Why do the police only care about the wealthy?

Question

If I refused to pull over for 45 minutes like OJ did they would have wrecked my vehicle and shot me to death.

Answer 1

Wow. That begs the question. Proof please (aside from one anecdote)?

Answer 2

When a poor man's actions are even "questionable" - which is to say that they MIGHT be illegal - the police arrest him and let the courts decide whether the poor man should be pardoned or punished. That's inconvenient for the poor people and unfair to boot, but, hey, what are they gonna do about it, huh?

But a rich man, such as a famous actor or a corporate executive, might well have friends or business associates on the city council. Or he might be one of the governor's golfing buddies. Or the rich man might have the favor of the local media bosses, whose reporters might write up the arrest while using their yellow-journalism propaganda tricks to make the offender look innocent and make the officer look like a drunken bully. If a police officer antagonizes a high ranking public official (or a media boss), he could lose his job.

So before the officer arrests the rich man, he will check the law a dozen times to see whether by any interpretation he can justify leaving the rich fellow alone. If the law is clear and the rich man must be arrested, he'll ask for high level authorizations before making the arrest, so that if necessary he can pass the buck. The officials who give those authorizations might wait until they've received word from still higher officials that an arrest might, just maybe, be appropriate in these circumstances.

Finally, when all the political maneuvering is done, with excuses and apologies having been prepared in the event that they might be necessary, and with everyone at least believing he can make someone else the scapegoat if a mistake is being made, the police move in and arrest the rich offender.

That's why it takes so long to arrest wealthy criminals, especially if they are also popular. The only reason the police ever arrest a popular, rich criminal is the possibility that they might get into worse trouble, later, when some higher authority asks them: "Well, if you knew he was committing crimes, why didn't you arrest him?"

Sheila V is wrong on one point. The White Bronco did not belong to OJ, but to his friend (and driver) Al Cowlings. The police knew that OJ was in Cowlings' Bronco because Cowlings told them. When the police approached Cowlings yelled for them to "stay back" because OJ was in the passenger seat holding a gun to his head.

(I've also heard that OJ was seen in Cowlings' Bronco at a gas stop. I've heard that OJ made cell phone calls from the Bronco.)

Although OJ left what sounded like a suicide note, it was not explicitly a suicide note, and even though OJ had in his possession a Smith & Wesson .357 magnum revolver, he was also carrying his passport and a disguise: a fake goatee and mustache. So either OJ wasn't sure which he wanted to do: kill himself or flee, or else the "suicide" note was a red herring, and running off to hide somewhere was his real purpose.

Unless these activities are what OJ Simpson normally did of an afternoon, just his way of stretching his legs you might say, I'd tend to believe that they indicate guilt. If OJ didn't know yet that his wife was dead, he'd have no particular reason to break from his usual routine, whatever it was. If OJ did know that his wife had been murdered, yet he wasn't himself her killer, then what he'd be inclined to do is go directly to the police station and demand detailed information, not go running off with gun in his hand and a disguise in his pocket.

Answer 3

First of all, it depends on the policy of the particular police department doing the chasing, as to whether or not they can cause you to wreck your vehicle. My department we are not allowed to. Second, a police officer is only allowed to use deadly force if they feel their life or the life of another is in danger. Third, the only people that are allowed to shoot somebody that is fleeing are prison guards. And fourth, it has absolutely nothing to do with wealth or lack of. Maybe the poor run and try not to get caught because they know they can't afford the big shot lawyers. And the rich run because they know they can afford the big shot lawyers. Whatever the case, when you are chasing someone in a vehicle pursuit, you don't know who you are chasing until you catch them. Just because the vehicle came back to OJ doesn't mean they knew they were chasing OJ, the vehicle could have been stolen.

Answer 4

I would like to see some figures on that. In the city I work in it does not matter about money. We treat everyone the same. Court is a different story. Once I arrested a very wealthy man, I mean multi millionaire. When he came to court the attorney he hired convinced the judge to have the charges dropped to a city ordinance so that the guy would not have a criminal record. Then the judge looked at me and asked me if I had a recommendation for a fine. So, right there in open court, for what should have been about a $300.00 fine for disorderly conduct, I said $4,000.00. The guys attorney laughed out loud and said he thought that was quite steep. That's when I got to speak my thoughts. I told the attorney that his client was lucky that the judge even reduced the charges in the first place, then I told the attorney that if his client could afford to hire a high priced attorney like himself that I'm sure he could afford to pay a $4000.00 fine. The judge even looked at me funny and I told the judge that the client's net worth was over $64 million and that $4K was a drop in the bucket. The judge fined him the $4K.

Answer 5

You obviously do not live in L.A. where long police chases usually pre-empt regular television programming, and last for hours. Except for OJ, all of them have been average or low income persons.
And the OJ pursuit was not 45 minutes, it was 3 hours. They followed him right up to his house and arrested him. He just wanted news cameras there so he wouldn't get shot when he was taken into custody.

Answer 6

The best justice money can buy, if you went to trial as OJ did, you would be serving life now

Answer 7

its not just the wealthy but it also the baseman who also have money they are just not as rich. The famous do get away with everything cause they also have money. businessman get away with everything cause they also have money, and they can do the crimes get away with it cause they pay off the police chief. or the police officers and fire chief, when he burned down the his restaurant things, like this happen with both wealthy people and businessman.

Answer 8

Even though the police have power, the wealthy have more power. It just not police, most people in our country think more of rich people and think less of poor.

Answer 9

They don't. If you are going to give them a sackfull ofmoney to help you then they would work like the rent was due TOMMOROW!but even if your rich and your NOT willing to bribe then your not gonna get nothing.

Answer 10

That is true...but high-profile people must be dealth with a certain decorum.

Sad to say, but the majority of us are not high-profile folks. And remember, he had someone with him, too.

Answer 11

Police care about people who are either like them, or who they can benefit from.