Thank fucking Christ somebody else gets it! I've learned lots of cool shit about cop stuff from Chuck, JLW, Keefus, Nyeti, Coyote, John Hearne and quite a few others through open threads and via PM. I've had my opinion changed for the better on many occasions, it really does happen. For what it's worth the shit I talk about with my friends in the real world, who sport badges, are far more controversial than anything I bring on up PF. Some stuff we agree on, others we don't, but we don't get our fucking dicks tied in a knot due to not seeing all things eye to eye.
Rant on... please ignore if you're sensitive. And I could be in left field, it's happened before...
Why shouldn't people be critical of police? We pay for their services and without the consent of the governed they wouldn't exist. There are a shitload of scumbag cops, deal with it, acknowledge it and address it, don't cover it up and act like it doesn't exist. Just because you don't agree with their opinion doesn't make them "anti-LE" or any other silly bullshit title you want to attach to them. Do you stop your car every time someone throws you the bird so you can educate them on how they need to respect your authority? Or do you wave, smile and completely throw them out of their OODA loop? If you take the time to try to educate people you might be surprised as to how much you can accomplish. If you can't ignore the drive-by attempts to get a reaction out of you online how do you deal with it in the real world?
I try to stay in the respectful disagreement crowd on most topics pertaining to cops, if I disagree with their actions, a lot of times I don't. I try not to post blatantly controversial shit like the cops who are pedophiles, rapists, murderers, etc. that I read about on an everyday basis, literally. It doesn't serve a purpose and typically gets glossed over anyways. Hell, I've posted very positive stuff about cops, including video, and that gets ignored too, even by the cops. If it's not controversial people don't want to talk about it cause it doesn't raise their blood pressure.
A huge problem, I believe, is the caliber of the police that are on this forum are more than likely head and shoulders above their peers in terms of professionalism and getting the job done in a way that most people would appreciate. Painting their profession in a way that denigrates the whole for the actions of a minority sucks. It happens because people are tired of seeing a lot of other people treated like shit on the news by cops. No other profession that deals with the public has more control over someone else's life than cops so they're going to be under the microscope, tough shit. News flash, 100 good deeds get cancelled out by 1 fuck up in just about every profession. Just ask the open carry guys.
But, just because the guys you work with in your area are good guys doesn't mean that gets carried over to every other town and city.
For people who deal with conflict on an everyday basis there sure are a bunch of sensitive fucking daisies who like to whine about their online feelings getting hurt. Instead of being a whiny cunt, pull up your bootstraps, engage the gears between your ears, and work on changing people's opinions. Or fuck it, just keep chugging along.
How many people have you invited to go out on a ride along? How often do you say hello or engage a citizen in a positive manner for absolutely no reason? I was down in Long Beach over the summer, Belmont Shores, with my boys walking along eating ice cream cones when a cop at a stoplight hollered out something about them wearing more ice cream than they were eating with a big smile and a wave. He just did himself and his department a huge service in terms of public relations with me and my young boys. Interacting with the public in a positive manner, rather than an automaton, is something that I think is severely lacking.
I appreciate the LE forum for discussing things related to LE, like adults. I also appreciate the hard work that the pros do, and the sacrifices that they make, but I don't think putting LE on a pedestal does anyone any good.
Originally Posted by IRISH
Thank fucking Christ somebody else gets it! I've learned lots of cool shit about cop stuff from Chuck, JLW, Keefus, Nyeti, Coyote, John Hearne and quite a few others through open threads and via PM. I've had my opinion changed for the better on many occasions, it really does happen. For what it's worth the shit I talk about with my friends in the real world, who sport badges, are far more controversial than anything I bring on up PF. Some stuff we agree on, others we don't, but we don't get our fucking dicks tied in a knot due to not seeing all things eye to eye.
