# Are you nervous around the police? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 4, 2010, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-nervous-around-the-police/538343 "2010-05-04T23:35:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![The\_Surb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@The\_Surb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Surb)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-nervous-around-the-police/538343/41 "2010-05-05T14:30:54Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Added: I like that I didn’t have to click the url to know who Joe Arpaio was, because I learned all about him by playing the “Cops” television show drinking game. Ok, I’ll bite. What is the “Cops” show drinking game? Do you take a drink whenever they “tune” somebody up? Or do you drink whenever they try to bullshit someone into confessing? Or. . . I like to play the John Bunnell drinking game. You drink until you are no longer annoyed by his fucking stupid voice. The only problem is that this game often results in a blackout. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-nervous-around-the-police/538343/42 "2010-05-05T15:15:16Z")
> [@The\_Surb](#): > > Ok, I’ll bite. What is the “Cops” show drinking game? Do you take a drink whenever they “tune” somebody up? Or do you drink whenever they try to bullshit someone into confessing? Or. . . Take a drink when any of the following occurs. Any time the perp: [ul][li]is shirtless[/li][li]is wearing a wifebeater[/li][li]has a mullet[/li][li]is missing at least one tooth[/li][/ul] Any time the cop: [ul][li]gives a monologue. An extra drink if the monologue is about how hard it is to be a female/lesian/black/jew/gay cop, or is the “Thin Blue Line” monologue.[/li][li]has a high-and-tight haircut[/li][li]has a moustache[/li][li]is a woman with a cop hairstyle, i.e., a ponytail pulled back, or french braid with stupid looking 80s bangs[/li][/ul] Bonus drinking: [ul] [li]Two drinks if the cop sics his dog on someone, another if the person is white[/li][li]Shotgun your drink if the cop shoots someone[/li][/ul] > [@](#): > > I like to play the John Bunnell drinking game. You drink until you are no longer annoyed by his fucking stupid voice. The only problem is that this game often results in a blackout. Ha! You, I like. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-nervous-around-the-police/538343/43 "2010-05-05T15:58:51Z")
Under those specific circumstances, no. Under different circumstances, it depends on the cops. ---
**Author:** ![MegaBee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@MegaBee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaBee)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-nervous-around-the-police/538343/44 "2010-05-05T16:12:40Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I’m a 40 year old black man. Hell yeah. This minus a year. ---
**Author:** ![EmAnJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-nervous-around-the-police/538343/45 "2010-05-05T16:12:43Z")
I used to when I was younger, but not anymore (I’m still young - 29). I will even go a bit above the speed limit and pass them on the right if I think they’re going too slow. I don’t change my driving habits when a cop is around. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-nervous-around-the-police/538343/46 "2010-05-05T16:15:46Z")
I have police in my family, and have never had police problems, but I still get a little nervous when one is behind me when I’m driving. Otherwise I’m glad they’re around. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-nervous-around-the-police/538343/47 "2010-05-05T16:16:08Z")
When I was younger, I’d say nervous. Now that I’m a middle aged taxpaying pillar of the community, no effect. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-nervous-around-the-police/538343/48 "2010-05-05T16:22:53Z")
I’m always nervous when a cop is behind or beside me. The truth is that everybody should be. Traffic enforcement is fundraising, and unless the car is fairly new it is easy indeed for a police officer to find something wrong with a car that will allow the issuance of a citation. I could be wearing my uniform, stone-cold sober for the last month, doing the speed limit precisely, and I’d still be very uncomfortable. I’ve been had too many times to feel any other way. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-nervous-around-the-police/538343/49 "2010-05-05T16:26:53Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I’m a 40 year old black man. Hell yeah. I’m 50 and white, but I tremble on account of my tan. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-nervous-around-the-police/538343/50 "2010-05-05T16:45:26Z")
I said “Neutral/no effect.” If the zone car is beside me, who cares? Behind me, maybe I’m a little nervous - did I run a red light? Was I speeding? If I’m in a bad neighborhood, on the other hand, I’m delighted to see a police car. I’ve known and worked with a lot of cops, and the great majority of them IME are calm, well-grounded people who aren’t looking to pick a fight. If they’ve been on the streets for any length of time, they’ve been cursed, spat on, kicked, slapped or even shot at. They’ve seen the very worst in humanity. Not an easy job, by any means, but most of them just want to do their jobs well, serve their communities, keep the peace and go home to their families at the end of their shift. However, I quite understand YMMV. When I was a prosecutor, I was once in a courtroom when a defendant was about to be sentenced. The judge was concerned that the defendant or his family might freak out, so she asked for some extra security. There were, I think, eight deputy sheriffs in the room when she sent the guy to prison, and I’ll tell you, I’ve never felt safer. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-nervous-around-the-police/538343/51 "2010-05-05T16:50:24Z")
It makes me feel safer, but that’s because I’m on a bicycle, not in a car. He’s not going to pull me over for speeding, other drivers are more likely to act civil in his presence, and in my experience, local cops here (both city and county) are unfailingly polite to cyclists, so that’s one car around me that I don’t need to worry about as much. Only times I’ve ever been nervous just because of a police officer’s presence was when I was headed somewhere on the Tube in London, and at one stop about a half-dozen armed (like, assault-rifle slung across your chest armed) cops boarded the train, spread out between the cars - but I’m fairly confident I would have had the same reaction to any group of heavily-armed men boarding the train. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-nervous-around-the-police/538343/52 "2010-05-05T16:54:53Z")
Men with guns in close proximity makes me anxious, no matter what they are wearing. With cops, I worry about the money or time they can cost me whenever there’s one nearby. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-nervous-around-the-police/538343/53 "2010-05-05T17:24:45Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > Pulls up _beside_ me? No **e** ffect. > > Pulls up _behind_ me, though, that’s a different story. Because I know for a fact he’s looking at my plates and tail lights and gauging whether I just came to a rolling stop. He might even be punching my plate number into his dashboard computer, looking for outstanding warrants or something. And I’m wondering whether he’s going to keep following me for several blocks to see if I’m going to do anything interesting. So yeah, I tense up a bit in that situation. **Koxinga** said exactly what I was going to say. I know, for a fact, that generally, if a cop is behind you and stays more than three seconds, they’re running your plates. I think it might even be automated now. Walking? Near a cop? No problem. In a car, yes, because being in a car more or less counts as probable cause for a pullover. “He was weaving.” ---
**Author:** ![Aeris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Aeris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeris)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-nervous-around-the-police/538343/54 "2010-05-05T19:06:21Z")
> [@JohnnyMac](#): > > I don’t drive, but I answered _Nervous/Anxious_. I get nervous when I see a cop, and I’m just walking down the street. I’ve never had any trouble with the police, I’ve never gotten a ticket - as I say, I don’t drive. They’ve even helped me out before. And yet. Every time I see a cop I think “Shit, am I doing anything wrong?”. I know I’m not doing anything; it’s a completely irrational way to feel. I agree. I did the same thing in elementary school when the teacher would ask who was responsible for doing some bad thing that happened. I would always get so nervous even though I knew it wasn’t me. I was nervous that they would think it was me. This must say something fascinating about my pysche. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-nervous-around-the-police/538343/55 "2010-05-05T19:14:41Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Take a drink when any of the following occurs. > > Any time the perp: > [ul][li]is shirtless[/li][li]is wearing a wifebeater[/li][li]has a mullet[/li][li]is missing at least one tooth[/li][/ul] > Any time the cop: > [ul][li]gives a monologue. An extra drink if the monologue is about how hard it is to be a female/lesian/black/jew/gay cop, or is the “Thin Blue Line” monologue.[/li][li]has a high-and-tight haircut[/li][li]has a moustache[/li][li]is a woman with a cop hairstyle, i.e., a ponytail pulled back, or french braid with stupid looking 80s bangs[/li][/ul] > > Bonus drinking: > [ul] > [li]Two drinks if the cop sics his dog on someone, another if the person is white[/li][li]Shotgun your drink if the cop shoots someone[/li][/ul] I like this list except for the clause on drinking whenever you see a woman cop with a ponytail. If they have long hair of course they’re going to be wearing it in a ponytail if not that braid you mentioned. Might as well just say “drink whenever you say a female cop.” ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-nervous-around-the-police/538343/56 "2010-05-05T19:31:24Z")
If you live in Houston, as I do, you’d be crazy not to be nervous. It’s not that I think the Houston cops are any better or worse than those in most other big cities. Rather it’s that the legal system backing them up is geared to punish, and punish long and hard. I’ve had experience with said system (fortunately, I was not the accused), and I don’t want to be anywhere near it. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-nervous-around-the-police/538343/57 "2010-05-05T19:57:06Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > I like this list except for the clause on drinking whenever you see a woman cop with a ponytail. If they have long hair of course they’re going to be wearing it in a ponytail if not that braid you mentioned. Might as well just say “drink whenever you say a female cop.” No no, it’s the bangs that are silly. They ALWAYS have stupid 80s bangs. Everyone wears ponytails, only cops wear cop bangs. So I guess you’re right; it is drink whenever you see a female cop. ---
**Author:** ![chromaticity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@chromaticity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chromaticity)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-nervous-around-the-police/538343/58 "2010-05-05T20:27:06Z")
Depends on where I am. Sweden: Not at all India: A bit (I have had some brushes with the law in my youth) Japan: A little bit more, but less these days (Although they have been perfectly nice to me always) China: Scared as shit (Probably because I cant read their body language or understand them well) ---
**Author:** ![LunarPlexus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@LunarPlexus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LunarPlexus)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2010, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-nervous-around-the-police/538343/59 "2010-05-05T21:02:04Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I’m a 40 year old black man. Hell yeah. > [@Stuffy](#): > > That makes two of us. Ok fine, 41 y/o black man. Move along, you two! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-nervous-around-the-police/538343.md?page=2)