Nite's Mini-Rant Part Two

[nitestokker]

1) Why in the hell do I roll up to an intersection where I have a stop sign and the dude(or usually a blue-hair) has the ROW but they sit and wait for me to do something first. I HATE THAT!

2) Why in the hell do people roll up behind you and flash their headlights and honk their horn to tell you there's a kid throwing trash in the city park fountain? DO YOU WANT TO GET SHOT?!?!

3) Why in the hell do you regular taxpayers come to my house or corner me in the grocery store to bitch about something that another officer on another shift and possibly even another agency did to you or your son or your best friend's neighbor's second cousin!?!?!?!!?What is up with that?

4) Why in the hell do you "lawful taxpaying citizens" not listen to my commands or heed my gestures when I'm working a car wreck and what makes you so important that you have to drive through my crime scene at Mach 2?!?!?!?!Once again, DO YOU WANT TO GET SHOT!?!?!

5) Why in the hell are you "curious citizens" (like Jenna) so freakin' friendly with us as long as it doesn't involve you or your holster-sniffing friends?!?!?!?

6) Why in the hell are you people just not more responsible for your own actions? Did it ever occur to half of you jackasses who gripe about the cops that maybe you would have a lot less trouble with us if a) you chose your friends more carefully, b) you chose your lifestyle more carefully or c) you just had the will to just be a good person. I swear to God if one more rich guy or meth monger tells me that their taxes pay my salary, I'm gonna say "Well that may be true, but my ASP pays your dues!" BACK THE F*** UP!

[Virginian]

You need to go on vacation, Nite.

[nitestokker]

Thanks, buddy. I'm set for two weeks in September but I don't know if I can make it before I freakin' strangle someone.

[Piggybank Cop]

OK now that we’ve got the attitude down get out there and hit the streets.

Go get’em tiger.

[TXCharlie]

Speaking of #3, I know one cop who won't even eat in a restaurant while in uniform because people bug him about this & that, and he feels like he's on display - That's pretty sad.

I forced him to come into the restaurant one time when I did a ride-along, instead of eating in the car hidden in the back of a grocery store like he normally does. A little girl came up & talked to him, and he gave her a badge sticker. She was going all over the restaurant showing it off. I think he enjoyed that.

[ticktwrter]

It does get old when you are trying to relax at lunch with a friend when someone wants to tell you som goofy thing that is wrong. Hey, I like to eat and if no one is bleeding to death, let me enjoy my lunch.

[Jenna]

5) Why in the hell are you "curious citizens" (like Jenna) so freakin' friendly with us as long as it doesn't involve you or your holster-sniffing friends?!?!?!?

Would you prefer if we were unfriendly all the time, rather than just while we or our friends are being arrested?

For the record, I've never done any of the other annoying things you described, and I agree that they would be unjustified. I've also never been arrested; nor have most of my friends (and as far as I know, none of us are holster sniffers, though as a feminist I would not condemn any man or woman for his or her sexual preferences). I've never even gotten a traffic ticket.

I understand that your work can be frustrating, difficult, and dangerous, and I am grateful, as many non-LEOs are, that you continue to put up with it for the greater good of society.

[nitestokker]

Fair enough.

[dla4079]

YOU GO NITE!!!!!! I AM WITH YA BROTHER!!!!!

[conalabu]

I think the problem is this: You still feel the need to apologize for feeling that way. Shit, Nite, we all feel this way. You, like the rest of us, serve an extremely small percentage of the population. That population is maxed out with idiots. There are normal citizens out there. We just never get a chance to interact with them. Oh yeah, and the blue hairs at the stop sign, they think it is respectful to let you go first. We rarely see that when we are working, so you may not recognize it. I normally just go, circle the block and come back to the same sign and continue to observe all of my little homies trying to get away with something.

[TXCharlie]

There are normal citizens out there. We just never get a chance to interact with them.

That's what Community Oriented Policing is all about - But from what I've seen, very few PD's fully implement it, especially #4 in Organizational Elements, which is utilization of Volunteer Resources and #1 of External Elements, which is to partner with citizens in the community, to build trust both directions - People tend to trust those things that they have a partnership in.

Another cornerstones of C.O.P. is getting out of the cars when you see folks and talking to them... That's an investment, not wasted time.

Here's a synopsis:
http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/Default.asp?Item=36

But from my experience, there's too much hand-wringing over liability... And this is not to say that radicals, "trolls", and vigilantes with an agenda other than crime-fighting may wedge their way in - You simply have to work to educate them and find a project that they can be constructive in, or vote them off the island.
.

[conalabu]

That's what Community Oriented Policing is all about - But from what I've seen, very few PD's fully implement it, especially #4 in Organizational Elements, which is utilization of Volunteer Resources and #1 of External Elements, which is to partner with citizens in the community, to build trust both directions - People tend to trust those things that they have a partnership in.

Another cornerstones of C.O.P. is getting out of the cars when you see folks and talking to them... That's an investment, not wasted time.

Here's a synopsis:
http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/Default.asp?Item=36

But from my experience, there's too much hand-wringing over liability... And this is not to say that radicals, "trolls", and vigilantes with an agenda other than crime-fighting may wedge their way in.
.

Txcharlie, please do not quote material that I study. That's rude. It is like a pupil telling the teacher that they need to reada book the teacher wrote. I am out of my car almost as much as I am in it. It does not change the fact that 98% of my interactions are with people who have called me with a problem. And, again, exactly what is your experience? You have heard this before, why do you continue to put yourself out there as "in the know"?

[TXCharlie]

Sorry conalabu... My tendency to debate got in the way again.

I appologize.

[conalabu]

Accepted, and thank you.

[HockeyChick]

My significant other is a police officer in the town I work in. He was working court duty one day, and our lunch breaks coincided so he invited me to lunch at a local deli. As we were sitting there enjoying our lunch, I shit you not, some asshole came down at our table and sat with us, talking to my significant about a ticket he got. Since this city is all about flowery policing, my significant other seemed to hesitate about asking the guy to bug off.

I looked at him and said "excuse me, I don't go up to strangers and interrupt their lunch, so I kindly ask that you respect that boundary for me." He said sorry and got up and left. I don't even think this guy knew how ballsy and rude he was by just pulling up a chair and joining us.

People are such selfish assholes sometimes.

[Willowdared]

My significant other is a police officer in the town I work in. He was working court duty one day, and our lunch breaks coincided so he invited me to lunch at a local deli. As we were sitting there enjoying our lunch, I shit you not, some asshole came down at our table and sat with us, talking to my significant about a ticket he got. Since this city is all about flowery policing, my significant other seemed to hesitate about asking the guy to bug off.

I looked at him and said "excuse me, I don't go up to strangers and interrupt their lunch, so I kindly ask that you respect that boundary for me." He said sorry and got up and left. I don't even think this guy knew how ballsy and rude he was by just pulling up a chair and joining us.

People are such selfish assholes sometimes.

You do realise your Sig Other was on the clock though - right?

[conalabu]

Hockey chick, I wish I could tell you how many times that has happened to me. I stopped having my "significant other" meet me for meals.

[Virginian]

Hockey chick, I wish I could tell you how many times that has happened to me. I stopped having my "significant other" meet me for meals.

He's probably pretty angry about that too

[JLK]

lock some people up. makes me feel better, especially if you get one going for the first time.

[kdm0409]

Lunch without interruption?? What is that? I wouldn't have a clue considering that I get interrupted on a daily basis at this school by teachers, kids, officers, anybody and everybody! lol So, when I do make it out of the school to eat and go with other officers, I just ignor people unless the other officers don't answer. Then I will answer, but usually send the vibe to leave me the hell alone for a minute. I have also made other officers laugh so hard, because I have been known to tell the people I will be with them shortly and I finish eating, then while they are sitting there trying to eat I will go sit at their table and move shit around and start asking them questions about what was going on. I can be just as aggravating, especially after working with middle schoolers all day!!