My Take on the Police

[bornwildnfree]

There has been a lot of talk on here about the police. Most people for, but a few adamantly opposed to people who are cops and the profession itself and very angry that we even have them calling them tax collectors and other names. We get angry when people judge us for being crotch-rocket hooligans. We shouldn't turn around and do the same to them. Here is my perspective on the whole issue.

If you want to live in a place that doesn't give a shit about what you do on your sportbike, what you do on a daily basis, or even your life, move to a 3rd world country. I grew up in Kingston, Jamaica, one of the most violent cities in this hemisphere. The cops were there to protect those who could afford their fees. The rest of the population could fuck off. Death was an hourly occurrence, not even a blip on the radar in the daily fight to survive. Life means nothing there. It is the first and only place I've ever lived where we had to have bars on the windows, bars on our doors and a constant vigil to keep thieves, kidnappers, rapists and murderers out. By the time I was 12, I had survived two murder attempts.

Justice does not exist there. If a poor man was accused by a rich person or a person of power, they were automatically guilty. There was a man who was accused of stealing. A mob chased him up Red Hill waving machetes. There was no trial, no jury, no process. They killed him with out even questioning his innocence.

The cops did not care how fast my dad rode his sportbike. He never once got pulled over and knowing my dad, I'm sure he went as fast as he possibly could. The cops also didn't care if we got killed in our sleep. There was no 911. You paid for what protection you could afford. We are safe here, and I think we forget what that means. We are rich enough to afford the sanctity of life. If we call for help, someone will respond. That does not happen in most of the world. Safety is not even something most people dream of. We have forgotten what it means to live each day not knowing if you'll survive to the next. Name one person you know personally who's starved to death. Most of us can't. The one's who can, I am truly sorry.

If you want to be truly free, you have to have nothing to lose, and I'll bet every single one of you has something to lose. Here, violence still makes the front page. I don't have to bar my windows, I don't have to protect my family with military escorts. I don't have to be constantly vigilant that someone is going to try and take me away from my parents, that someone is going to try and hurt me. My nephews can walk to school and I don't have to worry that they will be harmed. Not like I did there. Yes, our police here can seem like tax collectors. It costs money to provide the kind of protection we see as our right. Frankly I will be happy to pay a few speeding tickets if it means I don't have to bar my windows at night and know for certain that if I am in a situation that I can no longer handle on my own, I can call 911 and the cops will show up.

[PsychoMike]

good post

[The Black Knight]

There has been a lot of talk on here about the police. Most people for, but a few adamantly opposed to people who are cops and the profession itself and very angry that we even have them calling them tax collectors and other names. We get angry when people judge us for being crotch-rocket hooligans. We shouldn't turn around and do the same to them. Here is my perspective on the whole issue.

If you want to live in a place that doesn't give a shit about what you do on your sportbike, what you do on a daily basis, or even your life, move to a 3rd world country. I grew up in Kingston, Jamaica, one of the most violent cities in this hemisphere. The cops were there to protect those who could afford their fees. The rest of the population could fuck off. Death was an hourly occurrence, not even a blip on the radar in the daily fight to survive. Life means nothing there. It is the first and only place I've ever lived where we had to have bars on the windows, bars on our doors and a constant vigil to keep thieves, kidnappers, rapists and murderers out. By the time I was 12, I had survived two murder attempts.

Justice does not exist there. If a poor man was accused by a rich person or a person of power, they were automatically guilty. There was a man who was accused of stealing. A mob chased him up Red Hill waving machetes. There was no trial, no jury, no process. They killed him with out even questioning his innocence.

The cops did not care how fast my dad rode his sportbike. He never once got pulled over and knowing my dad, I'm sure he went as fast as he possibly could. The cops also didn't care if we got killed in our sleep. There was no 911. You paid for what protection you could afford. We are safe here, and I think we forget what that means. We are rich enough to afford the sanctity of life. If we call for help, someone will respond. That does not happen in most of the world. Safety is not even something most people dream of. We have forgotten what it means to live each day not knowing if you'll survive to the next. Name one person you know personally who's starved to death. Most of us can't. The one's who can, I am truly sorry.

If you want to be truly free, you have to have nothing to lose, and I'll bet every single one of you has something to lose. Here, violence still makes the front page. I don't have to bar my windows, I don't have to protect my family with military escorts. I don't have to be constantly vigilant that someone is going to try and take me away from my parents, that someone is going to try and hurt me. My nephews can walk to school and I don't have to worry that they will be harmed. Not like I did there. Yes, our police here can seem like tax collectors. It costs money to provide the kind of protection we see as our right. Frankly I will be happy to pay a few speeding tickets if it means I don't have to bar my windows at night and know for certain that if I am in a situation that I can no longer handle on my own, I can call 911 and the cops will show up.

Like and agree with much of what you said, except for your last sentence. I personally believe it's up to the individual to secure and maintain one's own safety. Law Enforcement is just that, law enforcement and not hired bodyguards/protectors.

Maybe I view law enforcement differently. I had an uncle that was a CSPD officer for 28 years. In my many chats with him, he flat out has said, "it's not a Law Enforcement Officer's responsibility to keep you safe or protect you." Frankly, they can't be everywhere at once. And I firmly believe in the old saying, "when seconds count, cops are minutes away."

I view cops with respect and know they do a job that sometimes isn't the most rewarding. However, never for a second. Do I assume they are here to protect me or watch over me. Yeah it's nice having a cop patrolling up and down the blvd. However, once out of sight, criminals and hooligans are back at it and up to no good.

The best way to make a huge dent in crime, is the average citizen. I'm not talking about going out and playing Batman. Just protecting yourself and your own(i.e. family). Everyone has the same right to protect/arm themselves. A vigilant citizen, who keeps their eye open and recognizes a bad situation. Will do more in the long run, than a rush of cops heading to the scene of the crime.

I choose to arm and protect myself and family. However, with as messed up as our judicial system is, I can only protect myself and family. Everyone else is on their own. I've read to many horror stories of people stepping in and the situation ends up going bad for them(i.e. getting sued). I hate to say it, but I honestly only look out for myself. Unless there is an imminent threat of death to me and it's standing in my path of exit, then I'm going to be heading the other way. It honestly, is not worth the hassle and my life to dive into a situation when there is no threat posed to myself.

I guess my point is, everyone should be out for themselves and to protect themselves/families. Can't expect Law Enforcement to do it and surely can't expect a regular citizen(who doesn't even get paid to intervene) to do something about it either. When the shit hits the fan, sometimes you have to step up and confront it on your own. And while I don't share your childhood experiences, I have had been in an unfortunate situation where I was staring down a .357 and unarmed. Suffice to say, never again will I ever be in that situation unarmed.

[bornwildnfree]

I said a situation I can no longer handle on my own. I don't expect the cops to be my personal body guards. I expected them to show up and handle the situation when my father killed himself in our house. I expected them to show up and handle the situation when Cam was killed by an inattentive driver. I expected them to show up and handle the situation when I hit the back of another car and was laying on the road. My roommate convinced me to call the police when the crazy old guy wouldn't move his truck that was stuck in the snow in front of my garage. Apparently blowing his truck up was a bad thing lol. All of those situations I could not handle on my own except the last one (I'm too pretty for jail), and they responded...every time. I do not expect them to protect the inside of my home or babysit me and act like a body guard. I am perfectly capable of doing that on my own.

[willb003]

hooligans are back at it and up to no good.

HA

[Cornfed]

Frankly I will be happy to pay a few speeding tickets if it means I don't have to bar my windows at night and know for certain that if I am in a situation that I can no longer handle on my own, I can call 911 and the cops will show up.

I am to blame for calling them tax collectors. Good post, good point. Im not changing my view but it does make it alot more justified.

[BC14]

[#1Townie]

Ooooohhhhh how I can't wait to sit and reply to this one.

[tecknojoe]

I love it when people that constantly break the law complain about police (not anyone in particular in this thread.... yet)

Most cops I run into are cool. Probably because I'm not doing 150mph or lifting the front wheel

[salsashark]

I love it when people that constantly break the law complain about police (not anyone in particular in this thread.... yet)

give it time...

Most cops I run into are cool. Probably because I'm not doing 150mph or lifting the front wheel

I have quite a few LEO friends and I'll be the first to admit that some of them are complete A-holes. Most of them, however, are just normal people trying to make a living doing something that most of us wouldn't do. I've heard some truly horrific stories about the dregs of humanity and the obscene things they would do to others. It truly makes you wonder how these people go to work day in and day out dealing with scum like that. On the other hand, cops have some of the funniest stories you'll hear. They get to deal with people at their best and their worst.

[McVaaahhh]

Our government sucks!

But it's the best one on the planet.

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

Excellent post Christi. I've found most cops to be pretty reasonable though there is the occasional limp-dick with the badge as his penis extension. Ok, except Erik..... (J/K) Most are just doing their job. UNFORTUNATELY, that job that has been handed to them is revenue collection too often. They can;t hep it, but are pressured to do it, so, they do. I don't blame them, I blame places like Jeffco who build these Taj Mahals and then ticket the shit out of anyone they can to pay for that grandiose monstrosity.

For all the cop haters out there, they'd pretty much be getting shafted on a daily basis if they didn't exist or were like the cops in mehico or jamaica.

[bulldog]

[Ezzzzy1]

Our government sucks!

But it's the best one on the planet.

give it time...

[Ninja2]

Dang. Is the horse still alive?

[Sean]

F'ing cops always eat my donuts!

[longrider]

[longrider]

Now on a serious note I have to agree that most cops are great people doing a thankless job. While there are a few a-holes out there they are in the minority. While sometimes they are forced into the revenue collector role I would suspect they dislike it as much as we do

[#1Townie]

ok i probably deal with cops more than most people on this forum. from my work to my personal life i have dealt with them alot. i dont bitch about my tickets. and yes i have recieved a wheelie ticket. paid it in full didnt try to fight it. nothing. took my punishment like a man and moved on.

i deal with cops on olmost a monthly basis that things like repo are a civil matter and they cant get involved. yet they do. why because all cops and i do mean all cops when wearing that badge dont like to have laws that dont allow them to have the power to be thrown in their face.

my first point will be here in colorado springs. a towing company i work real close with towed 3 cars from a gated apartment complex. this complex has no parking zones and for some reason every weekend people park there. well the people cant seem to get the point so their cars get towed. after the towing company had the cars called in. had the cars dropped off at the yard cspd showed up and started to demand that the cars are returned to the owners. sure not a problem as soon as they pay the fees. this is all done within the laws of colorado and even within city codes. did the cops take no for a answer??? lol nope. he called for back up and before those guys new it six cops where down at the yard making threats to arresst the drivers for grand theft auto. with the owner living out of city and not able to get there in time and the cops not willing to wait for the owner to show the cars were given back to the owners. not only was this illegal it was flat out just garbage. this company lost out on not only 600 dollers but also the fuel and even the pay to the drivers as they still had to be paid for doing their job. so figure right around 800 bucks those cops out right stole from a ligit company doing things legally.

point two. again here in the springs. a driver picks up a car and gets about a block away from the add. the owner chased him down and managed to get into the car. then he called cops. when pd showed up they forced the driver to drop the car. well once we are off private property and the car is hooked to our truck it is now in posesion of the bank. so its ours now. IT IS A CIVIL MATTER! just like a cop cannot tell you to give up your car without a court order they cant tell us to do the same thing. breach of peace does not apply once we are no where near your house. again the driver was told to drop or would be aressted. do you people have any idea the lawsuit we would face if a cop told a person to give us the car or they would be arrested?? yeah you would get a free car. that repo company would be out of bisness and the you would get one hell of a check in the mail. seems cops just dont understand civil matter. thats funny.

my next one comes out of denver. same story as the last but this time the cop was dealing with a owner who had a damn good attorny. he didnt drop it. he WAS aresstied. taken to jail. this was a legal repo. he was charged with gta and abstruction. he took it to court as the da trying to save face tryd to throw deal after deal but wouldnt drop the charges. the judge laughed at the da and the cop. they where so far in the wrong it wasnt even funny.

my last one is one of denvers. i was working a file a in a gated community. no we can not be charged for trespassing as you sign a cool little piece of paper that allows us to come onto any property you live on to recover a vehical. a off duty officer reconized my truck as a repo truck and tryd to throw me off. only claiming that he was denver pd but would not give me his badge number or name. he did not know i was recording the conversation as per co state law only one person has to know the conversation is being recorded and of course i did. he called the cops i waited. i reminded them law enforcment cannot be involved in a repo that it was a civil matter and i was not breaking the law. thats when the officers started to tell some of the things he was saying and i laughed. he took alot of words out of context and TRYD to use the who do you think they will belive a cop or you. officers listened to the recording and no i was not forced to leave and he was kindly put back in his place. 2 months later we repoed his car. now i know why he was being that way. lol

these are only a few of the fucked up dealings i have had with cops. one of the best is posted in my fun day at work thread in the pics and videos. the last one i pointed out because yes in the end it worked out ok but in my world only about a third of the time dealing with cops does it work out well.

so yes i fucking hate cops. and yes its the ones that dont know what the fuck they are doing that pisses everyone off. its not up to me to make sure a cop knows how to do their jobs. THATS UP TO THE COPS! if they see a moron doing stupid shit in their name they need to fix that problem. sad part is cops are nothing more then the largest gang in the country. and they do brag that they are the largest gang in the country.

so all of you that need cops in your life to feel safe i feel bad for as for one day they WILL tread on your rights and that first time they do its a real slap in the face.

[#1Townie]

sorry i dont have time to do a spell check. there are things that people didnt pay for that need to be picked up.

[Briniker]

Love it.

[mdub]

cops are generally pretty good in and around the mnts. but watch out for the ones in dwntwn area....seriously.

[bornwildnfree]

I said all of this because we do have cops that ride with us. Most of us don't know who they are unless they tell us and they don't...usually. Most of those guys are good people who enjoy being on two. I've heard members say they won't go on a ride if they know a cop will be there. That makes me really mad. We all ride. It doesn't matter what they do for a living, they ride. To think a member would ask another to leave a ride simply because they found out what they did for a living makes my stomach turn. No, I have not heard of anyone doing this yet, but I have had multiple members say they will. I would hope that you guys can separate the individual from the institution. Treat each person on an individual level. Decide then if you like them, but don't just write them off because you hate what they do.

[mdub]

i've ridden with lots of off duty cops....they all say they would pull me over if they were on duty...heheheheh