just like yours and mine.
Since we are on the topic of cops, what gives cops the right to demand a person to put their hands on the steering wheel, or roll down the window further, or put down that sandwich or candy bar, or get out of the vehicle, or put out your smoke (if you smoke and are smoking), or to get one’s hand(s) out of their pocket(s), or take off your hat, etc, etc, etc........ Aren’t these simple liberties we as a people have?
Why can’t we tell a cop to go f#@k themselves without getting into trouble? After all they are making our life miserable just by confronting us, so why can’t we return the favor?
Let's assume that 15% of the population is, for lack of a better term, a bunch of @ssbags. So, it would only be logical to assume that 15% of all firemen, mail carriers, flower devilery people, taxi drivers, mechanics, flight attendants, and COPS are @ssbags. Wouldn't you agree?
I've encountered my share of @ssbag cops (as I'm sure everyone has), does it make them all @ssbags? No, it does not. And speaking of their rights....WE gave them the right to protect us, and protect themselves while doing so.
If you encounter a discourteous cop, my suggestion is that you report him. In fact, I have a somewhat paranoid friend who carries a mini tape recorder in his car, just so he can record any and all conversations that he's head with cops when he's been pulled over.
"Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing." -- Robert E. Howard"
__________________
"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a
pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly
used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming--WOW--What a ride!!!"
-Stuart Wilde-
Garett - 12/30/2005 2:04 PM ... Since we are on the topic of cops, what gives cops the right to demand a person to put their hands on the steering wheel, or roll down the window further, or put down that sandwich or candy bar, or get out of the vehicle, or put out your smoke (if you smoke and are smoking), or to get one’s hand(s) out of their pocket(s), or take off your hat, etc, etc, etc........ ...
Putting hands on the steering wheel means they can see them and there wont be any confusion as to what you are doing with them. Anything in your hands can be a distraction or thrown to provide a distraction. Removing the hat makes it easier to verify your I.D. and see if you are intoxicated.
If you're stopped, react calmly. If the officer states something that you believe to be in error you should offer your correction calmly. If it does you no good then remain calm. You and your lawyer will have a more effective chance to make your case later.
If you choose to get excited your lawyer will be receiving additional compensation to resolve that complication.
Many cruisers are equipped with cameras and microphones for mutual protection so dont assume it will just be your word against theirs. If you've ever watched "COPS" you might have seen some car-cam sequences where the officer is laughing while the subject is swearing and threatening. It's because they know they have proof the citizen is a jerk (in that instance).
__________________ I'm not a boat expert, I just read THT!
There are a few macho police around,just like there are macho fisherman around. Most(98%?) police are polite and helpful and great to have around when you're in trouble.
The only people who have to be afraid of them are those who are breaking the law.
My brain hurts when I think about what I think about cops - them low life son's a b!tches scum bags. Before you get all zipped up by this rant, I've got a brother-in-law as a local sarge and I've had four direct neighbors as cops. Two were undercover RCMP, one undercover provincial drug officer, one traffic cop and several friends that shifted into the local force - so I'm not short on exposure - what kind of slimball can bust people's arss all day long then turn around and do the same darn thing themself? And what really ticks me off is that they act like they are holy then thou, well f#@k them I say. Being a cop is to be fair, equal and "ALWAYS" in the right. NOT a drinking and driving ashole, a wife beater, a glue sniffer, a horse banger and pot smokers, little girl diddlers or a thief, crook, liar or a con. So what was that percentage down in New Orleans of exposed bad cops, wasn’t it something like 38%? What about NYC with there estimated 65% or LA, or Chicago or Dallas or Philly, etc........... And then you’ve got your small town cops and sheriffs which are even worse. I don’t know about you, but I for one “hate” to be told that I’ve done wrong by someone that does way worse then I.
Have I been in trouble with the law, nah just traffic violations stuff, but I mean them son’s-a-b!tches will lie through their teeth in a court of law under oath with a smile on their face just so they don’t miss out on them darn browny points they get for every conviction. For the cops I’ve ran across and have seen on TV I can not see how on God’s green earth any of them could go to heaven - there’s no f#@king way. No person can treat other human beings like they do every day for a 30-40 year stretch and go to heaven.
Just like Fubar512's opening question, “"I would like to know how it is possible for police officers to continually harass people and get away with it?"* ” and that response of I’m to good to answer to the likes of you attitude - f#@k them!!!!!!!!!
Did the cops help me the first two times my shop was broken into - nope! I pleaded with them to take prints that were so obvious and they wouldn’t. Did they even knock on the door of the house that stole my BBQ by dragging it through the fresh snow across an open field and into their back door of their house one winter several years back - nope I had to do that!. And what do you think the cops did for us when we asked them for their help because a neighbor was spying into our home and taking pictures of us, you guessed it, f#@k-all. You know what they told us down at the police station, “we don’t do that type of work...........just let it pass, it they will stop eventually...........you don’t want to mess with the likes of them”.
Crips I need to talk a pill..........100...99...98...97...96............
Garett, are sure you aren't part of the 15% mentioned earlier in this thread? It seems you have more experience being a victim and more personal knowledge of cops' pesonal habits than 85% of us.
You got some anger in ya. I'll bet poll of honest 85%ers would indicate harrasment only when deserved.
Garett - my friend - I think you either need to MOVE to an area with better law officers or get some "pro-uniformed law enforcement anger management" counseling!
I'm counting somethin' hea' - let's see - I've been driving for almost 45 YEARS, have been "pulled" by the police (both local & state) a total of FOUR times, and gotten a total of FOUR tickets!
That said, I got a ticket EVERY time I was "pulled" - no talking my way out of it! EVERY time, I had "earned" the ticket - NEVER was harassed or treated bad or unfair! Was told by one policeman who ticketed me that if I went to court, I could probably get the charge ("reckless driving" ) reduced - and it WAS - to "improper driving".
I have NEVER had any problems with the police - and have never GIVEN them any problems! They're out there doing a job that most everyone else DOESN'T want to do! And they need a lot of RESPECT for doing that!
As was mentioned - if you DO encounter anything that you feel is harassment or improper action by the police, by all means, go through the proper "proceedures" and tell your story - even if you have to go to the "chief" or higher!
I don't think you'll get put on a "hit list" for doing it, if it's done properly.
The things the police do when they pull someone - hands on the wheel, window down, turn off the ignition, etc. - are ALL in the name of SAFETY to the officer!
I did a "ride-along" with a City Of Richmond policeman about 30 or so years ago on a "4th of July" Saturday, "4-12" shift, in a BAD area of town, and got a REAL good "feel" for what these folks go through. If YOU get a chance to do something like this, you, too will have a much better understanding of where these guys (and gals!) are coming from!
Garret's got alot of anger in him, but I can also relate to him. It seems to me that the police are more worried about giving me a $50.00 seat belt ticket than serving and protecting. See the bros selling crack on the corner and turn the blind eye. Why? That's because theres no money in it for the dept. Working man gets a DUI he gets work release so they can rent him a room. A worthless piece of sh*t with no income gets turned loose because they'll have to feed him and there is no money in that. People just don't realize how little if any justice is provided by the police until they become a victim too. I kinda get the feeling with my local police that if you ain't kin forget it. My place was broke into a few years ago, a few trinkets and a car was stolen. The car showed up stuck in a nieghbors field, the cops didn't even have to dust it because there were full hand prints where he tryed to push it out. Later that day the punk knocked on my nieghbors door and stated "I'm here to pick up my car" and that wasn't enough to pick him up. The punk ran his mouth alot and in two days I knew who he was and who was with him and who he had bragged to, and that wasn't enough. A few days later the wife had the film in the camera developed, this @sshole had taken pictures of his self robbing me, and that wasn't enough to pick him up. I had a seafood and b-b-q business going at the time and had to be there 14 hrs a day. The phone would ring every 15 minutes, when I'd answer theyed hang up, day in and day out. I had the phone co. put a trace on the line, I could not acces it, only the police could. Did my local finnest look into it? Not no, but hell no. This harrasment by this thug went on for months. I received a call from my 14 yr. old daughter in tears on day. this punk was now running his mouth saying he had sex with my daughter on my bed. That was the straw that did it. I shut the place down, and bought me a bottle of gin. I don't drink gin because it makes me violent when angered. Then I went on the hunt. I had his phone #, so I called. His father answered, and I asked to speake to his son. He asked who I was and I replied that I was a freind and I owed him some money. He then called for him, so I knew he was there. I dropped the line and was in his yard in 10 minutes. This punk was waiting for his money. I was out of my truck before it stopped rolling, the look on his face was priceless. I almost had my hands on him before he made in the trailer knocking over his father. His father started telling me how he can't control him and that he hits and steals from him too. Harse words were exchanged and then his uncle throws his chest up in my face. I tell the unkle that he can be first, and rip the shirt off him trying to drag him out the trailer, he soon learned he didn't want any part of me. Knowing that the cops would soon be there, I tell the father how My back door is nailed shut because your son kicked it in. I than reached up and ripped the door and jam clean out the trailer. I than picked up and threw his front porch and steps accross the yard. I got in my truck, drove home, emptied my pockets and waited for the cops to come lock me up. I'm home about 15 minutes when the phone rings, its a cop calling from their house, he asks me if I did the damage on thier place. I respond to the cop, that when my place was broke into, that they're entire investigation was asking that punk did he do it, and he told you no. I said there fore I'm giving you the same answer in the same context "no". The cop than stated that they feel even now, when I started to reply he hung up on me. The annoying phones calls stopped. This punk had broke into at least a dozen homes, assaulted a woman in one break-in and had stolen a car. When it all caught up with him, he didn't hardly do a month. And by the way he was 21 and I had never seen him before and to this day I don't know why he chose to mess with me.
Reading nanjemoycat’s experience brought up flash backs of a New Years Eve a handful of years back. Four friends, my wife and I took a cab to a fancy pub to celebrate, got out of the cab, walked inside the establishment then I immediately turned around and went right back outside to the same cab that was still sitting there - my brand new $200 wallet was gone, 5-600 bucks in cash, all my ID plus an open ended phone card. I asked the cabby if he say it and picked it up - nope he said as the neon liar sign went off on his forehead. So I asked the bouncer that was standing about 5 ft. away if anyone got into that cab in the last 45-60 (that’s how long I was gone), he said nope and the car hasn’t moved! So I ask the cabby again, same answer. So I call the cops and the cabby tries to takes off once he found out that the cops were coming (he can’t because I’m hanging on half in and half out the car door. Well the cops come in short order and did sweet bugger all - even the bouncer and several by-standers couldn’t believe it. All the cops did was ask the cabby “ONCE” if he has this man’s wallet? The cabby said, “nope” and then was free to go.....and he did with hast.
Well I was so pissed I scrubbed the night and dealt with the issue at hand. I called the cab company and complained, then I went down to the cop shop and filed a written complaint against the two cops, the cabby and the cab company. This complaint eventually ended up on the chief’s desk and still nothing happen. Now by this time I’ve already been to this cop shop maybe a dozen times and dick’all was happening because all I was doing was being jurked around with stupid f#@king paper work. And of coarse this wasn’t the cop shop in my town, this one happened to about a 40-45 min drive away - so needless to say I was livid.
Well a few weeks go by and I get my phone bill in the mail. Well there’s over $800 worth of long distance calls to just Germany and several hundred of dollars worth to various parts of Canada and the U.S.. Just “one ” phone number over in Germany was called about 5 or 6 times, each for several hours at a time - like that’s not traceable? Dhaaaa So this meant another trip down to the cop shop because I was getting absolutely nowhere over the phone. I just couldn’t believe the cops had ZERO interest in the bill or the phone numbers. My faith in cops was completely shattered when I tried to present the phone bill in person - they just plain simply refused to take the bill or the phone numbers. Get this, they were trying to tell me the bill was mine and I was trying to get out of paying it. F#@k did I loose it big time, man cops were crawling out of the cracks in the floor like cockroaches when I snapped - if the Misses hadn’t come in and saved my ars I figure I’da been beaten senseless and thrown in the slammer.
My American Express and Visa card both had several thousands dollars rung up in one evening/ night, both companies paid them.
The phone company did pick up the tab for about $1,200 because I hand no history of calling any of those numbers live-a-lone overseas.
I ended up going to the governing body that licences taxi cabs - I was going for the cab companies licence to be pulled and the cab driver’s licence to drive cabs - theft is a very serious offence in there books. I guess pressure was being applied in all the right places because out of the blue I got an anonymous phone call from what I suspected was the cab driver saying he had my wallet and wanted to mail it to me. The wallet arrived shortly there after with most of my ID in tacked....no credit cards, phone card or cash. So I then went after the cab company for the cash - I only got $200 out of them.
I still say I don’t know how on earth cops can go to heaven with how they treat people - it just ain’t right.
Garett - my friend - I think you either need to MOVE to an area with better law officers or get some "pro-uniformed law enforcement anger management" counseling!
I think it's both, but you did make me laugh.
Here's one for the cops being non-human jerk offs.
I was 19 and I had spent a couple hundred bucks of stage makeup facial putty and various other makeup stuff. It was Saturday and it was Halloween. A friend (Steve), his mom and myself had spent 6 hours changing my face to look like a meanderthal man with all of this stage makeup - actually it look quite good and I was very pleased. Either way Steve and I were off to a party and I got pulled over for a routine are you drinking and driving inspection, which was no big deal because we hadn't......yet.
Well this simple little pull over ended up dragging out for 2 3/4 hours long. The cop wanted me to take my mask off to see my face. I told him that it took me 6 hours to put it on and therefore I would wreck it if I took it off - I mean we used facial glues and everything. His choices to me were, take it off or get charged with driving a motor vehicle with a mask on - which by-the-way is a criminal offence. Can you believe it, here I am in a leather loin cloth, wig, makeup putty and a cave man club on Halloween evening and he jerking me around for 2 3/4 hours. Was that not being a super sized ashole or what? I never did take my mask off and I didn't get charged either. But it definitely wrecked the night, but I figured that's what he want to do anyways.
Quote:
The things the police do when they pull someone - hands on the wheel, window down, turn off the ignition, etc. - are ALL in the name of SAFETY to the officer!
Oh I perfectly understand why they do it, but I’m not a convict that needs orders barked out a me, I’m just an average shmo in life trying to get by. But noooooo cops can’t do that because then they don’t present authority and control.
Hey did those cops that beat Rodney King lifeless every go to jail for attempted manslaughter?
I just can’t seem to find it in me to show respect towards anyone that shows me none - honey will always catch more flies then vinegar.
Garett , gee its good thing cop cant put you in jail for being a jerk , you mite get life try being nice if you can life will go better for you did you know that most people who get stoped are doing something wrong as far as the cab driver bet he was nice to to the cops and you had your mouth going a 110 mph . they problely thought you where full of -----. I do
......... His choices to me were, take it off or get charged with driving a motor vehicle with a mask on - which by-the-way is a criminal offence.
Well? Were you breaking the law by driving with a mask on? Did he give you the choice of taking the mask off or did he just haul you off to jail? Seems like a nice guy to give you the option!
My brain hurts when I think about what I think about cops - them low life son's a b!tches scum bags. Before you get all zipped up by this rant, I've got a brother-in-law as a local sarge and I've had four direct neighbors as cops. Two were undercover RCMP, one undercover provincial drug officer, one traffic cop and several friends that shifted into the local force - so I'm not short on exposure - what kind of slimball can bust people's arss all day long then turn around and do the same darn thing themself? And what really ticks me off is that they act like they are holy then thou, well f#@k them I say. Being a cop is to be fair, equal and "ALWAYS" in the right. NOT a drinking and driving ashole, a wife beater, a glue sniffer, a horse banger and pot smokers, little girl diddlers or a thief, crook, liar or a con. So what was that percentage down in New Orleans of exposed bad cops, wasn’t it something like 38%? What about NYC with there estimated 65% or LA, or Chicago or Dallas or Philly, etc........... And then you’ve got your small town cops and sheriffs which are even worse. I don’t know about you, but I for one “hate” to be told that I’ve done wrong by someone that does way worse then I.
Have I been in trouble with the law, nah just traffic violations stuff, but I mean them son’s-a-b!tches will lie through their teeth in a court of law under oath with a smile on their face just so they don’t miss out on them darn browny points they get for every conviction. For the cops I’ve ran across and have seen on TV I can not see how on God’s green earth any of them could go to heaven - there’s no f#@king way. No person can treat other human beings like they do every day for a 30-40 year stretch and go to heaven.
Just like Fubar512's opening question, “"I would like to know how it is possible for police officers to continually harass people and get away with it?"* ” and that response of I’m to good to answer to the likes of you attitude - f#@k them!!!!!!!!!
Did the cops help me the first two times my shop was broken into - nope! I pleaded with them to take prints that were so obvious and they wouldn’t. Did they even knock on the door of the house that stole my BBQ by dragging it through the fresh snow across an open field and into their back door of their house one winter several years back - nope I had to do that!. And what do you think the cops did for us when we asked them for their help because a neighbor was spying into our home and taking pictures of us, you guessed it, f#@k-all. You know what they told us down at the police station, “we don’t do that type of work...........just let it pass, it they will stop eventually...........you don’t want to mess with the likes of them”.
Crips I need to talk a pill..........100...99...98...97...96............
By no means am I going to say this as a blanket statement, but our local cops (say southern Ontario) do have a edge to them and it shows clear. Whereas with my very limited exposure with your law enforcement officers I have been dealt with with polite respect - which I must say is a refreshing change and I don't mind at all.
Obviously in policeing some things are as cut and dry as they come, but in other areas it becomes a great big fudge zone.
Was I driving a car with a mask on - yes.
Was it not Halloween eve's - yes.
Was I not dressed in full costume and my buddy Steve - yes.
Were we not asked where we were going - yes a Halloween party.
Is there laws on the book prohibiting driving a motor vehicle with a mask on - apparently yes.
Was I unlawful in conduct or my vehicle a menance to the road. - no.
Was I as cooperative as possible - yes at first.
So why couldn't that cop see the innocents in the situation and just have informed me that what I was doing was illegal and called it a night? It was clearly a fudge zone, but noooooo he had to drag it out like I was America's most wanted hiding behind that mask. Do you know how many times I told the cop to phone Steve's mom to ask here what she did for the past 6 hours - I bet yah it was 50 - 100 times. That wasn't a human being I was dealing with, that was a jerk-off with a badge.
Did I ever tell you that I summitted an application to be a cop - I wanted to help serve our commintiy. Well my application was refused, you know why? I was told quote and unquote, "sorry son but you don't have the right type of attitude to be a police officer". Yah ain't that the truth.
Identifying you as not having the right type of attitude is not surprising. But it does prove the wisdom and farsightedness the police posess and directly contradicts your take on these supposed interactions you have had with the police.
BTW, if they are true, why do you have so many interactions with the police? Seems something about you is outside of the bell curve.
POLICE HARASSMENT 
And they wonder why a lot of common folk won’t help them or trust them. 
F#@king idiot, their sh!t stinks just like yours and mine.
Aren’t these simple liberties we as a people have? 
