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Friends in High Places
- Thread starter MetroWest
- Start date
Ya know...if there's one thing I've come to realize in this life, it's that you can not put everyone in to the same baking pan and expect to make a great souffle. Meaning? In every profession, there are A-holes. The sad part is, it's the A-holes that give everyone else a bad name.
I'm a security officer....and I'm damn good at it. I'm professional, neatly dressed, conscientious and responsible in my duty, no matter what the contract is. Sadly, it's the overweight, dirty, unshaven slob eating coffee cake with crumbs and stains on his tie that couldn't chase his own shadow if his life depened on it that I'm compared to. I'm NOT him and HE is NOT me. Yet I still hear the "Rent a Cop" jokes.
I applied to the TSA a couple weeks back. Right after that, I read the thread that was slamming the TSA and EVERYONE that works there. Gee...didn't THAT make me feel good about applying. Even in the TSA, there ARE good people doing their job, and doing it well.
Are their bad LEO's? Hell yes. Are there LEO's that you can't stand? Sure there are...just like there's a bunch of people you can't stand who aren't cops. The only time that a cop deserves to be slammed is when he's crossed over the line and becomes dirty, or isn't doing his job.
Did this P me off? Yes. It hit a nerve because of the "rent a cop" cracks I hear. I'll stop ranting now.
I'm a security officer....and I'm damn good at it. I'm professional, neatly dressed, conscientious and responsible in my duty, no matter what the contract is. Sadly, it's the overweight, dirty, unshaven slob eating coffee cake with crumbs and stains on his tie that couldn't chase his own shadow if his life depened on it that I'm compared to. I'm NOT him and HE is NOT me. Yet I still hear the "Rent a Cop" jokes.
I applied to the TSA a couple weeks back. Right after that, I read the thread that was slamming the TSA and EVERYONE that works there. Gee...didn't THAT make me feel good about applying. Even in the TSA, there ARE good people doing their job, and doing it well.
Are their bad LEO's? Hell yes. Are there LEO's that you can't stand? Sure there are...just like there's a bunch of people you can't stand who aren't cops. The only time that a cop deserves to be slammed is when he's crossed over the line and becomes dirty, or isn't doing his job.
Did this P me off? Yes. It hit a nerve because of the "rent a cop" cracks I hear. I'll stop ranting now.
Lynne said:C-pher said:Is it still a "rent a cop" if you're paid full time?
Your only saving grace, C, is that you're cute. [lol]
WHOO-HOO!! She thinks that I'm cute. <swoon>
dwarven1
Lonely Mountain Arms
Lynne said:
Hey, Lynne, if I used to wear the square badge, am I allowed to make "rent-a-cop" jokes? BTDT... threw out the T-shirt. [lol]
(well, actually it was only a square badge when I was working strike lines in NYC. In NJ the badge was the normal shape)
I wasnt sure whether or not to respond on this subject, but I kept coming back to reading these posts and well I felt a need to.
First off I think to paint a large group of people with such a broad brush is a mistake. It looks to me as though some people have already made up their minds to judge police officers as a whole rather than to take each one as an individual. When it comes to the comment made by the Chief I cannot come up with a defense for him. I agree with Tom Nee.
When it comes to us vs them mentality all I can say is that it is a two way street. I know from personal experience that some people do not act kindly when a Police Officer may be around. This may come from certain instances when a person may have received a moving violation or even a parking ticket. Yes there are some Officers who feel that they are above everyone else but for the most part the majority are a bunch of good individuals doing their job.
When it comes to nepotism or helping another officer out it is something that happens in all sectors of life. The only difference is that when it happens in the law enforcement community people seem to take a harder look.
Also if you are around law enforcement types and feel as though you you are on the outside try and take a look inwards and it just maybe that you are the one that is not being friendly. Yet I will not deny that there is a brotherhood in law enforcement just as there is in the military, fire dept. and other lines of work.
As for the LTC sometimes it is the politicans running the cities and towns that do not want to see any LTC's issued. My father who retired after thirty four years as a patrolman worked in the firearms office in his dept. and was the only officer in that office. He told me that his chief had no problem issuing the LTC's but that the politicians running the city did not like seeing them issued. This may not be the case in all depts. but it is in some.
First off I think to paint a large group of people with such a broad brush is a mistake. It looks to me as though some people have already made up their minds to judge police officers as a whole rather than to take each one as an individual. When it comes to the comment made by the Chief I cannot come up with a defense for him. I agree with Tom Nee.
When it comes to us vs them mentality all I can say is that it is a two way street. I know from personal experience that some people do not act kindly when a Police Officer may be around. This may come from certain instances when a person may have received a moving violation or even a parking ticket. Yes there are some Officers who feel that they are above everyone else but for the most part the majority are a bunch of good individuals doing their job.
When it comes to nepotism or helping another officer out it is something that happens in all sectors of life. The only difference is that when it happens in the law enforcement community people seem to take a harder look.
Also if you are around law enforcement types and feel as though you you are on the outside try and take a look inwards and it just maybe that you are the one that is not being friendly. Yet I will not deny that there is a brotherhood in law enforcement just as there is in the military, fire dept. and other lines of work.
As for the LTC sometimes it is the politicans running the cities and towns that do not want to see any LTC's issued. My father who retired after thirty four years as a patrolman worked in the firearms office in his dept. and was the only officer in that office. He told me that his chief had no problem issuing the LTC's but that the politicians running the city did not like seeing them issued. This may not be the case in all depts. but it is in some.
This subject really hits home on several levels. My family has several law enforcement officers in it...one was a city chief, who happened to guide me in getting my first LTC at 18 when I went to work for a friend's company...Alliance Private Dective & Security Agency. Did I get special treatment? No way, my uncle made sure I did everything by the book.
I don't doubt there is a fraternal tie in law enforcement as there is in any group / job etc. Do politics come into play? Of course, they do in every job! But a good person is a good person no matter what their job may be and if they do their job none of us can judge them by anything but our personal experience with them. So maybe you've had a bad experience and it has colored your opinion, sorry about that?!? The bottom line is they do a job that many of us wouldn't or couldn't and maybe just maybe they are a little more careful with non-law enforcement interactions because their life is on the line each and every day. I drive to work everyday and take my life in my hands as soon as I jump on Route 1 or 128 but I don't have to worry about someone shooting at me! I'm disappointed in the Winchester Chief's attitude and there certainly seems to be a little fraternal nepotism there, I'm shocked there isn't any investigation going on with that decision inthe City Council or Mayor's Office. I'd like to know if the gentleman is still working for Alliance... I'd be very disappointed in my old friend if he allowed him to continue to work and carry unless or until he is acquitted of these charges. Just my 2 cents and by the way ... WHAT IS A FOXTROT CHARLIE? Is there a dictionary of all the abreviations used on this forum? I'm going nuts just trying to understand what you guys (ladies included) are all saying!!!
I don't doubt there is a fraternal tie in law enforcement as there is in any group / job etc. Do politics come into play? Of course, they do in every job! But a good person is a good person no matter what their job may be and if they do their job none of us can judge them by anything but our personal experience with them. So maybe you've had a bad experience and it has colored your opinion, sorry about that?!? The bottom line is they do a job that many of us wouldn't or couldn't and maybe just maybe they are a little more careful with non-law enforcement interactions because their life is on the line each and every day. I drive to work everyday and take my life in my hands as soon as I jump on Route 1 or 128 but I don't have to worry about someone shooting at me! I'm disappointed in the Winchester Chief's attitude and there certainly seems to be a little fraternal nepotism there, I'm shocked there isn't any investigation going on with that decision inthe City Council or Mayor's Office. I'd like to know if the gentleman is still working for Alliance... I'd be very disappointed in my old friend if he allowed him to continue to work and carry unless or until he is acquitted of these charges. Just my 2 cents and by the way ... WHAT IS A FOXTROT CHARLIE? Is there a dictionary of all the abreviations used on this forum? I'm going nuts just trying to understand what you guys (ladies included) are all saying!!!
Foxtrot Charlie = f***ing Civilian....I guess I made the mistake of trying to be genteel in a less than genteel world.
f***ing Civilian is a term that I have heard used repeatedly when referring to members of the citizenry at large.
While I believe that there have been many fine points made by those who have posted, I definitely have failed in articulating mine which is: The police (as in collective noun) represent their own sub-culture which verges on an alternate lifestyle that is not mainstream and embodies what some of you have quite accurately described as a "bunker mentality" or perhaps more charitably as a "brotherhood" similar to the military, the fire service or for the religious: the clergy. If one is not part of the "thin blue line" there are certain lines that cannot be crossed, because afterall "how could anyone understand what it is like to walk in those particular set of shoes?" Also too, I think that there have been enough formal studies made on the "police sub-culture" to support this premise.
Nepotism is another major issue which cannot be denied. How many highly qualified people walking around, could be excellent police officers, but who never got the chance because they didn't have any"juice" ? (and no I never aspired to be a police officer choosing instead the military where most of the time, anyway, one can fire back hindered only by the Rules of Land Warfare {which has a lot of latitude, or at least did} and the bad guys don't have to be advised of their rights )
I think what amuses me, is that everday I read generalizations in this forum: all liberals are bad people, all Democrats are a**h***s etc. etc., yet there have been some vociferous condemnations of the dangers of generalizing.
So, I will stand by the generalizations that I have made, based not the individual actions of a few bad apples, but rather on the observations and experience of the police sub-culture collectively, and to a much lesser degree sociological studies that have been made in academia. There are several valid criticisms that one could make regarding my position: 1. I have only worked in the criminal justice system for 7 1/2 years. 2. My experiences are somewhat limited to one agency, the largest law enforcement organization in the Northeast. To those who might use those criticisms, I can only say: points well taken.
Except for one State Police Captain that I used to work for who told me on the first day I worked for him that "I know that you are a retired officer, but I am in command here." In general, I have been well treated by the police and I can attest that several times I have been treated with "professional courtesy" both in state and out of state, when legitimately I could have received a traffic ticket. This, however, is not what I am writing about. Let's just say collectively there are places you and I (assuming you are a civilian) can't go because we're not members of the club. At the risk of kicking that dead horse, one more time, this is not about individuals but about what some might refer to as corporate culture.
caveat lector,
Mark
[/i]
f***ing Civilian is a term that I have heard used repeatedly when referring to members of the citizenry at large.
While I believe that there have been many fine points made by those who have posted, I definitely have failed in articulating mine which is: The police (as in collective noun) represent their own sub-culture which verges on an alternate lifestyle that is not mainstream and embodies what some of you have quite accurately described as a "bunker mentality" or perhaps more charitably as a "brotherhood" similar to the military, the fire service or for the religious: the clergy. If one is not part of the "thin blue line" there are certain lines that cannot be crossed, because afterall "how could anyone understand what it is like to walk in those particular set of shoes?" Also too, I think that there have been enough formal studies made on the "police sub-culture" to support this premise.
Nepotism is another major issue which cannot be denied. How many highly qualified people walking around, could be excellent police officers, but who never got the chance because they didn't have any"juice" ? (and no I never aspired to be a police officer choosing instead the military where most of the time, anyway, one can fire back hindered only by the Rules of Land Warfare {which has a lot of latitude, or at least did} and the bad guys don't have to be advised of their rights
)I think what amuses me, is that everday I read generalizations in this forum: all liberals are bad people, all Democrats are a**h***s etc. etc., yet there have been some vociferous condemnations of the dangers of generalizing.
So, I will stand by the generalizations that I have made, based not the individual actions of a few bad apples, but rather on the observations and experience of the police sub-culture collectively, and to a much lesser degree sociological studies that have been made in academia. There are several valid criticisms that one could make regarding my position: 1. I have only worked in the criminal justice system for 7 1/2 years. 2. My experiences are somewhat limited to one agency, the largest law enforcement organization in the Northeast. To those who might use those criticisms, I can only say: points well taken.
Except for one State Police Captain that I used to work for who told me on the first day I worked for him that "I know that you are a retired officer, but I am in command here." In general, I have been well treated by the police and I can attest that several times I have been treated with "professional courtesy" both in state and out of state, when legitimately I could have received a traffic ticket. This, however, is not what I am writing about. Let's just say collectively there are places you and I (assuming you are a civilian) can't go because we're not members of the club. At the risk of kicking that dead horse, one more time, this is not about individuals but about what some might refer to as corporate culture.
caveat lector,
Mark
[/i]
Just one point of order for everyone. Police ARE civilians just like we are. That being said, (and I'm not knocking any LEO's past, present or future at all), the police have the tendency to not think of themselves as civies. Whether on duty or not, they have to follow the same laws as we do....although I've seen numerous ones NOT going the speed limit with no lights on. They are not military, which means whether they want to admit it or not, they are civilian. Evidently there isn't a cute nickname for "Non law enforcement" which leads them to use Foxtrot Charlie.
Now let me ask you this, would rather be behind that cruiser doing the speed limit or letting blow by so you can get back to "traveling" speedLynne said:
![[wink]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/002.gif "Wink [wink]")
I think it sucks when I get behind a trooper on the highway and he's forming a parade behind him and having a laugh because everyone is afraid to pass him. Lights or not, get the hell out my way so I can get back up to 80!
JonJ said:Now let me ask you this, would rather be behind that cruiser doing the speed limit or letting blow by so you can get back to "traveling" speedLynne said:
I must have a problem. I don't care what they are doing. Hell, I've been passed doing 80 by a Statie. And if they are going slow, and I'm going the limit or a little faster, I'll pass them. I don't care.
But then like you said, most of them are doing that just because they know people are scared and won't pass them. Me, I just pass them...
I rarely go faster than 65-70. I have done it on occaisions, but they are far and few between. So...if there's a trooper doing 55-60, yes, I'll pass him. I figure HE has to know how fast he's going if I do. [lol]
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