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Policemen - do you fear them, or respect them?

Silais

That useless reptile
297
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  • Seen Jul 17, 2016
I ask this question because a lot of stories have been surfacing recently involving police violence and the overuse of excessive force in cases when little to no force is needed. Do you believe that policemen have become a force that should be feared, or do you still hold respect for them?

In my case, I fear policemen. I've personally seen police brutality, and I've had a policeman stop me to harass me for my phone number, which I was afraid to refuse because I could be charged with resisting arrest and be criminally responsible. Rarely do I see policemen doing good deeds or truly following the law as it dictates. I feel fear and anger towards them, because I see how such power can corrupt and how difficult it can be to rise against that power.

This is just my opinion; I'm wondering what you think.
 

Trev

[span="font-size: 8px; color: white;"][font="Monts
1,505
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  • Age 27
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Personally, I think highly of policemen in my area. They actually do their job, and they do it well. I'm not sure how it flies in other towns and cities, but it sounds like your town has the short end of the stick :p

I think the reason I'm not afraid of the police is because I've never done anything that involves them. I have no reason to be afraid of them because I haven't done anything illegal as far as I know of, and I treat them as actual people because that's what they are. Sure, some places have police who are power-crazy and like to harass everyone, and the sad thing is that they can get away with it because no one believes a teenager's opinion over a police officer's. It's just how the people are, I guess.
 

Star-Lord

withdrawl .
715
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15
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Don't fear them one bit.

Although you have to take my opinion with a grain of salt. I live in Canada for one thing, and from what I can see the RCMP are a much stronger police force than what I've seen and heard in the United States. I also hold an immense amount of respect for the police (which then extends to anybody who risks their lives on the daily) because I grew up in a police family. Two members of my immediate family are in the RCMP and so are some of my extended family. Hell, I'd show you guys the RCMP necklace I'm wearing right now if that helps show my bias.

Although Silais, when you're stopped by a policeman like that you're allowed to use your right not to speak. The main thing to ask is if you're being apprehended or not- there's a legal term for it that's escaping me. I'm pretty sure it's detained. Ask if you're being detained, and if they can't answer that then they have no legal grounds and you should be allowed on your way.
 

Zero°

Mirai Nikki
1,293
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15
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I try to stay away from them as much as possible. I don't fear them at all but I don't like getting involved with them at all.

I do respect the ones that are really down to earth and do their job right, I just hate those that abuse their authority and think that the badge is what makes them.
 
5,283
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  • Age 29
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I personally have no bad experiences with policemen. But it seems like the Met (London) are over-violent with protests, and quite corrupt :(

But where I am they're alright. Plus, I'm a white guy who doesn't do drugs or drink excessively, so they're not really going to have a reason to arrest me are they?
 

Squidchan

The Lady Cthulhu
174
Posts
11
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I rarely have any interaction with current police here, however I did a course on policing, and my tutor was a retired officer. I learnt a lot about how they are trained and how they are meant to do their job. That doesn't mean they end up doing the right thing.

I don't like to judge the police force as a whole. I respect them, yes, and if one or two officers are shown to be corrupt or treat others badly, I don't use that to judge every other officer I meet.
 
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The police in Norway are all pretty much nice. You can flip em off and they won't care, not that I tend to flip off people with or without uniform. And that's why I can never respect policemen who arrest people just becuase someone said something nasty them. Your job is to arrest people who break the law. An insult from one adult to another is not a crime.
 
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I don't fear them, as a matter of fact I don't fear anyone. I do respect the policemen who actually do their job. It's the ones who misuse their power who are bringing a bad image to the good ones. I've spent time with a few of them, so I do know that good policemen exist in the world.
 

Emburn

<3
102
Posts
10
Years
I have no reason to fear them, but I do anyways. I mean yeah, I party here and there which is illegal, so I guess there's that. I'd say the main reason I fear them is because I don't think my car knows how to go under 55. So any time I see a cop I think I'm gonna get arrested.
However, I have a few buddies whose dads are policemen and they all seem really chill.
 
10,769
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Some of my jobs have had me interact with police (like, having them lock up the building when I go home) and those ones were okay because they're there for a reason, but I don't want to have anything to do with police who are on patrol because they're just looking around for people doing something wrong. I don't mean that in the sense that they want to find people doing something wrong, but that's what's on their minds as they're patrolling and you can never know which police are the good ones and which are the ones who just want power and authority over people.

So, yeah, I guess I don't fear police, but I'm mindful of the potential danger they represent. And I've heard some bad stories about what police even in my home town have done.
 
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Yes, I'm sure there are plenty of crooked cops and precincts rife with corruption, but by and large, most police men and women protect and serve like they're supposed too, putting their lives at risk every time they put on the uniform.
 

OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire

10000 year Emperor of Hoenn
17,521
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I tend to respect them. I have been fortunate to not have a bad interaction with a cop, plus I know the majority are just doing their jobs. One shouldn't fear cops just because of a few bad apples.
 

Silais

That useless reptile
297
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I think there's more than just a few bad apples, though. I think that quotas, racial/gender bias, and a lack of punishment for bad behavior have affected many policemen in negative ways. Not to mention that policemen go about their days looking for people who are doing something wrong more than they patrol to maintain peace and justice.
 
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I sometimes respect them, but whenever they make a stupid decision, I tend to dislike them. Like, when they don't follow the law and do their own thing, I find that irritating. They are supposed to be doing their job, yet they're not.
 
30,928
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I don't fear them, but I definitely don't trust them either. Years ago I lived in a deep southern town where I was one of the few non-white residents during times of racial tensions. The years I spent living there led to some colorful experiences that created a ton of trust issues. I know there are definitely those officers out there who do their jobs and go above and beyond for the good of citizens, but just based on my own personal experiences, those are few and far between. Maybe I just lucked out and ended up living in a city where the least attractive traits of power are shown off, but it's been years since I had any sort of trust or respect for law enforcement.
 
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I think there's more than just a few bad apples, though. I think that quotas, racial/gender bias, and a lack of punishment for bad behavior have affected many policemen in negative ways. Not to mention that policemen go about their days looking for people who are doing something wrong more than they patrol to maintain peace and justice.

OR perhaps they patrol to maintain peace and justice by looking for people who are doing something wrong as dictated by public laws. Investigation and seeking out crime is an integral component to maintaining public order.

Race tends to appear a factor, when in fact socioeconomic status is what actual applies since high crime neighborhoods are targeted by police, these tend to be lower-income communities. More blacks/hispanics live in low-income neighborhoods than other racial groups. So if more blacks and hispanics are arrested proportionately it doesn't mean that there is a bias. You need more evidence to substantiate an argument that doesn't rely on generalizations.

Quotas are illegal. There isn't evidence that this is a prevalent issue. Some confuse click-it-or-ticket
police stops for instance as a form of illegal use of quotas. This is not true. These are initiatives that must be enforced by police officers as dictated by public law in a given municipality. Further, people will exclaim something along the lines like, "the cops pulled me over for going 5 miles over the speed limit to meet a quota!" This is false. If a person violates a statute, the police officers have the right and duty to give a ticket. It's only an issue when police fabricate or falsify evidence in order to make an arrest, that is what constitutes an officer trying to meet a quota. Police officers don't do this commonly as they would put at risk their jobs as well as criminal charges, especially given the enormous amount of oversight. Do you have any evidence to support that many police officers are manipulating evidence in order to increase convictions? If not, it's a generalization without any information to substantiate the claim.

Men tend to commit more violent crimes statistically. Behavioral scientists have studied male and female violent behavior, and affirm men are more likely to act out in aggression. more men may be committing more violent crimes, or even more reckless driving statistically. So, if more men are arrested and charged with violent crimes, it doesn't necessarily indicate a bias in law enforcement. You need more evidence to substantiate an argument that doesn't rely on generalizations.

Being vigilant and skeptical of law enforcement is fine. It becomes an issue when we make claims that these issues are highly prevalent, when in fact there isn't any evidence of which would support those claims. Making blind generalizations is what causes this negative perception of law enforcement in the United States.
 
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I'd be lying if I said that a cop driving behind me doesn't make me nervous and extremely cautious of every single swerve I may make on the road, but I'm not fearful of them. I think they're extremely helpful and necessary resources for every community to have and, while there are some crooked cops out there in the world, that isn't the case for the overwhelming majority who work endlessly and tirelessly to keep your local neighborhood safe.
 

Silais

That useless reptile
297
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I suppose living in a small town has changed my view of cops. The cops here write tickets at a mind-numbing rate to help pay for their facilities. Go ahead and tell me I'm wrong, but our previous police chief had gotten into some serious trouble for instigating quotas in which cops had to write a certain number of tickets in a week to maintain the police force and its buildings. It isn't just my small town; many of my friends come from small towns and have experienced similar situations. In my case, our cops "created" crime and made it look as if they were upholding the law when in reality they were breaking it.

I'm certain it isn't just small towns who have quotas. Can people really go about blindly believing that policemen are "there to uphold the laws and maintain peace" and that only a small, select few are corrupt or engaged in illegal activity? That's like saying the government is mostly pure and lawful and only a few bad Congressmen or other government officials exist. The media may blow some bad apples out of proportion, but really—think about it.
 
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I just love a man in uniform lol I have the utmost respect.

You don't mess with three types of people in my opinion; cops, bosses, and people who handle your food.

Other than that, sass who you want lol
 
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