# People keep asking me if I'm a cop. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 18, 2008, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-keep-asking-me-if-im-a-cop/441840 "2008-03-18T21:55:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-keep-asking-me-if-im-a-cop/441840/21 "2008-03-19T18:11:34Z")
A person with the exact same (not common) name as me is a police commander in a neighboring city. I think one of my kid’s preschool teachers must’ve googled my name or something, because she thought I was a cop. But I don’t look like a cop. …not that there’s anything wrong with that… [/Seinfeld] ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-keep-asking-me-if-im-a-cop/441840/22 "2008-03-19T18:12:44Z")
So, **Ogre** … _are_ you a cop? ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-keep-asking-me-if-im-a-cop/441840/23 "2008-03-19T18:38:28Z")
[QUOTE=Omegaman] Every hooker I’ve ever seen asked me if I was a cop. I’m pretty sure it’s SOP. [/QUOTE] Yeah, except it’s an urban legend that if you ask an undercover cop if he’s a cop, they have to tell the truth. The reality is that an undercover cop is allowed to–get this–lie, and say they’re not a cop. Otherwise it would be kind of silly to even try undercover work at all. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-keep-asking-me-if-im-a-cop/441840/24 "2008-03-20T04:15:18Z")
I get it a bit. I’m large and imposing, but i’m also kinda scruffy too. So it tends to be when I’m dressed up a bit that I get asked. Last time, I caught a train and a fifteen or so year old boy asked me for a cigarette. I said no. Then he got all ornery about it, and that is one thing that pisses me off, so I did the “get a job” routine, and he postured and went to call his friend for backup. The friend’s heart wasn’t in it, and neither was the first kid. I gave them a bit of a lecture on smoking, then the train came and we all got on. Turns out they weren’t such bad little rogues, but they were a bit noisy and obnoxious, and they kept asking if I was a cop. I told them I wasn’t, and they kept saying they were sure I was. Finally, as my station approached, I couldn’t resist, so I got to my feet suddenly, put on a serious face, an authoritative look, advanced towards them and said, “Can you show me some valid rail tickets, fellas?” They near shit themselves (I think they’d skipped school, so this would have ruined their day), and I had to tell them I was joking. I felt bad about it all afternoon. ---
**Author:** ![Scoundrel\_Swanswater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dfb087/32.png) [@Scoundrel\_Swanswater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scoundrel_Swanswater)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-keep-asking-me-if-im-a-cop/441840/25 "2008-03-20T14:48:00Z")
Just get rid of the moustache. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Omegaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e480ec/32.png) [@Omegaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omegaman)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-keep-asking-me-if-im-a-cop/441840/26 "2008-03-20T15:20:33Z")
[QUOTE=Lemur866] Yeah, except it’s an urban legend that if you ask an undercover cop if he’s a cop, they have to tell the truth. The reality is that an undercover cop is allowed to–get this–lie, and say they’re not a cop. Otherwise it would be kind of silly to even try undercover work at all. [/QUOTE] The ones I frequented were of the 20 to 50 dollar variety. Not the well educated 1000 dollar an hour sort. ---
**Author:** ![Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sophistry_and_Illusion)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-keep-asking-me-if-im-a-cop/441840/27 "2008-03-20T15:32:25Z")
[QUOTE=Ogre] Apparently, I strongly resemble a police officer around here who used to do (or still does) undercover narc work. “Hey, I know you. You’re a cop, right?” “Nope.” “Uh…ahem…OK. I gotcha. I never asked.” :dubious: I swear this has happened to me 3 or 4 times since I’ve lived here. [/QUOTE] Try not to get whacked for being a narc, mkay? ---
**Author:** ![hekk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@hekk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hekk)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-keep-asking-me-if-im-a-cop/441840/28 "2008-03-20T22:41:45Z")
We used to ask that of guys who were **obviously** too old or too square to be hanging out where we were. Just sayin’. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2008, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-keep-asking-me-if-im-a-cop/441840/29 "2008-03-21T03:03:19Z")
Lie down, and do what the nice officer tells you. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2008, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-keep-asking-me-if-im-a-cop/441840/30 "2008-03-21T03:08:29Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] So, **Ogre** … _are_ you a cop? [/QUOTE] Nah, he’s the doctor(or Guardian Angel, if you prefer). ---
**Author:** ![T.Slothrop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3e96dc/32.png) [@T.Slothrop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T.Slothrop)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2008, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-keep-asking-me-if-im-a-cop/441840/31 "2008-03-21T09:59:29Z")
try not wearing dark blue clothes. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2008, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-keep-asking-me-if-im-a-cop/441840/32 "2008-03-21T10:09:49Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] So, **Ogre** … _are_ you a cop? [/QUOTE] Chief Wiggum issat you? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-keep-asking-me-if-im-a-cop/441840.md?page=1)