Isn't It Odd that Only Law Enforcement Can Break Laws to Do what they Call Their Jobs?

Question

Like Killing people in high speed chases where the suspect might have a warrant for some simple infraction. Or tasing a woman for not getting out of her car fast enough. It is so odd to me that Law enforcement officers do the very things that the common citizenry is forbidden to do. It's Like the Government using WAR to Bring about PEACE. Am I wrong? If so, Why?

Answer 1

You need to get out more and learn what is really going on in the world.

You are so sadly misinformed.

You know, there are more REAL news and information sources then MTV, Youtube and Comedy Central.

Sadly, you will learn one day, hopefully not at the hands of one of these criminals that you sympathize with.

Answer 2

You are wrong.

Officers that brake the law are frequently tried in a court of law for their actions. Just recently 2 boarder patrol officers were put in prison for shooting an illegal coming across the boarder. The court decided that their actions were not appropriate and they were held accountable. Did you miss that news story - or just not pay attention to it because it does not fit your argument?

As far as high speed chases go - the officers don't start those - they don't go up to the bad guy and say "Hey, I'll give you a 10 second head start....run" and then go after them so they can speed. When an innocent person is hurt/killed in a high speed chase - it's the fault of the crook who ran from the cop - not the cop who followed. It's a pretty well known law - that if an officer puts on his lights and siren - that means pull over and stop - not go faster. Put the blame where it really belongs... the bad guy who ran from the law.

Answer 3

I sense some underlying personal feelings or experiences in your question. To be nit picky, a lot of professions actually get to break the law to do their jobs. Delivery drivers routinely double park to make deliveries. Meter readers trespass on your property to read your gas and water meters, ambulance and firefighter drivers speed and disregard red lights, I could go on and on.

But I would like to address your specific questions. I have been a police officer for 11 years, and been involved in several high speed pursuits. I HATE THEM. They are dangerous as Hell. I was once responding to an officer needs assistance call and my car was T boned and smashed, high speed runs are dangerous for cops, criminals, and innocent citizens.

Unfortunately there has to be things in place for people who flee or disobey the police. A large police agency in Central Ohio tried a "No Pursuit Policy". Unless it was a violent felony they were not allowed to pursue anyone. As soon as the news media heard about it and advertised this fact; that agency had over 100 fleeing motorists in less than a week. Everyone knew if they ran more than 2 blocks they were home free. It made MORE people run from the police, more crimes were committed, more innocent people were put in danger, and no one was caught and held accountable.

Police Officers have a huge liability when they chase someone, they can and are regularly sued when people get injured in police chases. But it is a necessary evil.

Now tasering a noncompliant person an officer is trying to arrest. Believe it or not tasering is considered a "temporary discomfort" type of action in most agency's use of force continuums. That means it falls ahead of laying hands on someone to try to control them, striking them (even with an open hand) or any use of a baton. That means a taser, and pepper spray, fall before fighting with someone. you hit someone and they are bruised for days, you tase them and they are (hopefully) incapacitated but perfectly fine once it wears off.

I will admit that that hasn't always been the case with tasers, they are very controversial right now. People have been injured when they fell after being tased, and on a few rare occasions people have even died after being tased. I don't have any answer for these things, I am fairly certain this wasn't any officer's intention when they used a taser. No one wants the burden of knowing you took someone else's life, by any means.

If there is a realistic way to use peace (as you put it) to bring about a safe society many would love to implement it. But right now, the reason we are able to open our doors and windows on a nice day or take a walk and not worry about being victimized is because police are there keeping people who would prey on others in check.

Answer 4

Yes, you are wrong. Law enforcement's job is to ENFORCE the law AND protect innocent civilians. These laws are created by representatives in our democratically elected government. When citizens break these laws, there are consequences. If you are suggesting that police should not chase criminals who run or that police should not taze people who resist them, we would live in a society that would border on anarchy. Every criminal would know, "hell, I'll just run, they can't chase me"...or, "I'll fight 'em, they cant use force against me." The problem you have in your argument is that you do not see the larger picture. Societies create rules that "most" people agree with. If you don't agree with the laws that are on the books, elect someone to change them. If you think cops should never chase suspects, petition your local and state representatives. If you think tasers are evil, petition your local and state representatives. The only thing that our elected officials care about is getting or staying elected. I assure you that enough people complain, laws can change. Just be careful in what you wish for.

...and enough with the nonsense that cops are above the law. They operate under a microscope daily with more rules and restrictions than you could possible imagine.

Answer 5

You are wrong. I doubt Yahoo! will allow me enough space nor do I have the free time to explain to you how wrong you are.

Pure and simple though. The laws of my state grant me the power of arrest. That same law says that if someone resists arrest that I can use the force needed to take them into custody. For example, if I stop a car and decide that the driver is driving on a revoked license I can arrest them. If I tell the driver to step out of the car, that they are under arrest then they should do what I say. If they tell me no and refuse to get out of the car then, according to state law and my department policy, I can Taser them and remove them from the car. I can then handcuff them and take them to jail. It is not up to them if they go to jail or not. No law is broken by me. The law that is broken is the laws of operating a vehicle with a revoked license and resist, delay, and obstruct a law enforcement officer.

As for pursuits........ The laws of my state and my department policy permit me to pursue a suspect that is fleeing from me. I can run red lights, break speed limits, etc. as long as I do it in a prudent manner. If the suspect would pull over then no one would be put in danger by their activity.

I'm guessing you have no idea what Police work is like. I have never operated on another human being. I'm going to leave that up to the doctors. You leave the bad guys up to us.

Answer 6

For every error in judgment or use of excessive force or instance of financial or sexual misconduct, thousands of law officers in this country are just doing their jobs, doing them with honesty and honor. That mistakes are made, with sometimes tragic results, simply means that those officers are human.

Ever hear of the Bucky Philips case? He murdered two NY state police officers in cold blood, and the manhunt for him was intense. They caught him. And they brought him in. Not only would most people have forgiven the troopers if they hadn't brought the grotesque little creep in alive...alot of people were probably HOPING they wouldn't.

In spite of high emotion, and the simple temptation of revenge, the troopers did their job. They upheld the law.

So next time you're declaring every cop to be corrupt or brutal, remember what KIND of job these people have, and how often and how well they do it.

Answer 7

You blame the police for a death when someone runs from the law? That's absolute BS! That criminal needs to reap what they have sown. You run and someone dies, its your criminal activity that killed that person. Simple.

If cops are running red lights and killing citizens in other instances, then I blame the police.

Tased for not exiting fast enough? BS! Tased for not following lawful orders. Do the law abiding, legal thing and all will work out. Blind defiance is worse than blind faith.

Answer 8

Of course you are wrong.

And of course you look past all of the reasons why those situations you describe occurred. You read the headlines, but not the story.

I am not condoning the death of innocent people, but I am supportive of actually trying to catch a repeat felon that WILL continue his evil ways if he isn't caught. I find it tragic and disturbing that someone would blatantly disregard the safety of the public by racing through crowded streets and neighborhoods because he doesn't want to go to jail again. I'm sure you would be crying the other way if he wasn't caught and decided to do a home invasion at your grandmother's house. You would then be complaining that we aren't doing our jobs to let a criminal like him remain loose. Well, guess what? You can't have it both ways.

As for the lady that wouldn't get out of her car. Did you read the part that she was drunk? Did you see the video of her trying to kick and hit the officer? Did you want them to just let her go on her merry DRUNK way and kill someone at the next intersection?

You need to figure out your moral priorities. You are either wanting us to do our jobs or you can complain we do too much. NOT BOTH.

Answer 9

they are doing that to people who broke the law!!! they don't just pick random people and taser some old lady for not moving fast enough. If they don't run some jerk off the road in a high speed chase he might come flying past your house while you are out checking the mail, and run you over! we give the police the right to do those things because they do them in order to protect us. if they are doing it to you, well then you did something that you shouldn't have been doing and needed to be caught.

Answer 10

Not so wrong but you have to look at the situations that Police officers are put into everyday. I'm sure if you ask a police officer they would probably say they don't want to hurt anyone if at all possible.