Re: Hey Police Officers RANT
Well, I've kept out of this for a while just to see where it would go, but now I've got to jump back in. The thread started as a question on whether an officer of any department, be it city, county, state, or federal, has the authority and/or need to request an ID and run a wants and warrants on a citizen asking for help in a crime. I'm not a lawyer (and BTW DD, I'm not a Mason) so I don't know the legal answer to the question. However, I do know the moral answer, and it is no. I don't care what your reason, (for your own protection/see if you can catch a criminal) an American citizen should not be required to show his/her papers to any officer. As I said before, that's what they do in communist countries. <br /><br />Then the thread turned into an us against them on why we distrust the cops and why we shouldn't. Each side has valid points from their own experiences and knowledge. What the real problem here is in defending themselves, the cops "them" all have a tendency to belittle "us" because we couldn't possibly know what they know. BS guys, I have my boots on every time I check in here because it's so deep. <br /><br />One member is told he doesn't know the constitution so he should shut up. Another quotes law to back up a point I made (thanks swampnut) and he is a "friggin lawyer." I think I see a pattern here. Contempt. Contempt for citizens who are beneath the cops and contempt for those who are more informed and can point out your deficiencies. <br /><br />DD, I think your tag line says it all about you. "Stupidity should be painful!<br />Never underestimate the power of human stupidity." Im human, and I don't appreciate being thought of as stupid by a cop. Most cops I know couldn't find a hooker in a cathouse. One other point, According to the F.B.I., there are not millions of police. In 2004 there were 675,734 officers with the power to arrest. If you are telling me there a hundred thousand crooked cops, we need to do some serious house cleaning. <br />"But those few give all of us a bad name." FEW! You call thousands of corrupt officers a few? Can you loan me a "few" dollars? Yes, there is corruption in any given profession. But I don't remember the last time a preacher, auto repairman, or Sears employee, had the power to put an American citizen in jail.<br /><br />There is no reason to call a cop if you have something stolen. They already know they can't find it ninety percent of the time unless by accident. No, they won't come out with their little bags and take fingerprints, photos, possible footprints, or any other clues. Costs too much for a "petty crime." They might do it if I were the mayor, chief of police, or other politician. But not for the average citizen,<br /><br />As for stopping drugs, what a joke. Everyone in any town can tell you where "crack alley" is but the cops couldn't find it. Actually, that's not true. They know exactly where it is. It is called a "hot spot" and they get federal money to clean it up. The only problem is if they clean it up, there won't be a hot spot, and then they get no more money. And don't tell me you can't violate someone's civil rights by going into a neighborhood and start searching people. You violate people's rights every time you set up a drunk driving checkpoint.<br /><br />T.O. You should have stuck with your first inclination, and stopped after the first deletion. If this is your ability as a diplomat, I hope you don't apply to the state department. Between unsuccessfully telling your side of this debate, all you've managed to do is belittle people and call them names. Brush up on your diplomacy.<br /><br />Scrapper. You come in with a nice little pre-written speech about cops, firefighters and paramedics. Well, you got close with at least one out of three. Then you say we should put this to bed, and in your third post, all you can do is yawn. You are either way too cool to debate the issues on maybe you should be the one going to bed. Good night!<br /><br />I know a lot of your time is taken up by frivolous complaints. But it's your fault! In order to gain complete control over this country, you have turned it into a police/nanny state. Every honest law abiding citizen is afraid to defend himself because we are supposed to "call the police" if we have a problem. If someone breaks into my home at night with a gun and I shoot him first, I'm more likely to go to jail as the burglar. Back up the thread a ways, it was suggested a person should talk to the neighbor about a barking dog. Suppose that had been tried? Suppose the neighbor with the dog is a big loudmouth drunk with a bad attitude? I personally could handle the situation, but I might be the one with the visit from the police. (Big loudmouth drunks are usually cowards who call the cops.) So the citizen does what he is told. Call the cops if someone is violating the law.<br /><br />Personally, I'd hate to have to deal with either of the cops responding to this thread. From what I've read here, I'd be hauled in if I had the audacity to question your authority, or reason for stopping or questioning me.
