anaconda-dan's Blog

Hey Dan..... Good point.... It's been well known that St. George are not the nicest cops in the world.... Entrapment or not that cop showed his true colors... I agree when we were kids cops were more about the community.... My favorite one was the dancing traffic cop that directed traffic on Broadway...

i wanna know why cops always gotta ask ya, "where your going" do they think that someone is going to say, oh down to rob the first national. ive seen a show about unruley cops that was on about 1 1/2 years ago, when they stopped a pregnant woman, whos water broke in the car, and she had 2 children in car seats in the car with her, and he was questioning her about drinking because she hit the side of the road, she was visably in labor and pain, and her words were shaky, and he procceds to keep questioning her instead of escorting her, he says i'm going to make sure you go to the nearest hospital and your not pulling my leg... he accually sat next to her in the hospital parking lot and watched her get the kids outta their seats, carring one to the hospital door, him not moving outta his cruser, what a jerk.
... some of those guys think they put that uniform on and they are God......i had this lil local cop in town pull me over right around the bluff heading outta town, about 6 years ago,he got outta his car and started yelling i got ya, igot ya, and he was doing a dance, and yelling i finally got rosie, whattttt, he told me that i was doing 41 in a 35... when i told him i had my cruise on 35, he said prove it... whattttt... the lil jerk gave me a ticket, and there was nothing i could do to prove it... now there were many times i went around the bluff prolly more then 35 but this wasent one of them, and yeah, thats the only speeding ticket i ever got..... but he wasent a cop for long, hes in st peters now, he pretty much got run outta hermann, for threatning women if they did

Before anyone asks, I am a police officer. I understand what Dan is saying about putting the public at risk, but why do you think these idiots run from the police. They know that our feel-good society and our policies don't allow pursuits for less serious crimes. I don't know if there is more media, but more negative media. The news seems to percieve the police in a negative way more and more. If a person shoots at the police or kills an officer, it is reported as, "the suspect ALLEGEDLY shot at police" because he or she is innocent until proven guilty. When the police do the same, it is reported, "Police shoot and kill man." Society needs police, but society doesn't want the police to do their jobs or have the resources needed. Maybe if the standards were a little higher, we would have more policeman with something more than a high school diploma. There are too many individuals who are graduating from the police academy who are only there because they know someone or they paid to go through the course. Don't take this the wrong way, we need more policeman, but we need better applcants. I also am not bashing the recruitment system, because I have seen college graduates who are now in the NFL who can't read. Why doesn't someone do a story about that.

Dan--- You make a very compelling statement. But the problem that I have with it is that you simply state that there is a lack of civilian oversight but you offer no other solutions. It is true that Policing has become somewhat militant in the way it is performed and when dealing with SWAT and other divisions of the police force that are "paramilitary" style we have to remember that these people are trained to be rude, discourteous and expediant in the way they handle situations. The are (and let me emphasize this point) ARE NOT STANDARD ISSUE POLICE OFFICERS and yet our departments are running them of the leash with the rest of the dept. I say first we need to Identifiy which officers are suited for street duty and which are suited for desk and paramilitary ops only. The with staffing issues should be looked at as an opportunity not a problem and the people that they (police depts) have should be used to best benefit the dept and community. Until then they will only serve themselves and their own agenda and protect their own members and jobs..

One Final note. NO MATTER HOW MUCH WE LOATHE THE POLICE TACTICS WE NEED NEED THE POLICE. The Police are not the problem persay just the way in which the deal with the everyday general public... While we support our troops we also need to support our police.

Listen folks thats fine with me. Let me sit back in my easy chair like the firemen and watch tv until you need me. I wont bother stopping punks in your neighborhood and I wont worry about any preventative measures to keep crime down. Heck, I dont get paid much as it is.

The only reason it appears that "that police have gotten more aggresive" is because there is a camera around every corner watching everything we do.

Like the military, policing involves many situations that the general public do not understand. Come stand in my shoes for a year and see if your attitudes do not change. We have been bashed, accused and even publicly humiliated because we are just doing our jobs. People think that this career is for uneducated punks that like to beat up on people. I find that insulting. So I say to the public........Tell me what you want me to do. I am on your dollar. But do not rant and rave when things do not go your way. As I see it now, police departments are run that way but the public does not realize that.

Quit lashing out at the people that who happen to pull you over or stop you on the street becuase you feel that you did nothing wrong. The laws in this state and you community allow us to do that. Even good people make mistakes, but we do not know you from the bad guys. How many of you have been stopped, asked a few questions and then told to have a good day?

While I am not a fan of St George myself, they are only doing their job. Ask the residents of St George how they like walking down the streets without having to worry about speeding

whaty do you mean Mancillas? We are screened beyond belief. Most if not all department require a mental healt screening by a doctor. There are extensive records checks and requirements to be hired at a department.

Most hiring processes take months to conduct. We contact all past employers, conduct finacial records checks and high school and college transcrips records checks.

The bottom line is that even good people can be pushed to their limits

My suggestion of screening was due to sundowners post, who is a cop also. Do you disagree with sundowner?

I agree that the cop in the video was wrong in his actions, but are most cops like that? I don't think so. I've been pulled over for speeding once (and yes, I was speeding) and been a passenger in a few different cars that were pulled over. I've always shown nothing but respect to cops and I've never had any problems with them. I think some people have issues admitting that they've done something wrong (speeding, etc.) so they argue with the cops, which gets them in trouble.

I agree with Anaconda Dan that reckless behavior by cops is deteriorating their respect on the whole. But, to Sundowner's point, we aren't picking the best and brightest to wear the badge in the first place. Unfortunately, the only way you're going to attract better qualified applicants is to make the career more lucrative. I've always said that policemen (and women) and teachers need to make much more money.

Interesting responses. Especially from police officers. Canine, my issue with your response is that police departments and the millitary have two completely different missions. It bothers me a bit that you consider them the same.
Sundowner's feelings are closer to mine. This isn't about cop-bashing, but cops often bring it upon themselves. We really know how well some departments 'screen' their applicants. We also know how well departments police themselves.
For the record, I hang out with a couple of coppers from time to time. They're older, and pretty well seasoned. They too are disturbed by the trend we're discussing.