Thoughts on your Police Officers

[Sgtusmc]

 

[Ejohnson]

I'm particularly fond of the Wayne Co. Sheriff's Dept. They have a good group of guys there, of which I am one.
I am always happy to talk to the public, when I can. I can't always be a nice guy, especially when the adrenaline is flowing, but I try to treat all people with respect. I've arrested people and had them thank me later for treating them good. I'm not a huge ticket-writer, but I have zero tolerance for drunk driving.
If you see a Wayne County Sheriff car driving down the road with a deputy that has glasses and a cheezy moustache, wave. If its me, I'll wave back!!

 

[Sfrandolph]

I stand behind the vast majority of LEO's. However, there are some that can affectionately be called dumb*sses. Those I can really do without as they give a bad name to all the good officers. The only real issue that ever had was with the local town marshal. My daughter was coming home from school. The town marshal was off duty and in his personal vehicle. I don't know what if anything my daughter did to antagonize this marshal, but he proceeded to tail gate my daughter's vehicle. She thought that someone was trying to force her off the road and sped up trying to get back into town. The marshal called the town officer on duty via his cell phone and had my daughter stopped in town. My complaint with the marshal was that he posed a threat to my daughter and scared her. She could have lost control with unknown consequences. IMHO it was a stupid move.

 

[jkwparrott]

I was talking with a truck driver today who just came from up around Gary. He pulled into a parking lot late last night to get some sleep. When he woke up this morning there was a state trooper's car sitting beside his truck idling. He saw the officer and asked if everything was alright. The officer told him that it wasn't a great neighborhood to park in, so he had been sitting there since about midnight so the driver could get some sleep, said he would stay there until the driver was ready to leave.

This is the type of officer you want around. Protecting and serving.

 

[Sgtusmc]

I was talking with a truck driver today who just came from up around Gary. He pulled into a parking lot late last night to get some sleep. When he woke up this morning there was a state trooper's car sitting beside his truck idling. He saw the officer and asked if everything was alright. The officer told him that it wasn't a great neighborhood to park in, so he had been sitting there since about midnight so the driver could get some sleep, said he would stay there until the driver was ready to leave.

This is the type of officer you want around. Protecting and serving.

I applaud that officers conviction.

 

[littletommy]

I was talking with a truck driver today who just came from up around Gary. He pulled into a parking lot late last night to get some sleep. When he woke up this morning there was a state trooper's car sitting beside his truck idling. He saw the officer and asked if everything was alright. The officer told him that it wasn't a great neighborhood to park in, so he had been sitting there since about midnight so the driver could get some sleep, said he would stay there until the driver was ready to leave.

This is the type of officer you want around. Protecting and serving.

That is awesome!

 

[yeahbaby]

Our son is a new officer in the last phase of his FTO (field training officer) program. Not being a cop my only advice to him is initially treat people with respect and dignity. And you will probably get that back in return. Of course there are going to be exceptions and you have to be ready for that.

 

[churchmouse]

I was talking with a truck driver today who just came from up around Gary. He pulled into a parking lot late last night to get some sleep. When he woke up this morning there was a state trooper's car sitting beside his truck idling. He saw the officer and asked if everything was alright. The officer told him that it wasn't a great neighborhood to park in, so he had been sitting there since about midnight so the driver could get some sleep, said he would stay there until the driver was ready to leave.

This is the type of officer you want around. Protecting and serving.

Rare indeed....+1

 

[churchmouse]

Thought I'd post a little +1 for our local PD (Brownsburg)

My wife drove up on a accident scene a few days ago. Pretty bad one (truck upside down, guy hanging out). Folks were stopping to help, and a patrol car rolled up as she idled by. She felt bad about not stopping to help, but she couldn't leave our little girl in the car.

Anyway... she stopped yesterday at a local gas station to get a soda, and it happens to be the hangout for Brownsburg's finest (they have a couple of tables, and the cops do paperwork and such during their breaks). She asked about the accident, and they filled her in one what they could (driving way too fast, under the influence of something, in sad shape, but he will live). They ****-chatted with her for a bit, thanked her for her concern, and said she did good by thinking of our kid (and not getting involved when she didn't need to).

Some folks would have just blown her off, or been "too busy" to talk. Instead, they were (and are) just generally nice guys.

Totally off topic: why is **** (C-H-I-T) on the banned world list? Is there another meaning I'm not aware of? Weird.....

Is that a Spanish derivative for Poop..............

 

[searpinski]

My opinion is generally bad. While I did know one honest police officer, I have met many dishonest ones.

I was once pulled over for following too close (Marion County) when I was simply in a line of traffic driving off the highway onto an exit ramp. Everyone was close together and it was just another normal day. The officer was three cars behind me and ended up following me to my place of work and then turning his lights on. He was extremely rude and spouted inconsistencies about my driving. It ended up costing me a lot, since there was no defending against a crooked cop and I wanted the ticket deferred.

When I lived in Lafayette, I was accused of driving 71mph in a 50mph zone, when in fact I was directly behind a semi and we were going the same speed (~52mph). I foolishly attempted to challenge this in court only to watch the officer lie his ass off and the judge eat it up. The officer even lied about what direction he was coming from.

Lastly, when my I was younger, my father did incredibly something stupid and was arrested and eventually sent to prison. He should have been sent to prison, I completely agree, but the police officers treated my family with much disrespect during the entire process. No one in my family knew anything of his crime and none of us had ever had ANY experience with the police. They were also completely dishonest after his arrest. They took several things from our house and car, saying they would be returned when the evidence process was complete. NOTHING was returned. Attempts to get back our possessions were met with lies and deceit. It was a terrible experience.

I will never trust another police officer. In most ways, I am just as guarded around police officers as I am around common thugs. That being said, I sincerely appreciate what honest police officers do for the community. I also believe that honest police officers should be given more recognition than they receive. It can't be an easy job.

 

[Fourtrax]

Our local LEO's are fairly good. No real complaints about them as individuals. Over the years I thought I'd see more LEO's in the shooting sports, always kinda thought it'd be a natural extension for them. Sorry to say I was wrong on that. As a whole they just don't seem to be into it. Probably the last thing they want to do is strap a gun on, off duty.


As a whole, I'm almost 46, I think the culture of LEO has changed quite a bit in my lifetime. When I was young I believed that they really did try to "protect and serve". Now as I think about it, it seems to be "entrap and incarcerate". But, that's IMHO, so take no offense.

Plus, i grew up during a time when they picked drunks up and drove them home. Escorted rowdy teenagers home to Mom and Dad to be punished. Now maybe that still happens, I don't see it though.

Over all, I respect them immensely, one tough job, I think they are underpaid too. Maybe it just seems that way to me, maybe it's society that's gone off the deep end and the LEO are left holding the crap bag of it all. Either way, they got my respect.

 

[public servant]

Amen!

Don't hold back. Tell us how you really feel.

 

[danielson]

I was talking with a truck driver today who just came from up around Gary. He pulled into a parking lot late last night to get some sleep. When he woke up this morning there was a state trooper's car sitting beside his truck idling. He saw the officer and asked if everything was alright. The officer told him that it wasn't a great neighborhood to park in, so he had been sitting there since about midnight so the driver could get some sleep, said he would stay there until the driver was ready to leave.

This is the type of officer you want around. Protecting and serving.

Yup.. Good stuff.. That kind of behavior is what makes a great cop.

 

[danielson]

Our local LEO's are fairly good. No real complaints about them as individuals. Over the years I thought I'd see more LEO's in the shooting sports, always kinda thought it'd be a natural extension for them. Sorry to say I was wrong on that. As a whole they just don't seem to be into it. Probably the last thing they want to do is strap a gun on, off duty.


As a whole, I'm almost 46, I think the culture of LEO has changed quite a bit in my lifetime. When I was young I believed that they really did try to "protect and serve". Now as I think about it, it seems to be "entrap and incarcerate". But, that's IMHO, so take no offense.

Plus, i grew up during a time when they picked drunks up and drove them home. Escorted rowdy teenagers home to Mom and Dad to be punished. Now maybe that still happens, I don't see it though.

Over all, I respect them immensely, one tough job, I think they are underpaid too. Maybe it just seems that way to me, maybe it's society that's gone off the deep end and the LEO are left holding the crap bag of it all. Either way, they got my respect.

This is what I see.

 

[zippy23]

I've got a real problem with indianapolis officers, everyday on 465 they drive faster than everyone else, they fly by me, driving 75-80, then get off an exit to do who knows what, now i understand that they may need to be getting somewhere fast, but when i watch them fly past me, get off the exit in front of me, then pull into a restaurant or gas station to get some coffee, or whatever, thats just really eats me up. people get pulled over for 5-6 over, get a ticket, pay money for crap, while they really should be in the known problem areas around the city yet they are sitting on 465 screwing the people that work to pay their salaries. I believe this is a small percentage of the force, but honestly i think its just crap. Here's the kicker, i KNOW a police officer that has told me that she(sorry, he/she) watches DVD's sitting in the middle of the highway. i know this is a very small percentage of the force, but this kind of crap just really gets me going. Maybe its just me, but a cop hiding behind a bridge support would better serve the community by investigating a theft(or other serious crime other than 6 over) and bring that person to justice rather than a working stiff going to work. Keep in mind ive been pulled over only twice in my life, the last one over 7 years ago, and that one was my fault. Why not post a cop in a school to prevent a horrendous crime? or patrolling neighborhoods? just some thoughts i have

 

[danielson]

You have a problem with the higher ups, then.. Dont blame the cop because hes expected to enforce traffic. In Avon and Plainfield, if you drive a commercial vehicle, you cannot drive on ANY of the roads, including Dan Jones, if your vehicle weighs over 5 tons. Even if you are making a local delivery to a tax payers house.

I got pulled over for it, and ticketed. Was it the cops fault? NO He did what his CO told him to do, who did what his CO told him to do, who did what the city council told him to do. Its frikin politics. There is always something going on that we dont know about, all we see is the end effect, and "shoot the messenger"

In the aforementioned situation, what I was told that happened was, when the state repaved 267, they diverted traffic onto Dan Jones, with the promise to pay a portion of maintenance to Avon and Plainfield, which the state reneged on, and so this is the effect. Its so easy to blame the cop, because to place blame on the shoulders of the unknown people who are actually to blame, is very difficult indeed.

 

[UncleMike]

I kinda like Cops.....
The only problems I've had have been with Desk Drivers that haven't a clue what happens on the street but try to tell the Street Officers how to do their job.

 

[Valvestate]

I never got a citation or scolding that I didn't deserve. There were times I deserved a little more and they cut me a break, which I'm thankful for. Although sometimes I get the feeling that they're presence is to pick people off for traffic violations, I know they're presence is about the only thing keeping Portage and Hobart from turning into a complete ****hole. I always think about that.

 

[You'll shoot your eye out]

From when I was young right up to the mid to late '90s, the Indianapolis police dept. rivaled the New Orleans police dept when it came to corruption. As a teenager in Irvington during the 1970's I knew personally of officers who completely orchestrated the drug trade on the eastside where I lived. That was the least of their felony behavior I had knowledge of. I could give facts and names that could be verified, but the point is mute and would take pages of unnecessary re-hashing of the past.

My attitude toward cops was formed when the most dangerous criminal I would meet on Irvington streets, wore a uniform so you could know your life was in danger from a distance. I would rather deal with any of the various eastside gangs than take the chance of interacting with a cop in ANY manner. That was then, this is now.

I struggle with my attitude on a daily basis. I realize that every officer that I see nowadays is young enough to be my child, or kid brother at least. They have no idea what the men before them put us through, and don't understand the conditioned response that their very presence elicits among eastsiders of my age. It's unfortunate that the behavior of those so long ago still puts both of us in danger today.

Mayor Ballard ran on the platform of among other things, cleaning that rat-nest out. He has done a good job. We see police in the news under investigation every now and then. You NEVER used to see that. They used to cover for each other no matter what they did. It's good that we see so much police corruption in the news today, It means that it is being dealt with when it's uncovered.

It has been a long while since I have had a problem with an officer. I know that my age is a factor in how they treat me from the get-go, but I have the feeling that this younger group is a very different group than I am used to. I don't see officers who are obviously crazy, or stupid, or violently contemptuous of the public. I am not saying that these aren't still around, but I have no experience of them in the last 10 years. Things SEEM better......

I am more at-ease in the presence of an officer than I used to be. The old habits are still under the surface, but I am willing to give a little understanding if an officer seems rude or gruff, and it seems they are rarely rude or gruff. I have hope that I am not fooling myself, Or that my perception is only because my age puts me out of the targeted demographic for curb-stompings. I WANT things to have gotten better, for everybody.

 

[AJMD429]

LEO's have a crazy job - in order to enforce 'law and order' they are required to not only enforce sensible laws against real crimes, but to enforce ridiculous and unconstitutional laws against 'technicalities' or things that 'offend' others. I could not be a cop because I could not enforce a law against having an 'unregistered' gun or arrest some cancer patient for smoking pot (or for that matter arrest some homeowner for doing the same on weekends instead of drinking a twelve-pack of beer).

However, like most of our 'jobs' - they signed up knowing what was in store for them, and they have to draw their own ethical boundaries. Most of them probably do a pretty good job, or everyone would be in jail.

REMEMBER though - worldwide, five to ten times more citizens are killed by their OWN POLICE AND MILITARY than by criminals - so we're lucky compared to the rest of the world. (source - R.J. Rummel of the Univ. Hawaii - his website is easy to find). Most of those deaths actually are tied to 'gun control' (see 'Death by Gun Control' - excellent book).

My wish-list for LEO's is this:

1. All non-LEO individuals are NOT "perps" nor are we "potential perps"; we are honest and decent individuals just like (hopefully) you are.

2. Ordinary citizens have MORE of a right to possess 'assault weapons' and other high-tech firearms than YOU do; one unique feature of the U.S. is that the citizens grant the government limited power, NOT the other way around. So - if you see an ordinary dumb-peasant citizen with an HK-91, Uzi, or 50-BMG. . . get over it. . . !!! YOU have just as much a right to own one as they do - when you're not in uniform. When 'on duty' you have to carry what the public (your boss) says you can carry - not the other way around. The citizen does NOT have to ask your permission to be armed.

3. When we ARE armed, we will try to act responsibly, just as you do, and we will try to be considerate of the GREAT DANGER we know you face every day in order to help make our daily lives safer. However, should you get all antsy and start pointing guns at us during some traffic-stop, just because you find out we are a CCW licensee, it doesn't go over very well. If that's your approach, you should find another line of work where you're not so stressed.

4. We're not the bad-guys, and if you can't differentiate between a true criminal and just some ordinary dude who carries a weapon for self-protection, you need new glasses.

5. Having said all that - the snotty tone is probably only needed for one per cent of the LEO's in Indiana (mostly in big cities, I'm suspecting); the other 99% are our neighbors and friends and we respect them. If you're one of the "hot-shot" one per cent who thinks they are so much better than the peasants that only they have the right to have firepower, you should move to a third-world dictatorship and join their Gestapo; Indiana isn't a good place for you...!