# AWOL N.O. cops **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 20, 2005, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awol-n-o-cops/322569 "2005-09-20T18:06:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awol-n-o-cops/322569/21 "2005-09-21T14:51:58Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > Their families ARE their duties. Fuck some jack off oath. A man who doesn’t put his family first is no man at all. I hope that if you ever are in a position where your life is in danger and you need police intervention, they don’t just say “Fuck it, I’m going to the house”. Or maybe an investigation into the murder of a loved one gets to be mundane, “Fuck this, who gives a shit”. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awol-n-o-cops/322569/22 "2005-09-21T14:55:02Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > A man who doesn’t put his family first is no man at all. There goes civilization. There are times when the needs of society outweigh the needs of an individual. Wouldn’t you agree? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awol-n-o-cops/322569/23 "2005-09-21T15:05:52Z")
> [@Duke of Rat](#): > > I hope that if you ever are in a position where your life is in danger and you need police intervention, they don’t just say “Fuck it, I’m going to the house”. Or maybe an investigation into the murder of a loved one gets to be mundane, “Fuck this, who gives a shit”. If their families were in danger, I would insist that they tend to their families. > [@This Year's Model](#): > > There are times when the needs of society outweigh the needs of an individual. Wouldn’t you agree? This wasn’t one of those times. Civilization was not in danger and protecting their own children was more important than protecting a Radio Shack. Anyway, until you’ve been in that situation yourself, you really are in no moral position to judge it. ---
**Author:** ![buttonjockey308](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@buttonjockey308](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buttonjockey308)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awol-n-o-cops/322569/24 "2005-09-21T15:11:21Z")
What I think everyone is forgetting here is that while they may have taken an “oath” of sorts, they are in no way committed to stay there. This is a job. Period. You can quit your job when-so-ever you choose, and yeah, I think they’re chickenshit for doing so when the going got tough, but it’s as much their right as any other employee. **Tripler** while a noble sort, signed a contract which is enforceable under law. Despite his sense of duty, if all of a sudden he decided to turn tail and run, he’d be breaking the law and would be dealt with. These cops were NOT AWOL, they just quit their jobs. It doesn’t get any simpler than that. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awol-n-o-cops/322569/25 "2005-09-21T15:12:35Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > This wasn’t one of those times. Civilization was not in danger and protecting their own children was more important than protecting a Radio Shack. Why don’t you ask the people who were in New Orleans needing help and rescue and police protection if they thought they needed police in town. > [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > Anyway, until you’ve been in that situation yourself, you really are in no moral position to judge it. Doesn’t stop you. You very well may be the most judgemental person on the SDMB. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awol-n-o-cops/322569/26 "2005-09-21T15:12:55Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > If their families were in danger, I would insist that they tend to their families. Damn noble of you. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awol-n-o-cops/322569/27 "2005-09-21T15:19:26Z")
> [@buttonjockey308](#): > > These cops were NOT AWOL, they just quit their jobs. It doesn’t get any simpler than that. Oh, I dunno. Most governments have laws against the police going on strike. Society impresses upon us how the very special job which police perform entitles them to unusual respect. Can’t have it both ways. ---
**Author:** ![CBCD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@CBCD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBCD)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awol-n-o-cops/322569/28 "2005-09-21T15:21:58Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > If their families were in danger, I would insist that they tend to their families. > > This wasn’t one of those times. Civilization was not in danger and protecting their own children was more important than protecting a Radio Shack. > > Anyway, until you’ve been in that situation yourself, you really are in no moral position to judge it. From what I saw and read, civilization in New Orleans was in danger, precisely because the police had fled. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awol-n-o-cops/322569/29 "2005-09-21T15:25:18Z")
> [@This Year's Model](#): > > Oh, I dunno. Most governments have laws against the police going on strike. Society impresses upon us how the very special job which police perform entitles them to unusual respect. Can’t have it both ways. They didn’t go on strike, they quit. Quitting is perfectly legal. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awol-n-o-cops/322569/30 "2005-09-21T15:26:21Z")
> [@CBCD](#): > > From what I saw and read, civilization in New Orleans was in danger, precisely because the police had fled. You heard wrong, then. The problems were caused by a levee break. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awol-n-o-cops/322569/31 "2005-09-21T15:28:09Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > You heard wrong, then. The problems were caused by a levee break. Very sophist of you. ---
**Author:** ![Poonther](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Poonther](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poonther)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awol-n-o-cops/322569/32 "2005-09-21T15:30:11Z")
> [@This Year's Model](#): > > There goes civilization. > > There are times when the needs of society outweigh the needs of an individual. Wouldn’t you agree? Great point! On the other hand, if we say that it’s OK for them to go AWOL for the protection of their families, the question here is how do we define “their families?” Is it just the married ones? Just the ones that are married and have kids? The ones that only have kids, no spouse or SO? Do we let the guy that only has a grandmother go AWOL just to protect her? Do we let the single guy that has 3 dogs go protect them? What about the gay/lesbian police officers with an S.O.? Where do we draw this line? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awol-n-o-cops/322569/33 "2005-09-21T15:35:29Z")
There is no line. Theye didn’t go AWOL, they quit. They don’t need permission to quit their jobs. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awol-n-o-cops/322569/34 "2005-09-21T15:39:08Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > There is no line. Theye didn’t go AWOL, they quit. They don’t need permission to quit their jobs. When the going gets tough, quit? It’s a perfectly valid choice, but not one I am required to admire. ---
**Author:** ![Poonther](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Poonther](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poonther)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awol-n-o-cops/322569/35 "2005-09-21T15:41:29Z")
I respectfully disagree that they did go AWOL because they took an oath, no matter how mundane and stupid you think it is. But if we take it your way and say they quit, then should they all get “black marks” on their records and never be allowed to work in law enforcement again? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awol-n-o-cops/322569/36 "2005-09-21T15:42:53Z")
> [@This Year's Model](#): > > When the going gets tough, quit? It’s a perfectly valid choice, but not one I am required to admire. Not one that you’re qualified to pass judgement on in this case either. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awol-n-o-cops/322569/37 "2005-09-21T15:44:50Z")
> [@Poonther](#): > > I respectfully disagree that they did go AWOL because they took an oath, no matter how mundane and stupid you think it is. Is anyone who ever quits being a police officer “breaking his oath” and “going AWOL?” > [@](#): > > But if we take it your way and say they quit, then should they all get “black marks” on their records and never be allowed to work in law enforcement again? I have no opinion on that. I don’t care either way. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awol-n-o-cops/322569/38 "2005-09-21T15:51:39Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > Not one that you’re qualified to pass judgement on in this case either. Why not? Because I was not in New Orleans? Are you now stating that one must have personal experience of a subject in order to make a judgement? You? Of all people? ---
**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:** [September 21, 2005, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awol-n-o-cops/322569/39 "2005-09-21T15:54:56Z")
I’m with **Tripler**. For that matter, I wonder how many of those officers who went AWOL or “quit” are now sheepishly coming back, looking to get their jobs back? Quite a few, I suspect. ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awol-n-o-cops/322569/40 "2005-09-21T15:59:18Z")
Off to the **Pit**. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awol-n-o-cops/322569.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awol-n-o-cops/322569.md?page=3)