# 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:** 16
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/301 "2014-07-11T05:08:36Z")
> [@common\_good](#): > > Don’t pull any punches on my account. I can take anything you guys can throw. I’m a counter-puncher, anyway. Probably why I have won every damn fight I’ve been in, with a couple of draws. I’m no punk, but I don’t get intimidated by anyone. Here or in person. Tough talk from a guy who started a thread to snivel and whine about the way the cops pick on him. My guess is you only pick fights with people you’re sure you can beat up. Or you talk about how tough you are on the internet, where it’s safe. ---
**Author:** ![DChord568](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2014, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/302 "2014-07-11T20:46:41Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > This. Since I drive a lot, I’ve had my share of getting pulled over and almost every time (especially here in CA) the cop will start off coldly polite, but when they find out I’m not only not going to argue, I’m going to be _nice_, sometimes they are so startled they don’t ticket me. Hey, I was speeding and getting a ticket every now and then is the cost of doing business - why should I make his life miserable just because he happened to catch me? I haven’t read the whole thread, so sorry if someone else has chimed in on this… My boss is notorious for speeding, and has at times over the years been up to the maximum number of points on his driver’s license and in real danger of it being suspended. One year we got him a book for his birthday entitled “How to Talk Your Way Out of a Traffic Ticket.” The number one rule in the book laid out is to immediately _apologize_ as soon as the officer approaches. Cops absolutely hate it when you feign ignorance of how fast you were going. Far better to admit that you made a mistake, say you’re sorry and throw yourself at their mercy. I can’t say that this tactic has always worked for me, but I know that it has many times…including one night when I was driving home from a gig and was stopped TWO different times by two different cops in two different locations. Of course, I was mad at myself for being that careless and stupid, but nonetheless I got off with a warning both times. ---
**Author:** ![common\_good](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@common\_good](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/common_good)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/303 "2014-07-12T20:28:10Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Tough talk from a guy who started a thread to snivel and whine about the way the cops pick on him. > > My guess is you only pick fights with people you’re sure you can beat up. Or you talk about how tough you are on the internet, where it’s safe. Your guess isn’t even close. I’m 5ft. 8in., 180 lbs. I don’t pick fights. Virtually never have. Guys my size don’t intimidate big bullies. But it turns-out big guys generally can’t fight because their size does the work of scaring others. They seldom have to fight. I had to. And guys about my size are vastly underrated by some and learn to handle themselves by either learning to win or learning to run. I don’t run. Want another guess ? ---
**Author:** ![common\_good](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@common\_good](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/common_good)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/304 "2014-07-12T20:37:29Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > FTR, Michele Bachmann is from Minnesota. Right, thanks. I got the crazy part right, though. ---
**Author:** ![common\_good](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@common\_good](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/common_good)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/305 "2014-07-12T20:53:02Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > You’re so full of crap you should change your name to “septic tank”. “Full of crap”, huh, says the science advisor. That a scientific assessment ? Is that even possible ? Let me do some rough figuring…no, it is impossible. Even half-full is nowhere near physically possible. Your personal attacks don’t bother me, but they don’t add anything to the subject, do they ? My assertion is that police powers have gone off-the-charts since 9-11, and that abuse of police powers has been a staple of American history. Some are willing to admit this; others are in denial. ---
**Author:** ![common\_good](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@common\_good](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/common_good)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2014, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/306 "2014-07-12T21:01:38Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > He gets beat up by the Constable a lot? Worse. As the bearer of bad news, he gets murdered at times. Those who stand-up and speak the truth are often exposed to the most fire. Many of you know better, but don’t want to appear to concur with a simple jester. I understand what courage is about. Cowardice is easier to define. And much easier to employ. ---
**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 13, 2014, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/307 "2014-07-13T07:49:14Z")
> [@common\_good](#): > > “Full of crap”, huh, says the science advisor. That a scientific assessment ? Is that even possible ? Let me do some rough figuring…no, it is impossible. Even half-full is nowhere near physically possible. Your personal attacks don’t bother me, but they don’t add anything to the subject, do they ? My assertion is that police powers have gone off-the-charts since 9-11, and that abuse of police powers has been a staple of American history. Some are willing to admit this; others are in denial. If you believe that post of yours is an indication that you’re not trolling here, you’re sorely mistaken. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/308 "2014-07-13T14:03:32Z")
I wish the police would crack down harder on trolls. Like a 1960’s-style Stasi operation. ---
**Author:** ![common\_good](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@common\_good](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/common_good)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/309 "2014-07-15T17:52:37Z")
Democratic National Convention, Chicago, 1968. Kent State, The police of Selma and Montgomery Alabama. Yea, I made all that up. Attitudes like yours made those possible. Get a social conscience. Close -down this thread; You guys prefer fantasy. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/310 "2014-07-15T17:54:40Z")
Those things actually _happened_, you know. That makes them largely unrelated to anything you brought up before. ---
**Author:** ![Calatin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Calatin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calatin)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/311 "2014-07-15T18:00:49Z")
> [@common\_good](#): > > Democratic National Convention, Chicago, 1968. Kent State, The police of Selma and Montgomery Alabama. Yea, I made all that up. Attitudes like yours made those possible. Get a social conscience. Close -down this thread; You guys prefer fantasy. The problem with your citations of abuse and misconduct is that it is the only reason we know of the instances - because they were negative and noteworthy. Regular “good” behavior goes unnoticed because it’s the norm. Now and then, you’ll run across a “feel good” article about a LEO going above and beyond, but even that’s a rare occasion. You’re making widespread generalizations based on rare examples, and going back as far as using 40-year old incidents as your citations. By your logic, I could reference 9/11, Malaysia Flight 370, TWA Flight 800 and any other examples from [this list](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_accidents_and_incidents_involving_commercial_aircraft), and then make the claim that most airplanes crash. ---
**Author:** ![common\_good](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@common\_good](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/common_good)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/312 "2014-07-15T18:10:42Z")
Prisons in my state are at 158% percent capacity. We now have the state farming-out incarcerations to private, for-profit institutions which offer investment stock. This worry any one else ? Who’s being naive, Kay ? ---
**Author:** ![Calatin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Calatin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calatin)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/313 "2014-07-15T18:14:46Z")
> [@common\_good](#): > > Prisons in my state are at 158% percent capacity. We now have the state farming-out incarcerations to private, for-profit institutions which offer investment stock. This worry any one else ? Who’s being naive, Kay ? So, the police are arresting too many people? Too many crimes are taking place? We need more government funding for prisons and other incarceration facilities (versus privatizing the work)? I’m not really sure where your point is, anymore. I don’t think you are, either. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/314 "2014-07-15T18:41:35Z")
> [@common\_good](#): > > Prisons in my state are at 158% percent capacity. We now have the state farming-out incarcerations to private, for-profit institutions which offer investment stock. This worry any one else ? Who’s being naive, Kay ? That worries a lot of people. What does that have to do with the police? ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/315 "2014-07-15T19:48:31Z")
The police are an integral part of the prison-industrial complex. It would, in fact, not work so profitably if they didn’t keep the most important component (prisoners) in good supply. Incentives to make arrests, confiscate property, and what not guide them more towards keeping numbers up than to upholding justice. ---
**Author:** ![common\_good](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@common\_good](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/common_good)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/316 "2014-07-15T21:05:27Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Those things actually _happened_, you know. That makes them largely unrelated to anything you brought up before. Only because you don’t believe my experiences are truthfully rendered. That you don’t is your choice. But “those things” and mine are in accord to me, who, if you will pardon me, knows of their truth. Police have, and do, far exceed their appointed powers. Why are Americans incarcerated at the highest percentage in the world ? Why has jailing people become privatized ? Not a worthy matter, says you. I can’t make you give a shit about anyone. I can only ask if the current state-of-affairs causes you to pause on your way to the financial pages. ---
**Author:** ![common\_good](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@common\_good](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/common_good)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/317 "2014-07-15T21:12:35Z")
> [@Calatin](#): > > So, the police are arresting too many people? Too many crimes are taking place? We need more government funding for prisons and other incarceration facilities (versus privatizing the work)? > > I’m not really sure where your point is, anymore. I don’t think you are, either. Yes, they are. No, too many victimless crime being alleged, prosecuted. Probably a third or more of those incarcerated belong in mental institutions, not ‘correctional’ ones, which correct nothing. Over half of federal inmates are from drug cases. Which ought be legal in a free society such as the type we imagine ourselves to have. ---
**Author:** ![common\_good](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@common\_good](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/common_good)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/318 "2014-07-15T21:20:50Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > The police are an integral part of the prison-industrial complex. It would, in fact, not work so profitably if they didn’t keep the most important component (prisoners) in good supply. Incentives to make arrests, confiscate property, and what not guide them more towards keeping numbers up than to upholding justice. I lack elloquence and manners. It’s a big business, locking people up. Part public-service, part cash-cow. The working-class poor are the easy victims. Now, add insult to injury by blaming us for our plight. Wealth disguises many blemishes of character; poverty lays them bare. ---
**Author:** ![common\_good](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@common\_good](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/common_good)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/319 "2014-07-15T21:35:36Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > That worries a lot of people. What does that have to do with the police? Really ? Where ? Not here. Police are where the weak and powerless struggle to survive, to find their fish. Not in the boardrooms, where massive criminal acts commonly occur. Or at chemical plants in Texas. Or nuclear power plants where violations abound. ---
**Author:** ![common\_good](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@common\_good](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/common_good)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174/320 "2014-07-15T21:41:55Z")
Anyway, I’m accused of trolling. Not fully understanding what constitutes that thing, I shall retire. Somebody is wasting his time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174.md?page=15) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-hate-cops/691174.md?page=17)