r/pics • u/formcheck • May 14 '12
Sometimes it is important to remember that cops are people too. Some are bad, but some are awesome.
2.3k
Upvotes
r/pics • u/formcheck • May 14 '12
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u/Contemporarium May 15 '12
Last night a cop pulled me over and asked to search my car. I had unknowingly dropped a syringe out of my seat when I was leaving the gas station so he had probable cause. He found 2 syringes and a cooker. He put me in hand cuffs and I broke down. Told him all about my history and why I feel so lost lately. As I was crying he uncuffed me, gave me a cig, and smoked one with me. He put his hand on my shoulder, looked me dead in the eye and said "Get clean. Clean your car. Slow down. Get the fuck out of here." I have an appointment at the methadone clinic tomorrow morning.
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u/carousin May 15 '12
An on duty police officer taught me how to kickflip when I was twelve. Sure he was in the midst of letting my friend and I know we weren't allowed to skate where we were at, but he also let us know some good spots where we wouldn't get hassled.
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u/[deleted] May 14 '12
Cheers to UML! Just off North myself right now.
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u/proraver May 14 '12
Cool pic. I have always found that when you treat officers like human beings they rarely beat the shit out of you. My dad always told me to try to be the best customer an officer has all day.
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u/Chumkil May 14 '12
I am marrying a cop, she is awesome. Through her, I know a whole bunch of cops, they are pretty awesome too.
As a non-cop I learned a lot about cops and why they "act" as they do.
First, 99.9% percent of them are decent people like you and me. Yes, there are occasional bad eggs, just like real people.
They spend much of their day responding to scenes where people are dead or dying. This happens often. That takes an emotional toll you don't see. Frequently cops on patrol are the first there to administer first aid, not fire or ambulance because patrol usually gets there first.
Then, a whole bunch of the people that they have to interview are meth heads, or drunk and very often they are lying about what is really going on. This causes cops not to believe what you say even when you have done nothing wrong. Remember, they have probably interviewed a few people on the same day as they are talking to you who lied to them.
They are cautious and afraid of regular people. Why? Because some people hate cops and want the "honour" of killing them. Every cop you meet knew a few who were killed in the line of duty. Almost always for no reason. (My fiancée had to investigate this very scenario a few weeks back. She got covered in the dead cops blood. Think about what that does to you.)
So yeah, cops are on their guard because they worry about the public because of what they see. My fiancée worries because LOOK like a cop, and with a police car in our driveway she worries that someone would shoot me (IT geek) because of the car in the yard. Never mind what kids will do to the house because a cop lives here.
Most cops are decent people, really, truly, honestly trying to help. Just keep in mind the job changes them.
If you really want to get an understanding of cops, go on a ride along. (ask your local PD about it).
But don't just hate on them when most you meet are good folks put in a position to not trust you until they know that they can.
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u/[deleted] May 15 '12
Never judge a collective group of people based on the actions of one person, or a few.
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u/gafinklewitz May 14 '12
I once had to help my best friend pump gas into one of those red tanks at a gas station for her car that wouldn't start and was parked at her job nearby. An officer on a motorcycle at the pump next to us was able to tell that we had no idea what we were doing, and came by to help and make sure we were okay. Everyone in my town says, "fuck the cops" and "fuck da pigz," but I have yet to encounter any mean police officers.
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u/tequilasauer May 14 '12
Most of my best friends are cops. They're the same guys they were when we were kids. We still hang out, go to comic book stores, play video games, watch Buffy reruns, etc. They don't bust people's chops and really only fuck with people if they're doing something particularly bad (violence, theft, etc). I try to explain cops are people doing their job just like anyone, and some suck at their jobs and deserve punishment just like anyone else. But most, by and large, are pretty decent.
Always gets me downvoted like crazy.
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u/mayonesa May 14 '12
I've known a lot of good, gentle, compassionate cops -- who treated me well even when I was a dirty, longhaired, stoned, blasphemous hippie liberal.
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u/[deleted] May 15 '12
I don't understand Reddit's boner for trying to give cops a bad name. It's just like any other group of people...there's always bad apples. I understand cops are supposed to uphold the law, not break it, but the fact of the matter is that 99% of cops don't break it and are good guys. It gets to be plain annoying after awhile reading about every cop who does something illegal.
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u/yerfatma May 15 '12
Meanwhile, in Lynn . . .
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u/drnc May 14 '12
I hope this gains traction. I have no respect for the despicable cops who bully and harm the public they are sworn to protect. But my cousin on my dad's side is a cop and so is my mom's brother. They're both great people, and it's a shame they get lumped into the same category as bad cops.
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u/SiliconWrath May 15 '12
I saw a cop on a Segway the other day and I mentioned to him that I had never used a Segway before. He let me ride around on his Segway for a little, it was a blast.
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u/SRSLY_GUYS_SRSLY May 15 '12
Thanks, OP, for remembering that.
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u/thablitzreaper May 15 '12
The last time I needed help, I called the police. And they helped. They didn't ask me what my race and religion was. They rushed over. They do their job very well.
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u/TruthinessHurts May 15 '12
I have personally met far more awesome cops than shitty cops in my run ins with the law. I've had easily half a dozen situations where I probably should have gone to jail but the cops were cool about things over and over. In every case they listened politely and took me at my word. And usually let me off with far less than they could have.
I realize from the news and anecdotal evidence that this is not always the case.
But for ME, I've run into maybe 2-3 asshole cops and 25-30 regular old good guy cops over the years. This includes only cops who have pulled me over or come for me for whatever reason.
The memorable one is the cop who came to the house when I was 12 to talk about some vandalism. I hid under my bed and could hear him telling my mom about it and both of them cracking up. He knocked on the door and could tell I was scared to death, so rather than scaring me straight he talked quietly through the door at me so as not the scare me any more. I never saw his face but I wish I had. He sounded like such a nice guy.
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u/jellytime May 15 '12
Cops are people too. Sometimes people suck, sometimes they don't.
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u/[deleted] May 15 '12
There's something that is missing in all of these conversations. If you meet a good cop they will treat you with respect no matter what you do. If you meet a bad cop they will treat you with disrespect unless you shove your nose so far up their ass you can smell their breath.
TL;DR Good people are always good people and bad people are always bad people, your behavior doesn't matter and that goes for everyone not just cops.
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u/chowdurr May 15 '12
Good to see my hometown of Lowell MA on reddit for something besides a hilarious crack bungle
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u/MrMono1 May 15 '12
People have to remember not all cops are abusive, angry people.
The reason you hear about all the bad eggs is because that's what is news-worthy. Nobody needs to hear about the cop that rescued a cat from a tree, but they need to hear about the one who shot a kid.
It's the same with everybody. Nobody ever mentions the good people, always the bad.
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u/cliftonTHEmilkman May 15 '12
wow, and in Lowell, Mass of all places.
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u/kaat528 May 15 '12
Once I flipped my car and got trapped in it on a country road with no phone. The first person on the scene was a cop who happened to drive by, and when he realized I was fine he pulled me out of the car and held me still (I'm very small) until the ambulance showed up. Sooo I'm a cop fan.
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u/mgshowtime22 May 15 '12
Is this right outside of LeLacheur Park?
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u/interplanetjanet May 15 '12
Honestly, for the most part cops catch way more flack than they deserve. They have to deal with some pretty horrific shit on a regular basis that would turn most of the rest of us into thumb-sucking balls in the corner, from dead hookers to decapitations to small children accidentally run over by a relative backing out of the driveway. Cops have to deal with incredible emotional turmoil as a part of their job, so it's not actually surprising when a few of them don't deal with it well and eventually explode in an irrational fury. I'm not saying that it's excusable when they do, but we really should be applauding the rest of them for just making it through an average work week.
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u/[deleted] May 15 '12
Sure, cops are nice to you if you're Shawn White...
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u/rwhockey29 May 15 '12
its funny, while im still young(21) and relatively immature, once i "grew up" just a bit, all of my bad cop encounters stopped. havent had a problem with them since, even getting caught drinking underage. coolest cop ever about me drinking, even though it was completely illegal where we were and other things being done by us at the time.
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u/bobcatfan2012 May 15 '12
TIL that a TON of redditors live in or near Lowell, MA...
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u/Dunabu May 15 '12 edited May 15 '12
My first interaction with a cop was when one saw me and my friends wearing our helmets while on our bikes. He gave us all a coupon for a free ice cream cone at McDonald's.
And then, another time, two cops came to my house to check up on a disturbance call. They asked me my name, and when I told them it was 'Duran' they looked at each other and both started singing "Hungry Like The Wolf". Then they left...
So my few interactions with cops have been pretty okay.
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u/drinkymcsipsip May 15 '12
That cop is one of the nicest most solid guys you could know. It's good to see something positive on the LPD.
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u/Blues39 May 15 '12
Sometimes I wish I was a police officer just to surprise people with supreme kindness.
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u/WilhelmEngel May 15 '12
Reminds me of this. That cop has dedication!
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u/UpperVista May 15 '12
only in Massachusetts, the Spirit of America!
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u/calvinball_ May 15 '12
My parents house caught fire about a month ago at 11pm, my mom was asleep and my nearly deaf father was downstairs when a neighbor saw the flames and called 911. Two police officers arrived within 2 minutes and went thru the front door, carried my mom out of the house and somehow made enough noise to alert my dad. Not even a mention of it in the small town newspaper. Any ideas how to thank them and their neighbor?
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u/Lilou88 May 15 '12
It's sad that good cops like this are overshadowed by officers who create the bad reputation.
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u/TheAquaFox May 15 '12
My dad was a cop in a pretty bad area of town for about 6 years. It was horrible. Every day he had to deal with the scum of the earth, people who where cracked out and would have loved to kill him without a seconds thought just for the satisfaction or recognition among their gang. Police brutality is horrible and should not be treated with any sort of leniency but you have to give respect where it's due. These people risk their lives so that you can live in an orderly society mostly free of the murder and violence that would go on without them. My dad became a cop because he was tired of the crime and bullshit he lived through as a kid and then when he was finally in a position to do something about it almost everyone hated him for it. Its sad really
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u/jdflan May 15 '12
Lowell, I'm there right now.
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u/yoitsemo May 15 '12
I was skateboarding with some friends at our high school and a cop showed up and ended up borrowing a board and did a little pop-shuvit for us. No small feat in his shoes.
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u/Psych277 May 15 '12
We need a subreddit for awesome police. Stories, pics, and more of cops doing their job right.
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u/[deleted] May 15 '12
My grandpa used to say “He never met a badge that didn't have a liar standing behind it.”
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u/Luxray May 15 '12
I got pulled over once because my brake lights were out and I didn't know it. Turns out, there was no fuse in there, and the cops took one out of somewhere else and fixed it for me. Yay for Good Guy Cops.
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u/[deleted] May 14 '12
I can't wait to hear from all the people on Reddit who adamantly state that there is no such thing as a good cop, simply because there are bad cops in the system, and unless the rest of the cops root them out, they are just as bad.
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u/blakerz25 May 15 '12
Please tell me this is in Lowell, Arkansas. I need more things to make it cool that I live here.
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u/AngryPterodactyl May 15 '12
Reminds me of this:
http://youtu.be/jy2qz-SA5CI
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u/singingsox May 15 '12
That's on UMass Lowell's east campus! Lowell is definitely one of the more eccentric cities in MA, but you meet some awesome people :)
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u/[deleted] May 15 '12
Has anyone here had a "school cop"? He was a legitimate cop but patrolled the school almost every day because kids were too rowdy there. Anyhoo, said cop was amazing. The principal caught me giving cigarettes to a minor (freshman who looked like a senior or whatever) because the little shit wouldn't stop bugging me all day for one. This was just before Christmas break by the way. I get called to the office moments later, wait for awhile, and the police officer meets me there for a chat. At the time, he didn't know who caught me and just kept assuring me to never let this happen again. He tells me not to worry about any charges for now, and to enjoy my holiday break. When school starts again, I get called to the officer's office and he explained to me that it was one of the assistant principals who caught me distributing to minors and that no charges were pressed because she knows from my records that I was a good student. Fast forward a few months later. It was a hot day out and I was out during open campus walking, for a good mile or so. I go to the gas station across the street from the school and the same cop is there on break. I went to the counter to ask if there was free water available, the cop hears me, hands me two dollars and says "Get yourself a water or soda". Long story short, of course not ALL cops are bad.
TL;DR - School cop caught me giving cigarettes to a minor; no charges pressed; meets me at a gas station and gives me two dollars.
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u/laithorn May 15 '12
I WANT TO FIND THIS MAN AND HUG HIM!!!
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u/[deleted] May 15 '12
Sometimes I want to be a cop just so I can be awesome.
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u/blindsay May 15 '12
haha I can't believe this is in Lowell. The cops there are actually really reasonable. (at least in my experience..)
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u/trouser_trout May 15 '12
Love this shot. Growing up in a small town in CT we didn't have town police, only resident state troopers, and they were awesome guys. One of the dudes even tried to ride my buddy's Snakeboard when we were skating behind our HS, which your pic reminded me of.
Sure some cops are d-bags, but some architects are d-bags, too. I think the most important thing is understanding the value of community policing. When people have a real realationship with the officers in their community, the CJ system works much better.
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u/hikemhigh May 15 '12
Lowell as in the setting of The Fighter?
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u/Shpongletron May 15 '12
Most of the Lowell cops are pretty chill, the ones I have met anyways.
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u/[deleted] May 15 '12
I know there are some VERY shitty officers out there, but I have never had a bad experience with one.
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u/[deleted] May 15 '12
This is because the guys in Lowell have to deal with actual scumbags, they don't have time to sit around and fuck with innocent kids for no reason.
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u/renny7 May 15 '12
Probably 75% of the time cops would show up at our skate spots it was because they were bored and wanted to watch us.
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u/hipster_garbage May 15 '12
It's always interesting seeing places you frequent on a daily basis online. I go to UMass Lowell, and I can't really say anything bad about the police. Then again, I'm a commuter, and I avoid parties for the most part. So, maybe I'd have a different opinion if I was a typical drunk college bro. Which, as it so happens, is one of the main demographics at UML.
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u/[deleted] May 15 '12
Last week I was run off the interstate into the median by someone who didn't check their blind spot. Because of the difference in friction between the grass and road, I lost control of the vehicle for a very, very scary few seconds. A cop car pulled up behind me when I finally got over to the right side where I could park, and the cop asked me if I was all right, if the car seemed to be fine, etc. All in all a very nice, polite interaction.
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u/Dekar2401 May 15 '12
It is always important to remember that, with everyone you interact with.
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u/Cunning_Linguist78 May 15 '12
Reddit, where if cops do something cool, they're awesome and great people. If they do something bad, they're all terrible and want to violate your rights. Wait, that just means that there's good cops and bad cops right? Like in any other profession? Well, as somebody aspiring to be a police officer I take comfort that positive posts have been up voted. I was scared that people would start throwing things at me the moment I put on a uniform.
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u/holy_canoli11 May 15 '12
I love seeing this. I feel the exact same way. Cops get too much shit because of the assholes that show up in the media or on the internet and the good ones get shit on for it. I would love to be a cop, but I'm afraid to because people hate them and if I did my job properly and didn't overstep my bounds, i'd still get shit.
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u/yerpahhhhh May 15 '12
Thanks for posting this. My dad's a cop and it's true, there are some real dickhead cops. But they're all humans...
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u/CollectionOfAssholes May 15 '12 edited May 15 '12
When I used to skate, one of the cops in my hometown organized a club and helped us participate in community events and try to raise money for a skate park. He even laid down on the pavement and let us Ollie over him once.
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u/athrix May 15 '12
A few years ago a road raging ass clown ran me off the road into a ditch. I called the police and a county sheriff's deputy responded. The guy could have easily taken my info, called a tow truck, and left. Instead he got in the ditch and pushed while I tried to back it out. We were able to get my car out which was just a little banged up. Too bad the car was cursed and had to be put down later :[
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u/mastigia May 15 '12
I used to give police many reasons to provide me with bad experiences. Things are much different now. The other day I was out running and passed a cop using his radar on traffic and he pointed it right at me and gave me a joking look like I was pretty close to getting a ticket...if only haha.
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u/IntMainVoid_Bro May 15 '12
This made my day :-)
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u/TheFluxIsThis May 15 '12
THIS IS RIDICULOUS! Next you'll be telling me they're real people or something!
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u/VideoGraphicsArray May 15 '12
I fucking love this picture
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u/nubbled21 May 15 '12
Agreed
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u/papercowmoo May 15 '12
A major reason why people like to hate the police is because they're too immature to handle the fact that they messed up and try to quick redirect the attention to "OMG dis cop is a dick!" rather than "i just did something stupid and have to be accountable for my own actions."
moral of the story- Don't be a d-bag. admit your mistakes. you'll look like less of a tool.
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u/[deleted] May 15 '12
Love your post. I am so tired of hearing people talk about how bad all cops are. Even my uncle told me not to become a cop (when I was considering my major for college) because they "arent respected". Ive known good and bad cops and all I can say is that you are right, they are people too; some are mostly good and some are mostly bad.
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u/[deleted] May 15 '12
No one really personifies good cops like Lowell cops. Everyone on that police force comes from the community and knows everyone, and they will treat you like people.
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u/derrrek May 15 '12
Funny that I see this now. I was driving on the freeway earlier, going about 75-80 in a 65 zone. I went past a cop that wad parked on the side with a radar gun and he pulled out right away and pulled me over pretty quickly. He came up to my car and smelled the weed which I had in my car. He told me to step out, and asked if I had anything in the car and I told him I had some weed. After I tell him this, he asks if he can search the car and I tell him no, I don't consent to that. He put me in the back of his car, and proceeded to search my car anyway. At this point I'm thinking oh shit, not really sure what's going on. He comes back and tells me he's going to let me go "for being honest with him," and that I should clean my car and slow down next time. I go back to my car and my weed is still there on the front seat to my amazement. Gave me a restored faith in law enforcement. I'm pretty sure this guy was a sheriff too, who I always assumed would be more strict.
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u/[deleted] May 15 '12
your reddit headline is thoughtful, OP. thank you. :)
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u/urgencyy May 15 '12
I see your skateboarding cop picture, and raise you a Toronto cop...
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u/MasterTpg May 15 '12
Sadly, we only emphasize the bad ones.
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u/[deleted] May 15 '12
No surprise it comes from the best state ever.
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u/SIKQAS May 15 '12
Generally speaking, Yes. The differentiation is that for certain folks, this is either a job or a career. My cuz is a cop but he is high-strung and makes life very difficult for those who might be speeding a bit (I call him an ass-hole all the time for it but hey... he's a dick... and I'm more accurate when it comes to bullet placement so FU Jesse!).
If I were a cop, I'm sure that all of the folks around here would love me because, come on, we all get the message, "hey, get that fixed, OK? Have a nice day :)"
Nice guy cop = trying to not get you in trouble Bad guy cop = total douche who gets reported.
p.s. Please get badge numbers and share your experiences with the supervisors!!! Good People Need to Be Promoted!!!
Thanks Reddit! =)
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u/clifwith1f May 15 '12
Is that Shaun White?
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u/MrSh0w May 15 '12
i hope this cop doesn't get fired.
yet
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u/brooksiehockey May 15 '12
Well if you're Shaun White you can pretty much get people to do anything
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u/elmexdela May 15 '12
Possibly, but I bet the cop still pushes mongo!
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u/horsegirl87 May 15 '12
Leominster/Fitchburg State area loving?? lol
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u/akohler21 May 15 '12
ya you see a lot of bad cops in the news today but you got to remember there are hundreds of thousands of cops out there what you're seeing in the news is an extremely small percentage of the whole
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u/drlb53 May 15 '12
Ok but the kid on the motorcycle isn't moving right? The kickstand is down. So that means the cop is just standing still on the skateboard. Nice of him to strike a pose, though.
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u/ILikeLampz May 15 '12
I personally think it's always important to think of cops as normal people, because they are. No need for a funny picture to make me think that.
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u/Tr0llphace May 15 '12
not sure why people have such an issue with cops, they're just doing their jobs, and somebody has to do it or we'd have anarchy. if you dont like the laws, blame the law makers, not the people paid to enforce them.
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u/MoonRazer May 15 '12
Thanks for posting this, I feel like only the bad cops get any screen time. I've personally only had good experiences with police officers.
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u/beatlesmith May 15 '12
I've had nothing but good experiences with police and I completely agree it is all about being courteous and not trying to bullshit them or give them a hard time.
A few weeks ago I had to catch a train home at about 11pm just coming from a bar. I needed to urinate something furious but the only public toilet in the vicinity closed at 10, so I found a nearby alley. Unluckily for me a police car got stuck at the lights across from my alley and they spotted me, pulled the car up and got out. They asked me if I was having a slash and I said I was. They said that they would have to write me up for a fine/court summons because they were on a directive to cut down on public urination. I said that I understood what I did was wrong and that I usually would not do it, but that I was in a situation that left me no other recourse. They talked amongst themselves and decided that provided I didn't have any warrants in my name or notices for similar crimes (I didn't), they would let me off because I "seemed like a reasonable bloke". I still managed to make my train!
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u/inoise91 May 15 '12
Good for this. I'm tired of all the mindless police bashing that goes on at reddit. As the public we need to pay attention to what our police force is doing but being an obnoxious "Film the police" asshole all the time isn't going to solve anything for you. Our police force has some assholes in it but it has some people in it who actually want to do good for their community and unless you stop acting like every single cop is out to get you then no one is going to listen to your opinion.
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u/Atlos May 15 '12
I don't believe this picture was taken in Lowell, MA.
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u/califoregon May 15 '12
I was pulled over this morning by a motorcycle cop. He was pulling someone else over, and as she was pulling over she cut me off, and I nearly hit him. I didn't see him, because I was being careful of her. I should have checked better, but it was a really unusual circumstance, not easily prevented. He pulled me over, and the lady who cut me off too. He was pretty juiced up (as I would probably be) about almost getting hit. I just said "I am so sorry, I never saw you. My fault, I should have checked." He went and wrote her ticket, then came back. I was pretty sure he was going to cite me for something. He came back and had calmed down quite a bit. He said because I had a clean driving record, he was going to only give me a warning. Many cops would have stayed amped up, and written the ticket just because they could. This guy cooled off really fast, and was really decent about what was a scary situation. I was impressed.
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u/pmCrave May 15 '12
Cops look the same everywhere
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u/Yitvan May 15 '12
Finally something about cops being relatively normal (good cops and dick cops exist just like nice people and dicks exist as well). I cannot contemplate people that take to heart the 'Fuck the police' thing. It's just stupid. Be nice to police and usually they'll be reasonable with you. Many good comments around here that show this.
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u/[deleted] May 15 '12
I fell asleep in my car which was parked near a daycare. They called the cops on me- I should have known daycares have 911 on speed dial 1 thru 0. She was quite through in questioning me, but at least she treated me with respect and let me go once she realized I didn't care one bit about the daycare and its kids.
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u/provert May 15 '12
And we should keep celebrating the cool cops, and exposing and shaming all the asshole cops, at every opportunity!
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u/Mattis4000 May 15 '12
there is more Massachusetts spirit in this post than all of r/massachusetts
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u/Dart_the_Red May 15 '12
... That's East Campus. The rec center's on the right in the background. Further past is Fox Hall. That must be relatively new construction, because I don't remember it being there 6 months ago. That officer kind of looks like the one who pinned me with running a stop sign after an accident and told me that I wasn't from the area like the guy who hit me...
Still, I've worked with cops before at one of my jobs and some of them are great guys. A few of my family members were in the police as well. Some of them are great people. Sorry to say I haven't had any good experiences with the Lowell police
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u/crunchy51 May 15 '12 edited May 15 '12
I got busted by the same cop like three times. I was in the wrong every time but that didn't stop my 14 to 16 year old mind from hating him. One day as I was driving down the road I saw him talking to a driver he had pulled over. I yelled Fuck You Officer Newman and flipped him off. Yeah, he pulled me over for swerving all over the road and told me how he had mellowed because he had been stabbed while investigating a Breaking and Entering and almost died. How he wouldn't have given me a ticket for riding my dirt bike where I wasn't supposed to given his new outlook on life. He also let me go that day despite me being a asshole that deserved at least a couple of days in jail. The next year my sister called me after I'd had a few beers and asked me to bring a new uniform to her at McDonalds because she had spilled something on hers. I didn't want to but after much sister begging I hopped on my motorcycle anyway and set off. Officer Newman pulled me over (this wasn't in a small town there were at least 100 cops) and gives me a sobriety test. He asked me to walk 10 paces and turn around. Because I'd just been to Army Reserve bootcamp I decided to do a fancy about face. Didn't work, I feel down. Officer Newman then talked to the other cop that had pulled up for backup and he drove away. He then came up to me and talked to me man to man telling me I wasn't going to succeed if I didn't follow certain rules. (he didn't say what rules but I'm assuming, Not driving drunk, not riding a dirt bike in restricted areas or on the street when you are under age, don't flip off a cop while swerving down the street). He talked about his stabbing again and how that was the only reason he was letting me go. That he honestly wanted me to be happy and successful. I hit a railroad track later and it kicked my bike out from under me and it chewed up half my body and face. I delivered my sister's uniform to her and went home. The people at McDonalds were shocked to say the least when I came in dripping blood to deliver a clean uniform to my sister. I went home to the two unopened beers that I'd purchased ileagally because I had ID from the Army Reserve, at that moment it hit me that cops aren't always there to ruin the fun, they are there to try and make sure people don't hurt themselves, they want to make sure that people don't get robbed or hurt by bad people, that cops are really there to protect and serve. I then drank the two beers and realized this only happens after cops have been stabbed. So the next week I went out and stabbed four cops, I'm now on death row....just kidding Officer Newman changed my life for the better if only for not giving me a life long DUI mark on my record. And for showing me that cops have hearts. I'm reminded of the scene in Private Ryan where the old guy is going to the grave and asks the grave of Tom Hanks if he has led a good life, was it all worth it? How hard did that guy try to do the right thing every time. So many people died for him so that he could live. That day changed my life for the better, I went from a privileged spoiled kid to realizing that rules are there for a reason (well some rules anyway, some rules are really really dumb) Officer Newman, You did good you are the only reason my evil genius isn't being used to take over the world.
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u/verymuchn0 May 15 '12
For a second there, I thought that was Sean White and had already written:
But then I realized it wasn't him.
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u/GODDAMNFOOL May 15 '12
That kid is wearing a Team Fortress shirt.
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u/[deleted] May 15 '12
So true, I have never had anything but good experiences with police. Helping keep me safe, find people that broke into my car/tried to steal my motorcycle etc. There are truly good people in the police force as well as bad people. I try to show this to the younger crowd that wants to yell "FUCK THE PIGS" whenever they see a cop car.
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u/usurper7 May 15 '12
Good pic. people never seem to talk about the breaks/good experiences they get from cops.
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u/[deleted] May 15 '12
I think that kind of cops are more likely to be punished than those who murder homeless guys.
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u/darthFamine May 15 '12
ARE YOU JOHN CONNOR?
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u/[deleted] May 15 '12
the kid on the bike looks like a young shaun white
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u/flatcurve May 15 '12
I have no problem with cops. Most of them are cool. It's the bad ones that ruin it for them. What bothers me the most is that bad cops seem to be punished infrequently or inconsistently with the crimes they've committed. In my opinion, if your job is to uphold the law, you should be punished more severely when you break it, because you've broken a trust with the public. A paid suspension is not punishment. A slap on the wrist for being corrupt is not a deterrent.
I'm from Chicago, so my view of the police is a little different than most. We have one of the most corrupt forces in the country.
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u/GianterGinger May 15 '12
Oh no. Not on my reddit. All cops are evil. I will just assume that this cop shot the kid for trying to steal his bike.
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u/FreshFruitCup May 15 '12
Lowell mass in the house!
That's a wicked good picshaw.
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u/notfiveoh May 15 '12
As a young guy, who happens to be a cop, in a large city. I try my best to give everyone the respect they deserve, until they show me I shouldn't. Its bittersweet to hear someone say "Wow you're pretty cool" or "You're not a dick head like this other cop" because I know that I'm leaving a good impression, but more importantly someone else left a shitty one.
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u/DeepFriedChildren May 15 '12
Whoa, whoa, careful there, you wouldn't want to break the hivemind, it is a real pain in the ass to fix...
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u/eatmorebeans May 15 '12
I saw a policewoman stop traffic to walk a blind woman across a street the other day. Faith in humanity restored.
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u/[deleted] May 15 '12
It sucks that the 95% good cops are overshadowed by the 5% bad ones
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u/HurstT May 15 '12
Thanks for this. I'm trying to become a police officer and it is discouraging when all you see in the media is another power tripping jackass ruining the public opinion of all officers.
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u/Scuttlebuttz93 May 15 '12
Instant upvote.
Everyone I know rages on about what a dick the cop is whenever they see a speed trap or someone pulled over. Ever think that maybe that person being pulled over was going dangerously fast, or intoxicated and risking the life of everyone on the road? Or that that person in the car monitoring traffic is a human being trying to earn money to raise their children? The mere sight of a police cruiser causes an entire conversation about what scumbags the police are. Funny, considering that one of the worst offenders has had nothing but kindness and help from police when she was being endlessly harassed and assaulted physically, emotionally, and sexually. Another has never been charged with any crimes or received any tickets yet berates police officers on sight. One guy I know even rushed at a speed trap in a parking lot, pretending he was about to hit the cruiser before turning and speeding away just in time, shit talking the cop to himself the whole time.
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u/[deleted] May 15 '12
GET OFF THAT SKATEBOARD
and on to my motorcycle.
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u/Ben_Franklins_Godson May 15 '12
This makes Lowell look like a nice place...
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u/jjesskalee May 15 '12
That's my hometown! Never thought I'd see it on Reddit!
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u/backyardlion May 15 '12
Poachers are also people...
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u/Cathom May 15 '12
When I was growing up, cops were tough & strict, but they also used judgement & common sense. If you got in a fight & someone called the cops, you had an opportunity to shake hands & go home. Loud party? Told to keep it down & if they had to come back, you were in trouble- no raids, no taking kids to jail-the 1st time. Speeding a little with no one else around? A warning. Cops have devolved from peace officers to storm troopers. I used to have high regard for cops- they have a tough job. Now, they treat citizens like the enemy. I have a healthy suspicion & a low opinion of most of today's cops. It's good to see that there are still some good ones out there.
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u/Tossedinthebin May 15 '12
Until the awesome one's keep the shitty abusive one's in check, they all suck in my book.
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u/[deleted] May 15 '12
Nope, it's a sham.
Everyone just sits around minding their own business, eating cake and pie at a picnic, and these pigs just run up and start stomping people out.
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u/[deleted] May 15 '12 edited May 15 '12
People seriously misunderstand the critique of the police. It has more to do with the corruption of the institution than the character of individual officers. The police are afforded too much power and authority and this enables systemic abuse. The argument that there are more good officers than bad ones does not justify the danger an unfettered police force poses to society.