Do You Fear or Respect the Police?

Question

How were you raised to treat the police as kids? Did your parents tell you that they could help you in case of a life-or-death emergency and to go to them if you ever got separated from your moms and dads? Or were you taught to be afraid of them?

Me: I was taught to be really afraid of the police. Every time I misbehaved in public, especially if there were cops around, my mom would say "Stop playing with the apricots (grocery store) or else that cop will take you away and throw you in a cold cement jail forever." Another time, I was with my dad and walked past a cop with a gun in his pocket. My dad pointed to his pocket and says, "That's his gun. He can shoot anybody he wants, so stay away from cops." In case of getting lost, my parents said, "Never go to a cop if you get lost, because they are very mean people. Go to a store instead and talk to the manager."

They had me hiding in the car everytime my parents drove by a police car. I know now there's good & bad cops.

^ btw, I was under 6 when they told me all this. I nearly had a heart attack when they brought in someone's dad (a cop) in class for career day in the second grade.

Answer 1

Cops make me nervous. I guess there are some good ones, but when I've had serious problems, I turned to cops for help and they didn't do squat. They were OK for minor problems, though. They're not all bad, I suppose, but I really resented the way they acted when a close friend was sexually assaulted--they totally blamed her and refused to do blood tests for date-rape drugs. The case went nowhere, and a few months later, somebody else was brutally assaulted in the same manner--same MO, same number of guys, same vehicle, same location.

Cops often have sexist, patronizing attitudes toward sexual assault and spousal abuse victims. So they're being soft on male offenders and allowing women to be victimized by their refusal to act like those are "real crimes."

I avoid cops as much as possible.

Answer 2

I was actually raised to respect the police but yet have a certain level of distrust towards them. I know not all cops are bad but it is unfortunate that the bad ones really hurt the image of all of them.

For example, a few years ago a police officer ticketed an amublance driver for speeding. The ambulance was en route to a hospital and had his emrgency lights on but in the city in question, emergency vehicles are not allowed to drive faster than 15 mph over the speed limit in response to an emergency. The officer stated he wrote the ticket because the driver was not transporting someone with a life threatening condition. Excuse me, but if I need an ambulance chances are it has to be something somewhat serious (or else I would have driven myself to the hospital). If I find the driver taking his sweet damn time getting there, I would have to ask "Are you charging me by the hour???"

Another example actually involved my brother. My brother, my wife, and I all drive together to my mother's 50th B-Day party. At the party my wife and I did consume alcoholic beverages. My brother, however, did not. When we left the party, my brother got pulled over. It was a warm summer's day so all the windows in the car were rolled down. I was in the front passenger seat, and my wife was in the rear seat passenger side. The officer approached the vehicle from the passenger side, stated he smelled alcohol (no kidding?), and told my brother to get out of the car. He was given field sobriety tests which he passed no problem. The cop still decided to write him a ticket for "Driving too fast for conditions" WTF? He couldn't go any faster than the car in front of him so why single him out? The cop should have put 2 and 2 together to realize that he was the designated driver and then thank him for doing the responsible thing, shake his hand, and send him on his way. That happened several years ago and it still gets to me. My brother may not be a perfect angel, but he was definately in the right there!

I could go on and on with further examples but why bother. Perhaps there would be a lot more trust on both side if cops and their egos could be seperated.

Answer 3

I hold no fear of them. I have Mitch Chuck and Art over for poker every other friday.
We play they are cool we have a few beers and teas the wives.
I'm a rancher Mitch is state patrol and Chuck and Art are county sherriff deputies.
God it's lonely out here. lol. when cops are your only friends. lol
Look folks they are good guys. Just like you and me. They have families and just do what they do.
Tell you something else. I have been hunting with these guys in blizzard conditions and there are no men better at keeping cool heads and team work.
I grew up on a reservation. Cops in suits were hated by most of us but the res police kept us scared lol. It was hard growing up on a Reservation with all of the prejudice that was there. We didn't trust cops or feds( feds being the most hated)
Now that I'm just another American and that Native tag isn't as noticed Life is good.

Answer 4

I always respected them and am now raising 2 of my grandchildren the same way. I have taught them that if there is an emergency or if they get lost and can't find me or anything like that to go to a police officer and he or she will help.

I was once in a restaurant where there were several police officers in uniform eating at a nearby table. There was another table with a lady and a 4 or 5 year old boy at it. The little boy was acting up and the mother told the child that if he didn't settle down that the police were going to handcuff him and take him to jail. I leaned over and said "no they won't" The lady was so mad at me. I told her that if she couldn't control her son that it was her problem and I looked at the little boy and said" the police will not arrest you for misbahaving in public but you should try to act better."

Answer 5

I've been a cop for 22 years. I hate people who say things like your parents do. I still run across that today. Some kids misbehaving in a store and instead of the mother discipling the kid like she should, she'll point to me and say "Behave or I'll have him take you away and lock you up". WTF lady...thanks. Of course the kid is cowering and shaking behind the mother.

My father insisted we respect all cops. It also helped that he knew most of the cops on the city force (which I later became a member of) and so i grew up knowing that there would be no problems unless you did something stupid.

Answer 6

I was raised to respect the police however in the experiences I have had with them they have proved themselves to be arrogant,
disrespectful and ignorant. Some people view the police as hero's..risking their lives, putting themselves in harms way..I see a cop as someone who is out on a ego high. and getting paid for it. A fireman would come to your rescue before a cop would. I don't fear them either their badge does not intimidate me.

Answer 7

There's allot of problems with cops out there these days. There average guys with little to no proper training on how to deal with the screwed up world their trying to control. Many abuse alcohol, drugs and their loved ones as a result. Many others take the power of their badge and use it to benefit themselves or abuse others. I have little to no respect for cops. I am a good citizen. I volunteer, help people at all times and always follow the law. I still have been on the wrong side of a group of angry, power abusing corrupt cops. I have been attacked twice, my car has been towed from my drive way at home many times, I get pulled over three or four times a week. The list goes on. I try to respect the badge. But in these days, it gets harder. To top the list, there's a cop who's in love with my girlfriend who keeps threatening me to leave her before he steals her away.

Answer 8

I thought when you get lost or need assistance,that's where you go-to the cops. So No, I don't fear them. I respect them.

Answer 9

I work with a lot of cops. They're people. As such they are varied. There's *******, great guys, and everything in between.

Answer 10

I respect them for enforcing the law cause we live in a country built by laws