I do not need to see any more posts reminding us that cops do good work.

[Logical]

It is their fucking job to do good work. They get paid good money and most are part of strong unions and have great retirement benefits. The base pay for a NYC cops after 6 years is $76,000! Not counting overtime! And 27 vacation days after five years of service! Unlimited sick leave with FULL PAY! Read about it here - http://nypdrecruit.com/benefits-salary/overview

Their job is to help people and save people and prevent crime. If they do that they are doing their job. No thanks necessary!

Their job is not to "rough up" people when people piss them off. Their job is not to ignore other cops roughing up people. Their job is to STOP other cops from roughing up people.

Their job is not to arrest someone for Disorderly Conduct (contempt of cop) when someone pissed them off only later to drop all charges. All they really want to do is harass the hell out of someone who pisses them off by arresting them. And there is NO PUNISHMENT if most cops have 10-20 disorderly conduct arrests on their record with no charges filed. Because cop protect other cops.

Why do cops hate video? Because it is mostly the reason they get in trouble. Very seldom does a cop get into trouble if video is not available. Because mostly it is the cops word against some "scum bag" and EVERY jury believes the cop because we are raised that way. So cops HATE being taped. Visit "Photography Is Not a Crime" and read more about it http://www.pixiq.com/contributors/248

Can you imaging if a fireman did a great job but now and then shoved a home owner to the ground who pissed them off? Can you imagine people being OK with this? Can you imagine the fireman keeping his job?

How about a ER doctor who saved thousands of life's but now and then slapped around a patient who was pissing them off? How long would that ER doctor remain in the hospital?

Cops KNOW when they take the job that they will have to deal with the worst of society. That does not mean they can rough them up now and then because it is a difficult job.

Cops get away with behavior no normal person can get away with. People ever piss you off at work? Ever wanted to punch someone at work? Ever did it? If you did what would happen? Exactly!

I give cops plenty of leeway when dealing with drunk and dangerous people. No problem with force being used to subdue them. I also have no problem with cops shooting people what are a REAL threat to their life or someones life.

But harassing citizens because the citizen questions them or disagrees with them is not OK. Roughing up protesters to teach them a lesson is not ok. Punching and kicking a suspect who is down on the ground and not a threat is not OK. No other segment of society can get away with this. And cops should have a HIGHER standard than the rest of society.

So I do not need to hear people say how much cops do for society and how much they help people in defense of a cop beating the shit out of someone.

[Luminous Animal]

1. That is a good rant. Thank you!

[Towlie]

75. In short, any person who would want to be a cop should on no account be allowed to do the job.

[izquierdista]

89. You've got a point there

I've maintained that cops should be drafted. The military seemed to be able to turn draftees in policemen (MPs) who didn't abuse their fellow soldiers.

[usaprogress]

91. What?!

Your statement makes it evident that you have never been in the military! Ed

[izquierdista]

95. You're right

But I've never read about MPs tasering soldiers to death, shooting them 41 times at close range, beating them until they have to be taken off life support, etc., etc.

[midnight]

2. They get unlimited sick leave? Wow they sure have over the top benefits...

Our police force needs to be retrained...

[Luminous Animal]

5. No. They get benefits we all deserve. Unlimited sick leave is based on need.

[pipi_k]

30. Unlimited sick leave...

As I stated down below, Mr Pipi is a retired cop.

One day back in the early 1980s he was chasing a guy across the flat roof of a local department store. It was winter and he went sliding on ice over the edge and ruined both his knees.

He fought the local Police Department for years to keep his job after surgery.

He WANTED his job back. They said no. He was on sick leave for a long time fighting for his job.

The problem...even if he took a desk job, he still had to be able to pursue a criminal while in uniform if the need arose. He could not.

After an 18 year career he had to retire.

While he was a cop, he was a good cop. I've met many of his former co-workers...his former Captain...etc. They all have nothing but good things to say about him...even the cop whose wife Mr Pipi stopped for speeding and didn't get out of a ticket.

Cops deserve every benefit they get.

[emilyg]

90. +1

[reggie the dog]

57. over the top?

we all have benefits in france like those the cops have in nyc

[seabeyond]

3. yes. nt

[Dawson Leery]

4. k/r

NYPD certainly recieves very generous benefits.

I have had more than enough of cops who complain about their job being hard and dangerous. They agreed to accept any dangers that may arise. Also, not every cop has a job in a dangerous area.

The rest of your commentary is proper.

[DLnyc]

8. Many cops are hard working good guys and good women,

but if they don't want to have their reputations sullied by a few psycho assholes, then they need to SPEAK UP AND BUST THESE FREAKS!

Rather than complain about getting painted with a 'broad brush', they need to clean house.

And, frankly, I don't feel one can be a great person while turning ones eyes from everyday corruption and thuggery among ones fellow workers.

I suspect they are mostly intimidated because the corruption is rooted at very high levels.

(on edit: Sorry, meant to reply to OP, not to your post . . . )

[Kennah]

21. According to Forbes, police officer isn't on the Top Ten Most Dangerous Jobs

http://www.forbes.com/2011/03/08/fishing-construction-logging-business-most-dangerous-jobs.html

[PDJane]

6. It's a fine job for those who are violent and lazy, too.....

They don't get their recruits from the church choir. They're necessary and a civilized society can't function without them, but I'm sometimes convinced that those who really want the job shouldn't have it.

[Major Nikon]

7. Just a reminder, cops do good work

Sorry, couldn't resist.

[Bucky]

80. + elevens

[Gregorian]

9. Cops do good work in an emergency. Otherwise, cops work for to keep society moderated.

And by moderated, I mean according to the laws set up by the commands that come from the top down. I think it used to be more geared toward the good of the people. But somewhere, at least in America, during my lifetime they discovered that there was revenue to be made. And along came the goofy sounding sirens, and armor, and laws used to mostly rake in revenue.

Things work best when people self police. I see it on one forum out of the many that I frequent. It's a sight to behold. But it requires vigilance, care, strength, intelligence.

Police are a lazy way of yielding responsibility to a second party. And I strongly believe that they were hijacked by those with big money, long ago. By that I mean cops have been used to alter the behavior of our society through fear and force.

[Divine Discontent]

10. yeah, that cop who was sprayed unintentionally by Bologna should have arrested him instead of

yelling out loud that he sprayed all of them with pepper spray. I don't care if he's a superior, why not say the man broke the law, and came up and intervened in cop work, where they were putting up the screen, and he assaulted the women. I couldn't work for an organization that turns a blind eye to violent acts like that...

http://www.zazzle.com/republicans_2012_keeping_millions_out_of_work_bumper_sticker-128002960205017719
http://www.cafepress.com/barackobama12

[gateley]

11. I'm generally a cop defender and I agree with everything you said -

and you said it VERY well! Recommend!

[eridani]

12. HIgher standards are a must

After all, if Joe Blow beats the shit out of you, you can always call the cops. If Joe Blow IS a cop, that is a real problem.

[Historic NY]

13. There is an 11% rule in any organization.......

they are plain & simple a--holes.

[ZombieHorde]

14. If only 11% of the police are corrupt, then don't the other cops arrest them?

Why do the other 89% protect the bad cops if they are not also corrupt?

[Muskypundit]

97. Because the corruption is up top.

Just like it has always been, especially in NY. There have been multiple cases with just NY with high ranking police officers getting busted for being corrupt. And it normally takes the FBI to get involved, because, good luck telling on your boss. Especially if you are a police officer.

[ZombieHorde]

100. If that is true, then that could definitely help explain a lot of the behavior. nt

[Name removed]

15. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[RaleighNCDUer]

18. Perhaps, but do you REALLY believe that a person who acts violently

out of anger and spite, and so engenders resentment against him and his kind, is someone who anyone could count on to 'have their back'? Isn't that more the action of someone who will make a bad situation worse, endangering everybody?

[TheDebbieDee]

16. For every cop that is a decent human being, there is always at least

one bribe-taking, wife-beating, power-hungry, bullying piece-of-shit!

[leftyohiolib]

88. one bribe-taking, wife-beating, power-hungry, bullying piece-of-shit!

some say that's kasick

[markpkessinger]

17. Thank you! ...

You know, part of the reason there isn't more accountability for police actions (particularly here in NYC) is that everyone is so quick to jump to their defense that they refuse to take a good, hard look at what is really going on. Yes, I, too, know that most cops are basically decent (I actually have two nephews who are police officers, albeit not in New York). But the simple fact is there is a long history of that "blue wall of silence," whereby they always try to protect their own, regardless of what illegal acts their colleagues may have committed.

[sabrina 1]

19. It is one of the issues that needs to be addressed while

the people are in the process of finally taking a stand against the takeover of this country by Corporate Interests. The NYPD works for Wall St. If anyone ever doubted who they work for, not that many of us did who are familiar with NY, they only had to look at what went on this past week.

And it is now clear that something has to be done about it. America's civilian police have been militarized, and they are, for the most part NOT serving and protecting the people who pay their salaries. That has to change because it should scare anyone who watched the Republican and Democratic Conventions, eg, the G20 conferences, people demonstrating against the wars and against corruption, to see whose side the police are on.

Many of those cops in the city this weekend are rightwing Rush Limbaugh/Fox fans who think anyone who dares to go out and demonstrate is a 'liberal' who needs to be beaten. We KNOW that rightwingers salivate over doing that and they have the cops on their side.

For too long it has been accepted. It's way past time that the people get what they pay for, a police force that is working for THEM.

And it looks like this time, thanks to the reporting of citizens, they cannot excuse their behavior. Where is multi-billionaire Bloomberg who bought his position as Mayor of NY? Has he issued any apologies yet? I don't think anyone has heard from him.

The NYPD works with the CIA now, and the Commissioner is a military guy. The enemy the seem to fear the most, are the American people.

I hope this is the beginning of ending this unacceptable situation where there is no one protecting the American people yet, they are paying the salaries of the police.

[JoeyT]

20. Well they do have a dangerous job.

Just like fire fighters, EMTs, construction workers, electricians, refinery workers, gas station attendants, truck drivers, loggers, and about a hundred other jobs I can think of.

They do deal with the dregs of society. Just like social workers, teachers, and pretty much anyone that has to deal with the general public.

Yet we don't cut anyone in those jobs slack for beating the dogshit out of a random passerby for no good reason. Wonder why?

[coalition_unwilling]

22. K to the friggin R. Anyone in Los Angeles with even a passing

familiarity with the so-called 'Ramparts' scandal knows that the Bloods, Crips, M-19 and Eme ain't the only gangs in town.

DUer Sodesuka made a great point yesterday that the cops have gotten used to being fellated for 10 years since 9-11, so they can't handle not being worshipped and will manifest all sorts of weird pathologies when faced with even non-violent resistance, as was the case here.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=2004022&mesg_id=2004022

[NICO9000]

59. Word!

I know all about the LAPD bully boys. Sadly, they're all over So Cal. There's a thug culture that's permeated a lot of these cops mentality. It's obvious they treat everyone in their path as a potential criminal. Just try to reason with one; it's impossible.

[Obamanaut]

23. I know many LEOs - city, county, and state - and ALL the ones I know

do good work. They have families, they do work in the community outside of their job requirements, and they are good people. They just don't make the news.

[NNN0LHI]

28. Would they cross the thin blue line and turn in one of their own who was breaking the law though?

That is the real question. I know an officer who did just that about six years ago. All his former police friends shun him to this day.

He needs a job now and I have a little pull and could probably get him on the force in the city I grew up in north of here but I am hesitant about doing that because I know there is corruption in that town and he will not play that game. Last thing I need is to have the people I recommend this fellow to for a job get indicted for corruption because of this guy. Might get myself killed for causing something like that to happen?

So he is currently working at a golf course cutting grass.

Just trying to point out this is a little more involved than what you see on the surface.

Don

[Obamanaut]

34. Hard to predict what someone else will or will not do. Even *you* seem willing

to turn a blind eye toward the "...corruption in that town...."

[blank space]

65. Nor should they.

The OP's point is completely valid.

Pointing out that there are good cops when highlighting corruption is nothing less than defending the corruption.

Cops are not a single unit, it is not a form of racism or copism to point out corruption.

When pointing out that Bush or Rumsfeld are war criminals there is no need to point out that there are "some good politicians out there like Jimmy Carter" - all this does is infer that its ok for Bush and Rumsfeld to be war criminals and insinuate that pointing out corruption in any politician or cop is a slur against them all.

[Obamanaut]

102. Some might say that my response was in agreement with the subject line of the OP.

[Obamanaut]

24. duplicate - self delete

[hfojvt]

25. that seems like a double standard to me

"Cops get away with behavior no normal person can get away with."

Cops put up with more provocation than normal people have to put up with.

"And cops should have a HIGHER standard than the rest of society."

Okay, fine, but when does a higher standard become "impossibly high"? It seems to me that it is very easy to sit back in the comfort of your own living room and pass judgement on somebody in a stressful situation, as though you, yourself would necessarily be any better under the same circumstances.

"Can you imagine if a fireman did a great job but now and then shoved a home owner to the ground who pissed them off?"

Can you imagine if a fireman had homeowners getting in their face and deliberately trying to piss them off?

I can't. And if one did, I probably would take the side of the fireman who shoved them to the ground.

"How about an ER doctor who saved thousands of lives, but now and then slapped around a patient who was pissing them off?"

Again, can you imagine an ER doctor who is trying to save a patient and has another person interfering with their efforts?

I bet they call for security and have that person wrestled to the ground.

"Cops KNOW when they take the job that they will have to deal with the worst of society. That does not mean they can rough them up now and then because it is a difficult job."

Actually, yes it does. I pay them to protect me (and yes, my property too) from "the worst of society". I am quite fine with "the worst of soceity" obtaining a few abrasions and contusions if they are threatening my life or my property. And by the way, when I protest, that does not necessarily make me one of the "worst of society". But generally I show that by the way I behave even when I am protesting.

"If they do that they are doing their job. No thanks necessary!"

As a worker, I do not care for that attitude - at all. That is one hell of a double standard - against the worker. If the worker works hard and does a difficult job (which incidentally, I just got done doing yesterday and today - moved something like two tons of tables and chairs by myself. My body was aching after the first four hours and I put in an 8 hour shift, but hey "NO THANKS NECESSARY" After all, I got $120 before taxes, so I guess that makes it all good.) then no thanks are necessary.

But if that worker makes the slightest error, or proves to be (gasp!) human, then by all means, we should come down on them like the vengeful hammer of god!

Not me. I appreciate people who work hard at difficult and/or dangerous jobs, and people are not defined by just their worst behaviour.

[tama]

26. Worst of society

are the top 1% mass murderers. The ones that control and are protected by the police and the military.

[Logical]

40. Typical defense the cops use also! Tired old crap!

[Rebubula]

55. May be Tired...

...but it is true.

Just because you and others want to focus on the bad ones does not make your blanket statements true.



I would rather have a police force than not. The criminals are there and the world has seen many, many times what happens when social\legal constraints are removed from society.

Keep hating cops...I will keep supporting them. I will also point out the bad ones...but recognize they are the minority.

[Logical]

68. I would rather have a police force that did not know they could....

get away with beating up suspects and get no punishment. And cops that were willing to prevent other cops from being assholes.

[Ken Burch]

76. There needs to be much more work done to keep cops from acting on their biases on the job

I doubt we'll get anywhere any time soon in creating a police mentality that accepts the fact, for example, that no race or skin color is any more likely to commit crimes than any other.

Also, there probably needs to be some alternative to the police for dealing with protests. Too often, cops identify with the political and economic status quo even when said quos don't really benefit them or the people they know. Too often, they put property and profit before human beings.

[SoDesuKa]

27. Fire Fighters and Cops

One difference between the New York Fire Department and the New York Police Department is in their unofficial titles, "The Bravest" vs. "The Finest."

Nobody will ever mistake New York's cops for being brave. Inspector Bologna's not entirely atypical behavior may or may not have been "fine" - but it was certainly not "brave."

[pipi_k]

29. You may not want to see it, but here it is anyway

Yes, a cop gets paid to protect people in the community.

And that also means he has to protect people he may not like, such as the guy he arrested a month ago who, pissed off, threatened to rape the cop's wife and daughters before killing them.

Would anyone here be inclined to do the same thing? I think not. Many here can't even find it in them to be respectful toward people who haven't done them personal harm. Just holding a different opinion or belonging to the "wrong" political party is enough to attract insults and derision. Save a Teabagger from drowning? HAH. Many here would rather swallow white hot coals.


Does protecting the community also have to include having to scrape some kid's brains off the road because he drove while drinking and wrapped his car around a telephone pole? Who knows. But they do it anyway.

Should it include having to find the broken body of a child or baby abused by its parents? It does.

Should it include good cops having to take the heat for all the bad cops by people who lump them into the same group?

Cops.

Not SOME cops. Just COPS. Like they're all bad.

And as far as not wanting people to videotape them, in a way I can see their point. I'd rather see videotape taken from the cop's cruiser that shows the WHOLE interaction. Not just a part of it that I suspect lots of people edit to make the cops look bad. Which is not to say that cops should ever use excessive force...ever.

Even Mr Pipi, who is a retired cop, gets disgusted when he sees cops on TV using excessive force.

But cops are human. They're as prone to stress as any of us. As far as I'm concerned they don't make NEARLY enough to justify the shit they have to deal with on a near-daily basis.

Some get into police work because, young and naive, they think they can make a difference in the world. Maybe some do. But I think most of them discover that it's an endless parade of the same criminals, the same stupidity, and the same shit and they get very cynical.

It's easy to criticize someone (or a whole group) when one hasn't walked a mile...a half mile...two steps...in that person's shoes.

So please...what I'd like to see is less broad-brush criticism of cops as a whole. There ARE good cops out there. They just don't get the same attention as the bad ones.

[PDJane]

31. The trouble with police officers is....

That they have a seige mentality. The 'you and me against the world' thing causes most of the problems. They tend to think that their view of humanity is always correct, and that their position allows them to punish those they see as 'bad'. That includes anyone who defies the current authority, including protestors and little old ladies who tell them what they are doing is wrong. It includes law-abiding citizens who somehow manage to fall afoul of their ideas of rectitude.

It's unfortunate, but true, that there are very few who can resist temptation.

[pipi_k]

33. I think that anyone

who had to live under certain conditions just because of their chosen vocation would feel the same way.

Probably from the very first day, cops see the worst of the worst of society.

They tend to segregate themselves because people who don't trust some cops give them all a bad name. Neighbors look at them with suspicion. Or, conversely, as their own private protectors. It's like they're never really off duty. Ever.


Can the guy who works 9 to 5 in an office job ever understand the horrors I've described in my previous post? No. Most cops have been exposed to horrors like those. They don't talk about it, but they all understand. And that understanding causes them to feel closer to each other. It's a closed society, of sorts.

In many cases, it really IS an "Us vs. them" thing.

Just like here at DU it's an "Us vs. them" thing. Us...Liberals, Progressives, Democrats, the morally correct...

Against THEM. The teabaggers and Republicans and racists and anyone who dares to think outside the unspoken boundaries of what "proper" Liberals/Progressives/Democrats are supposed to think.

Sometimes that siege mentality here even extends to members of our own group. Don't express the PROPER amount of disgust for big business? Well then, beware of the True Believers who will come in to verbally beat down the offender.

Really...I don't want to hear about cop "siege mentality" when the same thing happens right here nearly every day.

[PDJane]

39. I married a cop.

yes, what I see here is the same thing, in ways, but it doesn't have the same result.

Most on DU won't take their frustrations out on their wives, or get one of his pals to do the job for him. Yeah, I understand what they see, and I do understand why they go off the deep end in some cases. On the other hand, I also know that the way to solve the problem is training and therapy, not giving a guy with a can of mace the right to burn someone's face because they are exercising their rights to assembly and free speech.

Cops do indefensible things; I've seen some of them, and they rarely get called out on them. Some of the people they do those things to are innocent, and some of them are the worst. They make judgement calls when they shouldn't. I don't begrudge them their pay or their benefits. I do begrudge them their automatic call to the high moral ground.

They haven't got that high moral ground. Trust me on this one. I've seen stuff I wish I hadn't, and it has given me a more realistic view of both the police and the military. It's time to stop giving these people the hero-worship that they seem to get.

[Dawson Leery]

43. Thank you for your insight.

Too we agree that our problem with LEO is that they are given broad discretion. The time for hero-worship has more than passed.

[go west young man]

60. Thank you for that.

I have had enough of hero worship in this country as a whole. I was in the military.
It was my choice. It was my job. Soldiers nor police deserve special credit for doing
their job. They are often just being politicized when this hero worship bullshit goes on.
If you choose the job just do it and quit thinking your special. Your not your just like
everybody else.

[Pithlet]

46. when DUers can affect the lives of other people the same way cops can

you'll have a point. But until then, you'll have to hear about cops, I'm afraid. It's hardly as if DUers are the only ones who point the problem out.

[pipi_k]

54. No doubt

we'll all hear the constant whining about cops. ALL cops, even though not ALL of them are bad.


My major problem is the hypocrisy that takes place when people accuse cops of having an "us vs. them" attitude when the same thing happens here on a daily basis.

With less provocation, I might add. Not because someone threatened DUers. Just because they don't like someone else's opinion. People here gang up on others and make it "Us vs. this-person-who-doesn't-think-the-way-we-do"

Hypocrisy under any circumstances is not attractive and I don't see how anyone can condone it.

Also hypocritical is when people here broad-brush an entire group of people based on the actions of some. We don't even know the exact percentage of bad cops, but there are some people who don't care how small it is. If 100 cops are bad, that means they're all bad.

I shouldn't be surprised, though. People broad brush entire areas of the country for the same reason.

[pasto76]

73. you should look up stats on attacks on cops. Its staggering

and they are in fact, under siege from genuine criminals.

trying to relate that to how they handle protestors is dumb.

[nadinbrzezinski]

37. Yup, well said

[w8liftinglady]

107. My partner was a cop for 29 years.

...One of the bluest, kindest people you would ever meet.
Several of his fellow teachers are ex-cops. They make EXCELLENT at-risk teachers.
Has he killed people? yes- after all, he was on K-9 patrol, and then investigation.
Did it bother him? Of course.He can still describe every case.
Did he throw a few bucks toward a needy family, or accidentally buy too much food and share with them?
ALL the time.
Did he put his life on the line every day? Yes.

Cops have ALMOST as shitty of jobs as nurses.We get about the same respect from society.Yes, we do our jobs and get our benefits.Most of us do good jobs and save lives. Some of us don't- they are the ones who make the paper.

[Hotler]

32. k&r n/t

[stevenleser]

35. I don't think sweeping negative generalizations about the police help us.

I think we should go after the individual members of law enforcement who engage in misconduct.

[quakerboy]

51. The problem is that

The ones who are not directly engaging in misconduct are still by and large protecting those who do. The officer who was sprayed in the recent pepper spraying of nonviolent protestors has not stepped forward, nor has the other white shirt who was walking with the offender, nor any of the other 20+ officers in view of the cameras. And the police spokesperson has come forward to defend his actions.

With that kind of solidarity with an abusive perp, how are any of us supposed to trust or respect any police officer, and how is there any realistic chance of "going after individual LE who engage in misconduct"?

[stevenleser]

70. Wanting to show solidarity with a coworker who has not been convicted and assumed to be innocent is

not a justification for the villification of the entire police corps.

[quakerboy]

104. There were other officers there

Who have not come forward to complain. Either that or the police department is ignoring the complaints of those officers. Mr Bologna is still out there to do his abusive of power thing.

One way or another this reflects terribly on the police. As a group, not one individual. Either there are about 20 other officers who are specifically complicit, or the whole police hierarchy is corrupt. Neither is conducive to trusting or thinking well of policeman as a group. And in this one they have only themselves to blame.

Your argument is BS. Would you expect or accept a group of cashiers who show solidarity with a co-worker who was caught on tape stealing from the till? How about the fire department with a fireman who was caught on tape committing Arson? How about an IRS man on tape taking bribes?

[rainlillie]

64. I agree.

[nadinbrzezinski]

36. Ragingmiami posted a rumor that if true is critical

Blue flu is affecting NYPD among rank and file. And officers are refusing orders. Not all, but if enough are...that is important.

[Dawson Leery]

61. Do you have a link?

Any witnesses?

[dajoki]

38. K&R

[CrispyQ]

41. The problem is with the occupation itself.

Any occupation, actually, where one has authority over another, is open for abuse. Law enforcement, management, politicians, judges. Sadly, these occupations attract power hungry types.

The real problem is the good cops standing in silence when shit happens. Just like good Christians not speaking out against the hate of the fundies.


"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." ~Edmund Burke

[louslobbs]

42. K&R Excellent post Logical. My biological father was one of the militant type cops, in addition, he

was a child abuser, he battered my mother and drank alcohol like a fish. He and others on the force, including the chief (who was a friend of his as well as being his boss), would gather at our house for cook outs when I was a little boy, and some of the things I could tell you about their conversations would make your head spin.
Lou

[Overseas]

44. But golly, there are only 5 TV shows each day telling us how good cops are.

How's the public supposed to know most cops are good guys?

[tcaudilllg]

45. I agree.

Besides they will protect us anyway. It's what they do. The real reward to them is beating "bad guys".

[pam4water]

47. K&R

[russspeakeasy]

48. Good on ya !!!

Well put...:evilgrin:

[butterfly77]

49. Kick...

:kick:

[unionworks]

50. I Know good Cops

...I'm just guessing but it seems that when Rudy was running New York, he promoted some folks who were of a similar mindset. What really upsets me is that after reading Officer Bolognas career accomplishments, I find it hard to believe this was the same man I saw in the videos macing innocent people. (though of course it was). How can someone spend that much time serving and putting their ass on the line, and suddenly let their emotions/predjudices/politics warp their common sense to the point where they throw their integrity down the sewer?

[Liberal_in_LA]

52. +1

[DemocratSinceBirth]

53. Every Profession Has Their Good Guys And Jerks

.

[rainlillie]

DemocratSinceBirth, ITA!

[rainlillie]

63. DemocratSinceBirth, ITA!

[RadioFreekentucky]

56. Cops Job

Even most cops probably know it , but their main job is to protect the very rich from people like us .
When the FOP called the other day for a donation I told them that I had been a union man for 40 years and had yet to see a cop on the right side of a picket line .

[Taverner]

58. Amen. My dad was a cop - and I love him - but you know what they say about power

[Uncle Joe]

62. This is a good post.

Thanks for the thread, Logical.

[Logical]

69. Thanks!

[Deep13]

66. Not bad apples, but an institutionalized us vs. them mentality. nt

[archiemo]

67. I'm not as naive about cops as I used to be.

The older I get and the more I've seen have helped me take off the rose-colored glades when it comes to LEOs. I understand all professions have their idiots but other than the military and wall street I don't see any other profession that isn't held accountable for their actions like those folks.

[Smarmie Doofus]

71. Kick, rec. Wish I'd said that. nt

[pasto76]

72. Spoken as only someone who has never gone into harms way for another can

by the way, this is the exact same rhetoric that the republicans use to minimize the death of my soldiers. Good job.

[DaveJ]

74. I might reconsider if their precincts, NYPD, etc., would apologize.

If NYPD won't admit using crowd grade mace at point blank range on harmless women is wrong, I can only logically conclude police are threats to innocent people.

[rpannier]

77. Then don't read them.

It's that simple

[Logical]

82. I would prefer people not post them either! If they do I will post this again!

[Shagbark Hickory]

78. As George Carlin once said about "To Serve & Protect"; "Get me a glass of water!"

Love that guy.

[Jamastiene]

79. I've known cops who were even handed and fair.

A grand 2 of them.

The rest? Fuck 'em.

I've known cops who sat around bragging about how racist they were. They bragged that they used pink bunny costumes to beat black people into confessing whether they did the crime or not. What judge is going to believe someone if they say a pink bunny beat them at the police station? That is one reason they said they did it that way. The other reason was that if they did it that way, their identity could not be known to the black people they were beating.

This one cop I was forced to work with (until I finally quit...he was co-owner of the store) said that all black people were guilty of a crime. The same cop handed out The Color Of Crime to everyone in the guitar store where I worked here in town. That is a known racist pamphlet published by a known hate group.

I've had friends who were beaten and choked for cocaine that they did not even have. The cops were addicted and beat marijuana users up to see if they were holding coke too. It is a routine thing with the cops where I live. They also round up all the drug users they can and collect $1000 then let them back out, just to collect money off the drug use in this town. It is known that $1000 gets you out of a drug charge in this town.

Forget going to the cops here in my hometown if you get raped too. They will tell you that you need to be hypnotized and reprogrammed (in no uncertain terms, first hand experience) and then they will tell you that you are mentally ill and try to get you committed. Forget any justice at all if you get raped in my hometown. Women are on our own here.

Homeless? There is no shelter here. There was one but they only let men use it. No women or children allowed. Now, there isn't one for anyone. But get caught anywhere near a restaurant dump or anywhere in town if you are homeless. You'll be charged anyhow. It is like they say, "Fuck you if you are homeless" in my hometown. You get no help, but you DO get harassed by the cops.

Sure, it is their job to do the right thing, but how many of them really do? I've known a grand total of 2 in my lifetime. One is dead. The other isn't even working as a cop any more and cannot get some of the horrors he faced from other cops out of his head now. He's messed up from the shit that goes on with the cops in my hometown. The rest of the cops here? I try my damnedest to avoid them.

It is a known fact that you just about have to murder someone to get arrested here...unless you are black or you smoke weed. In that case, you get rounded up every once in a while and they talk about it in the newspaper like it is some major great thing.

Fuck the cops in my hometown. They are worthless to law abiding citizens who actually need help and protection.

[lynne]

81. Then don't read them and spew your broad-brushed toxic bias somewhere else -

- because you are bashing an entire field of people based on the actions of the minority.

[elitebeave]

83. my first post ever as a new member

Good evening, friends. I read your posts most days before work and find a lot of good websites you share, so thanks for that. I thought this post was a good read, well-said. I disagree with the part about the juries - at least in my own experience. In a city like Baltimore, for example, the most honest, hard-working detective can bring together a case that is insanely strong against some scumbag who is undoubtedly guilty and the cops are always seen as the "bad guy" by a typical jury and will always err toward the defendant - often for no objective reason, as described in post-trial juror interviews. You can see it in the local news all the time, and in non-fiction literature like David Simon's "Homicide."
It's important to point out, of course, that this bias is created by the cops themselves - the jackoffs who give them all a bad name and help keep scumbags who are actually guilty on the streets. The war on drugs is, of course, the primary culprit of this disconnect, but that's a conversation for another time. If you're a regular DUer who happened to read my first post, thanks. Hope to talk soon.

[Renew Deal]

99. Welcome to DU!

:hi:

[0rganism]

84. we used to have a cop or two posting here

One of them would, every once in a while, host an "Ask A Cop" thread in GD. They got pretty interesting.

I haven't seen anything like that in a while. :(

[defendandprotect]

85. kr

[unionworks]

86. WTC medal

...on officer Bolognas chest. I just watched the towers collapse, killing half of my extended family. I will attend dozens of funerals, listen to the weeping of the wifes and kids. Isearched for the remains, watched the firefighters pull the burned, tattered flag from the rubble and raise it, Iwo Jima style, over the buried remains of my comrades. 10 years later, I have a 19 year old kid waving an upside down flag in my face, screaming "Is this what you stand for"? (Actual footage) this movement is repeating the mistakes of Vietnam, demonizing the troops. A little compassion will go an incredibly long way for you young people. Please don't repeat my generations mistakes.

[unionworks]

87. last free advice

...to my beautiful friendsat Occupy Wall Street, whom I fully support- take a page from Ghandi. Don't let fear and anger harden your hearts. Treat the NYPD like brothers and sisters,they have been through hell and deserve your respect, cooperation, and yes, admiration. If you can find it in your hearts to do this, nothing can stop you. Then you will see real change.

[tblue37]

92. Cops need to police themselves more effectively. All those "good" cops are

not really good if they are allowing their colleagues to commit crimes and to abuse innocent citizens. They have a moral and legal duty to report abuses, to step in when they see them, and not to actively join in the cover-up.

[MrMickeysMom]

93. You know, if I went to a surgeon and he/she fucked me up...

... You know, operated on the wrong leg, or left and instrument inside me and I got septic and nearly died... I be pretty fucking pissed, and you and lots of other people would agree with me that the useless son of a bitch/bitch should be stripped of their medical license and never touch a patient again.

Well, that's what I feel about cops that are goons, who spray pepper spray in the eyes of peaceful demonstrators or kick and punch people who they knock down. But, that is NOT how I feel about the majority of cops. I heard the guy being interviewed on Olbermann yesterday admit the same feeling about the majority of cops who were taken aback by what happened, or by the general demeanor of cops in NYC.

What the fuck is wrong with thinking this? Absolutely nothing, that's what.

So, if you want to quit hearing about all the good stuff cops do, then be sure to also request that all of us call surgeons butchers!

[Better Believe It]

94. New York City cops do especially great work in Toronto and Paris!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x2012941

[rapturedbyrobots]

96. All Coppers Are Bastards. n/t

[unionworks]

98. how old

...are you?

[rapturedbyrobots]

101. old enough to know

that All Coppers Are Bastards!

[unionworks]

103. hey dude

You so remind me of myself a long, long time ago! And that's a good thing. Lmao! :fistbump:

[flvegan]

105. Jesus, this is stupid.

Are there cops that do bad things? Sure. Bad lawyers, doctors, military, politicians...I could go on.

So, $76k is the tipping point. That's not much money for folks potentially staring down a bullet from a moron every day (much like our deployed military).

Do me a favor, next time you really, really, REALLY need to dial 911, tell me what it's worth when they save your ass.

I'm no lover of the police, but don't take the few to ruin the rest.

[Iggo]

106. Good cops cover for bad cops...

...making them bad cops, too.