# Do the police police their family and friends? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 26, 2011, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-police-their-family-and-friends/600839 "2011-10-26T12:08:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kiante\_83](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9fc29f/32.png) [@Kiante\_83](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiante_83)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-police-their-family-and-friends/600839/1 "2011-10-26T12:08:41Z")
I believe this is only an issue if the police are not your family or friends. Whenever I have had a buddy on the force I’ve not only afforded free passes but also noticed overall all the free passes the police afford themselves. Is it just me or is the best way to get away with breaking the law is to become the law or be close to the law? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-police-their-family-and-friends/600839/2 "2011-10-26T13:00:32Z")
> [@Kiante\_83](#): > > I believe this is only an issue if the police are not your family or friends. Whenever I have had a buddy on the force I’ve not only afforded free passes but also noticed overall all the free passes the police afford themselves. Is it just me or is the best way to get away with breaking the law is to become the law or be close to the law? Are you talking about flashing tin to get out of a speeding ticket or flashing tin to get out of a triple homicide? ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-police-their-family-and-friends/600839/3 "2011-10-26T13:44:22Z")
Everyone knows you can’t flash tin to get off a triple homicide… That’s what planting the gun on a black man is for. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-police-their-family-and-friends/600839/4 "2011-10-26T13:52:39Z")
In NYC the immediate family of police officers get a little card that stick next to their drivers license and it gets them out of most traffic violations other than drunk driving. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-police-their-family-and-friends/600839/5 "2011-10-26T14:03:22Z")
Of the cops I’ve personally known, the flashing tin/blue line thing cuts between “get out of minor crap free” and “dude, you’re a cop you should know better, no warning!” at a 60/40 ratio. ---
**Author:** ![streetgang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c57346/32.png) [@streetgang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/streetgang)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-police-their-family-and-friends/600839/6 "2011-10-26T14:06:36Z")
> [@Kiante\_83](#): > > I believe this is only an issue if the police are not your family or friends. Whenever I have had a buddy on the force I’ve not only afforded free passes but also noticed overall all the free passes the police afford themselves. Is it just me or is the best way to get away with breaking the law is to become the law or be close to the law? the police will police who they want, when they want, to the extent they want. I believe they call it descretion. if you ask them they will deny it. but that is ," the straight dope". ---
**Author:** ![streetgang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c57346/32.png) [@streetgang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/streetgang)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-police-their-family-and-friends/600839/7 "2011-10-26T14:08:58Z")
> [@streetgang](#): > > the police will police who they want, when they want, to the extent they want. I believe they call it descretion. if you ask them they will deny it. but that is ," the straight dope". also known asthe buddy system. one solution is to become one. I myself, have enough power. I do NOT need to go on a trip to get more. ---
**Author:** ![streetgang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c57346/32.png) [@streetgang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/streetgang)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-police-their-family-and-friends/600839/8 "2011-10-26T14:12:51Z")
> [@villa](#): > > Everyone knows you can’t flash tin to get off a triple homicide… That’s what planting the gun on a black man is for. woah there villa, dont make it a racist thread. not if the cop is black. or the tin is ten kilos ---
**Author:** ![streetgang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c57346/32.png) [@streetgang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/streetgang)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-police-their-family-and-friends/600839/9 "2011-10-26T14:14:05Z")
> [@Zeriel](#): > > Of the cops I’ve personally known, the flashing tin/blue line thing cuts between “get out of minor crap free” and “dude, you’re a cop you should know better, no warning!” at a 60/40 ratio. now THAT makes sense ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-police-their-family-and-friends/600839/10 "2011-10-26T14:15:36Z")
> [@streetgang](#): > > woah there villa, dont make it a racist thread. not if the cop is black. or the tin is ten kilos It was, I thought pretty obviously, a joke. Lighten the hell up. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-police-their-family-and-friends/600839/11 "2011-10-26T15:17:29Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Are you talking about flashing tin to get out of a speeding ticket or flashing tin to get out of a triple homicide? In the latter situation, having a friend on the force might be helpful just to pick up some hints on best practices. “So, speaking purely hypothetically, based on your police experience, what would be the best way to dispose of three bodies and related physical evidence?” ---
**Author:** ![Kiante\_83](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9fc29f/32.png) [@Kiante\_83](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiante_83)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-police-their-family-and-friends/600839/12 "2011-10-26T17:56:36Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Are you talking about flashing tin to get out of a speeding ticket or flashing tin to get out of a triple homicide? I’m sorry but what exactly is flashing tin? ---
**Author:** ![SmartAlecCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SmartAlecCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAlecCat)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-police-their-family-and-friends/600839/13 "2011-10-26T17:58:49Z")
> [@Kiante\_83](#): > > I’m sorry but what exactly is flashing tin? Showing a police badge, unless of course, you don’t need no stinkin’ badges. ---
**Author:** ![Kiante\_83](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9fc29f/32.png) [@Kiante\_83](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiante_83)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-police-their-family-and-friends/600839/14 "2011-10-26T18:21:34Z")
Well I pretty much know that the police do not police themselves mean short of killing somebody with multiple witnesses and video. But my question was more in reference to friends and family and friends. To give it more context I recently went to a family get together which was a totally delightful experience yet if one of the family or friends was an officer he would have either turned a blind eye to the law or if he/she would have done their job would have been ostracized. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-police-police-their-family-and-friends/600839/15 "2011-10-26T18:43:18Z")
In some cases, an officer will tell his relatives to behave themselves and to abide by the law, as he doesn’t want to have to deal with them in a professional capacity, or have other officers have to deal with them in a professional capacity. In that sense he is “policing” his relatives, and that’s a good thing.