# More evidence that not all cops are decent people **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 16, 2010, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-that-not-all-cops-are-decent-people/550440 "2010-08-16T19:30:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-that-not-all-cops-are-decent-people/550440/41 "2010-08-18T16:27:46Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#): > > Ahh, I see now. **ChicagoJeff** is a cop… who sees nothing wrong with what took place in the video. What a surprise. That’s not what \*\*ChicagoJeff \*\*said. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-that-not-all-cops-are-decent-people/550440/42 "2010-08-18T16:35:51Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Nope. The cop was wrong. > > My point is that I don’t believe the victim has any celebrities holding press conferences, arranging legal representation, calling for inquiries and firings and expressing general outrage on his behalf. Actually, i think it’s good that there’s none of the usual recreational outrage celebrities involved, because it means that we can evaluate this situation on its own merits, rather than losing sight of the incident and focusing on the celebrity. > [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > > [@Kinthalis](#): > > > > Ahh, I see now. **ChicagoJeff** is a cop… who sees nothing wrong with what took place in the video. What a surprise. > > That’s not what \*\*ChicagoJeff \*\*said. You’re right, he didn’t say that. But his contributions to this thread have been stupid and incoherent enough that it’s not quite clear exactly what his contribution is. First he gave a “yawn,” and then he made an argument that seems to suggest that this incident is somehow mitigated by the fact that the police have a difficult and dangerous job. I admit that it’s possible that he has a more complex point to make, but if he does then he’s doing a pretty shitty job of making it. Right now, it seems that his main intent is to minimize this incident. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-that-not-all-cops-are-decent-people/550440/43 "2010-08-18T17:11:50Z")
> [@Chicagojeff](#): > > Yawn.. What excessive force?? Don’t act like a fool at the club.. > > In the words of that great philosopher.. “Don’t start none won’t be none”.. Not only did he give a yawn, but the last sentence of the first paragraph indicates he thought the outrage was over the pisher who was arrested for what _might have been_ cause, rather than the second guy simply talking on the phone who appears to have been bashed for no reason (certainly the door-bang was gratuitous), indicating he either didn’t watch or didn’t understand the video. I’m curious about why he’s even taking the attitude he seems to be taking, given that he’s indicated in the past he can not only see that cops may do citizens wrong, but can speak up as appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-that-not-all-cops-are-decent-people/550440/44 "2010-08-18T22:09:53Z")
It’s somewhat ironic (in an Alanis Morrissette kinda way) that the second victim’s father is a [Pueblo sheriff’s deputy.](http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_15808654) That’s who DeHerrera was on the phone with when the beat-down started. Mayor Hickenlooper, not having the balls God gave a goose, has [asked the FBI to investigate](http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_15800377) rather than calling in Safety Manager Perea and blasting him back into the stone age. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-that-not-all-cops-are-decent-people/550440/45 "2010-08-19T02:52:23Z")
> [@Chicagojeff](#): > > Yawn.. What excessive force?? Don’t act like a fool at the club.. > > In the words of that great philosopher.. “Don’t start none won’t be none”.. If it were only that easy. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-that-not-all-cops-are-decent-people/550440/46 "2010-08-19T02:57:45Z")
“Don’t start none won’t be none” seems to be quite a valid rule of thumb, if “don’t start none” is liberally interpreted to mean don’t do anything that our valiant defenders might find annoying, regardless of the law. I think that’s what Chicagojeff may have meant. (It wasn’t Chicagojeff who said so, of course, but for some cops “don’t start none” may extend to holding annoying political views (pulled over for a bumper sticker) or being the wrong skin tone in the wrong part of town.) ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-that-not-all-cops-are-decent-people/550440/47 "2010-08-19T13:44:40Z")
> [@Kolga](#): > > Mayor Hickenlooper, not having the balls God gave a goose, has [asked the FBI to investigate](http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_15800377) rather than calling in Safety Manager Perea and blasting him back into the stone age. The man has an election campaign to run. I agree that he should have taken a stand on this, but I understand why he didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-that-not-all-cops-are-decent-people/550440/48 "2010-08-19T14:24:54Z")
> [@L. G. Butts](#): > > The man has an election campaign to run. I agree that he should have taken a stand on this, but I understand why he didn’t. Against Dan “Bicycles are a U.N. plot!” Maes and Tom “I hate brown people” Tancredo, I don’t think he’ll have to campaign too hard 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-that-not-all-cops-are-decent-people/550440/49 "2010-08-19T14:38:35Z")
> [@Kolga](#): > > It’s somewhat ironic (in an Alanis Morrissette kinda way) that the second victim’s father is a [Pueblo sheriff’s deputy.](http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_15808654) That’s who DeHerrera was on the phone with when the beat-down started. > > Mayor Hickenlooper, not having the balls God gave a goose, has [asked the FBI to investigate](http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_15800377) rather than calling in Safety Manager Perea and blasting him back into the stone age. I think what the father heard on the phone is telling. > [@](#): > > The words he heard in the background: “They’re recording us. We’ve got to get rid of the phone.” The kid clearly has the phone to his ear and wasn’t recording them but they thought he was and that justified beating the crap out of someone? Evidently he wasn’t in danger of being arrested until they thought he was recording. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-that-not-all-cops-are-decent-people/550440/50 "2010-08-19T18:24:26Z")
[http://www.newsandletters.org/Issues/2003/July/Detroit\_July03.htm](http://www.newsandletters.org/Issues/2003/July/Detroit_July03.htm) Police are just people. They are not answering to a calling. It is a job and they are as corruptible as any other group of people. Though the kind of person who takes on that job is not a wallflower or quiet private type. They probably are more aggressive than most groups of people. That does not mean you should automatically be afraid of the next cop you come in contact with. He may well be a fine and reasonable person. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-that-not-all-cops-are-decent-people/550440/51 "2010-08-19T19:06:44Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > [Verifying…](http://www.newsandletters.org/Issues/2003/July/Detroit_July03.htm) Police are just people. They are not answering to a calling. It is a job and they are as corruptible as any other group of people. Though the kind of person who takes on that job is not a wallflower or quiet private type. They probably are more aggressive than most groups of people. That does not mean you should automatically be afraid of the next cop you come in contact with. He may well be a fine and reasonable person. Or he could be a lying, corrupt, asshole who decides to assault you because he can. It’s starting to feel more like a 50/50 proposition now a days as to which one you will get. Well, not 50/50 maybe 85good/15bad. As I mentioned above, however, the real issue is that running into a bad cop can mean anything from being verbally abused, which in the grand scheme of things is not a big deal (though not something to just ignore or handwave either), to having your life ruined because you’re now a fellon who “assaulted a cop”. THAT is what makes encoutners with the police scary. That there is a non-zero chance that you’ll end up like the victim in the video, except that in your case there might not be any video. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-that-not-all-cops-are-decent-people/550440/52 "2010-08-19T19:12:59Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > (It wasn’t Chicagojeff who said so, of course, but for some cops “don’t start none” may extend to holding annoying political views (pulled over for a bumper sticker) or being the wrong skin tone in the wrong part of town.) Or filming them taking down a suspect in a violent manner. Or standing near the scene of an arrest. Or wielding a megaphone in a threatening way, and “assaulting” them with the sound. Or dressing funny. Or stating your rights to them. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-that-not-all-cops-are-decent-people/550440/53 "2010-08-19T22:21:13Z")
Don’t proclaim your rights. They will tell inform you what they are at any point . They are what he says they are if you don’t have proof . ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-that-not-all-cops-are-decent-people/550440/54 "2010-08-19T23:19:28Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Don’t proclaim your rights. They will tell inform you what they are at any point . They are what he says they are if you don’t have proof . [Proof (warnding: PDF)](http://www.aclu.org/files/kyr/kyr_english.pdf). Good luck getting it out of your pocket or bag without getting puched, tazered or shot. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-that-not-all-cops-are-decent-people/550440/55 "2010-08-19T23:33:10Z")
> [@descamisado](#): > > > [@gonzomax](#): > > > > Don’t proclaim your rights. They will tell inform you what they are at any point . They are what he says they are if you don’t have proof . > > [Proof (warnding: PDF)](http://www.aclu.org/files/kyr/kyr_english.pdf). > > Good luck getting it out of your pocket or bag without getting puched, tazered or shot. I think even the best, cleanest, most goodest cop in the world is going to get a little punchy if you start digging around in your pockets without being asked to. Self-preservation and all that. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-that-not-all-cops-are-decent-people/550440/56 "2010-08-19T23:55:53Z")
> [@Doctor\_Who](#): > > > [@descamisado](#): > > > > [Proof (warnding: PDF)](http://www.aclu.org/files/kyr/kyr_english.pdf). > > > > Good luck getting it out of your pocket or bag without getting puched, tazered or shot. > > I think even the best, cleanest, most goodest cop in the world is going to get a little punchy if you start digging around in your pockets without being asked to. Self-preservation and all that. You seem to have missed the joke there. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-that-not-all-cops-are-decent-people/550440/57 "2010-08-20T01:00:12Z")
> [@descamisado](#): > > > [@gonzomax](#): > > > > Don’t proclaim your rights. They will tell inform you what they are at any point . They are what he says they are if you don’t have proof . > > [Proof (warnding: PDF)](http://www.aclu.org/files/kyr/kyr_english.pdf). > > Good luck getting it out of your pocket or bag without getting puched, tazered or shot. Bumbaclaat. I hate a pdf file. But I am gonna read it. Hey, I learned right here on these very boards that I shouldn’t say JACK SHIT to an officer. Literally, I should just give my name if asked and then shut the fuck up. I would never have guessed that. I mean, I would have guessed that there were times when I am so innocent that answering a few questions wouldn’t hurt. But nope. Just STFU. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-that-not-all-cops-are-decent-people/550440/58 "2010-08-20T04:01:13Z")
The man on the cell phone was on the phone to his Father. A Deputy Sheriff for Pueblo Colorado. That deputy heard this in the background “He is recording us, stop him”. You can see it on the video where the cop on the right shoulder of the guy in the street points at the fellow on the cell phone. From what I see, the guy on the cell, never made any type of threatening moves towards the officer that came up to him. He briefly turned away, and the cop threw him into the street. Actually, sent him to the hospital. That the officer is not up on charges for assault is stunning to me. I’m glad the FBI is involved now, though it would seem to me to be something they shouldn’t have to mess with. Perhaps a little house cleaning is needed. I don’t trust Denver to do it. It’s ironic that Denver’s own surveillance system caught this. And the camera operator turned the camera away when this was going down. I think he should also be questioned thoroughly. I don’t generally like making an example of folks. But in this case I think it should be done. There was another beat down that happened in Denver just the other day of a guy walking his dog. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-that-not-all-cops-are-decent-people/550440/59 "2010-08-20T06:47:08Z")
Denver cops are famous for being corrupt, if you go back a generation or two. That quick 17k settlement sounds like maybe the Pueblo dad was trying to keep his job. About 20 years ago, I got my ass fully kicked by the Boulder Police. I’m totally okay with it-- I was out of control, delusional, and so not very co-operative. I’m told that I punched one officer in the nose, dead on. The other one got it in his nuts. I’m sure they smacked me around quite a bit to get me under control. There’s an index card sized chunk of skin missing from my left hand, and that’s it. Not one shot to my head. Not one to the face. A lot to the back of my thighs, I heard later on. They did their job honorably under fairly whacked out circumstances. Yay for Pamelor, do they even still sell that stuff? My record is clean, after all that… Those Denver cops? Scum. Anyone defending them? Spoiled scum. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-that-not-all-cops-are-decent-people/550440/60 "2010-08-20T15:10:30Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > > [@Chicagojeff](#): > > > > Yawn.. What excessive force?? Don’t act like a fool at the club.. > > > > In the words of that great philosopher.. “Don’t start none won’t be none”.. > > Let the grown-ups discuss this issue now, there’s a good boy. This. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-that-not-all-cops-are-decent-people/550440.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-evidence-that-not-all-cops-are-decent-people/550440.md?page=4)