Does distrust of the Police start at home with the parents?

Question

I had an encounter the other day that made me think. I finished a call for tresspassing at a lower income apartment complex and was walking back to my car when three young kids (3-6 years old)started waving, saying hello and walking towards me. I waved back and was going to offer them some little plastic police badges for kids I carry in my car. When the kids were about five feet from me their mother burst out of her door and belted out "Don't you talk to no F*!*ing cop, get your asses back in here." Then someone else yelled from inside another apartment "Go home PIG!" Is it possible that some people grow distrustful of the police before they have ever been able to truly form their own opinion?

Answer 1

that is just sad. Hearing that often enough would teach kids the bad stuff...but then they're probably learning things that put them in conflict with y'all later. I've lived in a neighborhood like that - and those with the worst attitudes had reason to be stopped and harassed...and the officers' attitudes weren't the best either. Understandable I guess to deal with that all the time.
On the other hand - you doing what you do gives them a bit here and there that shows them parents aren't always right too. Maybe some day down the road that will come back in good stuff being passed along. It's not for nothing even when it sometimes seems it is.

Answer 2

I think it is important to look at where you were. If you were in an African American neighborhood, or a lower social economic neighborhood. There is a long history of police harassment. There are a lot of innocent men in prison who are there because they are black. I believe that before you can convict you must have a DNA match. Back to your question, yes people are taught to fear the uniform that has in the past and will in the future take there Moms, Dads, sisters and brothers away to a very bad place. I have seen what the damage the department can do from both sides my brother in-law was a police officer in a large southern city, and my brother is a musician who due to his appearance has been arrested on more than one occasion. The police are doing a very dangerous job for little money or respect from the people they are there to help. Just like the rest of society there are good cop and bad cops . It is a shame the god ones don't have a better press agent.

Answer 3

You know that is truly a shame. Basically yes it does start in the home. See my daughter one time saw a Muslim woman on the city bus when we were going home. Now she had never seen one before. If I had not told her that that was a real person under all those robes and that there was nothing to be afraid of then she would have been afraid, and fear grows hate. Basically the same thing goes with cops or any person that is different. And unfortunately our police officers are branded as people who don't care or are just in it for the money. I don't think I ever see anything on TV about a cop saving someones life or how they contribute to the community to turn a persons life around. It is only concentrated on the bad things that they do.

Answer 4

It is possible, I know my distaste for cops was not from my parents. It is said that a major contribution to our preferences and dislikes is the environment we are raised in. I also remember being taught in grade school that cops are good and trustworthy and that if we ever felt like we were in danger we should find a police officer. As far as what the mother said, personally I think you should be able to arrest people who talk to kids with that kind of language. Hopefully the children are smart enough to realize (or at least will be one day) that they have their own minds and can formulate their own opinions.

Answer 5

i think it is true that it starts at home at least most of the time. it is like racism that gets passed down. if you are a small child and you hear your parents talking trash about the police all the time you think that is normal and will grow up thinking police are bad and are only out to get you. it is possible to change kids minds by doing like what you did waving back and trying to give them the badges. it really takes talking to kids in school because there parents are not around and can not influence there opinion.

Answer 6

Yeah we learn about this kind of thing in psychology. For example you are in a car with your father and he gets pulled over by a police officer. The officer gives him a ticket and he complains about how unfair the police are being to him even though he was likely speeding and can't come to terms with the fact he is wrong. So you as the little kid learn that cops are bad because they give your parents tickets they don't deserve even if they really did break the law. Its kind of disturbing how unwilling people are to accept the consequences of their actions.

Answer 7

Isn't this true for many reactions people have? We learn from our environment, what others tell us, observations, and own experiences. The mother yelling to the children was out of protection. Her belief or knowledge that harm may come to the children if they share information with the police, or an outsider.

Answer 8

If they don't learn it at home, they'll learn it the first time they have experience with one.

That really isn't entirely true but nearly. I've had alot of dealings with cops and I can tell you that most are jerks who are cops just so they can push their weight around. I have known a few good ones. Even when I was a hard core scooter tramp there were a few I partied with. One, the head of detectives, was just a really good guy. Of course it didn't hurt that I saved his son's butt.

Answer 9

When my parents were raising me, they did their best to make me like cops, but when cops started pulling me over, "just because they can," as one officer told me, that's what started my distrust of cops. Perhaps cops shouldn't try to be above the law and just enforce it. I'm sure not all cops are like that, but I've seen a lot of it. At least in the Bay Area. Note: I've been through all parts of this country, but have never been pulled over anywhere except California. I never get a ticket, they just pull me over to mess with me.

Answer 10

yes, It's a shame. Those adults were obviously ignorant. Sounds like the adults might have something to hide.And just WHO do these ignorant people think they are going to call, if someone tries to hurt those children? I have children and I'm raising them to have respect for the law. I bet those people don't teach their kids any manners either. Don't feel bad.....there are still a bunch of us that are trying to raise decent kids.