Why do so many people have such negative opinions of police officers these days? (Do you really understand?)?

This is a sensitive subject! Many people have thier own opinions and veiws on law enforcement and it's their right as Americans to do so. You could argue this subject until everyone is blue in the face and still keep your origional opinion in mind.

This is a very good story, and it describes police work to a "tee". However, not every day in the line of duty officers face those things. I've only been in LE for 3 years, but I have dedicated my life in the right morals of a good police officer. I'm only human and so is everyone else, so yes I have flaws. I'm not immune to stupidity, cockyness, mistakes, wrongdoing, judging or anything else, but I know that i'm a good person and I have good morals and my integrity is right where it should be.

I take pride in everything I do...whethers its work related, family related, school related, and even writing this post. I do believe that I'm one of the cops that help people more then "look down" on them. Yes, there are certain individuals that just get on my nerves and confuse the crap out of me for the things they do over and over again, but I do not lose sleep at night because of it.

So cops are rude, harassing, obnoxious, cold hearted, robot-like, cold blooded murderers???? How many cops are actually put in the situation where they have actually pulled the trigger? Not very many. Cops tend to hesitate to take that step forward to possibly taking someones life and in end result, lose thier life! So should the officers family distrust, hate, label, stereotype, and bash anyone with a criminal record? No, it doesnt work that way. Cops are accused of stereotyping all the time (which some of them do), but we ALL do it. Some people stereotype cops, some stereotype white people, African Americans, Hispanics, Asians ect.

In my opinion...HONEST, TRUSTWORTHY, DEDICATED police officers are still out there (more then you know) protecting and serving our communities, keeping us safe.

The media salughters any law enforcement officer accused of wrongdoing......if they are guilty, they deserve every last bit of it!!! The media can release a video tape of an officer punching a guy on the ground (which if he uses excessive force then he needs to be charged and disiplined), but they never EVER show the whole situation. Why did the officer stop the car? What's the persons criminal history? Is he a known violent person? Did he try to take the officers gun? Did the suspect have a gun? It never gives the real true story!

As far as the officer that shot the young man in the back while he was in prone position has no justification as to why he did it. Only him and the young man knows what happened, but that doesnt mean every officer will shoot you while your in the prone position. Thats stereotyping! It's idiotic to even think that way.

Just sit back and always think about the totallity of circumstances, because thats exactly what we were taught to do. There are BAD COPS, there are GOOD COPS, there are bad teachers, good teachers, bad marines, good marines, bad doctors, good docs, and the list goes on and on. If you clearly break the law, you will clearly get punished.......if you resist arrest, the officer has the right to go one step above the level of violece thats being presented to the officer. If you grab his gun, you are endangering his life and he has the right to defend himself from harm.

For Officers, their job isnt just a job, its a way of life! It takes a special type of person to do the things they do, to see the things they see, and to put up with the things they have to put up with. Officers don't expect a "thank you", "good job", "your my hero" they just want to know they can go home at the end of the shift to thier families and know that they did anything and everything to do thier job to the best of thier ability!

Police Officers are humans too, with feelings, with emotions, with a heartbeat, with fear, with happiness, sadness and any other feeling you can come up with. They make mistakes, make bad judgements, wish they would have done things differently. Cops do not get inserted with a "no mistake", "dont lose your temper" chip.

I could go on and on, but i will stop myself here. People think all cops are bad, well they arent all bad! And the sad part is, even if someone was known to absolutely HATE police, I would still be right there for them if they ever needed the POLICE!!!!!!!

P.S.- Police Officers are also trained as first responders. We respond to medical and fire calls to assist the other departments!

God Bless!

You are so right about everything you wrote down. Like you, I respect people in uniform who put up their life to do their best to protect the community. I am an armed security officer and I know how it feels to work in the heat during summer time. I do wear a vest and all the equipments you see on police offocer's duty belt except for a tazer gun. I experience some of what police officers expirience themselves which MAKES me respect them more. When I got pull over by an officer, I just did what they told me and didn't even want to give the officer a hard time 'cause their job is hard enough for them, why would I make it harder. I salute to people who are in the uniform.

I think you've over dramatized the job a bit.

The real trouble with being a cop isn't all the stuff you mentioned. It's the RISK of running into all the stuff you mentioned.

Not everyday does a cop deal with:

a deathly traffic accident, people in risk of death, gunshots (at him or his buddies), a fight, 50 pounds of gear (I guess that was a SWAT reference? They're so few as to be non-existent), crack heads, robbery (armed or otherwise), any violent crime, homicide, an 18 hour shift, getting called in on his day off (no more than the rest of us), dead or dying people (adult/child), risking his life. Cops do NOT hold the hair of puking college girls.

So while I do respect officers and while I do believe they have difficult, stressful jobs, I nearly had to call 9-1-1 to get one to come hold my hair so I could puke after reading your diatribe. 99% of the time, they're doing nothing but driving around in patrol cars, killing time and looking for something to do. I had a police officer tell me that himself.

In fact, some of those things, individual officers statistically NEVER deal with. The stress of the job is from the RISK of dealing with any one of those things; the risk of approaching a driver's window and not knowing for sure that he isn't going to start firing a weapon at you. And yeah, that's a ton of stress.

But why do people resent the police? There are several reasons... and they're all easy.

1. No one likes getting rebuked for anything (including a traffic ticket).

2. Some police officers are power junkies and fail to show the public the respect that the public deserves (we deserve respect from officers, just as they deserve respect from us).

3. An officer who's had a bad day can take it out on the wrong person, thus embittering that person to future police experiences. I've been on the wrong end of that.

4. Some departments truly are terribly dishonest or irresponsible. I have had numerous bad experiences with a police department in a town I lived in, though the police in most towns are fantastic.

5. Tickets/Citations that are obviously for the purposes of generating revenue.

In other words, the police have authority over people. People don't appreciate it when that authority is used. Whether used fairly or unfairly, no one likes to be rebuked.

You know, right now I am a college freshman and I've been back and fourth on being a cop and choosing another career because of all the bad sides to being a cop (hours, missing holidays, low pay, etc.). But in the end, being a cop is really what I've always wanted to do, and your post just reassured me of that.

But to answer your actual question, the only people who have negative opinions of cops are the people who are doing something illegal. I know many people who are thankful that cops are around, but I do agree with you that it's not enough people.

Some people are both self absorbed and ignorant. Your posting is so refreshing. Sometimes I think I'm part of a dying breed, representing a time when people wanted help and protection from the bad guys. Anymore it seems those people are hard to find. It sure makes it all worth while when I do get the chance to help someone, though. Thank you for your support and the encouraging words. God bless!

I think it's the fact that the media talks more about racial violence between cops and minorities than other types of police events, like let's say if a white cop kills a young black person everyone goes crazy as opposed to a black cop killing a black teen or a white cop killing a white teen, of course there would still be some controversy regarding the subject but it is not as outrageous as the white cop killing the black guy, why? I'll just leave you to think about that

people are glad the cops are there when they need them but sometimes it is inconvient for them. I think most people know that the police dont have it easy but they think im a good person so why am i in trouble for speeding. I had a cop come to my house on the word of my step daughters mother and he let her take her. Later he finds out because he didnt do his job that she is a drug addict and child abuser plus some. So why should i give him a break. Im glad that they are there but if they dont do their job people get hurt. including children. The policman you are talking about is rare and wanted as a policeman

I comprehend what they do day to day because I WAS one back in the late '80s, back when I thought it might be something I might want to do with my life. I was wrong, and now I work in the motion picture industry. I have never regretted for one minute getting out of law enforcement. I'm glad many people like it; I was just not one of them.

I know many police officers who are wonderful, respectful people and who are committed to doing a good job every day, to the best of their ability and the best of their capability to be fair.

Unfortunately, the law enforcement game, like so many other disciplines in our country today, is being proliferated by head-shaven, tattooed, macho PUNKS who strap on guns and spit polish their badges and have this idea that they can do whatever they want. They yell and scream at people, they stop motorists with no cause whatsoever and hassle them for no reason, they treat teenagers like they're ALL out causing trouble instead of just some of them, and way, way too many of them are on the take.

I know an EMT here in my town who tells me HORROR stories about our local police department at large. She trusts NONE of them, and says she feels a lump in her throat every time she gets near a police officer at any kind of a scene whatsoever, and is even thinking about getting out of a job she has trained very hard for simply because of the atrocities she has seen committed by so many of our police officers right before her very eyes. She says if a cop gets behind her in traffic, she turns, EVEN WHEN SHE'S DRIVING THE AMBULANCE, because she simply has better things to do than be hassled by a cop.

Those few bad apples spoil the whole barrel, and one of these days, police corruption is going to get far enough out of hand that the good guys won't even be allowed in any more.

There are so many bad cops in our world today that think to take your rights away from you when they confront you. they are killers and abusers look up YouTube bad cops and you will have your answer to your question. you know all the bad cops make all the good cops look bad people do not trust cops., for many there be who are evil and care nothing for others except them selves.

cops are mostly good people. doing the job. a very well needed service. and yes their job is very stressfull. and can be very dangerous, but it's the bad cops. that abuse their powers that give the others a bad name. and yes people bicker because they got a ticket. because they where doing wrong. and they shouldn't complain and just pay it. and get on. getting on.