# Confessions of a ‘bastard cop’, his words. **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [June 10, 2020, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confessions-of-a-bastard-cop-his-words/855365 "2020-06-10T15:21:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confessions-of-a-bastard-cop-his-words/855365/41 "2020-06-12T00:20:55Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > **Embracable Ewe** You say “cards” plural. Did you have to give one up every time you got pulled over? > > I’m just currious, I’ve never heard of these before. Because you didn’t see the episode of Dragnet (circa late 60’s) that this horseshit story appeared on. But what do I know? I’ve been on the job since 1982 in a large metropolitan area (1.5 million+) covering 2 separate careers. I am a member of not only a police union but several peace officer organizations. I’ve also never heard of such a thing except as people selling them as a scam. All told I’m sure my thousands of posts on these boards holds no weight against their 2! :rolleyes::smack::rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Uniqueorn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uniqueorn/32/2807_2.png) [@Uniqueorn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uniqueorn)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confessions-of-a-bastard-cop-his-words/855365/42 "2020-06-12T12:12:26Z")
A quick Google search actually shows dozens of entries talking about PBA cards, so they do seem to exist. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confessions-of-a-bastard-cop-his-words/855365/43 "2020-06-12T12:32:08Z")
> [@Absolute](#): > > This paragraph is particularly insane: > > > [@](#): > > > > This is where we have to have the courage to ask: why do people rob? Why do they join gangs? Why do they get addicted to drugs or sell them? It’s not because they are inherently evil. I submit to you that these are the results of living in a capitalist system that grinds people down and denies them housing, medical care, human dignity, and a say in their government. These are the results of white supremacy pushing people to the margins, excluding them, disrespecting them, and treating their bodies as disposable. It’s not insane. It is a seriously good question. And it’s not a new question. But to call it “insane,” or “communist,” or “utopian,” has been the standard way of dismissing the “why” question for generations. And of course it must be dismissed, because a lot of people \*really \*don’t want to hear the answer. > [@](#): > > When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why they are poor, they call me a communist. Hélder Pessoa Câmara, former (now deceased) Archbishop of Olinda and Recife (Brazil) and Servant of God. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confessions-of-a-bastard-cop-his-words/855365/44 "2020-06-12T12:47:59Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > Because you didn’t see the episode of Dragnet (circa late 60’s) that this horseshit story appeared on. > > But what do I know? > I’ve been on the job since 1982 in a large metropolitan area (1.5 million+) covering 2 separate careers. I am a member of not only a police union but several peace officer organizations. I’ve also never heard of such a thing except as people selling them as a scam. All told I’m sure my thousands of posts on these boards holds no weight against their 2! > > :rolleyes::smack::rolleyes: A quick Google search shows that they are DEFINITELY a thing. Meanwhile where I live, there was a “charity” that supported cops. Give them a few grand and they would give you a license plate that, based on multiple investigative reports, gets you out of tickets. The charity came under fire for this so they stopped selling – oh gosh I’m sorry, “rewarding their donors” – with these license plates. For a few years. Then they mysteriously came back. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confessions-of-a-bastard-cop-his-words/855365/45 "2020-06-12T12:49:11Z")
> [@Embraceable\_Ewe](#): > > At one time, I had a job that involved giving training classes in a program that had a substantial number of cops. (not police-related classes, just to be clear). I became friendly with some of the students who came back for additional help and . Some of those were police officers who gave me gifts of police benevolent association cards. > > Those cards were freaking magic. I had a long commute and a lead foot. Before getting these cards I would always stress over traffic tickets so being ‘immune’ was big deal for me. > > When I showed one of the cards, I never got a ticket. My driving did not change and I still got pulled over, but all I got were gentle warnings when the card was discreetly peeking out next to my license. I had not been treated particularly badly before (b/c race, class, privilege…), but now I was treated very nicely indeed. > > The cards worked not just for officers on the city force, but with in the suburbs and the next state. There seems to be culture among cops that they won’t bother the families or friends of other cops, at least not for minor infractions. (I’d been warned not to expect the cards to help if I committed a serious crime.) > > I have no other relatives or friends who are police, so the pba card thing was a real eye-opener for me. And while I am selfish enough to use the cards when I have them, I truly believe that these sort of privilege should not exist at all. > > “Equal under the law” means that no one, not cops themselves nor their families nor their friends should be exempted from the law. Cops have been given a lot of power and a lot of discretion to enforce laws which almost never apply to them. > > And I realize that getting a traffic ticket is petty compared to losing your life or liberty, but there is a slippery slope and I think that our society has already rolled down it quite a ways. Police can get away with killing and maiming people without any legitimate provocation, and rarely do they get any serious punishment for this. No wonder they have a sense of entitlement. > > Which is to say that IMO, police reform is long overdue. Yeah. In NYC, they are (or were, a long time ago, when I was given one) little badges. Actually, there is a card that goes with it, but what you show to a cop (discreetly, when presenting your ID) is a little badge. I might still have one in a drawer somewhere. I don’t know. It was given to me a long time ago by a police officer (NYPD detective), a relative who really did mean well. I never used it. I felt uncomfortable about the whole thing. **pkbites** , it’s not horseshit. They exist. At least here. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confessions-of-a-bastard-cop-his-words/855365/46 "2020-06-12T13:07:57Z")
I’m very confused because a deeper Google search shows that not only are these cards 100% real (you can find literally DOZENS of local news stories about some sherif giving these people or those lifetime memberships to thank them for some service) but I also haven’t been able to find a single other person alleging that they AREN’T real. I’d be very interested in a cite from **pkbites** or, failing that, an apology to **Embraceable Ewe**. Guess their two posts were where we should have placed our weight after all? ---
**Author:** ![Translucent\_Daydream](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/translucent_daydream/32/16170_2.png) [@Translucent\_Daydream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Translucent_Daydream)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confessions-of-a-bastard-cop-his-words/855365/47 "2020-06-12T13:47:09Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > Some of the stuff seems like it would be unlikely to be made up by someone who hadn’t experienced it. The stuff about pulling trucks over for not having the correct number of brooms and giving a specific law that he used for that seems too detailed to be made up. My guess, after having read it, is that it’s more likely than not to be true. My brother owned a trucking company in Texas until recently. It’s very common. They moved earth from road construction and highway construction. Dallas PD were big fans of “your washer fluid is 2 inches low in the tank, here is a 250-500 dollar fine.” They worked in dusty environments and were afraid to use any. Fines in the 1000s a week for little piss broom stuff like that. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confessions-of-a-bastard-cop-his-words/855365/48 "2020-06-12T13:58:17Z")
I believe most if not all of his points about the police in this nation are believable based on everything I’ve seen, heard, read about, or personally experienced. You can’t trust any of them because their Code of Silence is tantamount to Silent Assent. It doesn’t matter if, say, only one in twenty cops is a rogue cop if the other nineteen silently stand by and watch him kill you. In that regard, they are ALL killing you. By the way, “Elbows”, this is a great thread. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confessions-of-a-bastard-cop-his-words/855365/49 "2020-06-12T14:07:27Z")
> [@Saintly\_Loser](#): > > **pkbites** , it’s not horseshit. They exist. At least here. Fine. Then you better be sure it’s real before you try to use one. Around here in the early-mid 80’s there was an alleged “charity” selling these things telling unsuspecting saps that they would get them out of a ticket. A lot of people realized they were duped when they got pulled over and no officer ever heard of such a thing. It was an absolute scam. Eventually the company was shut down and PSA went out advising people the charity was a scam and no money went to any police agency and no, they would not get you out of a ticket. Then the “charity” popped back up a few years later only that time they were saying the funds benefitted Local fire fighters and were good for the insurance deductible amount charged for ambulance transports and such. It got shut down once again. I do not know if anyone was ever prosecuted for running these scams. I do know that many of the people who thought they had a getouttaaticket card were driving like jerks. I’m sure there are some places where a crooked Sheriff or Chief or Mayor hands out “give this gentleman all considerations you’d give me” cards. But it is not the legitimate way law nforcement should be conducted, and most police unions would not endorse the idea. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confessions-of-a-bastard-cop-his-words/855365/50 "2020-06-12T14:11:46Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > Because you didn’t see the episode of Dragnet (circa late 60’s) that this horseshit story appeared on. > > But what do I know? > I’ve been on the job since 1982 in a large metropolitan area (1.5 million+) covering 2 separate careers. I am a member of not only a police union but several peace officer organizations. I’ve also never heard of such a thing except as people selling them as a scam. All told I’m sure my thousands of posts on these boards holds no weight against their 2! > > :rolleyes::smack::rolleyes: > [@Uniqueorn](#): > > A quick Google search actually shows dozens of entries talking about PBA cards, so they do seem to exist. And a quick Google search shows thousands of Bigfoot sightings. > [@Saintly\_Loser](#): > > Yeah. In NYC, they are (or were, a long time ago, when I was given one) little badges. Actually, there is a card that goes with it, but what you show to a cop (discreetly, when presenting your ID) is a little badge. > > I might still have one in a drawer somewhere. I don’t know. It was given to me a long time ago by a police officer (NYPD detective), a relative who really did mean well. I never used it. I felt uncomfortable about the whole thing. > > **pkbites** , it’s not horseshit. They exist. **At least here.** (my bolding) pkbites, you are probably correct in your neck of the woods (not far from my neck of the woods); it is possible that the practice exists other places. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confessions-of-a-bastard-cop-his-words/855365/51 "2020-06-12T14:49:41Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > Fine. Then you better be sure it’s real before you try to use one. I’m pretty sure the one my uncle Jack, my mother’s brother, gave me was real, if only because even a tough NYPD detective would have hesitated to cross my mother. And I’m pretty sure the one my friend Teri has, that her husband gave her, is real. I don’t doubt that there are scammers out there selling phony “courtesy cards,” though. Or even actual non-profits that benefit police officers implying that the card they offer offers certain benefits, when in reality it’s bullshit. > [@pkbites](#): > > But it is not the legitimate way law nforcement should be conducted, and most police unions would not endorse the idea. Couldn’t agree more that law enforcement shouldn’t be conducted that way. As to police unions endorsing the idea, the various unions (there are a few) that represent NYPD officers seem just fine with it. For better or worse. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confessions-of-a-bastard-cop-his-words/855365/52 "2020-06-12T15:53:30Z")
> [@Saintly\_Loser](#): > > Couldn’t agree more that law enforcement shouldn’t be conducted that way. As to police unions endorsing the idea, the various unions (there are a few) that represent NYPD officers seem just fine with it. For better or worse. Their fine with publicly saying if folks give to a police association they’ll get out of traffic violations? Thats tantamount to soliciting a bribe. You can give/join all sorts of associations without being an actual LEO. I just don’t know of any legitimate ones around here that would insinuate that joining would shield one from tickets. IIRC the phony one that was doing it was a boiler room op out of Nevada. They sent people some hokey ID card and a cheapola sticker they were supposed to put on their rear window. No agency had any actual affiliation with this alleged association. ---
**Author:** ![Embraceable\_Ewe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/embraceable_ewe/32/3810_2.png) [@Embraceable\_Ewe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Embraceable_Ewe)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confessions-of-a-bastard-cop-his-words/855365/53 "2020-06-12T15:55:49Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > **Embracable Ewe** You say “cards” plural. Did you have to give one up every time you got pulled over? > > I’m just currious, I’ve never heard of these before. I wrote a response last night but it appears to have disappeared, so apologies if this is a duplicate. I was given cards in different years by different officers. The cards are dated with current year stamped on them, so I would only carry the most recent one. And I did get questioned once when the card I was carrying was several years old, but in the end, I didn’t get a ticket then, either. They are not turned in when you use them. You show the card, you usually get a free pass, you put the card away. To pkbites: I realize we are strangers to one another and it’s wise to be skeptical on the internet but tbh, but when you say you’ve never heard of cards like these it makes me question whether you worked as a police officer. You don’t have to prove anything to me but internet skepticism works in both directions here. I don’t have any cops as close friends, so this whole ‘get-out-of-trouble’ card thing was a revelation to me when I first learned about it. When I actually got my first card, I found out it was true. Search Google for “police courtesy cards”. It won’t prove I ever had one of these, but it will give you evidence they exist. Lots of evidence. (I would provide a link but that is x-ed out on the formatting bar.) ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confessions-of-a-bastard-cop-his-words/855365/54 "2020-06-12T16:19:45Z")
> [@Embraceable\_Ewe](#): > > To pkbites: > > I realize we are strangers to one another and it’s wise to be skeptical on the internet but tbh, but when you say you’ve never heard of cards like these it makes me question whether you worked as a police officer. You don’t have to prove anything to me but internet skepticism works in both directions here. 25 years Deputy Sheriff, retired, 13 years current full time police officer for a department I worked part time at for 15 years prior to retiring the county and accepting full time as a second career. As I posted, you can join a police association. I just know of no legitimate ones that would publicly say such membership card is a get out of ticket free pass. Many of the cites on Google are a mixed bag. But those that say it’s so seem to be from places lime Philly, NYC, and Chicago. Not exactly utopias of clean government I suppose. And there was a phony charity here selling these things and they were worthless. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confessions-of-a-bastard-cop-his-words/855365/55 "2020-06-12T16:27:59Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > I’m also calling bullshit on several members of these boards and another [[opencarry.org](http://opencarry.org)] who chastised me over my criticisms of [now former] Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke. Where are all these people defending defending David Clarke on this board? Well, there’s this guy… > [@Who is sherriff clarke?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-sherriff-clarke/239241/7): > > Here in Milwaukee the county Sheriff is David Clarke…but he’s black, and that’s probably not who Lehrer was talking about.😃 > > But (as long as I have your attention) he’s the best Sheriff we’ve had here in a long, long, lonnnnnng time. Though he did run for Mayor (I voted for him. He still lost), the guy is actually more of a lawman than a politician (rare in sheriffs around here). ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confessions-of-a-bastard-cop-his-words/855365/56 "2020-06-12T16:35:20Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > Where are all these people defending defending David Clarke on this board? > > Well, there’s this guy… Holy shit. Noice. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confessions-of-a-bastard-cop-his-words/855365/57 "2020-06-12T16:48:30Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > Where are all these people defending defending David Clarke on this board? > > Well, there’s this guy… That post was from 2004. Lots of things can happen in 16 years. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confessions-of-a-bastard-cop-his-words/855365/58 "2020-06-12T17:07:31Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > That post was from 2004. Lots of things can happen in 16 years. At that time he had been my boss for only a little over a year and a half. I had not yet realized how corrupt and completely full of shit he was. And in threads and other boards I admitted I was initially a supporter. I retired in 2007 taking a 25 year retirement instead of waiting 5 years and taking a 30 year with a higher pension. I just couldn’t stand the insanity any more. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confessions-of-a-bastard-cop-his-words/855365/59 "2020-06-12T17:07:34Z")
This was a great article. I can personally testify to PBA cards in NY (LI). My college buddy was driving and we got pulled over and he had his PBA thing right next to his license, and even kind of made it obvious in a ham fisted way, and the officer’s demeanor and attitude immediately changed and he got off with a warning. That was the first I had heard of it. But next time I got a PBA donation solicitation in the mail I donated. Besides the card, it came with window decals. I did keep the card in my wallet, but always felt too awkward to show. But once an officer spotted it by aesthetic mixed in with everything else and name dropped it. It’s definitely a thing. Absolutely, this is not an official policy. But also absolutely, that it’s not an official policy, in practice, is mostly a CYA conceit. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confessions-of-a-bastard-cop-his-words/855365/60 "2020-06-12T17:28:14Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > Their fine with publicly saying if folks give to a police association they’ll get out of traffic violations? Thats tantamount to soliciting a bribe. You’re moving the goalposts a bit. I’m talking about the card/badge that police officers give to their relatives. They are known to get the holder favorable treatment in a traffic stop. I doubt that it’s a free pass for anything more than that. I’m not talking about some card given in return for a donation to a police association. About those, I said in my post “even actual non-profits that benefit police officers implying that the card they offer offers certain benefits, when in reality it’s bullshit.” > [@pkbites](#): > > You can give/join all sorts of associations without being an actual LEO. I just don’t know of any legitimate ones around here that would insinuate that joining would shield one from tickets. That speaks well of organizations and departments in your area. It’s not true everywhere. Plenty of otherwise legitimate organizations will “insinuate” that donations, or joining, confer certain benefits. > [@pkbites](#): > > IIRC the phony one that was doing it was a boiler room op out of Nevada. They sent people some hokey ID card and a cheapola sticker they were supposed to put on their rear window. No agency had any actual affiliation with this alleged association. Yep. Happens all the time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confessions-of-a-bastard-cop-his-words/855365.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confessions-of-a-bastard-cop-his-words/855365.md?page=4)