Why are COPS such little people?

brahtw8 said:
I will offer the following insight and observation from my own experience as an individual who often has occasion to represent government and law enforcement in the civil context.

In some areas there are institutional factors that breed a macho attitude and a general insensitivity to the public. Most often this occurs at the training academy, where the bad apples of the old guard are sometimes sent out to pasture and end up influencing the new generation.

Combine the above with the increasing militarization of police and the natural tendency of certain aggressive personality types to gravitate towards law enforcement (or the military), and it is not hard to understand why some officers are less than professional. This is not an indictment of the entire profession.

I also often represent police in the civil context and can appreciate what you are saying but in the specific instance referred to in this thread there is nothing to suggest that this officer was "less than professional" or, indeed, did anything other than enforce the provisions of the traffic code.
 
RSO 34 said:
I also often represent police in the civil context and can appreciate what you are saying but in the specific instance referred to in this thread there is nothing to suggest that this officer was "less than professional" or, indeed, did anything other than enforce the provisions of the traffic code.

That would be why I didn't say anything about this particular officer, Counselor. :wink:
 
brahtw8 said:
That would be why I didn't say anything about this particular officer, Counselor. :wink:

I knew that but I didn't want your post to be misinterpreted by the author of this thread as being in support of his diatribes.
 
satan_srv said:
Also, I wonder if cops were much better people in your eyes the first 15 years / 1,000,000 miles when you were not pulled over for not having a front plate?

At least one-fifth, maybe one-fourth of Ohio drivers don't display a front license plate.
 
Aside from the other stuff going on with this post, there was a question asked at the beginning about front license plate laws. In my state we have to have it too. I'm just as guilty as the next guy with not having it mounted and I've been pulled over for it too. Our state has had so many problems with people not complying that they've now instituted an "improperly displayed" fine. Meaning no, you can't tuck it in the front corner of your windshield.
 
I'm glad I am a resident of Florida and we don't have that front plate junk. I would get a couple of looks from cops when I lived in California because I didn't have a front plate. Then they looked at my rear plate that was from Florida and there was nothing they could do.
 
I just got a ticket near newcastle today! the cop was very nice and he reduced the speed on the ticket for me too...what really sucks is that I wasnt driving my Acura I was in my wifes Lexus and it doesn't have a passport like my Acura does ...dang it!.....thats the last time my wife gets to go out of town!!
 

I think I'll write a bunch of no front plate cites next time I work, in honor of the OP


Whew! Good thing you're in No. Cali... :biggrin:
 
53heloFE said:
I'm glad I am a resident of Florida and we don't have that front plate junk. I would get a couple of looks from cops when I lived in California because I didn't have a front plate. Then they looked at my rear plate that was from Florida and there was nothing they could do.

There's always something they can do, legal or not. I too never have a plate on the front of my car even though it's required in MA. However before I lived in MA, I lived in NH which at the time didn't require a front plate. Driving in MA one day I get pulled over by a cop who said he pulled me over because I had no front plate. I pointed out I'm from NH and they don't even ISSUE a front plate and asked what he'd like me to do. He actually said "When in Rome....". He didn't give me a ticket but he was sure ready to.

That's the only time I've had an issue with no front plate, now that I actually live in MA and don't have one (other than putting it on when it's time for inspection), I have never had a problem.

Someone above mentioned having one for theft recovery, and while that might be part of it (if the thieves didn't swap the plates), I think it's more for speed enforcement and other violations so they can get your plate as they drive toward you. If you decide to outrun them before they get turned around, they have no plate number to track you down.
 
robr said:
Someone above mentioned having one for theft recovery, and while that might be part of it (if the thieves didn't swap the plates), I think it's more for speed enforcement and other violations so they can get your plate as they drive toward you. If you decide to outrun them before they get turned around, they have no plate number to track you down.

Also for those pesky bank robbers who leave the scene in reverse so no one can see the plate on the back. Don't forget the hit and run driver who leave the impression of the plate on what he/she hits.
I wonder how much it cost in revenue to produce two plates instead of just one per vehicle.
 
The front plates are just revenue for the state..pretty useless for anything else, IMO. Heck, charge us the same but just give us one plate and one less excuse to be pulled over :tongue:

but then again, if front plates weren't required we wouldn't have this loong thread :biggrin:
 
kam3ham3 said:

I think I'll write a bunch of no front plate cites next time I work, in honor of the OP


Whew! Good thing you're in No. Cali... :biggrin:
i think the OP ought to have "thinks cops are little people" tatooed on his forehead.
 
I saw a C5 the other day with CYACOP for a license plate. I can just picture the staff at the registry....

CSR: Sir, one moment while I check with my manager to see if we can issue that plate
Manager: Are you kidding?? NO WAY!! Actually, wait.... I can see where this will lead, the joke will be on him and hell ... we can use the money. Let him have it.
CSR: Sure sir, no problem, that plate has been OKayed by my manager, would you like us to just suspend your license now and get it over with?
 
I'm thinking now that maybe I'll take my back plate off. We don't have fronts here in Florida and the weight distribution is probably thrown off. I guess we'll have to wait and see how long it takes for me to get pulled over. Heck, I'll even make myself an easy target by speeding and running red lights. :cool:
 
zahntech said:
I just got a ticket near newcastle today! the cop was very nice and he reduced the speed on the ticket for me too...what really sucks is that I wasnt driving my Acura I was in my wifes Lexus and it doesn't have a passport like my Acura does ...dang it!.....thats the last time my wife gets to go out of town!!

Yeah, I live in New Castle...they're no joke over there. I haven't been pulled over yet, but my father in law got nailed....visiting from Japan. He ended up talking to the officer for like 30mins...I think they were friends when it was all over.

One of my patients just got pulled over coming into the office parking lot. I better go, he looks pissed. Man, this must be bad luck reading this thread!
(I'm completely serious..)
 
satan_srv said:
so you broke the law and you are calling the cop a little person for doing his job. and you decide that this means that all cops are little people. m'kay.....

Well they are, aren't they? That one is at least.

I'm sorry, but sitting on a freeway watching cars go by while you nap or eat is not doing your job. (We've all seen em do this) Catching and preventing criminals and criminal activity is. As a police officer, you take an oath to "protect and serve." Writing a ticket for not running a front plate is neither protecting or serving.

I dislike useless, cops too for the record. And I am not discounting the good ones out there. I hope no one disagrees with me that there ARE crooked cops out there. A LOT of them actually. However unfortunate, these crooked ones ruin it for the rest. And a lot of people have a poor outlook on law enforcement because of this.

I too live in Ohio. I don't run a front plate. I WOULD be pissed if I got a ticket as would anyone else.

The man was simply venting about the event as anyone would probably want to. He's paying the ticket. He made a comment that he probably shouldn't have.....let it go. His point in the first place was valid and he's been beat up enough.
 
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I hate useless, cops too for the record. They've never done anything positive for me. EVER. And I am not discounting the good ones out there.

How do you know that one of those "useless" cops never took a drunk driver off the road that could have killed a loved one?

How do you know that by sitting in the same spot day after day they finally broke that area of being a habitual speed zone and now one of the little kids in your neighborhood isn't dead from being run over?

My point is that we all live and contribute in a society and whether you realize it or not, you do benefit in some way or another.

I'm so tired of this idea that cops suck. Everyone wants to badmouth cops, but as soon as their in trouble, who do they call?

I even get this treatment in my industry. Everyone hates insurance companies and think we are all out to screw them, but who do they call when they need help either with their car or medical bills?
 
Front license plate does serve a purpose other than income for the DMV ..they are an excellent radar and laser focus point...I was told by a State Patrol officer that the front plate is very handy for that...
 
SilverStone05 said:
I too live in Ohio. I don't run a front plate. I WOULD be pissed if I got a ticket as would anyone else.
You'd be pissed because you intentionally disobeyed the law and then got cited? Sorry, but in my opinion that's just dumb.

I would not be pissed, I would put my damn front plate on. Gotta love the a-holes that think they're better than everyone else. If you don't like the law, work to change it.
 
bodypainter said:
You'd be pissed because you intentionally disobeyed the law and then got cited? Sorry, but in my opinion that's just dumb.

Sure would. Anyone would and they'd be lying if they said otherwise.

bodypainter said:
Gotta love the a-holes that think they're better than everyone else.

Yes you do. :biggrin:
 
"I'm sorry, but sitting on a freeway watching cars go by while you nap or eat is not doing your job. (We've all seen em do this) Catching and preventing criminals and criminal activity is. As a police officer, you take an oath to "protect and serve." Writing a ticket for not running a front plate is neither protecting or serving"

C'mon SilverStone05, don't tell me you've never dicked around on your job or have you always worked 8 hours shifts without any rest. If you don't know what they go thru then why talk down on them..because they are in the public or because they maybe a human being just like you?

"Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Whose gonna do it? You? I have a greater responsibility than you could possibly fathom. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know. That Santiago's death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And that my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives. You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall, you need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said thank you, and went on your way, Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon, and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to"- Colonel Jessep
 
Wheelman said:
"
C'mon SilverStone05, don't tell me you've never dicked around on your job or have you always worked 8 hours shifts without any rest. If you don't know what they go thru then why talk down on them..because they are in the public or because they maybe a human being just like you?

Fortunately, I have a flexible schedule. However, when I am working, I am 100% committed to my clients. There is no doubt about that.

Wheelman said:
"Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Whose gonna do it? You? I have a greater responsibility than you could possibly fathom. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know. That Santiago's death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And that my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives. You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall, you need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said thank you, and went on your way, Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon, and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to"- Colonel Jessep

Yea, Yea, I hear that mumbo jumbo all the time. Yes I have respect for those who protect us, but I also have a disdain for those that don't and choose to abuse their positions to the full extent they can.
 
Isn't part of the police officers' job to write a citation to people breaking the law..I mean, I have broken the law and received tickets. Why should the officer be bad mouthed for doing his job.
 
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