Opinion on the police

[Rogue planet]

Do you trust/like the police? Ever had any encounters with the police? Just give your general thoughts

 

[Shining Raichu]

My Dad's a cop so he only has the best stories to tell about them, so that's kind of ingrained a trust of the police into me I guess. Though I do think traffic cops do a lot of revenue raising by giving people tickets for breaking really finicky laws that aren't even putting anyone in danger.

 

[Poki]

A.C.A.B Just kidding. Maybe.

Well, Bulgaria's police is very different from other countries'. They are corrupted a-holes.

 

[Shiny Bunnelby]

They're generally pretty awesome in my area, but since things don't often happen beyond theft or a domestic disturbance, you can get pulled over for silly, non-threatening reasons. I would prefer that over trigger-happy sorts with a superiority complex.

 

[Oryx]

I haven't really had run-ins with the police but I have a general distrust of them; I don't trust the kind of person who actually wants that job in general. It's a job where you exert your authority over other people with force. Of course, there are some people who actually become a police officer to help people, but if you're a non-violent helpful person then there are plenty of other jobs where you can help people without wielding a gun or other weapons.

Of course, I'm a young white woman, which means that I have the nice privilege of being less likely to run into the police and more likely to get sympathy when I do. So, there's that.

 

[starseed galaxy auticorn]

I'm often frightened of them for like no reason. However, a lot of the ones we've run into aren't actually that bad. I do remember one time where we had the cops called on us, and I had to a severe meltdown knowing what had happened. The cop asked if I was okay, which actually got me to calm down.

My fear has gotten somewhat better over the course of time. I think the only moment I'd ever meltdown is if I was caught up with the police in someway or something.

 

[Nick]

Behind the wheel, if a police is behind me, I'll more than likely freak out.
On the streets, if I'm walking and see a police, I'll probably just feel safer.

And that's pretty much the extent of it.

 

[Kyrul]

Honestly, I've had good experiences with the police so far. Despite the horror stories you hear about police online, I still have a great deal of respect for what they do.

 

[Gyardosamped]

People say they're your best friend when they come to your rescue, but when they stop you for doing something wrong, they suddenly become your worst enemy. Do I believe that some are corrupt or use excessive force? Sure. But I'm glad there's always someone to call when you're in danger or need assistance.

 

[The Void]

There's usually an entire squad of police forces on patrol near my place so that makes me feel safer. I think the general level of corruption in a police force is proportional to their wages.

Less wages = higher chance a cop would accept bribes = less security = more crime

 

[Manitee]

I find the police to be very helpful and friendly in my area. When my sister was in a car crash they were very understandable and took things nice and slow for us since it was a hard time for all of us.

I had to ring them up on their 101 number last week because in the fields where I walk my dog, I was being followed by somebody who looked about 17/18. He had a big black bag and was hiding in the trees. It was very scary because I didn't have my phone with me to ring anybody and I wasn't going to go to my house and let this shady stranger know where I live. But anyways, I rang them up when I got back and they said that since he ran off when I made full eye contact with him, they couldn't do anything. But they did give me a lot of good advice.

 

[Mark Kamill]

Eh. Too much corruption to be trusted, and there is no shortage of low education 18yos suckered in for the cash that are being brainwashed into being the grunts of the rich. There are some good sides, but I its far too little to be mentioned.

 

[Oryx]

Sure, I totally trust the police in my country and have a very positive opinion of them. They do their best to uphold public safety. You might feel mad when they pull you over for a broken tail light or going a few km's over the speed limit but they're just doing their job. I have very little respect for people who are against police officers and call them things like pigs.

Oryx, in my country policing is a two year university course before you go into the more tactical areas of operating, that's a big commitment and requires a lot of classes on ethics and the law. I'd be suspicious of police in countries like Mexico but I reckon the better training they have it will actually discourage power trippers. Those are the type of people who could get it easier by being in a gang.

Also I think it's nonsense that minorities are treated worse by the police. If you can be calm and respectful to authority you will receive the same treatment. Because some minorities don't do that doesn't mean it's racial profiling.

Well, I'm not in Australia so...that's nice to know? Here all you need is a high school diploma. It's a job that tends to, as Stud Muffin alluded to, pull in people straight out of high school that don't have a shot anywhere else, can't get into college, and are only good at being violent. Just like the army.

As far as minorities, it could very well be different in Australia, but I took a class specifically on Criminology where we analyzed study after study that showed how minorities are screwed over every step of the way. More likely to be arrested for the same crime. More likely to be mistrusted by the jury. More likely to get a harsher sentence from the judge. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you've seen several studies in your home country that show equal treatment. Regardless, that's not how it is here. :)

 

[Tsutarja]

The Police? They're music isn't the best, but meh.

Okay, in all seriousness, I'm not sure if I trust the police or not. Surely they must be good at their jobs to be where they are, but not all officers actually care for their job, from what I've seen. I've been up and down roads where only one person was excessively speeding and a cop nearby but they didn't go chasing after him, yet I've seen cops pull others over for only going 5 miles above the speed limit. Is that fair? Probably not, but it is what it is.

However, if I do pass by an officer or a deputy anywhere when I'm walking, I'll stop for a moment and thank them for their service towards the community.

 

[Oryx]

Ugh, ask any police officer whether they like the violence part of their job. Hitting people with batons, using tasers, mace etc. It's quite delusional and even insulting to suggest all these people in the police or military are good for is violence, that they are thugs in uniforms. Low initial requirements give out to the fact that policing is physically and mentally demanding as well as time consuming. With the amount of debt your students amass in university pursuing a degree it's probably a wiser choice to get a job like that.

What do you think of other public service jobs, firefighters, EMS, the garbage collector, are they all undesirable because they have low skills or is it that you have a personal distaste for violence? That I can understand if you don't want to be drafted to serve against your will but when you need them people who are able and willing to use force will do their best to save you from various types of dangers. The fear of them being the danger is irrational if you follow the law. It's just they do a thankless job when you don't need them.

Recently some black kid stole something from a service station, ran from the police and was shot to death. I won't deny that was excessive force and reprehensible but if you don't want to be the one that suffers from judgement errors of human beings trying to do a difficult job don't commit a crime.

On the whole I think the majority of police in first world countries are well trained, regulated and conscious of the peoples welfare. A user here made an enlightening post about the related job of being a security guard, whilst individual results may vary with law enforcement I think it's fairer to appreciate the vital job they do rather than assuming they are all sadistic monsters who like to hurt people.

https://www.pokecommunity.com/blog.php?b=17653#comments

Being a security guard and being a police officer are two very different things.

I don't know what you mean by 'undesirable'; I would never be any of those things, but I wouldn't mistrust those people in general. A firefighter is actually a great example of a person who helps people using their strength but not through choking people to death, as a police officer recently did and only got in trouble because it was on camera. You can claim "police officers are X, police officers are Y" all you want, but since you have nothing to back you up other than your own opinion, there's no reason for me to believe you, sorry! :) I would much rather have a police force that only used force unwillingly, that didn't want to use force and tried their hardest not to have to use force, instead of a police force that's all armed to the teeth to deal with common robbers. If the police officer is eager to use force to solve the situation, then that's not a police officer I want to deal with.

 

[Rogue planet]

Also I think it's nonsense that minorities are treated worse by the police. If you can be calm and respectful to authority you will receive the same treatment. Because some minorities don't do that doesn't mean it's racial profiling.

There have been countless sociological studies on this and a large number of police forces around the world admit that it is a problem so all evidence says you are wrong.

Recently some black kid stole something from a service station, ran from the police and was shot to death. I won't deny that was excessive force and reprehensible but if you don't want to be the one that suffers from judgement errors of human beings trying to do a difficult job don't commit a crime.

"kid" so a young person is dead and you're trying to justify that? Christ almighty, nobody is going to knock you for saying that you trust the police, but what is this.

 

[Lotus the Cat]

A firefighter is actually a great example of a person who helps people using their strength but not through choking people to death, as a police officer recently did and only got in trouble because it was on camera.

Too bad there are fire fighters that are also firebugs or start fires to fulfill their hero complex. I guess by your logic we should distrust and disrespect all fire fighters and the danger they put themselves in for the sake of a minority in the organisation. ****ing fire fighters!

 

[Klippy]

I trust the police. I have family members that have worked in law enforcement and I intend to make it a career for myself. Law enforcement officers have a tough job by nature and working with an oftentimes difficult public makes their job harder and their outlook on people bad. Most police officers look to do a good job and want to be well-liked by the public. Law enforcement in the United States has a stated goal of creating better ties between the police and the public (community policing) and an entire office of the Justice Department is dedicated to ensure law enforcement agencies are working on community policing policies. The police want to do well and they go to work most days wanting to do well. There are VERY FEW police officers that go to work looking to "beat people" or arrest anyone of a certain race (it might happen, but they don't go to work desiring to do so). It's a very tough job and sometimes officers make a bad call or hurt someone, but for every bad cop, there are thousands of great ones. It would be a very dangerous world if there were no police and a few bad apples unfortunately taint a very valuable and rewarding job for many people. :)

I still get nervous and uncomfortably aware of how I am driving when a cop car is nearby.

 

[Oryx]

Too bad there are fire fighters that are also firebugs or start fires to fulfill their hero complex. I guess by your logic we should distrust and disrespect all fire fighters and the danger they put themselves in for the sake of a minority in the organisation. ****ing fire fighters!

When did I say anyone should feel anything? I never told anyone how to feel, it's everyone else upset that they can't control how I feel, not the other way around. :)

 

[Keiran]

I'm pretty neutral when it comes to trusting police. I want to trust them, but too many innocent people are beaten and killed by cops nowadays. The majority of the individuals are very racist.