Why are some police officers so angry?

Question

Why do you get all huffy and puffy on people? Did it ever occur to these rude officers that respect does not come with the badge, you must still EARN IT? Do you think if you treated people a little better, they wouldn't respond to you the way that they do?

I never said that they were rude to me. I've never in my life been pulled over and I most certainly would not be rude to a law enforcement official, so back off lady.

A good friend of mine was a police officer in Ohio and he shot himself due to the stress that he was going through. I know it's hard. Not all young cops are rude, some of them are quite nice actually.

Hey Adventure Man...you're the kind I'm talking about! Point Made!

Answer 1

For every one person who respects us, 10 want to hurt/kill us. You decide who to be nice to.

Answer 2

I agree with the poster that in general officers need to treat people with respect and that just having a badge alone is not an guaranteed ticket to recieving respect, it does have to be earned. However many people who are in trouble with the police would probably define earned differently than I. I try to be very professional and show respect until the point that they do not respect me. Generally you can tell within seconds of an encounter how it is going to go (attitude wise that is).

I see first hand all the time how an officer treats someone leads to how that person responds. Officers that have good people skills are the best. However I also see first hand every day the people that are predisposed to think all officers are "rude" or corrupt and deserve no respect and that think that the officers should be out doing anything else but bothering them. If I stop someone and the first thing they say is "what the **** are you stopping me for why are you out chasing the rapist and the murderers" then it is very hard for me to conjure up any respect and keep from getting a bit "huffy" and "puffy".

I do not agree with the poster that said that for every 1 person there are 10 that hate the police. I would say almost the opposite maybe more like 1 in 10 hate the police, 1 in 10 dont really care for them, 3 in 10 like them as long as they are doing the job the way they think it should be done and not bothering them, and 5 in 10 recognize and appreciate the job they do. These later group are the people I like and that get treated with the most respect. These are the people who do not stereotype all officers based on the "bad cops" that unfortunately exist and are willing to take responsibility when they find themselves on the receiving end of a ticket. It is all right to hate the bad cops but it is not alright to think that all cops are this way.

Answer 3

Cops almost have to have two different personalities to deal with everything they experience. I'm not a cop but I work in law enforcement and I have many friends who are officers and they are some of the greatest men and women that I have ever met IN MY LIFE. But out there in the streets, they can't be your best friend. If they tried to be, they would be ineffectual as peace officers and would most likely end up hurt or worse.
There's a fine line between rude and efficient when dealing with citizens and yes, sometimes that line is crossed. But when you try to extract specific pieces of information from people to try to help them with whatever issue they need help with, I'd say about 80% of the time, people tell you things that they don't need to tell you. People share a shocking amount of personal information about themselves and at the same time, they try to withold certain things that they think are not important when they really are. So trying to tactfully get them to stop telling you the wrong things and start telling you the right things is difficult. And that can come off as rude.
All that being said, I think you should contact your local police department and participate in their ride-along program, if they have it. It certainly can be very eye opening to see first hand how people act when they come into contact with officers. Just a thought.........

Answer 4

They sure have a tough job, but that is no good reason for being rude, or angry that many of them sure are.
Some people should not have been admitted to the police office, because they are not psychologically fit, just like some that people should not have become teachers.
There are also corrupt cops, that are mean due to the unlawful affairs they have got involved in.
But all in all, generally speaking, we should feel sympathy with and respect the cops for all the trouble they are faced with in order to ensure our social security.

Answer 5

Probably because they work their butts off to get scumbags off the street only to know that they will be back on the street before they can even finish filling out the paperwork. They have a tough job. They NEED to be respected! They put their lives on the line every time they put their uniforms on! They have to deal the with scum of the earth everyday. If people didn't break the law they wouldn't have to worry about cops being angry with them in the first place. It is not that hard to not break the law! Some people just need to grow up and realize that!

Answer 6

Most cops I have been encountered with are assertive. They have to be. They don't know what you are hiding in you pocket, trunk or car. These people put their life on the the line every day.
If it's just a routine traffic stop, give him the right documents, be nice to the officer and chances are he will respect you back once you don't pose any real threat to him/her.

But I agree, some cops are on a power trip. When you deal with these jer offs you just have to bite your your toung and take your ticket. You can fight it in court by talking to the prosicuter and explaing that the cops was a real dick to you.

Answer 7

While its true that an officer should treat everyone respectfully and courteously until circumstances dictate otherwise, there is another side to your question. Try being in their shoes for awhile, having to deal with angry, potentially violent people who may or may not have called them for assistance in the first place. Add that to an ever-growing list of tasks that must be satisfied everyday, whether you're short-handed or not, a supervisor who may or may not be a real jerk, a family situation involving a son or daughter on drugs or in jail themselves, a wife or husband who feels neglected and/or under-appreciated because of the long hours the other spouse has to spend everyday with reports, court appearances, dangerous prisoners and surly attorneys who think they know it all when it comes to how a particular case should have been handled, then add the stress of having to deal with people who abuse their own spouses, parents, children or pets, not to mention having to clean up after someone who didnt think it was necessary to buckle their kids in before crashing into a telephone pole while trying to talk on their cell phone. I could go on and on, but I think I've more than made my point. Like the saying goes, before you criticise, try walking in their shoes for a mile first. If anything, cops and all other EMS personnel deserve at the very least our deepest thanks, appreciation and respect, instead of the disrespect and indignation they ususally get. 'Nuff said.

Answer 8

Some of them just have that attitude. Some have their bad days where they go off on everything. All that I've met (growing up in a police family, I've met a lot!) are generally nice, and all of them are just trying to do their jobs. Of course, small town cops and large city cops can be complete opposites, too.

Answer 9

With this I must say, they aren't all bad. I was 7 months preger, speeding and didn't know that my tags were expired. They were really nice and let me go with a warning. Unfortunately I've met some really rude ones that told me I didn't know how fast i was going and had a ticket to pay. But I agree, They do still need to earn it. Unfortunately There are quite a few that do NOT deserve it. I know of one in the next town that went to school w/ my hubby and they thought he was going to shoot up the school... You'd think they'd look into something like that. Its the power they get off on.

Answer 10

Well the badge should deserve some respect...but that's for the law not for the person. Alot of cops today are young cocky they have a badge so they can do what they want......think of it like criminals protected and given the power of the law....its rather sad the way society diminishes.....Ive rarely ever met a old cop who was very kind.

Answer 11

For many the stress of the job takes a severe toll. For some there are psychological issues at work that slipped by the screeners. I worked as a reserve police officer for a couple of years in Santa Ana, Ca. It was very interesting to observe both my fellow officers and the "civilians" with whom we interacted.