Ass-Hat police officers

[Brad M.]

Interesting thread. I'm married to a paramedic and she has two brothers that are cops so all you haters out there will love this...

"Ass-hat cops? Heck, yes. It's become almost a redundant phrase, these days. What in the world were they doing out there, anyway? Why do they feel the need to babysit everyone? What kind of country do we live in?"

I can't believe you're asking these questions. What kind of a country do we live in? You obviously don't pay attention to all the crime/rape/murder and stupid acts that create job security for law enforcement around America today. Cops exist because people break laws. It's as simple as that. There has to be some level of civility. As to what they were doing out there, see quote below. The good Dr. is absolutely right, they are in that area for a reason. And obviously you've never listened to a cop tell how wonderful it is to make a phone call and wait with glee for some dumbass kid's parents to come to the hospital and tell them that their son is now a permanent vegetable due to some teenage bravado mixed with alcohol. They DO scrape a lot of people off the road and recreational areas that didn't need to die and it's not pleasant. And PASSXJ nailed it when he said it costs YOU the taxpayer money for them to have to do that. Not to mention that they are under oath to enforce the laws. If they see a violation they are required to take action. It's their job. I will give you this, not all of them do it with the right attitude and I know a small few who SHOULD NOT be wearing a badge or carrying a gun. But as far as law enforcement here in northern utah (I can't speak for your area) my experience, and I have my fair share, is that GENERALLY SPEAKING, they are just trying to do their job, support their families, and keep the public safe. If you get a ticket and don't like it, don't take it out on the cop. THEY DON'T MAKE THE LAW. Argue with the judge and take the issue up with your local lawmakers...

"Farmington Flats area is known for stupid kids doing stupid things and getting hurt. The cops are nasty up there all the time."

As for bluebullet6, be more aware of the laws in the areas you want to wheel in or you'll end up like yours truly and have to pay a $250 ticket for going offroad in a watershed/protected area (who knew you couldn't go offroad up at Guardsman's Pass?) You know you're in trouble when a SL county sheriff's helicopter puts a spotlight on your XJ! Ha ha, experience is the best teacher but sometimes it's a bitch. You paid $15 bucks for a ticket... big deal. Swallow your pride and let it go... bring it on cop haters

On a sidenote, I DO agree that if they're going to be out there in an OHV patrolling they should set the example and wear helmets.

 

[0313]

Blah Blah Blah Blah.....

A new Utah guy? Glad to have ya.

 

[Brad M.]

Sorry, screwed up on the quote tags... Doh!:confused1

 

[DrMoab]

Interesting thread. I'm married to a paramedic and she has two brothers that are cops so all you haters out there will love this...

"Ass-hat cops? Heck, yes. It's become almost a redundant phrase, these days. What in the world were they doing out there, anyway? Why do they feel the need to babysit everyone? What kind of country do we live in?"

I can't believe you're asking these questions. What kind of a country do we live in? You obviously don't pay attention to all the crime/rape/murder and stupid acts that create job security for law enforcement around America today. Cops exist because people break laws. It's as simple as that. There has to be some level of civility. As to what they were doing out there, see quote below. The good Dr. is absolutely right, they are in that area for a reason. And obviously you've never listened to a cop tell how wonderful it is to make a phone call and wait with glee for some dumbass kid's parents to come to the hospital and tell them that their son is now a permanent vegetable due to some teenage bravado mixed with alcohol. They DO scrape a lot of people off the road and recreational areas that didn't need to die and it's not pleasant. And PASSXJ nailed it when he said it costs YOU the taxpayer money for them to have to do that. Not to mention that they are under oath to enforce the laws. If they see a violation they are required to take action. It's their job. I will give you this, not all of them do it with the right attitude and I know a small few who SHOULD NOT be wearing a badge or carrying a gun. But as far as law enforcement here in northern utah (I can't speak for your area) my experience, and I have my fair share, is that GENERALLY SPEAKING, they are just trying to do their job, support their families, and keep the public safe. If you get a ticket and don't like it, don't take it out on the cop. THEY DON'T MAKE THE LAW. Argue with the judge and take the issue up with your local lawmakers...

"Farmington Flats area is known for stupid kids doing stupid things and getting hurt. The cops are nasty up there all the time."

As for bluebullet6, be more aware of the laws in the areas you want to wheel in or you'll end up like yours truly and have to pay a $250 ticket for going offroad in a watershed/protected area (who knew you couldn't go offroad up at Guardsman's Pass?) You know you're in trouble when a SL county sheriff's helicopter puts a spotlight on your XJ! Ha ha, experience is the best teacher but sometimes it's a bitch. You paid $15 bucks for a ticket... big deal. Swallow your pride and let it go... bring it on cop haters

On a sidenote, I DO agree that if they're going to be out there in an OHV patrolling they should set the example and wear helmets.

Coming to the BBQ on Sat?

 

[5-90]

Interesting thread. I'm married to a paramedic and she has two brothers that are cops so all you haters out there will love this...

I can't believe you're asking these questions. What kind of a country do we live in? You obviously don't pay attention to all the crime/rape/murder and stupid acts that create job security for law enforcement around America today. Cops exist because people break laws. It's as simple as that. There has to be some level of civility. As to what they were doing out there, see quote below. The good Dr. is absolutely right, they are in that area for a reason. And obviously you've never listened to a cop tell how wonderful it is to make a phone call and wait with glee for some dumbass kid's parents to come to the hospital and tell them that their son is now a permanent vegetable due to some teenage bravado mixed with alcohol. They DO scrape a lot of people off the road and recreational areas that didn't need to die and it's not pleasant. And PASSXJ nailed it when he said it costs YOU the taxpayer money for them to have to do that. Not to mention that they are under oath to enforce the laws. If they see a violation they are required to take action. It's their job. I will give you this, not all of them do it with the right attitude and I know a small few who SHOULD NOT be wearing a badge or carrying a gun. But as far as law enforcement here in northern utah (I can't speak for your area) my experience, and I have my fair share, is that GENERALLY SPEAKING, they are just trying to do their job, support their families, and keep the public safe. If you get a ticket and don't like it, don't take it out on the cop. THEY DON'T MAKE THE LAW. Argue with the judge and take the issue up with your local lawmakers...

On a sidenote, I DO agree that if they're going to be out there in an OHV patrolling they should set the example and wear helmets.

I try not to hate cops for doing their jobs - although I do take issue with the lawmakers, who make their jobs more difficult, and make it difficult for us to follow the laws.

What am I talking about? "Ignorance of the law is no excuse." Have you been to a law library? Gawd - if "ignorance is no excuse," I guess we're all required to spend one month a year just catching up! Considering there are something like TWO DOZEN areas of legal specialisation (I can see medical specialisation, but legal? This is a CREATED system, which should be kept simple!) how is the common citizen supposed to keep up with it all? Hell man - my wife works in corporate legal, and has damn near NO idea what's going on in other areas - she has enough to do keeping up with corporate law!

Take it up with my lawmakers? I often do. Granted, I've not been able to organise my thoughs sufficiently to take on the "whole system" (and I've got my thoughts on THAT!) but I do go after them on various aspects of the thing, and I do (sometimes...) get answers which are both on topic and wholly useless. The air around them has become so rarified that they simply aren't in touch anymore... What am I supposed to do - go to Sacramento and DC and give each of them a "taper slap?" (Those of you who are prior enlisted know precisely what I'm talking about - it's a useful "wall-to-wall counselling" technique.) I'd like to, but most of them are lawyers, and even if assault is morally required in some cases, for some damn reason it's still illegal (Hell.)

I'll also grant that cops do have enough to do - which is why there is room for discretion in law enforcement. Still, I'd honestly like to see more focus on major issues (and no, I'm not talking about drug enforcement either. That's another case of "doing the same thing the same way, over and over again, and expecting a different result." I am honestly inclined to think that decriminalisation is going to be an effective first step, rather than sentence enhancement. I haven't been able to fully assemble my thoughts on this either - but decriminalise and control the drug trade, and we'll take care of a lot of ancillary problems straight away - like associated street crime and gangs.)

I don't mean to say that I've not had respect for cops - I grew up around several, and all were top-notch individuals (one was a retread - 20 years CHP and then 22 on Lafayette, IN PD before he retired. I won't go into his last day on the job, but I was also a pallbearer at his son's funeral, if that tells you anything...) I'll also grant that most cops these days seem to be kids that didn't keep their lunch money past first recess in grammar school, but that's neither here nor there in regards to this discussion.

I do hope that the cops who did issue this citation (specious as it may be,) were setting an example by their actions, but I'm inclined to not think so. I've seen too much asshattery in uniform to assume the best, although I'm not ready to consistently assume the worst all the time. However, I think cops do need to be reminded that they ENFORCE the law, and they are not ABOVE the law, and they are more supposed to follow it (and set a positive example) than anyone else - save, possibly, the lawmakers (and do NOT get me started on them!)

I have no trouble at all with EMT's, paramedics, and firemen - but I've not met any full-on asshats there. I've met a few with ego issues, but nothing that can't be resolved.

Interestingly, I've also not met too many asshats in the Sunnyvale DPS - probably because they spend six months a year as cops, and the other six as firemen. It's interesting to see that they know "how the other side lives," and it's also fun to watch a high-risk warrant being served off of a fire truck, and some jackass put up against a wall with a force ax. Besides, who better to take down a meth lab? Call the fire department - we're already here! Perhaps this is an idea that should be more widespread...

5-90

 

[HilltopXJ]

I try not to hate cops for doing their jobs - although I do take issue with the lawmakers, who make their jobs more difficult, and make it difficult for us to follow the laws.

What am I talking about? "Ignorance of the law is no excuse." Have you been to a law library? Gawd - if "ignorance is no excuse," I guess we're all required to spend one month a year just catching up! Considering there are something like TWO DOZEN areas of legal specialisation (I can see medical specialisation, but legal? This is a CREATED system, which should be kept simple!) how is the common citizen supposed to keep up with it all? Hell man - my wife works in corporate legal, and has damn near NO idea what's going on in other areas - she has enough to do keeping up with corporate law!

Take it up with my lawmakers? I often do. Granted, I've not been able to organise my thoughs sufficiently to take on the "whole system" (and I've got my thoughts on THAT!) but I do go after them on various aspects of the thing, and I do (sometimes...) get answers which are both on topic and wholly useless. The air around them has become so rarified that they simply aren't in touch anymore... What am I supposed to do - go to Sacramento and DC and give each of them a "taper slap?" (Those of you who are prior enlisted know precisely what I'm talking about - it's a useful "wall-to-wall counselling" technique.) I'd like to, but most of them are lawyers, and even if assault is morally required in some cases, for some damn reason it's still illegal (Hell.)

I'll also grant that cops do have enough to do - which is why there is room for discretion in law enforcement. Still, I'd honestly like to see more focus on major issues (and no, I'm not talking about drug enforcement either. That's another case of "doing the same thing the same way, over and over again, and expecting a different result." I am honestly inclined to think that decriminalisation is going to be an effective first step, rather than sentence enhancement. I haven't been able to fully assemble my thoughts on this either - but decriminalise and control the drug trade, and we'll take care of a lot of ancillary problems straight away - like associated street crime and gangs.)

I don't mean to say that I've not had respect for cops - I grew up around several, and all were top-notch individuals (one was a retread - 20 years CHP and then 22 on Lafayette, IN PD before he retired. I won't go into his last day on the job, but I was also a pallbearer at his son's funeral, if that tells you anything...) I'll also grant that most cops these days seem to be kids that didn't keep their lunch money past first recess in grammar school, but that's neither here nor there in regards to this discussion.

I do hope that the cops who did issue this citation (specious as it may be,) were setting an example by their actions, but I'm inclined to not think so. I've seen too much asshattery in uniform to assume the best, although I'm not ready to consistently assume the worst all the time. However, I think cops do need to be reminded that they ENFORCE the law, and they are not ABOVE the law, and they are more supposed to follow it (and set a positive example) than anyone else - save, possibly, the lawmakers (and do NOT get me started on them!)

I have no trouble at all with EMT's, paramedics, and firemen - but I've not met any full-on asshats there. I've met a few with ego issues, but nothing that can't be resolved.

Interestingly, I've also not met too many asshats in the Sunnyvale DPS - probably because they spend six months a year as cops, and the other six as firemen. It's interesting to see that they know "how the other side lives," and it's also fun to watch a high-risk warrant being served off of a fire truck, and some jackass put up against a wall with a force ax. Besides, who better to take down a meth lab? Call the fire department - we're already here! Perhaps this is an idea that should be more widespread...

5-90

Nicely said!

:cheers:

 

[5-90]

Nicely said!

:cheers:

Just for my own edification, which part did you like?

5-90

 

[RichP]

Since its always hard to tell if you are being serious or not...I am going to take a gamble and say you are.

If you feel this way do you also feel we should tax McDonalds for making us fat?

Sorry but laws protecting me from myself are not what this country is supposed to be about. Helmet laws, Seatbelt laws, and fast food laws(trust me they are comming) are just stupid. BTW I wear my seatbelt because I don't want to die in my car. It should be my choice though. If you want the government to tell you how to live your life move to China...or at least California.

Actually NY City is passing an ordanance to allow only a certain number of 'fat fast food' places within a certain distance of each other, based on that it will entice 'slimmer fast food' places to move in and offer a bigger selection of 'healthy' foods, go figger... we need to start limiting the number of new laws that elected people can do and add a requirement that for every new law they put in place they have to remove two useless ones...

 

[jml1911a1]

If I knew 5-90 would be around, I wouldn't have needed to post...I echo his positions on these things.

I can't believe you're asking these questions. What kind of a country do we live in? You obviously don't pay attention to all the crime/rape/murder and stupid acts that create job security for law enforcement around America today. Cops exist because people break laws. It's as simple as that. There has to be some level of civility.

Sure, there does. How do seat belt laws--and more specifically, enforcement of seat belt laws in the referred-to instance--make society more civil?

As to what they were doing out there, see quote below. The good Dr. is absolutely right, they are in that area for a reason. And obviously you've never listened to a cop tell how wonderful it is to make a phone call and wait with glee for some dumbass kid's parents to come to the hospital and tell them that their son is now a permanent vegetable due to some teenage bravado mixed with alcohol. They DO scrape a lot of people off the road and recreational areas that didn't need to die and it's not pleasant. And PASSXJ nailed it when he said it costs YOU the taxpayer money for them to have to do that.

Life is occasionally unpleasant. How far do we need to go? Babies drown in bathtubs every year. Shall we ban baths for babies? People fall down stairs and are paralyzed. Mandate elevators?

Not to mention that they are under oath to enforce the laws. If they see a violation they are required to take action. It's their job. I will give you this, not all of them do it with the right attitude and I know a small few who SHOULD NOT be wearing a badge or carrying a gun. But as far as law enforcement here in northern utah (I can't speak for your area) my experience, and I have my fair share, is that GENERALLY SPEAKING, they are just trying to do their job, support their families, and keep the public safe. If you get a ticket and don't like it, don't take it out on the cop. THEY DON'T MAKE THE LAW. Argue with the judge and take the issue up with your local lawmakers...

Cops take an oath to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States." What part of the Constitution mandates enforcement of victimless crimes? Cops need to do more thinking about what laws they are enforcing--and no, they don't HAVE to enforce every law on the books.

 

[Brad M.]

Coming to the BBQ on Sat?

Yup

 

[RedHeep]

Helmet laws and seatbelt laws should only be enforced for people who make millions playing sports. Apparently when they signed the contract, they gave up their citizenship.

An echo for what everyone else said, if you break the law, you pay the consequences. If you don't like the law, vote for someone who will change it. How many of us didn't vote last time we had a chance to voice our opinions democratically?

 

[Brad M.]

If I knew 5-90 would be around, I wouldn't have needed to post...I echo his positions on these things.

Life is occasionally unpleasant. How far do we need to go? Babies drown in bathtubs every year. Shall we ban baths for babies? People fall down stairs and are paralyzed. Mandate elevators?


This thread rocks! Who knew you could get such a rise out of people over a seatbelt ticket? I should start one about the time the UHP pulled me over cause my tires stick out 1" past my flares...

 

[Brad M.]

If I knew 5-90 would be around, I wouldn't have needed to post...I echo his positions on these things.

Sure, there does. How do seat belt laws--and more specifically, enforcement of seat belt laws in the referred-to instance--make society more civil?

Life is occasionally unpleasant. How far do we need to go? Babies drown in bathtubs every year. Shall we ban baths for babies? People fall down stairs and are paralyzed. Mandate elevators?

Cops take an oath to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States." What part of the Constitution mandates enforcement of victimless crimes? Cops need to do more thinking about what laws they are enforcing--and no, they don't HAVE to enforce every law on the books.

Oops, let me try the quote thing again...

 

[dmillion]

Why is everyone so hard on a guy...

It's real simple. He broke the law, he got a ticket, and instead of dealing with it he comes on here whining and name-calling and looking for sympathy.

If the subject line was something like "stupid seatbelt laws" and the original post had said something like, "I got a ticket for not wearing my seatbelt and I'm kind of pissed off. I don't think it's right, because a seatbelt wouldn't have made me any safer and it should be my choice anyway," then I would have agreed with him completely.

Is it a stupid law? Yeah, maybe so. That's not the issue, though. The issue is that when you are in the wrong, and the cops are just doing their job, you don't call them "ass faces," or "ass hats," or anything else like that. You want to complain about a bad law, do it. When you call people names just because they were doing their job and you got caught, it's YOU who's being an ass-hat, not them.

 

[bjoehandley]

I one of the stores I work in is run by a retired sheriff and long time cop, he always said that they didn't make the laws, they just had to enforce them. If they were on private property, they shouldn't have even been stopped and probably could have placed the officers in question under citizens arrest for tresspassing if it was their property, but in this case they were probably on public land and are lucky thats all they got.
My sister's boyfriend got a ticket the other day for not putting on his seatbelt, the cop watched him back out of his (well I should say his Mom's, but you get the drift) driveway and was putting the belt on as he backed up. As soon as his back tire hit the street, cop gave him a ticket not having a belt on, seeing as this was mostly on private property, this seems like a somewhat questionable ticket to me if the majority of his vehicle was still in the driveway and it was clearly visible that he was in the process of putting it on.

I have to wonder how much cheaper it would be and how many lives it would save in the long run to make safer drivers (maybe real Drivers Ed teachers with actuall qualifications and a qualifyable (sp?) skill in place of using gym coaches, starting drivers training at a younger age but give them their licenses at a later age, etc) over safer vehicles and exessive laws.

 

[FitchVA]

I have to wonder how much cheaper it would be and how many lives it would save in the long run to make safer drivers (maybe real Drivers Ed teachers with actuall qualifications and a qualifyable (sp?) skill in place of using gym coaches, starting drivers training at a younger age but give them their licenses at a later age, etc) over safer vehicles and exessive laws.

but that would put too much accountability on the shoulders of people. and in our sue-happy society, it's never "my" fault. it sucks, but that's the way it is.

 

[dmillion]

...probably could have placed the officers in question under citizens arrest for tresspassing if it was their property,

Yeah, why don't you try that the next time you see a cop on private property.

SHEESH!

This sort of thing is why people say, friends don't let friends take internet legal advice.

 

[HilltopXJ]

I try not to hate cops for doing their jobs - although I do take issue with the lawmakers, who make their jobs more difficult, and make it difficult for us to follow the laws.

This is a CREATED system, which should be kept simple!

I'll also grant that cops do have enough to do - which is why there is room for discretion in law enforcement. Still, I'd honestly like to see more focus on major issues (and no, I'm not talking about drug enforcement either. That's another case of "doing the same thing the same way, over and over again, and expecting a different result." I am honestly inclined to think that decriminalisation is going to be an effective first step, rather than sentence enhancement.

decriminalise and control the drug trade, and we'll take care of a lot of ancillary problems straight away - like associated street crime and gangs.)

I don't mean to say that I've not had respect for cops - I grew up around several, and all were top-notch individuals.

I'll also grant that most cops these days seem to be kids that didn't keep their lunch money past first recess in grammar school, but that's neither here nor there in regards to this discussion.

I do hope that the cops who did issue this citation (specious as it may be,) were setting an example by their actions, but I'm inclined to not think so. I've seen too much asshattery in uniform to assume the best, although I'm not ready to consistently assume the worst all the time. However, I think cops do need to be reminded that they ENFORCE the law, and they are not ABOVE the law, and they are more supposed to follow it (and set a positive example) than anyone else - save, possibly, the lawmakers

I have no trouble at all with EMT's, paramedics, and firemen - but I've not met any full-on asshats there. I've met a few with ego issues, but nothing that can't be resolved.

Interestingly, I've also not met too many asshats in the Sunnyvale DPS - probably because they spend six months a year as cops, and the other six as firemen. It's interesting to see that they know "how the other side lives," and it's also fun to watch a high-risk warrant being served off of a fire truck, and some jackass put up against a wall with a force ax. Besides, who better to take down a meth lab? Call the fire department - we're already here! Perhaps this is an idea that should be more widespread...

5-90

Sorry I didnt clarify 5-90, I was abit to tippsy last nite.

Its a sad country when you can just walk out your front door and practically be considered outlaw.
Both my dad and my grandfather were both cops. I dont know much about my grandfather when he was a cop, but my dad couldn't wait to retire. He finished his career and retired from the Prescott,AZ
police department. Some of the stories he told me about the corupt PD there
would make a man sick. This was durring the 70s&80s when he was there.
So it could have changed by now, alot had to do with drug trafficking and extortion.
My dad always said to be very courteous to an officer of the law,
because you never know what kind of day hes had and he might take it out on you.
I have never heard of policeman/fireman good idea I think. My bro is a
fireman/emt back in SD and he seems to love his job. Of course not to much crime in SD.
As far as the seatbelt goes, I wear mine probably mine 99% of the time.
I live at the end of a 2mile private road. I will click it about 100yds before the hiway. Dont know why but I do.

 

[streetpirate]

My dad always said to be very courteous to an officer of the law,
because you never know what kind of day hes had and he might take it out on you.










As far as the seatbelt goes, I wear mine probably mine 99% of the time.
I live at the end of a 2mile private road. I will click it about 100yds before the hiway. Dont know why but I do.

X2 on both accounts.
ive had the living $hit scared out of me by 'po before, and the intimidation feeling is the worst thing in the world.
how many of you have woken up at 2am to piss and had a county sherrif standing in your hallway pointing a gun and a flashlight at you. im just glad i wear boxers when i sleep.

(overly intoxicated family member repeatedly calling 911 and hanging up, i guess they dont like that)

 

[DrMoab]

You know what cracks me up about this whole thread? Every single one of you that have jumped his case would have been equally pissed if it would have been you.

He was in a place that is pretty much a parking lot in the mountains on a very small dirt road. NOT on the highway, NOT even on a rural country road!

If one of you can tell me if you were in your rig, checking your flex or moving up 50 fee to get out again and you put your seatbelt on then you are either.

A. Extremely anal retentive and probably think it should be a law to wear knee pads when you.....do whatever extremely anal retentive guys do on their knees.

or B. are just a liar who likes to pick on other people on the net.