# Losing my respect for the police (lame semi-rant) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 19, 2009, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/losing-my-respect-for-the-police-lame-semi-rant/496923 "2009-05-19T02:05:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![StaudtCJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@StaudtCJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StaudtCJ)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/losing-my-respect-for-the-police-lame-semi-rant/496923/101 "2009-08-25T22:26:53Z")
Make the situation voluntary service, and a condition for voting if one has not been in/is not in the military, and you have my vote for this. Non-able-bodied adults can do the paperwork, or whatever job they are able for, for the same term, to receive voting rights. It should be a paid position, imho. Only possible issue: Personnel shortage, due to location and availability of young adult humans of appropriate age. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/losing-my-respect-for-the-police-lame-semi-rant/496923/102 "2009-08-26T02:32:27Z")
In a very small way, we’re doing something similar at my hospital, involving a “smoke free campus”. No smoking anywhere on the grounds, which means that in theory you need to walk about 3 blocks away from the hospital to legally smoke (unless you want to stand smoking in the middle of the street). Well, it turns out that smokers get a little cranky if you walk up to them outside on a sidewalk and tell them to stop. So much so that staff quickly stopped doing it, and instead called Security. Very soon Security bailed out, claiming that they didn’t have the time or staff to chase down all the smokers in a 3 block radius of the hospital. So management sent out a memo hospital-wide saying it is the responsibility of each and every staff member to help enforce the smoking ban. We were not to call Security, we were to address the issue ourselves, on the spot. So far, it is failing miserably. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/losing-my-respect-for-the-police-lame-semi-rant/496923/103 "2009-08-26T14:03:34Z")
> [@Drain\_Bead](#): > > … or the one where the officer couldn’t decided whether it should be spelled “come” or “cum”. Well, that would depend on the crime, wouldn’t it? ---
**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:** [August 26, 2009, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/losing-my-respect-for-the-police-lame-semi-rant/496923/104 "2009-08-26T15:19:07Z")
> [@StaudtCJ](#): > > Only possible issue: Personnel shortage, due to location and availability of young adult humans of appropriate age. Let’s see. Police service, small town, everyone the same age, young. Noooo, they won’t let their buddies get off. ---
**Author:** ![StaudtCJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@StaudtCJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StaudtCJ)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/losing-my-respect-for-the-police-lame-semi-rant/496923/105 "2009-08-26T23:19:34Z")
Well, you would have to move them to other towns, I suppose. ---
**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:** [August 27, 2009, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/losing-my-respect-for-the-police-lame-semi-rant/496923/106 "2009-08-27T02:47:50Z")
Ah! So a national police force, moving all youth into barracks for a few years. So, you have 20 year olds with badges, cars, and nobody actually knows who they are, wandering around alone on the streets. ---
**Author:** ![Godinama](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e95f7d/32.png) [@Godinama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Godinama)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2009, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/losing-my-respect-for-the-police-lame-semi-rant/496923/107 "2009-08-28T17:08:01Z")
> [@Improvisor](#): > > Just to add more facts to this thread, the CCT video from the second incident in Seattle has been released. The guy is still in a coma. > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5qlg-EDFCE](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5qlg-EDFCE) Is it just me or does it seem the guy stopped running before he was launched into the wall? ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2009, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/losing-my-respect-for-the-police-lame-semi-rant/496923/108 "2009-08-28T18:03:36Z")
Looked to me like he was trying to brace to resist being tackled, based on the way his left arm moves. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2009, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/losing-my-respect-for-the-police-lame-semi-rant/496923/109 "2009-08-28T18:17:32Z")
> [@DanBlather](#): > > At least many policeman can spell. And a lot of them can not. Now back to the thread. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/losing-my-respect-for-the-police-lame-semi-rant/496923.md?page=5)