# My observations while watching "Cops:" Share yours please. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 3, 2013, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-observations-while-watching-cops-share-yours-please/667853 "2013-09-03T02:19:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-observations-while-watching-cops-share-yours-please/667853/61 "2013-09-05T14:37:14Z")
> [@Battle\_Pope](#): > > I’ve seen a few where, yeah, you may outrun the dog-handler but you won’t outrun the dog. > [@3trew](#): > > This. “Stop or I’ll shoot!” is a legitimate choice, marksmanship is not at its best in darkness with adrenaline and running and such. “Stop or I’ll send the dog!” is time to just stop. At least bullets don’t change direction or take it personally. I’d like to see one of the say “Release the hounds!”. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-observations-while-watching-cops-share-yours-please/667853/62 "2013-09-05T14:40:12Z")
> [@planetcory](#): > > Actually, what I’ve heard is that a ton of legal paperwork is presented to them, concisely explained and the release is among it all. At that point, you’re already frazzled and just signing stuff to get it all over with. I wonder if that has anything to do with the reason why you never see anyone decline a search request on the show. The ones that are agreeable enough to sign the TV release are probably agreeable enough to consent to whatever Officer Friendly asks. Of course, it could also just be that sitting around waiting for a search warrant isn’t compelling television. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-observations-while-watching-cops-share-yours-please/667853/63 "2013-09-05T15:36:27Z")
> [@Battle\_Pope](#): > > I’ve seen a few where, yeah, you may outrun the dog-handler but you won’t outrun the dog. People also seem to underestimate how good a German Shepard or Belgian Malinois can be at parkour, too. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-observations-while-watching-cops-share-yours-please/667853/64 "2013-09-05T15:54:30Z")
> [@Aquadementia](#): > > But I agree about the shirtless thing. People on tv used to dress presentably to do crime. On Dragnet even the bums would have a second hand sports jacket. Frankenstein s monster too. I bet we could crowdfund a “Shirts for Perps” program. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-observations-while-watching-cops-share-yours-please/667853/65 "2013-09-05T15:59:56Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Whenever cops search a vehicle for drugs, they always find some. Nobody anywhere, ever doesn’t have some kind of illegal drugs on them at all times. The answer there is simple. At least back some decades ago, many LAPD carried a little baggie on them so they would find drugs, even if there weren’t any to find in the first place.:mad::eek: ---
**Author:** ![Labtrash](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/labtrash/32/528_2.png) [@Labtrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labtrash)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-observations-while-watching-cops-share-yours-please/667853/66 "2013-09-05T16:25:23Z")
For the “catch a hooker” eps: It’s amazing in this day and age of technology that folks still believe that if asked “Are you a cop?”, the cops \*\*have \*\*to say “Yes”. Nope. You’re goin’ to jail, sweetie. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-observations-while-watching-cops-share-yours-please/667853/67 "2013-09-05T16:34:08Z")
> [@Laggard](#): > > Those dudes are awesome. To keep up and climb over fences while hauling a camera is impressive… Managing not to run into trees or light poles while filming on the run is pretty impressive too. There are other hazards for cameramen. I remember the time one was riding in the back seat of a K-9 unit and leaned forward to get a better shot. The big German shepherd sitting in the passenger seat turned its head and gave the guy a “what do you think _you’re_ doing, bub?” look, prompting an immediate camera pullback. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![destineal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@destineal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/destineal)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-observations-while-watching-cops-share-yours-please/667853/68 "2013-09-05T16:35:10Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > The answer there is simple. At least back some decades ago, many LAPD carried a little baggie on them so they would find drugs, even if there weren’t any to find in the first place.:mad::eek: There was one time that I was really worried about that. Rural Georgia, not LA. In my younger days I was a long haired musician. When I and two of my bandmates were pulled over in Douglasville, GA, the redneck cop was sure he had made the drug bust of the century. No way 3 long-haired guys in a beat-up pickup truck weren’t crazed drug fiends. He was so hostile and suspicious that I was sure he was going to plant something. We were very young and scared shitless. Turned out ok, though: we just had to stand outside in the 30 degree weather for about 45 minutes and get yelled at. I was really glad to move to Atlanta. City cops deal with actual crime much more often and don’t tend to assume you’re a felon because you have long hair. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-observations-while-watching-cops-share-yours-please/667853/69 "2013-09-05T16:56:57Z")
When the police “light you up,” they’re inviting you to a friendly game of “Tag” and you’re “It.” You are free to use any vehicle at your disposal and you may get out and run any time you please. And when you’re tagged “Out,” they treat you to a free room and possibly even a meal! ---
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-observations-while-watching-cops-share-yours-please/667853/70 "2013-09-05T17:10:19Z")
Mommie’s good little boy grows up wanting to contribute to the well-being of his city. Studies to be a police officer. Trains diligently and gets good grades. He’s going to be a hero and his family is so proud of him. Then he discovers that his nine-to-five goes on like this forever and ever, amen. Risking life daily for meager pay, dealing with lies, deception, vilification and a public which insists he isn’t being friendly enough. Marriages dissolve. He rarely sees his children. Can’t talk about what he sees and hears on the job at home. It’s a soul-killer. Any one who can do this job and not turn into a monster IS a hero. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-observations-while-watching-cops-share-yours-please/667853/71 "2013-09-05T17:31:04Z")
> [@destineal](#): > > There was one time that I was really worried about that. Rural Georgia, not LA. In some parts of which, [things haven’t changed much](http://www.alternet.org/drugs/cops-plead-guilty-helping-plant-drugs-woman-sexually-harassed-judge). ---
**Author:** ![Big\_Norse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/big_norse/32/9954_2.png) [@Big\_Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Big_Norse)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-observations-while-watching-cops-share-yours-please/667853/72 "2013-09-05T17:38:45Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > Agreed. That’s the thing I’ve always found most shocking. It’s amazing how desperate so many are to get on TV. On _Jail_ (same as Cops but in a jail), I watched amazed as a high school principal cried about maybe losing his job because of his drunken arrest in Las Vegas, and yet he signed the waiver to be on the show. Wouldn’t the first step in not losing your job be not agreeing to be on a show called _Jail_? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-observations-while-watching-cops-share-yours-please/667853/73 "2013-09-05T18:00:34Z")
> [@Tethered\_Kite](#): > > Then he discovers that his nine-to-five goes on like this forever and ever, amen. Risking life daily for meager pay, dealing with lies, deception, vilification and a public which insists he isn’t being friendly enough. Marriages dissolve. He rarely sees his children. Can’t talk about what he sees and hears on the job at home. It’s a soul-killer. > > . All of which is true but the “meager pay” part. At least out here cops earn $80-90K + scads of OT, and retire with 90% of that after 20 years- and more often than not their retirement is counted as “disability” for tax reasons. So, it \*is \*a nasty hard job, but one you can get without a sheepskin, and thus the pay+benefits are pretty damn good. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-observations-while-watching-cops-share-yours-please/667853/74 "2013-09-05T18:04:16Z")
> [@Tethered\_Kite](#): > > Mommie’s good little boy grows up wanting to contribute to the well-being of his city. Studies to be a police officer. Trains diligently and gets good grades. He’s going to be a hero and his family is so proud of him. > > Then he discovers that his nine-to-five goes on like this forever and ever, amen. Risking life daily for meager pay, dealing with lies, deception, vilification and a public which insists he isn’t being friendly enough. Marriages dissolve. He rarely sees his children. Can’t talk about what he sees and hears on the job at home. It’s a soul-killer. > > Any one who can do this job and not turn into a monster IS a hero. I had a brother-in-law who spent 25 years wearing a badge, mostly for a college campus. They met and started dating when my sister was a dispatcher. BIL was pretty much able to keep it together until he retired and divorce proceedings began a few years later. It was messy. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-observations-while-watching-cops-share-yours-please/667853/75 "2013-09-05T20:14:04Z")
> [@Tethered\_Kite](#): > > Mommie’s good little boy grows up wanting to contribute to the well-being of his city. Studies to be a police officer. Trains diligently and gets good grades. He’s going to be a hero and his family is so proud of him. > > Then he discovers that his nine-to-five goes on like this forever and ever, amen. Risking life daily for meager pay, dealing with lies, deception, vilification and a public which insists he isn’t being friendly enough. Marriages dissolve. He rarely sees his children. Can’t talk about what he sees and hears on the job at home. It’s a soul-killer. > > Any one who can do this job and not turn into a monster IS a hero. That is vastly overstated. My pay is pretty decent and in a few years I’ll be able to retire at 65% of my salary. When I was on patrol I worked 4 on 4 off so my kids saw me more than they probably wanted to. My divorce had nothing to do with the job. From my (admittedly prejudiced point of view) it was much more about her than me. But I’ll use the fact that I’m currently in a happy and stable relationship and she isn’t as evidence. When I was on patrol it was easy to leave the job behind. Once a day was done you didn’t really have to think about it any more. Being a detective is a bit different because I constantly keep thinking about what I still have to do on cases. If I believed in souls I would not think that my soul was crushed. And I don’t see that in those around me either. Just normal people doing a job. Saw some pretty bad things this week. I went home and talked about it. But I am glad I don’t have to work in an inner city hellhole like Camden or Newark. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-observations-while-watching-cops-share-yours-please/667853/76 "2013-09-05T20:15:30Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > All of which is true but the “meager pay” part. At least out here cops earn $80-90K + scads of OT, and retire with 90% of that after 20 years- and more often than not their retirement is counted as “disability” for tax reasons. So, it \*is \*a nasty hard job, but one you can get without a sheepskin, and thus the pay+benefits are pretty damn good. That varies hugely from state to state. In some places the pay is really good. In others, you have to wonder why anyone would take the job. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-observations-while-watching-cops-share-yours-please/667853/77 "2013-09-05T20:22:26Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > It blows my mind, too. We see it all the time on “Judge Judy” - people who look like complete fools on tv, but they came on the show willingly. At least on Judge Judy, the show pays whatever is owed at the end. The incentive is: 1. Be on TV. 2. No matter what, I don’t have to pay since the show pays it. ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-observations-while-watching-cops-share-yours-please/667853/78 "2013-09-05T20:35:48Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > At least out here cops earn $80-90K + scads of OT, and retire with 90% of that after 20 years- and more often than not their retirement is counted as “disability” for tax reasons. Which is great, except they invariably are killed by the bad guys a week before retirement. I seen it in the movies! ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-observations-while-watching-cops-share-yours-please/667853/79 "2013-09-05T20:54:52Z")
> [@Astroboy14](#): > > Which is great, except they invariably are killed by the bad guys a week before retirement. I seen it in the movies! The key is, never retire. ---
**Author:** ![3trew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/13edae/32.png) [@3trew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3trew)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-observations-while-watching-cops-share-yours-please/667853/80 "2013-09-05T20:59:55Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > The key is, never retire. Sounds good in theory, but what are you supposed to do when you are getting too old for this shit? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-observations-while-watching-cops-share-yours-please/667853.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-observations-while-watching-cops-share-yours-please/667853.md?page=5)