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Why do LEOS encounter people that have a negative outlook on the Police.  Whether a traffic stop or a routine call, some people have the automatic " don't you have anything better to do?", or "there are people out there selling drugs and killing people, should'nt you be looking for them"  And don't forget the common reply of " this is BS, this is harrassment".  Please share your ideas or stories on why some people automatically have a chip on their shoulder when it comes to Police interaction. 

Midnite_Mikey says ...

Simple, people do NOT want to take responsibility for their actions....so when they wind up having an enforcement based interaction with the authorities they behave stupidly....

I can't tell you how many DUI's I have arrested that somehow make it my fault that they were DUI.  I have never forced anyone to drink and drive LOL, but you would think I had.  If the police stop you , somehow it is the officer's fault that they got caught, not their fault for committing a violation.  Not taking responsibility and blaming someone else for your actions seems to be very widespread.

Some self-important, pea-brained ingrates like to challenge authority purely as a public sport. 

So far all good posts, what about when you are just driving around, and you get the "F$%#ing Pig" without any prior interaction with that person.  I have been on a traffic stop and people will drive by yelling disrespectful remarks.  Not saying all people, most are decent, but there are the occassional few...

linndalepd says ...

So far all good posts, what about when you are just driving around, and you get the "F$%#ing Pig" without any prior interaction with that person.  I have been on a traffic stop and people will drive by yelling disrespectful remarks.  Not saying all people, most are decent, but there are the occassional few...

I had a personal epiphany once when that happened to me.  Driving by, minding my own business (well... and everyone else's business, also; I was on duty, after all) when a young man gave me the finger with some emphasis.  Never interacted with him before, to my knowledge.  It bothered me until I came to a realization: Why did I care?  I was letting him define me and affect my emotions.  What the hell for?  He was obviously just a mouth-breather and probably would never amount to anything more.  His gesture was aimed at the symbol.  No doubt his act of defiance was some great coup in his own mind, but why should I value his opinion to the point of getting upset and ruining my mental serenity?

Once I came to that realization, I stopped caring what the mouth-breathers say and do to try to emotionally attack me.  If it has no bearing on the case at hand or Officer Safety, it is truly irrelevant and their opinion has no value.  I don't give them the power to affect me.

As to why, that varies with the motive of the individual.  Some are career scum who will always view us as the enemy and speak and act accordingly.  Some associate us with their own negative experiences.  Some get liquored up to the point where it seems like a good idea at the time.  For some, it has become a societal or cultural imperative.  I don't really care.

If you let it bother you, you'll never make it to retirement.

Good response Railpatch, I to had the same epiphany a few years back, but always wanted to ask other LEOS their feedback on this topic.  I have observed that it is inbedded into some people as children.  I have seen parents tell their small children, don't talk to the Police, don't trust the police, they will arrest you.

Amen Shock, we are not valued until needed!!

Because they know we are going to hit them in the wallet.

Casscocop says ...

Midnite_Mikey says ...

Simple, people do NOT want to take responsibility for their actions....so when they wind up having an enforcement based interaction with the authorities they behave stupidly....

I can't tell you how many DUI's I have arrested that somehow make it my fault that they were DUI.  I have never forced anyone to drink and drive LOL, but you would think I had.  If the police stop you , somehow it is the officer's fault that they got caught, not their fault for committing a violation.  Not taking responsibility and blaming someone else for your actions seems to be very widespread.

Very true. Afterall, they aren't "DUI" until you stop them and discover that they are. Until then, they were just driving home (how many times have you heard "I just want to go home" LOL) a little drunk, but now you made them DUI!!!

I believe when you get the vulgar 'tude you are perfectly entitled to draw that ticket out as long as possible, find that open container, release  the dog. Of course, I don't have to live by ya'lls book. ;c)  I have had negative interaction and I was to blame for it... except for that DPS officer, damn pervert.  Perhaps the person is having a bad morning, fight with the spouse, going to get written up for being late, already late, etc. I can see a little attitude in those situations, what I can't see is bold face disrespect and confrontation. It's hard to be pleasant when those tickets cost so much. On the other hand, being really ugly is a choice, not a natural reaction.

Alot of people have a victim mentality and society feeds it. The poor rapist did not mean to kill the girl. Crap like that. And people allow it. There is no stigma attached anymore to being an uneducated thug because it's really all a big mistake and lil Johnny was only playing. It is worse than ever.  So, some people with that mentality feel they can talk the smack and maybe even get some sort of lawsuit going. Yes, I really think people are that screwed up. For the most part, however, I hope that the public treats you with respect and I honestly believe that the majority of people do respect and appreciate you all. You're going to be abused, it's not right, it's not fair. Just know that those idiots are outnumbered.

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Over the past 25 years we have slowly morphed into a nation of "Victims".  People do not believe that they should be held accountable for their actions (unless they are getting praise for the action) and society has learned that it is always someone else's fault if you get caught stepping outside of the law. 

As for the "Drive-by Finger Flutterers", let that roll off your back like water off a duck. There will always be a small percentage of absolute mental midgets out there who just hate Cops because we represent authority and order.  If you spend 5 minutes in any of our nations ultra-liberal colleges you will see where a large part of this attitude comes from.  We will always be "The Man" to some people and these idiots are not worth the price getting your blood pressure up.  If we become as super-sensitive and "Victim" minded as these morons then the battle is lost.

The vast majority of the public support and trust the LE Community. Those that do not are the ones that make the most noise and draw the attention of the Media sharks (who love to blast anti-LEO stories across their airwaves). Let the BS pass by and ignore the ignorant, your career will be much more rewarding for doing so!

I think that a lot of people have had an encounter with an Officer (or several Officers) who treated them poorly or they have a friend/family member with such an encounter. I'm a Dispatcher, and I will tell you right now that there are many LEO's that I have came into contact with that I despise, plain and simple. I will tell you first and foremost there are a lot of departments who are so desperate to get and retain LEO's that they'll hire practically anyone and the department and the community suffer as a result. Now, none of that makes up for sheer stupidity on behalf of the public. However, I know a  lot of "dirty cops" and from my understanding "good cops" also hate "dirty cops." Nonetheless, I see that often "dirty cops" are like the big pink elephant in the room that no one speaks about. You also have to factor in that there are some cops who are pure a$$holes.

I recall being stopped several years ago for "following too close," I had been 2+ car links behind the other vehicle until we went around a curve and the vehicle ahead of me slammed on their breaks because the cop was sitting right there, and it made me look like I was all up on them, but in actuality I hadn't been "following too close" the retard in front of me who was doing the speed limit, decided to hit their brakes out of no where. I was stopped for this. We have mandantory insurance laws and when the Officer asked for my insurance card, I had to dig for it, told him I knew I had it, but just needed a minute to look for it. He went ahead and took my DL and went back to his unit, I found the insurance card, stuck my head out of my car window and waved to him with the card in my hand to let him know that I'd found it. When he came back to my car, I gave it to him, but he gave me a citation for no proof of insurance and a warning for following too close. I had to jump through a ton of loop holes to get the ticket thrown out and avoid paying fines and the ticket, I've had continuous insurance since I was 16! I've never had a lapse and yeah, it was a pain in the arse. So, that was an experience that I didn't appreciate.

My brother was arrested for something (and I have no problem with that, he was in the wrong),  but a Deputy without authority took him out of general population and into a solitary cell and proceeded to threaten him and told the CO's that he was not allowed to use a phone. We finally heard from him after 2 days and he told us what happened, and we put in a call to the Sheriff who was unaware of this situation (it was a weekend), the Sheriff ordered him out of solitary and back to gen population and had a "Come to Jesus" meeting with the Deputy. Again, not a good experience. The same Deputy and 2 others stopped me on my way home (shortly after this incident), for no reason, they had no probable cause and no reason to stop me, there was no equipment violation, I wasn't speeding, was obeying all traffic laws, and I was stopped anyway. I was told to get out of my car and come back to the front of the Deputy's patrol car, which I did, and they asked me if they could search my vehicle, "HELL NO" was the response they were given, then I was a 19 year old standing on the side of the road with 3 male Deputies in the middle of nowhere, in the dark, and they proceeded to threaten and interrogate me about a whole host of things...Not a good experience.

I could go on and on about bad experiences I've had with LEO's and when I started working Dispatch, I did hate most cops, but I've come to realize that they're not all bad and most are good people, I just encountered some pretty crappy ones. I've been studying Criminal Justice and the legal field, I've worked for attorney's and I love the law. The entire time I've always wanted to be in this field because I wanted to MAKE A CHANGE.

I put an emphasis on training and education for myself personally and I think that others should too, becaue I learn something from a wide variety of sources. I think LEO's could learn a lot from listening to people who have had negative encounters with the Police and see why these people hold grudges.

I hate the "victim mentality" and I believe that you're only a victim if you choose to be, and I don't choose to be a victim. I know  a Sheriff from anothe county who told his Deputies that they were to "smile and wave" in their cars, they were to smile and nod or speak to people in public, because you "Catch more flies with honey than you do vinegar" and that is a good rule of thumb to go by, it takes nothing to be nice to someone, even if they are being "difficult," kill them with kindness. I know that I don't do your job, and wouldn't want to, but the simple fact of the matter is that there are some Officers out there who have done things that give a person or people the impression that ALL Officers are like that, and until that person or those people encounter a nice, respectful, and helpful Officer they will have that same opinion.

Sorry to be so long winded, but I could discuss this for days.

Love it, don't you?

A good officer will not respond to such BS.  I just smill and tell them to have a nice day, after I hand them the paperwork.

hayden911 says ...

 

I think that a lot of people have had an encounter with an Officer (or several Officers) who treated them poorly or they have a friend/family member with such an encounter. I'm a Dispatcher, and I will tell you right now that there are many LEO's that I have came into contact with that I despise, plain and simple. I will tell you first and foremost there are a lot of departments who are so desperate to get and retain LEO's that they'll hire practically anyone and the department and the community suffer as a result. Now, none of that makes up for sheer stupidity on behalf of the public. However, I know a  lot of "dirty cops" and from my understanding "good cops" also hate "dirty cops." Nonetheless, I see that often "dirty cops" are like the big pink elephant in the room that no one speaks about. You also have to factor in that there are some cops who are pure a$$holes.

 

I have to agree on this note... Over the 14 years I have done business, I must have been stopped hundreds on times for what they refered to as a "random stops" or "suspicious behavior" (Mind You, I have a Great Background Record).  I have even had a police officer illegally break into my car with a slim-jim and happened to get caught on camera.  In those stops Ive been treated with respect and have been treated horribly like an animal with no rights.  Some of these stops resulted in lawsuits and police officers being dismissed from their jobs.  While I dont say every police officer acts similar.  I will say, actions like these give no possitive outlook on the rest of you.

With that in mind ... i find myself more cautious around officers, I also tend to keep a tape recorder with me ... and a video camera.  Every person should be concerned about any stranger, whether they wear a uniform or not.  While this is unfortunate it is also reality in the day and age we live.  This goes for citizen and officer alike.  BE CAUTIOUS!