The Police And Us

Posted by Herb7734 8 years, 2 months ago to Culture
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I want to start off by saying that I am slightly prejudiced on the side of the cops. My favorite cousin's son is in law enforcement. When I was in the retail business, many of my customers were police officers. In my dealings with the police, I have found all kinds of people. I've had a rude cop give me a ticket as if he was talking to a drug dealer, I've had another cop give me a speeding ticket almost apologetically saying how he realized I was trying to just pass a slower vehicle. I have, however, noticed a strong dislike of police prevalent in the Gulch. Not for a single event or even a series of events, but just police in general. Those who are on the con side seem to think that police are getting too militaristic. That they overstep their bounds on a regular basis and hassle regular citizens inordinately. I'd like to know the general feeling in the Gulch. Are there experiences that reflect on the general actions of the police, or are there just individual incidents? What does the Gulch feel is the general trend? Should we fear the police more than the criminals? I personally think that imposing bad generalities on the police is beginning to become a prejudice opposite of mine. What do you think?


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  • Posted by LibertyBelle 8 years, 2 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I am sorry. In fact, I think it is outrageous. I do not
    know whether that is the case in Virginia or not. But
    maybe if you agitate enough, you can get the law
    changed. Of course, maybe you have a job and
    don't believe you have enough time.
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  • Posted by LibertyBelle 8 years, 2 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Yes, the answer lies in getting those laws repealed.The problem cannot be solved on the police level.
    What we need is to have some kind of Constitutional amendment explicitly declaring that the purpose(s) (the only) purpose(s) of government(whetherFederal,State,or local)is/are: to protect persons from force and/or violence (in-
    cluding fraud), and to punish same, and no law
    not in pursuance of this goal shall be Constitu-
    tional or remain on the books.
    Good luck on accomplishing that. I don't ex-
    pect to see it in my lifetime.
    In the meantime, perhaps we can agitate,
    with some success, for abolition of departments
    of government, on a department-by-department
    basis.--And maybe it could be done within
    States and localities, too.
    --Particularly the abolition of public education.
    Perhaps, after enough conversion of the ideas
    of the populace, that could be begun state by
    state.
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  • Posted by 8 years, 2 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I live in a smaller community also, where relations with cops is more personal. However, while police are schooled in law enforcement, I doubt if many of them have a Constitutional background, so they don't have an inkling of right and wrong other than the rules directly pertaining to their jobs. Some of which rules, may well be unconstitutional.
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  • Posted by CircuitGuy 8 years, 2 months ago in reply to this comment.
    "and it would be very confusing, probably, to a man,if he were to start deciding which laws he would and would not enforce."
    This is the natural course of the way the law falls apart. There are all these rules on the book that no one enforces. Police and prosecutors know they're bogus things that most of the population does, so they look the otherway. Then when someone powerful wants to use the power of the state against a citizen or group, they get the authorities to enforce the law. They appear to have the rule of law behind them, but it's just a veil covering rule by people.
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  • Posted by Lysander 8 years, 2 months ago
    In my community, I have had both the county sheriff and police chief as students and colleagues. I don't see the militarization here yet. It has been offered from state and national cops, but refused so far.
    As long as the Constitution is observed, your job as a cop will be respected by me. I don't mean SCROTUS interpretations of the Consitution, actual constitutional ideals.
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  • Posted by 8 years, 2 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Hell's Bells, Belle:
    There are so many contradictory laws on the books that it's just as bad as having no laws. Any law running to more than 25 pages is probably got so many hidden things in it that it could be used to save, condemn, or do nothing at all. Did you ever see the room where Judge Judy makes her phone calls? Row after row, shelf after shelf of law books and I'd be willing to bet that they don't represent 10% of all the laws there are.
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  • Posted by term2 8 years, 2 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I read that 75% of the incarcerations are for drug violations, so someone must be doing arrests
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  • Posted by $ Abaco 8 years, 2 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Well said. Yes...it can happen here. Ever hear of the recent discovery of the Chicago PD black sites? That's a story that should have grabbed headlines...
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  • Posted by Eyecu2 8 years, 2 months ago in reply to this comment.
    In Texas if you go to court to fight a ticket you always have to pay the court cost. I asked the same thing myself and still feel that it is a load of BS but that is the way that it is.

    Which basically means that an Officer can write a ticket for anything and you will end up paying at least $99.00.
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  • Posted by $ blarman 8 years, 2 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Police Academy. Weapons expert. Hilarious character. Also see Hightower, Hooks, Jones, and the rest of the gang.
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  • Posted by LibertyBelle 8 years, 2 months ago in reply to this comment.
    There are laws which should be repealed, such as most of the drug laws (except such as concernminors, and people under a special obligation to remain sober, such as police, military people, and cab drivers, or other drivers.. But if you said that to a police officer, chances are he would tell you that he is not authorized to make the law, only to enforce it, which is one reason I could never be a patrolling police officer (though maybe a 911 dispatcher). And it would be very confusing,
    probably, to a man,if he were to start deciding
    which laws he would and would not enforce.
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  • Posted by 8 years, 2 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Many of the cops I know feel that hassling drug dealers is a waste of time. Lots of pros & cons on this, but then we get into the whole war on drugs controversy.
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  • Posted by 8 years, 2 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Hello, David:
    You fit in where you are. No one should criticize you for doing a legitimate job. Especially an essential one.
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  • Posted by term2 8 years, 2 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I think that police see The seemy side of life so much it's easy to become jaded. Particularly when it comes to profiling blacks. The other issue is requiring police to go after drug dealers created by the war on drugs
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  • Posted by term2 8 years, 2 months ago
    I just feel better when they are NOT around. This is an emotional response but my experiences with police are negative. They give me tickets for victimless crimes. They show up only after I have been damaged in some way and do nothing positive. They seem to spend their time in high high dollar things like DUO and small non violent drug busts
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  • Posted by Steven-Wells 8 years, 2 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I have had too many personal experiences of cops lying in court about what I said or did.
    Add (different) multiple experiences of cops perjuring themselves on signed charging documents. So, no, I don't give cops the benefit of the doubt.
    Add judges who are willing to ignore the lies, misrepresentations, and other dissembling, and I don't give judges the benefit of the doubt either.
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  • Posted by Steven-Wells 8 years, 2 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
    Who will guard the guards themselves?

    From the Satires of Juvenal, the 1st/2nd century Roman satirist.
    (Satire 6.346–348):
    audio quid ueteres olim moneatis amici,
    "pone seram, cohibe." sed quis custodiet ipsos—
    custodes? cauta est et ab illis incipit uxor.
    ----------
    I hear always the admonishment of my friends:
    "Bolt her in, constrain her!" But who will guard
    the guardians? The wife plans ahead and begins with them.

    But from the Oxoniensis manuscript discovered by E.O. Winstedt, an undergraduate student at Oxford, in 1899:
    (O 29–33):
    … noui
    consilia et ueteres quaecumque monetis amici,
    "pone seram, cohibes." sed quis custodiet ipsos—
    custodes? qui nunc lasciuae furta puellae
    hac mercede silent crimen commune tacetur.
    ----------
    … I know
    the plan that my friends always advise me to adopt:
    "Bolt her in, constrain her!" But who can watch
    the watchmen? They keep quiet about the girl's
    secrets and get her as their payment; everyone hushes it up.
    Reply | Permalink  

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