# Why I hate cops **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 19, 2014, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174 "2014-06-19T21:38:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2014, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/221 "2014-07-04T01:36:07Z")
> [@common\_good](#): > > Oh, and I corrected my OP by adding that not all cops are assholes. Half, maybe. OK ? Stop splitting hairs and tell me where I’m wrong. The cops in NYC shot a black guy going to his own wedding 41 times ! Well, something had to be done before he went to his wedding for the 42nd time. The guests must have crying for relief. ---
**Author:** ![Debillw3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@Debillw3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debillw3)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2014, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/222 "2014-07-04T04:34:08Z")
> [@common\_good](#): > > Oh, no ! The dreaded Anecdotal Monster is loose !! Heavens, we’ll be influenced by actual real life experience which, as we know, is WORTHLESS ! AHHHHH !!! Find actual real life experience that backs up your claim that 50% of cops are assholes. Until then, yes, it is worthless, as it does nothing to prove your point except say “I’m pulling numbers out of my ass, but, hey, look over there, a few cops (out of thousands or millions, we are talking about the whole world here) are assholes, so ignore the man behind the curtain with fudged numbers!” I’ll help you out here. “Half the cops I read about are assholes.” “Half the cops I’ve met are assholes.” etc. Those require no scrutiny, as you’re speaking from opinion. “Half the cops in the world are assholes” requires you to have had a run in with half the cops in the whole world (to which I call bullshit), read/heard about half the cops in the whole world (again, I call bullshit), or have a scientifically rigorous study that proves that half the cops in the world are assholes (once again, I call bullshit). And before you jump down my throat with “I didn’t say anything about in the whole world”, yes, you did. You’re generalizing **all** cops. Once again, not all the cops in your area, all the cops you’ve met, all the cops you’ve heard/read about, but **all the cops**. I’m not the bad guy just because you chose to pull numbers out of your ass. “Some cops are assholes” requires no number and is obviously true. But you didn’t say that. First you said 50% +1 cops are assholes, then you lowered it to 50%. I expect to see that assertion backed up. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2014, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/223 "2014-07-04T06:42:29Z")
[This police lieutenant seems like a reasonable fellow](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/indiana-police-lieutenant-shoves-man-in-wheelchair-to-the-ground/). ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/224 "2014-07-05T04:42:37Z")
I’ll throw my hat into the ring. My disclaimer is that police are people, no better or worse than the rest of us working non-police jobs, and therefore are also subject to the asshole quotient like the rest of the population. That said, I have a problem with some police people. It seems (and the “militarization” of police forces in this country isn’t a joke or a fantasy…it’s real in the post 9-11 world) that many policemen are more interested in compliance than in “protecting and serving”. There’s absolutely no reason a law enforcement officer needs to see my ID when I am strolling down the street and breaking no laws. But if they ask me for it and I refuse, suddenly I am somehow afoul of the law in their eyes. I hate that shit with a passion. Anyway, back to the point: how about the KY officer that straight up murdered a (likely drunk) girl that was being waved out of a driveway and leaving a party? According to witnesses in the damn car (alas, the cruiser video doesn’t show exactly what happened), this dude freaked out because (as he claims) the girl was “trying to run him over” as he attempted to stop her vehicle, which was exiting a party the police had busted up. The witnesses state the cop leaped onto the hood of the car and fired into the windshield six times, killing the 19 year old female driver and narrowly missing a back seat occupant that somehow ducked. What fucking world do we live in where people have to pay for mistakes with their very lives? If the girl was hammered, then yes…pull her over, arrest her, throw her in jail, prosecute her, etc…but SHOOT her? As she’s rolling along at 5mph and you want to freak out about it? And of course the KY State police are closing ranks over it (another seriously annoying cop trait) and saying they cannot or will not investigate. The whole thing stinks and I simply cannot stand when cops pull the “you MUST DO AS I SAY OR ELSE” card when you are not breaking any laws. Body cams are going to be the answer and it’s no surprise that in jurisdictions that are implementing them that the complaints about officer abuse have trended downward by an amazing amount. Once equipped, the douchebags amidst the police force (which I realize are likely a minority) can no longer exercise their douchebaggery upon us without recrimination anymore. So hooray for bodycams. Here’s the story on the KY cop/murder case: [SEE IT: Police release dash-cam footage from scene where Kentucky deputy shot woman, 19, to death outside field party](http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/police-release-dash-cam-footage-scene-kentucky-deputy-shot-woman-19-death-field-party-article-1.1772647) ---
**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:** [July 5, 2014, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/225 "2014-07-05T05:10:52Z")
I like it when the cops show [restraint and moderation](http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2014/07/03/chp-answers-excessive-force-charge-in-beating-of-black-woman-on-side-of-10-freeway/) in their work. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/226 "2014-07-05T05:26:53Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > I like it when the cops show [restraint and moderation](http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2014/07/03/chp-answers-excessive-force-charge-in-beating-of-black-woman-on-side-of-10-freeway/) in their work. That’s exactly the shit I am talking about. There’s too much of that kind of shit to ignore. Bodycams for them all. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/227 "2014-07-05T05:46:30Z")
> [@common\_good](#): > > Well, it’s good to know somebody’s crunchin’ the numbers. Nice job. I’m gonna’ be working on a number myself, in a few minutes. To what do I ‘refer’ ? Have at it, geniuses. Are you going to take a Number 2? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/228 "2014-07-05T08:27:19Z")
> [@common\_good](#): > > Well, it’s good to know somebody’s crunchin’ the numbers. Nice job. I’m gonna’ be working on a number myself, in a few minutes. To what do I ‘refer’ ? Have at it, geniuses. It’s interesting how much overlap there tends to be between people who think the police are picking on them for no reason, and people who will freely admit to committing a federal offense on the internet in a posting that can decisively be tied to them. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/229 "2014-07-05T14:13:06Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > That’s exactly the shit I am talking about. There’s too much of that kind of shit to ignore. > > Bodycams for them all. Pushing someone over in a wheelchair is pretty fucked up, however part of me watching that video realizes that guy said he had a gun (which he didn’t) and he didn’t seem like he was going out of his way to avoid the officer’s foot. Still totally excessive force though, but it isn’t like the police just randomly did that to a crippled person. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/230 "2014-07-05T16:22:09Z")
> [@common\_good](#): > > Oh, and I corrected my OP by adding that not all cops are assholes. Half, maybe. OK ? Stop splitting hairs and tell me where I’m wrong. The cops in NYC shot a black guy going to his own wedding 41 times ! He was ‘armed’ with a fucking hero sandwich ! Springsteen wrote a song about it, for Christ sakes. There, you made me bring Him into it. I’m not makin’ this shit up, my tender darlings. Wow. That’s almost [400,000 assholes.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_police_officers) Cite? ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/231 "2014-07-05T20:39:35Z")
Man, oh man. Here’s a clip of a[cop acting in a totally unreasonable manner](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83r3-9vIQ-s), just jumping into it feet first, fer gawd’s sake. This kind of crap needs to stop! Actually, the crap that needs to stop is all you morons who are painting the cops with a very wide brush, based on the actions of a very few of them on the left end of the bell curve. ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Hartwick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@Dave\_Hartwick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Hartwick)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/232 "2014-07-06T14:32:33Z")
Those very few are very expensive. Philadelphia paid out $14 mil in 2013 to 128 plaintiffs in civil rights lawsuits against the police. The state of Illinois paid $40 mil in a single lawsuit brought by the “Dixmor 5” against the state police. Oakland has paid $74 mil since 1990 settling suits for brutality, misconduct, and other civil rights violations. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/233 "2014-07-06T16:32:32Z")
> [@Dave\_Hartwick](#): > > Those very few are very expensive. Philadelphia paid out $14 mil in 2013 to 128 plaintiffs in civil rights lawsuits against the police. The state of Illinois paid $40 mil in a single lawsuit brought by the “Dixmor 5” against the state police. Oakland has paid $74 mil since 1990 settling suits for brutality, misconduct, and other civil rights violations. Exactly. And that’s just the monetary cost. That’s not counting people whom were unnecessarily or mistakenly (or whatever) killed, brutalized, imprisoned or otherwise mistreated in some way when the situation didn’t warrant such treatment. Almost every police officer I have encountered in my lifetime has been for the most part courteous and I have returned that courtesy. But there’s just too many instances of crap like this that has accumulated over the years for it to be handwaved away as some minor, non-recurring incident. ---
**Author:** ![FBJJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8e8cbc/32.png) [@FBJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FBJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/234 "2014-07-06T16:49:32Z")
I understand why the cops act the way they do, it’s called ticket and arrest quotas ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/235 "2014-07-06T17:48:55Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > But there’s just too many instances of crap like this that has accumulated over the years for it to be handwaved away as some minor, non-recurring incident. …which, I think it’s important to note, has not occurred in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/236 "2014-07-06T19:32:05Z")
> [@andros](#): > > …which, I think it’s important to note, has not occurred in this thread. > [@Clothahump](#): > > Man, oh man. Here’s a clip of a[cop acting in a totally unreasonable manner](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83r3-9vIQ-s), just jumping into it feet first, fer gawd’s sake. This kind of crap needs to stop! > > Actually, the crap that needs to stop is all you morons who are painting the cops with a very wide brush,\*\* based on the actions of a very few of them on the left end of the bell curve\*\*. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/237 "2014-07-06T19:39:16Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Hartwick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@Dave\_Hartwick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Hartwick)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/238 "2014-07-07T04:27:40Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Exactly. And that’s just the monetary cost. That’s not counting people whom were unnecessarily or mistakenly (or whatever) killed, brutalized, imprisoned or otherwise mistreated in some way when the situation didn’t warrant such treatment. My guess is that settlements and awards prompted by bad police work are just part of the total financial impact. There are court costs and contractor fees (Oakland, for example, hires outside council to assist with negotiating settlements) to consider as well. I have no idea how to estimate the total. Settlements are partially paid through insurance, making it even harder to guess. There will be costs I haven’t considered as well, because I have no training or experience. One extreme cost that fortunately doesn’t occur often is civil unrest. The 1992 Los Angeles riots were prompted by police beating on Rodney King. The estimated property damage of the riots exceeded a billion dollars. Can the police be blamed for a riot? Clearly yes, when there is widespread corruption and brutality-- in fact, they appear to be a major contributing factor of riots. The LAPD in the 90s had more than just a few bad apples. Unfair treatment by the Detroit PD was one of the causes of the 1943 riots and a police raid on a party for soldiers returning from Vietnam sparked the 1967 riot. Actually, I’m sure you’re aware of all that, I’m just expanding on a point. Good police are a necessity, bad police are more dangerous and costly than some people seem able to comprehend. I presume andros has Clothahump on ignore, which is sensible. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/239 "2014-07-07T13:59:03Z")
> [@Dave\_Hartwick](#): > > I presume andros has Clothahump on ignore, which is sensible. I don’t, but I missed his post. **FGiE** , I stand corrected. ---
**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:** [July 7, 2014, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/240 "2014-07-07T18:32:09Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > While I agree that the (probably vast) majority of cops _are_ good, professional people, I also think that the profession attracts a higher-than-average number of overly aggressive assholes who believe they are above the law and are attracted to the power of the job. I agree that they seem to have more than their share of Biff Tannens of the world. Which wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t see themselves as Jack Bauers. I agree that most cops are professionals but even the good ones seem to cover for the bad ones. There is a high tolerance for bad behavior. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174.md?page=13)