"Talking to the police"

[jks9199]

Oh for the love of pete!!! Do you like to be called that or not?!

By the definition in that article something like the following would make sense: My friend was once copped by a copper who was copping several others at the time.

I know some people who are very particular about it; it's OK for me or another LEO to call them a cop, but not for the public. It's also a complement in many cases; if some cops call someone "COP", it means I think there more than a simple guy with a badge who happens to be a police officer -- they're transcended the minimum standards to be good.

Personally... I don't care. Cop, Officer, LEO... all beat pig and many other names that won't pass the profanity filter.

I just also will debunk the false origins of the term; bad info doesn't help anyone.

 

[Empty Hands]

I know some people who are very particular about it; it's OK for me or another LEO to call them a cop, but not for the public.

Why?

 

[jks9199]

Why?

Why is it OK for your brother to use a stupid family nickname for you -- but not me?

Some officers have taken the term "cop" to be a title of distinction; being called a cop is a sign that they aren't just some guy who passed the academy and met the minimums in FTO, but a FOR-REAL-COP. In that circle -- for someone who's not part of the family to call 'em a cop is an insult.

Like I said -- personally, I don't care too much. There are people that it means a lot to me that they think of me as a "cop" and not simply a police officer. There are people who I simply couldn't care less about their opinion. In general, I'll take cop over many of the other things I've been called!

You might think of it as the difference between being a serious martial artist and someone who "does" a martial art...

 

[Sukerkin]

I can see your point, JKS.

My neighbour is a policeman and I would not dream of calling him a "copper" to his face. It would just be rude, like someone calling me a geek for what I do for a living these days.

Also, I can confirm, from my knowledge at least, that the origin of the term 'Copper' has it's roots in "cop", as in "cop hold of this" i.e. take hold of this.

 

[Empty Hands]

Why is it OK for your brother to use a stupid family nickname for you -- but not me?

I see, thanks for your input. I just wasn't aware of the various meanings imputed to this title compared to any other. Before being too insulted by us civilians, police officers should probably keep this in mind. Most of us just aren't aware of the differences!

That said, it probably doesn't help that "Cops" is one of the most visible and long running police shows of all time.

 

[chinto]

I know some people who are very particular about it; it's OK for me or another LEO to call them a cop, but not for the public. It's also a complement in many cases; if some cops call someone "COP", it means I think there more than a simple guy with a badge who happens to be a police officer -- they're transcended the minimum standards to be good.

Personally... I don't care. Cop, Officer, LEO... all beat pig and many other names that won't pass the profanity filter.

I just also will debunk the false origins of the term; bad info doesn't help anyone.

hmmm I personally have to say that the cops, LEO and or police officers, US Marshals and who ever with a badge work for me.. the tax payer. so I think i have the right to call you any thing with in reason.. this does not mean being rude and profane, but any reasonable title. i have called state cops and sheriff's deputy's and my county sheriff cops... to their face. they did not have a problem that i know of from it. I have a real problem with the few cops I have met that seem to think that they do not work for the public but some how any cop is ok, and the rest are criminals, us versus them kind of thing. That kind of cop should have his badge revoked and not allowed to be any kind of authority type for the government.
I also have to say that thankfully the few i have met that way .. are few.

 

[shujika]

"I have met that seem to think that they do not work for the public"

Well,....only "technically", they work for the city, whom over-sees their superiors, whom then direct the officers. So, "work for the public" yes, work for "you" particularly, ....not so much. They are there to "enforce" compliance with the law. Oh, and they tend to think it's hilarious when you attempt to "inform" them about "working for YOU".....

 

[sgtmac_46]

hmmm I personally have to say that the cops, LEO and or police officers, US Marshals and who ever with a badge work for me.. the tax payer. so I think i have the right to call you any thing with in reason.. this does not mean being rude and profane, but any reasonable title. i have called state cops and sheriff's deputy's and my county sheriff cops... to their face. they did not have a problem that i know of from it. I have a real problem with the few cops I have met that seem to think that they do not work for the public but some how any cop is ok, and the rest are criminals, us versus them kind of thing. That kind of cop should have his badge revoked and not allowed to be any kind of authority type for the government.
I also have to say that thankfully the few i have met that way .. are few.

While I can appreciate your point, the police do not work for you as an individual.....otherwise you could fire anyone who wrote you a ticket. The police work for whatever governmental entity pays their check. In a free society we rightly put restrictions on the police and their powers, but they still don't work for individual citizens as some seem to think. In fact the US Supreme long ago ruled that the police have no specific duty to any individual, not even to protect you.

The duty and service of police is a general duty and does not extend to any individual, meaning you don't give orders to the police as a citizen and they do not obey your commands. They do answer to a chain of command that ultimately answers to an elected official who does answer to you, as is right in a free society.

Let me make it clear, I don't take an us versus them mentality. I tell all my young cops that 95% of the people you'll meet out there are good, hard working folks trying to make a living to pay your salary. The other 5% are the enemy of you AND them! Treat everyone like family until they give you a reason not to, and just because you COULD hammer someone for something, doesn't always mean you should.

 

[sgtmac_46]

Oh, and they tend to think it's hilarious when you attempt to "inform" them about "working for YOU".....

If I had a dime!

Imagine IF every citizen was your boss.....oh what a cluster that would be! You'd be spending all day trying to sort out the contradictory (and often asinine) orders.

The public does have a right to transparency in police authority.....but not on the scene in the heat of the moment, which is usually when they demand it.

 

[allenjp]

While I can appreciate your point, the police do not work for you as an individual.....otherwise you could fire anyone who wrote you a ticket. The police work for whatever governmental entity pays their check. In a free society we rightly put restrictions on the police and their powers, but they still don't work for individual citizens as some seem to think. In fact the US Supreme long ago ruled that the police have no specific duty to any individual, not even to protect you.

The duty and service of police is a general duty and does not extend to any individual, meaning you don't give orders to the police as a citizen and they do not obey your commands. They do answer to a chain of command that ultimately answers to an elected official who does answer to you, as is right in a free society.

Let me make it clear, I don't take an us versus them mentality. I tell all my young cops that 95% of the people you'll meet out there are good, hard working folks trying to make a living to pay your salary. The other 5% are the enemy of you AND them! Treat everyone like family until they give you a reason not to, and just because you COULD hammer someone for something, doesn't always mean you should.

Good man...

 

[jks9199]

While I can appreciate your point, the police do not work for you as an individual.....otherwise you could fire anyone who wrote you a ticket. The police work for whatever governmental entity pays their check. In a free society we rightly put restrictions on the police and their powers, but they still don't work for individual citizens as some seem to think. In fact the US Supreme long ago ruled that the police have no specific duty to any individual, not even to protect you.

The duty and service of police is a general duty and does not extend to any individual, meaning you don't give orders to the police as a citizen and they do not obey your commands. They do answer to a chain of command that ultimately answers to an elected official who does answer to you, as is right in a free society.

Let me make it clear, I don't take an us versus them mentality. I tell all my young cops that 95% of the people you'll meet out there are good, hard working folks trying to make a living to pay your salary. The other 5% are the enemy of you AND them! Treat everyone like family until they give you a reason not to, and just because you COULD hammer someone for something, doesn't always mean you should.

I work for the city. The city manager's name is on my paycheck, and it's from the city coffers, not his personal account. My responsibility is to my sergeant, my lieutenant, and the chief. My service is performed for the benefit of the public, not necessarily for any one individual or to anyone's liking. How could I enforce the law against someone if they were "my boss?" It's sometimes my job to be the killjoy, to ruin the fun, and to tell people what they can't do.

I used to know someone who had calculated the amount any given tax payer contributed to his salary and worked that out in terms of the time typically spent on a traffic stop. It was something near or under a quarter... He'd hand a quarter back to someone who spouted the "I pay your salary" line while saying something to the effect of "here's a refund."

It's easy for cops to forget that most of the people we deal with are just ordinary folks going about their business because we rarely deal with even the nicest people at a time when their at their best. It's also easy for us to forget that the "routine petit larceny from the idiot who left his door unlocked" isn't routine for the victim. Both attitudes are things a good supervisor will fight.

 

[chinto]

I work for the city. The city manager's name is on my paycheck, and it's from the city coffers, not his personal account. My responsibility is to my sergeant, my lieutenant, and the chief. My service is performed for the benefit of the public, not necessarily for any one individual or to anyone's liking. How could I enforce the law against someone if they were "my boss?" It's sometimes my job to be the killjoy, to ruin the fun, and to tell people what they can't do.

I used to know someone who had calculated the amount any given tax payer contributed to his salary and worked that out in terms of the time typically spent on a traffic stop. It was something near or under a quarter... He'd hand a quarter back to someone who spouted the "I pay your salary" line while saying something to the effect of "here's a refund."

It's easy for cops to forget that most of the people we deal with are just ordinary folks going about their business because we rarely deal with even the nicest people at a time when their at their best. It's also easy for us to forget that the "routine petit larceny from the idiot who left his door unlocked" isn't routine for the victim. Both attitudes are things a good supervisor will fight.

I and the rest of the public are your employer. that is fact.. this does not mean not doing your job! It means that you do it as politely as you can.. respect the people you deal with. do so as civilly as you can with out endangering yourself and others.
be polite and nice, till its time not to be polite and nice. that is what it means, that and that every one who is not a cop is not a criminal, but a person.. hell they take a swing at you .. or point a gun or start cursing you out and acting aggressively, that is one thing, if they say " whats the problem?" that is another. In my town I see more cops run stop signs and speed down my street and others then any one else! again, it means that if you do not have your lights or siren on you fallow the laws like every one else! ( that is the law in this state.. but I see a lot of cops violate it.) that is the kind of thing that makes people loose respect for the police. the other thing a lot of people forget is that cops, police, sheriffs and others, by finding and ruling of the Supreme Court of the United States of America , have no duty to protect me or any one else!! they have a duty to fallow the law, and to investigate crimes for the DA and arrest any one who is indicted by a grand jury or a warrant is issued against. so please, be polite, be nice, and if it comes time to not be nice, then do what you gotta do.

 

[thardey]

I and the rest of the public are your employer. that is fact.. this does not mean not doing your job! It means that you do it as politely as you can.. respect the people you deal with. do so as civilly as you can with out endangering yourself and others.
be polite and nice, till its time not to be polite and nice. that is what it means, that and that every one who is not a cop is not a criminal, but a person.. hell they take a swing at you .. or point a gun or start cursing you out and acting aggressively, that is one thing, if they say " whats the problem?" that is another. In my town I see more cops run stop signs and speed down my street and others then any one else! again, it means that if you do not have your lights or siren on you fallow the laws like every one else! ( that is the law in this state.. but I see a lot of cops violate it.) that is the kind of thing that makes people loose respect for the police. the other thing a lot of people forget is that cops, police, sheriffs and others, by finding and ruling of the Supreme Court of the United States of America , have no duty to protect me or any one else!! they have a duty to fallow the law, and to investigate crimes for the DA and arrest any one who is indicted by a grand jury or a warrant is issued against. so please, be polite, be nice, and if it comes time to not be nice, then do what you gotta do.

Those are good points, but jks's point still stands. Even in the private sector, the clients are not allowed to tell the workers what to do. They tell the boss, or the manager, what they want, and the boss tells the workers how to do it. The Client can't come into a draftsman's desk and say "I'm the boss, I pay your paycheck, so I want a parking lot that's shaped like a kidney!" It doesn't work that way.

The police are a part of a public company. I'm not it's boss, I'm a client of that company. Yes, that company does work that benefits me, and yes, ultimately, some of the money does come from me, but that does not give me the right to tell the workers how to do their job.

If a client came into the Engineering office where I worked, and started harassing the draftsmen, we would have them removed promptly, and they wouldn't be our clients anymore, never mind if they pay us or not. Unfortunately, the police don't have that option, so they have to put up with lousy clients, which is the worst curse that anyone could put on any organization.

 

[Archangel M]

Exactly.."The Public" may be the police "employer". But the fact still stands that no ONE of us (or even thousand of us) is "The Public". Going by that standard, the cop is part of the public himself and therefore his own boss, right??

Try going to your Congressman or Senator and DEMAND! that they do what you want because they represent YOU!

Government doesnt work that way.

 

[chinto]

Exactly.."The Public" may be the police "employer". But the fact still stands that no ONE of us (or even thousand of us) is "The Public". Going by that standard, the cop is part of the public himself and therefore his own boss, right??

Try going to your Congressman or Senator and DEMAND! that they do what you want because they represent YOU!

Government doesn't work that way.

''LOL.. yes and no.. be polite.. be nice.. put up with the man or woman who is having a bad day .. it it is a danger to you and the rest of the public that is different. a weapon involved.. or similar is different. and if your responding would endanger more then protect, your jog is to take the round. ....I told one cop locally when he complained at a local bakery .. I would like to see your letter that begins " greetings from the President, your Friends and Neighbors have selected you.... " his older partner laughed !! he knew what I was referring to!! ( A Draft notice for selective service in the military if you are to young to know.. ) and the older partner explained it to him.. he got the point... no one made you be a police officer or any other version of cop.
So be nice.. be POLITE till its time to not be nice and polite...

 

[thardey]

''LOL.. yes and no.. be polite.. be nice.. put up with the man or woman who is having a bad day .. it it is a danger to you and the rest of the public that is different. a weapon involved.. or similar is different. and if your responding would endanger more then protect, your jog is to take the round. ....I told one cop locally when he complained at a local bakery .. I would like to see your letter that begins " greetings from the President, your Friends and Neighbors have selected you.... " his older partner laughed !! he knew what I was referring to!! ( A Draft notice for selective service in the military if you are to young to know.. ) and the older partner explained it to him.. he got the point... no one made you be a police officer or any other version of cop.
So be nice.. be POLITE till its time to not be nice and polite...

Indeed. But to many, it is not considered polite to tell people you're their boss, when you're really not. So the polite advice can go both ways.

 

[chinto]

Indeed. But to many, it is not considered polite to tell people you're their boss, when you're really not. So the polite advice can go both ways.

yes courtesy is a two way street to a Point... but if a person is having a bad day.. and yet not a danger to the officer/deputy.. etc.. its the cops job to cut some slack and do his job. he is to be polite .. till its time to not be polite. his duty is to investigate crimes and collect evidence .. ( true he has NO DUTY to protect to public by Supreme Court of the United States of America Ruling) but he still works for the people. the whole " us.. (cops) against them.. ( any one not a cop) is ******** and should be treated as such by the public and the cops themselves. your job is to collect that evidence, and be polite.. and if necessary to not endanger the public.. die.. yep that is right.. if your shooting would kill innocents then your job is to take the round... no one drafted you to be any kind of LEO.. so if you do not like that .. quit. I know cops who say the same thing. I do not expect you to be supermen.. but to do the job the same for every one... cop, none cop... black. white., red . yellow or green.. simple... but the simple things are hard.. and the easy way is always mined!

 

[5-0 Kenpo]

yes courtesy is a two way street to a Point... but if a person is having a bad day.. and yet not a danger to the officer/deputy.. etc.. its the cops job to cut some slack and do his job. he is to be polite .. till its time to not be polite. his duty is to investigate crimes and collect evidence .. ( true he has NO DUTY to protect to public by Supreme Court of the United States of America Ruling) but he still works for the people. the whole " us.. (cops) against them.. ( any one not a cop) is ******** and should be treated as such by the public and the cops themselves. your job is to collect that evidence, and be polite.. and if necessary to not endanger the public.. die.. yep that is right.. if your shooting would kill innocents then your job is to take the round... no one drafted you to be any kind of LEO.. so if you do not like that .. quit. I know cops who say the same thing. I do not expect you to be supermen.. but to do the job the same for every one... cop, none cop... black. white., red . yellow or green.. simple... but the simple things are hard.. and the easy way is always mined!

You find it in any police officers job description in any jurisdiction of the U.S. or any other country where it says I have to get shot.

That is one of the most asinine statements that I have ever heard in my life.

That does not mean that I shoot indescriminately, but that does not mean I have to be a freakin bullet trap either.

It appears you know nothing about the true nature of being a police officer.

Sorry if I am being a bit blunt, but its the perpetuation of stuff like this that gets people who put their lives on the line for others hurt.

 

[fireman00]

tell the police that you were afraid for your life, you are injured, you need to go to the hospital immediately then keep your mouth shut. Rinse and repeat if needed.

Don't talk to anyone in law enfocement for at least 12 hours. It takes hours for adrenaline released during an incident to be processed by the body. Also, your mind will replay what happened over and over, take this time to create a timeline of events.

Words can be twisted around or misinterpreted and even the most inoccuous statement can come back to bite you. DON'T TALK TO THE POLICE UNLESS YOU HAVE A LAWYER PRESENT!

 

[Archangel M]

The other side of the issue.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6014022229458915912&hl=en

Although its been a while since I read this thread. I think this may have been posted already. Anyway. I ran across this link and thought of this thread.