Do people become cops just because they can be aholes?

I have actually met really nice cops, but yes it does seem that cops are jerks. I do not think it is mainly because they were bullies or something and want to continue this as a career. Cops are one of the top 5 most stressful jobs, mainly because you have to deal with pissed off people all the time. Nobody wants a ticket regardless if that is just there job. I think that it is just difficult for officers. I do also think that some part of what you are saying, that cops simply want control is true but i think the far majority of those who are that way are just mad from dealing with people. It is difficult to do and takes a very special person. The most stressful jobs are the ones where you constantly deal with people and adding a 300 dollar fine or ticket doesnt make it any easier to deal with these people.

Since cops are people, and people include the subset of people called assholes, there will be a percentage of cops who were always assholes and always will be. Cops are likely to be branded assholes more often because they do things like hand out expensive tickets for menial violations. However, that may be more because they face pressure from above to generate revenue for the system. Cops who are nice all the time and only ticket people who really deserve it probably won't make it far. (For that reason alone, I would never choose a law enforcement career. Being a cop has never even crossed my mind.) So, what may seem to us like a cop being a dick could simply be an officer doing what the system requires to move ahead in the career path.

Also, as has been mentioned, look at the type of people cops have to deal with. A couple of episodes of COPS will show that they deal with a lot of the base element of society. Talk about assholes!

A true asshole cop is the one who, for instance, pulls somebody over because the person looks ethnic, harasses the person to the nth degree and then lets the person go, or foists some bogus charge on the person just to be a prick.

Cops come in contact with terrible people every day, and eventually it gets to them. They are under a good deal of stress, and often times their very lives are in jeopardy. If they act nasty, they probably have good reason to be that way. It really has nothing to do with their background or childhood. Most cops do their best to defend citizens and property. They are trained to be tough when the need arises. I definitely wouldn't want their job. But on the other hand, I'm sorry, but I can't agree with your statement. Personalities are extremely diverse, and so are the situations police encounter on their jobs So you can't pin the same label on everyone's lapel.

No Joey, just because some cops screw up that doesn't mean the rest are. Have you even talked to police officers? People become police officers for a lot of reasons but not to become assholes. They do an oral interview before you get hired

Iwant to be a cop to, protect people, serve my community, enforce laws, solve crimes, get in shape and to know what's going on in the community. Not to be an ahole.

I am nothing more than a big mirror reflecting the person I am dealing with. If you think I am an a$$hole, it is time to look at yourself.

There are assholes in every walk of life. Even some college kids who think they know what they are talking about but don't have a clue are assholes.

You would have to be a *serious* ahole to go through months of training just to further your capacity to inconvenience people. And few people would serious choose their career based on how easy it is to annoy people.

I will say it is tiresome dealing with people like you on a regular basis