Do you fear the police.

[John/az2]

This is NOT to be a cop bashing thread, if there was a way of disabling comments I would implement it, just to be on the safe side. I only want your vote. If this turns in to a cop bashing fest, I repectfully request a moderator to shut it down, ASAP.

Alright. With that out of the way,

In your everyday life when you see a policeman, on a stop, driving, walking, or behind you how does it make you feel?

Fix,

Good point. Base your response on your feelings toward the establishment of law enforcement.

 

[KSFreeman]

Do I fear "The Police"?

No, I think I could take Sting in a fight if I had to. They are all Europeans--they'd just drop their guitars and surrender within the first 10 seconds of a fight anyway.

 

[Oleg Volk]

Having met cops personally, I've decided that they are just like other people. Most cops I've met, I liked.

 

[fix]

John,

You may need to define police. Are you referring to the organization as a whole, or the individual officers?

I voted on the assumption you were referring to the individual. If the definition was changed to "the establishment" I might re-think it a bit.

 

[Zundfolge]

In the last few years I've identified my single phobia and that is the fear that I will be accused (and punished) for something I did not do. I think it stems from a couple of incidents in my childhood (which I won't go into here ).

Despite the fact that I have several friends who are police officers, and have never had any real negative experience with them (to the contrary I've always been well treated by them, even on a couple of occasions where I deserved to be arrested and was not ... mostly back in my old street racing days) I still get nervous when a cop I don't know comes around.

I honestly believe this fear is irrational (which is why I call it a phobia) but I suspect there's quite a few out there like me.

 

[Mikul]

If I saw a police officer poking around in a neighborhood I would wonder what he was up to just as I would if he were not wearing a uniform.

The level of immunity given to the vast majority of law enforcement does make it easier for them to take things too far (power corrupts), so I am more on my toes when having to deal with LEOs.

There are a great deal of decent ones out there who spend most of their days dealing with the scum of the earth. My opinion of humanity is very low. If I were a cop, it would probably be lower and that's bound to affect the way that I treat people.

 

[nascarnhlnra]

No fear of cops here only respect they do a tough job for less than adequate pay in my opinion.

 

[foghornl]

My Local PD ? Good Guys
County Deputy? Good Guys
State Police ? Good Guys (Ones I have met)
Feds (any agency you can name) PFFFFT!

 

[Poodleshooter]

I don't persay fear the police, but I do cringe everytime that I see a police car. Basically, I worry that I might be breaking one of the myriad laws that I don't know about. I fear being penalized for some stupid city regulation that I don't even know about.
This is not really a fear of police, I suppose, but of the sometimes stupid laws that they are tasked with enforcing.

 

[gorlitsa]

Ditto with Poodleshooter. I like the individual police men (police women worry me a little... ) but I'd prefer to get to know them when they're not on duty. And here on campus they're usually in charge of enforcing the 'walk your bike' rules that make me late to class. That combined with the fact that they DON'T have guns makes me nervous.

 

[C.R.Sam]

11 posts and 27 votes. Nice and quiet.

Sam

 

[schild]

The local police are good guys, fear the ones from Washington!

 

[Christopher II]

I wouldn't say that I fear the police, but I do distrust them.

- Chris

 

[Goet]

Distrust, mixed with fear, laced with suspicion as a general body.

And also based on past experiences.

 

[Mad Man]

I've said this several times before, but I'll say it again:

Whether or not I decide to illegally carry a concealed firearm is based on the the risk and cost vs. benefit of doing so.

I no longer do so because I had to decide whether I fear the police or criminals more. It's not that the police are worse (far from it), but if I am caught, the consequences will certainly be far worse than what a criminal is likely to do to me.

If a police officer notices that I am carrying a gun, I will go to jail. The costs of legally defending myself will financially ruin me. I will probably lose my job. Back when I was younger, and working crappy low-paying jobs, this was not much of an issue (and I frequently did carry).

And this is in Colorado. I don't even want to think what it must be like in other jurisdictions where having a gun in the car can lead to the same thing. California, Illinois, New York City, and(until the law was changed last year) Denver come to mind.

What is a criminal going to do to me? At worst, kill or seriously injure me, but the chances of this are small. Most likely, take the $20 I usually carry, and maybe steal my truck. Insurance will replace that.

Fearing the police, if "fear" is the right word, is a matter of simple economic choice forced upon me by bad laws.


PS - Hey, this is post number 308 for me!!!

 

[AllenTC2]

KSFreeman

I believe one of them, Andy Something-or-the-other, is an American. His dad was in the CIA, which is supposedly where they got the idea for calling themselves "The Police"

This concludes today's broadcast of "Useless Trivia".

 

[Mad Man]

I don't persay fear the police, but I do cringe everytime that I see a police car. Basically, I worry that I might be breaking one of the myriad laws that I don't know about.

I think a lot of people feel that way, at least when they are driving and see a police car behind them.

This is probably because the speed limits in many areas are not just low, but ridiculously low.

 

[Scix]

I picked the "nervous" answer, but I'm going to claim the "irrational phobia" defense. When I notice an officer on the street, I wonder if I'm breaking some minor law I don't know about, and I get a little nervous. Then I feel like my nervousness is making me act suspicious, so I try to force myself to act normal, which makes me look even more suspicious, and it gets worse from there. I've never run away screaming yet, but I've been close.

 

[40ozflatfoot]

Based on past experiences, I will be watchful and cautious when I'm in an unfamiliar jurisdiction. At home, I wave howdy to 'em as they go about their business. Some wave back, some don't. Averages out.

 

[12-34hom]

Fear the police???

Fear them, Hell some of my best friends are cops........ does that make me biased...

The only thing we have to fear is: fear itself..

12-34hom.