Utah Bob #35998 Posted June 3, 2019 Posted June 3, 2019 What started as a amusing thread has lead to harsh words. None of us in law enforcement are excusing cops who behave as buttheads. I always tried to em part the wisdom of Sir Robert Peel’s principles of policing into those officers who worked for me. Among them, especially Quote PRINCIPLE 3: Police must secure the willing cooperation of the public in voluntary observance of the law to be able to secure and maintain the respect of the public. Granted there will be a few who do not grasp that concept. But only a few. And for those of you who care to brand virtually all the members of the profession with the evaluation of incompetence, discourtesy or brutality I can only say you are, in my opinion, mistaken. But I realize there is nothing I can do to change such strong opinions so I will simply go about my business and wish you well.
Barry Sloe Posted June 3, 2019 Posted June 3, 2019 And then there is my older brother. He rode motors for 10 years of his career. One of the best ones that I heard from him was a gal complaining that he was just going for his "quota ". He told her that he didn't have a quota, he could write as many as he wanted. BS
The Original Lumpy Gritz Posted June 3, 2019 Posted June 3, 2019 5 hours ago, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said: Yep. I have encountered lots of cop buttheads. Tell me some of the guys you worked with weren’t buttheads... So, What does traffic stop deaths have to do with this thread? Is that cop speak for “That’s why we can act like buttheads?” Personally I think some cops act like buttheads for other reasons. The 10% Factor. Is it hard to balance that large chip on your shoulder? Carry on, OLG
Pat Riot Posted June 3, 2019 Posted June 3, 2019 2 hours ago, The Original Lumpy Gritz said: Is it hard to balance that large chip on your shoulder? Carry on, OLG Nope... Perhaps I am not coming across properly. I do believe I mentioned my 10% factor and I also mentioned I have a great deal of respect for the police. Anyone that thinks that because a guy or girl wears a police uniform or a uniform of any kind that they are somehow better or they may not be the time to the human nature that affects all other humans is kidding themselves. I do think it’s funny that any time there is anything said even slightly tainted, humorous or disparaging about police or law enforcement that immediately cops and ex-cops get all upset and go on the defensive. But it’s okay to bust chops on the military guys about their service branch and have some good natured fun back and forth. It’s all taken in stride and looked upon as comradery between the forces or within the branch of service. It’s also okay to disparage anyone that works in public service because we all know “they are lazy, rude, don’t do their jobs, ignorant, unfit to breath the same air as anyone else, etc...” You don’t see folks that work in or have worked in public service getting all twisted up about it. I could go on but I think I have made my point...or maybe not. Regardless, I don’t think that there is anyone here that doesn’t truly appreciate the service, sacrifice and safety that police and law enforcement provide night and day, every day, in this fine country of ours. So, in the words of Sgt. Hulka “Lighten up Francis”.
largo casey #19191 Posted June 3, 2019 Posted June 3, 2019 I have 1 thing to brag about.In my 68 years I have not had 1 Speeding ticket.My Van I have now the speedo is about 4 mph off.So I watch it close. The only places I am very careful about is crossing the Indian Reservation in our area.Their gun laws are not so good.So if you are going through Reservations be sure & check their laws. Largo
Black Angus McPherson Posted June 3, 2019 Posted June 3, 2019 On 6/2/2019 at 11:02 AM, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said: Don’t get me wrong, I have a lot of respect for our police but in every vocation you have what I call the “10% Factor”. Those are the people that are just buttheads, troublemakers or idiots that give everyone else in that vocation a bad name. I always kind of figured I was being paid to be a "butthead". To the people I wrote tickets I was a "butthead". To the people who just got cut off or saw the guy just run a red light I was a "good cop". To the people I arrested I was a "butthead". To the person who just got robbed, burglarized, beat up, etc, I was a "good cop". To the people I wouldn't let drive down a road because they" live just over there" I was a butthead. To the people who knew I was blocking the street because there was a live power line laying across the road 100 yards down the road I was protecting lives. I never treated any of them differently, but, depending on which side of the line they were standing I was either a "butthead" or a savior. BTW, I have it on sworn testimony that I was polite and a "nice guy" from someone mad about getting a ticket. (I was getting paid overtime to sit in court) That said, yes, there are jerks to be found in any occupation. There may be more perceived jerks in Law Enforcement because they are paid to make people do things they do not want to do. To those people cops are likely to be seen as "buttheads". That's my .02 Angus Cops are the only profession introduced to people at a party by their job title. Everybody has a "Man, this one cop was a D!#&" story.
Imis Twohofon,SASS # 46646 Posted June 4, 2019 Posted June 4, 2019 I have been a butthead on many occasions, no I was never a LEO, just a jerk. I had lots of company , All folks do it a little, some folks-a lot and others carry it to an art form. Lets try not to be this way amongst ourselves. We all appreciate the Cowboy Way. It can extend to the internet if we make the effort. Imis Less of a jerk nowdays
Lawdog Dago Dom Posted June 5, 2019 Posted June 5, 2019 On 6/3/2019 at 12:51 PM, Black Angus McPherson said: I always kind of figured I was being paid to be a "butthead". To the people I wrote tickets I was a "butthead". To the people who just got cut off or saw the guy just run a red light I was a "good cop". To the people I arrested I was a "butthead". To the person who just got robbed, burglarized, beat up, etc, I was a "good cop". To the people I wouldn't let drive down a road because they" live just over there" I was a butthead. To the people who knew I was blocking the street because there was a live power line laying across the road 100 yards down the road I was protecting lives. I never treated any of them differently, but, depending on which side of the line they were standing I was either a "butthead" or a savior. BTW, I have it on sworn testimony that I was polite and a "nice guy" from someone mad about getting a ticket. (I was getting paid overtime to sit in court) That said, yes, there are jerks to be found in any occupation. There may be more perceived jerks in Law Enforcement because they are paid to make people do things they do not want to do. To those people cops are likely to be seen as "buttheads". That's my .02 Angus Cops are the only profession introduced to people at a party by their job title. Everybody has a "Man, this one cop was a D!#&" story. This video is a bit dated, but it sums it up nicely. Follows your .02 nicely.
punxsutawneypete Posted June 5, 2019 Posted June 5, 2019 On 6/2/2019 at 7:52 PM, Subdeacon Joe said: I've seen that one. Didn't he get fired for that? Even sue to get the video taken down because it would ruin his reputation and career? As I recall that officer had a spotty history and had worked for several different departments. Almost any group of more than a half dozen people is sure to have at least one idiot in it. He did get fired initially but apparently he appealed it and got reinstated.
punxsutawneypete Posted June 5, 2019 Posted June 5, 2019 On 6/3/2019 at 1:51 PM, Black Angus McPherson said: That said, yes, there are jerks to be found in any occupation. There may be more perceived jerks in Law Enforcement because they are paid to make people do things they do not want to do. To those people cops are likely to be seen as "buttheads". When a motorist is being verbally abused and/or threatened, that is beyond being a perceived jerk. And I have only had 3 traffic stops in the last 50 years with no tickets, so it's not like I'm complaining about how I was treated. The video of the abusive Canton, Ohio cop is proof of the consequences to the citizens about having even one bad apple on the force. The consensus I've seen on various bulletin boards is that if you are not required to reveal you are carrying under a permit, don't volunteer any information until specificly asked about it or asked to step out of the vehicle because the downside of encountering that one bad apple on the force is too great.
Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 Posted June 5, 2019 Posted June 5, 2019 When I moved to this town, Brookline, 25 years ago, there were key locations that always had speed traps. the police made the news a few times. One 4th of July a traditional midnight ringing of the church bells at midnight was reported to the police as a nuisance. There being one officer on duty to quell a noisy, drunken crowd, assistance was requested. Squad cars showed up from several neighboring towns. A local said to a Hollis female, about 5’ 2”, something like “you can’t tell me what to do.” Well, crap, she showed him what she could do.... again they made the news news when an officer pepper sprayed a kid for defacing police cars. Officer had only pepper spray and service weapon, which was the better choice? third item, Chief was part time and collecting police pension. The problem was that he was reporting more hours than permitted for part time and collecting pension. move on a couple years... Town Meeting. There was a bond issue to approve a million plus for new Police HQ. the bond issue failed. A few months later, the speed traps almost disappeared.they were still vigilant but not omnipresent. They next year they got their new building, and accreditation.
Utah Bob #35998 Posted June 5, 2019 Posted June 5, 2019 1 hour ago, punxsutawneypete said: When a motorist is being verbally abused and/or threatened, that is beyond being a perceived jerk. And I have only had 3 traffic stops in the last 50 years with no tickets, so it's not like I'm complaining about how I was treated. The video of the abusive Canton, Ohio cop is proof of the consequences to the citizens about having even one bad apple on the force. The consensus I've seen on various bulletin boards is that if you are not required to reveal you are carrying under a permit, don't volunteer any information until specificly asked about it or asked to step out of the vehicle because the downside of encountering that one bad apple on the force if too great. Don’t rely on Internet forums too much. Whether or not you are required to reveal you are carrying is covered by state statutes, and they vary.
Subdeacon Joe Posted June 5, 2019 Author Posted June 5, 2019 27 minutes ago, Utah Bob #35998 said: Whether or not you are required to reveal you are carrying is covered by state statutes, and they vary. And will often be stated on the permit.
punxsutawneypete Posted June 5, 2019 Posted June 5, 2019 22 minutes ago, Utah Bob #35998 said: Don’t rely on Internet forums too much. Whether or not you are required to reveal you are carrying is covered by state statutes, and they vary. That is correct. One of the states I travel in the most is one of those states, and that is where the video of the Canton, Ohio cop verbally abusing a motorist trying to conform to the law by notifying the cop came about.
Subdeacon Joe Posted June 5, 2019 Author Posted June 5, 2019 (Throws red flag, blows whistle) Normally I don't mind my threads going "off topic," or being highjacked, but I think it is time for me to take umbridge at the turn this has taken, and the tone it has taken on. Please, let's rein in on this and let it die.
Blackwater 53393 Posted June 5, 2019 Posted June 5, 2019 On June 1, 2019 at 7:08 PM, Subdeacon Joe said: Don't forget I-55, I-75, and I-81!!
DocWard Posted June 5, 2019 Posted June 5, 2019 Admittedly, I have more close friends in firefighting and EMS than law enforcement. But the officers I know and I have worked with for the most part have my respect. I've done ride alongs when I was at the prosecutor's office, and when I tried to become a dispatcher. Even the "speed trap" officers around here have been professional in my dealings with them. Not that I've had a lot. Having said that, I'll just leave one little tidbit for consideration. Heard any good lawyer jokes lately?
Ramblin Gambler Posted June 11, 2019 Posted June 11, 2019 My brother in law was the butthead in his department, and he was fine with it. It was a small town but he wrote about twice as many tickets as everyone else combined. There were 2 full time officers not counting the chief and he wasn't even one of them. His goal was to keep people from being unsafe in the future and he didn't think warnings accomplished that. It was a small town so most of the people he stopped knew someone and got the tickets fixed anyway. He didn't care about that, just as long as they couldn't throw the piece of paper away and pretend it never happened. He told me one of the few warnings he wrote was to a guy who had one of these bumper stickers. By the time he got to the front window, he just couldn't keep a straight face. And to get the thread back on track.
Tyrel Cody Posted June 11, 2019 Posted June 11, 2019 1 minute ago, Ramblin Gambler said: My brother in law was the butthead in his department, and he was fine with it. It was a small town but he wrote about twice as many tickets as everyone else combined. There were 2 full time officers not counting the chief and he wasn't even one of them. His goal was to keep people from being unsafe in the future and he didn't think warnings accomplished that. It was a small town so most of the people he stopped knew someone and got the tickets fixed anyway. He didn't care about that, just as long as they couldn't throw the piece of paper away and pretend it never happened. I don't consider a policeman a butthead for writing me a ticket; I most likely deserve. Now when an officer feels the need to chew me out and talk to me like I'm not human; those are the buttheads.
Ramblin Gambler Posted June 11, 2019 Posted June 11, 2019 Just now, Tyrel Cody said: I don't consider a policeman a butthead for writing me a ticket; I most likely deserve. Now when an officer feels the need to chew me out and talk to me like I'm not human; those are the buttheads. Well it's all subjective. Just because you're reasonable doesn't mean the next 10 people the cop stops will agree they deserved the ticket. The point was my brother in law never minded the label and we joked about it. His family and his fellow cops.
Blackwater 53393 Posted June 11, 2019 Posted June 11, 2019 The officer sat at the end of the bridge, partially hidden by the large abutment at that end. He gazed at the screen of his laser speed detection device, seeing the the approaching vehicle was several miles per hour over the posted speed. He stepped to the edge of the road and directed the driver to a safe spot beside the road. ”You were driving 62 miles per hour in a 55 mile per hour zone,” he told the young lady behind the wheel. She frowned. “I’m sorry, officer,” she replied. ”License, registration, and proof of insurance, please!” was his response, a slight smirk on his face. As she handed him the requested documents, he asked, “Where are you headed?” ”I work at the hospital. I’m a proctologist’s assistant.” ”Hmmph!” he grunted, “sounds like a weird job.” ”Not really. My job is to relax rectal sphincters,” she explained. “I gently stretch the orafice so that the doctor can easily perform operations. Sometimes we stretch ‘em out to nearly six feet!” The cop looks at her, skeptically. “What the hell would anyone do with a six foot butthole!” he demanded. She replied softly, “Stand him at the end of a bridge with a radar gun!!”
Sixgun Sheridan Posted June 11, 2019 Posted June 11, 2019 This actually happened in Kent, WA a couple days ago. Per the Kent PD: Being a new officer is hard. Especially when curbs appear in front of you out of nowhere. Thankfully the only thing hurt was some pride, and scores on a rookie’s daily report.
Subdeacon Joe Posted June 11, 2019 Author Posted June 11, 2019 On 6/5/2019 at 8:21 PM, G W Wade said: I am still waiting for the humor GW Look at the initial post, the photo put out by the TN State Police.
G W Wade Posted June 11, 2019 Posted June 11, 2019 40 minutes ago, Subdeacon Joe said: Look at the initial post, the photo put out by the TN State Police. Looks like they finally got back on track GW
Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 Posted June 11, 2019 Posted June 11, 2019 On 6/2/2019 at 6:17 AM, Tyrel Cody said: I don't think some of y'all understand, this has nothing to do with radar. THP will drive on the interstate at the exact speed limit(or 5 mph under) and no one will pass them; thus acting like a pace car. It's beyond frustrating. You say that like it is a bad thing, Tyrel.
Blackwater 53393 Posted June 11, 2019 Posted June 11, 2019 The laugh is on them!! If they do less than the speed limit, I’ll pass ‘em like they’re tied to a stump!! If they run the speed limit, I’ll ride directly beside them ‘til they get off or move on! They speed up? I speed up. They slow down? I continue on at the speed limit. If they get off, I’ll resume what I consider a safe speed. If I get a ticket, I proceed through the legal system. I DID have to pay a seat belt ticket about nine years ago and had a “loud muffler” ticket dismissed at the same time. When the judge found out that Ol’ Green didn’t have ANY mufflers, he scolded the officer and dismissed the charges with a strong admonition that I have some exhaust work done. I had bigger straight pipes installed!!
Sixgun Sheridan Posted June 11, 2019 Posted June 11, 2019 Once I passed an old man in a small pickup who was going 45mph on a 55mph highway. No sooner did I whip around him when the State Patrol suddenly came up on my ass and pulled me over. I explained to him that I was merely passing a slow-moving vehicle and that the law allowed me to briefly exceed the speed limit for the purpose of passing on a two-lane highway. He ticketed me anyway. I took it to court and had it promptly dismissed, but I should never have had to contest it to begin with.
Subdeacon Joe Posted June 12, 2019 Author Posted June 12, 2019 2 hours ago, Sixgun Sheridan said: Anyway, back on track...
MizPete Posted June 12, 2019 Posted June 12, 2019 On 6/2/2019 at 12:02 PM, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said: the “10% Factor”. Those are the people that are just buttheads This tends to happen when you give those people a little bit of authority. It applies in all walks of life, not just law enforcement.
Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted June 13, 2019 Posted June 13, 2019 Back in about '71 a couple of my colleagues and I set out to commit an illegal act. It was Christmastime. We were too broke to buy a Christmas tree for the Kappa Phi Delta frat house. Needless to say, we were all pretty bummed by that state of being. So one evening kinda late, a few of us were sitting about lamenting, when someone () came up with a brilliant idea. "Well, why don't we just go cut one down? That's what we'd do when we were kids!" Oh, a most capital idea indeed! Of course, we were soon faced with the realization that when we were kids we'd cut down trees in the forest or on a farm... but here we were in the middle of San Francisco. Okay. A minor issue... we surely could overcome this one small obstacle. Idea!! "There's LOTS of trees along the east side of Lake Merced Boulevard - part of the "Green Belt" bordering Leona Helmsely's Parkmerced housing complex! Surely we could find a suitable shrub there... and it would NEVER be missed!" Well after midnight - we understood the value of a late hour when doing something sneaky - three or four of us set out. Myself, Ray, Half-Breed Pete, and Bill "Whynuts" Wyant, as I recall. About two thirty in the morning found us stooping and crawling about through the bushes, armed with a dull saw and a couple of dim flashlights. After a short search, we found the perfect Christmas tree, and made short work out of sawing it off right at ground level. When it fell, we became very quiet, just to make sure we were still undetected. Ten minutes later and feeling reassured, we gathered up our tools and started to drag the tree toward a place we could pick it up and lash to the top of Pete's '38 Chevy. Suddenly, Ray said "Hey! What's that!" and pointed south. In the distance we could see red lights flashing. Soon after we could hear a siren. What the heck...! Sure 'nuff, the police car turned onto Lake Merced Boulevard, racing north - and right toward us! About a quarter mile from us, the car screeched to a halt, then the driver did a couple of "donuts," sweeping the trees and bushes with his high beams and spotlights. Then, he stomped on the accelerator a proceeded toward us again. OmiGawd! They screeched to sudden stop right in front of us... and, with the spotlight dancing and headlights sweeping, he spun a few more "donuts" then stopped. We all had dropped to our bellies and did our best to hide behind the bushes - but we knew our gooses were cooked. Busted. About to be hauled in for swiping Leona Helmsely's Christmas Tree. O, Woe was Us... And then a most amazing thing happened! Only a few yards from us and with his window open, we realized that the young officer in the passenger seat was laughing uproariously. Real belly laughs, echoed by the driver. The guy in the "Shotgun" seat snerked, then yelled "This is GREAT, Pete! Let's do it some more! Up toward the lake then back down the other side of the road!" and with peals of guffaws they peeled out and off they went, giving us a chance to slink off, tree in tow. Hey... Cops gotta have fun too!
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