In Defense of Police Officers

I believe that if the officer did stop you for a traffic violation, then you probably did something wrong. Why argue a speeding ticket when you know you were doing 10 mph over the limit? Who cares if the other drivers were doing the same speed? The officer caught you this time. I think that most traffic stops are legitimate. You still have a venue to fight the ticket, in court. The officer is trying to do their job to the best of their ability. I believe that officers are under pressure for ticket quota’s as well. Law enforcement agencies do not like to admit to having a “quota” and try to hide it under different names like “performance objectives” or “goals” but it is still a quota.

The articles I feel that are the most questionable are the ones in which the writer is basically instructing the reader to be a jerk to the police officer. Why do this? I understand and respect telling people not to confess or admit to anything. I don’t have a problem telling people to refuse to let an officer search without a warrant. So long as they do it in a matter that does not get them further into trouble. By trouble I mean what I referred to earlier in creating undue attention to yourself. If you start telling an officer off and creating a huge scene you can likely create additional criminal charges for yourself.

Here is an interesting bit of information to consider if encountering a police officer. If an officer is investigating you for some reason, there is a very good chance that they have at least some sort of reasonable suspicion you were somehow involved. They did not pick you at random. Someone or something led them to you. It may turn up that the lead was not reliable, but they will not know if they do not investigate. This is what they are doing when they encounter you, investigating a crime. If you do not cooperate with the investigation then it only prolongs the situation. Lets face facts also. If you did commit a crime and the police are investigating you for that crime, what exactly is your complaint? You knew the consequences when you did the crime.

Another thing to ponder is that above it all the officer is trying to do their job. They have taken on a job and are following the criteria of that job. A bank loan officer can not give a loan to a person without a source of income and poor credit. They have guidelines to follow. A store clerk is not going to give you a basket of groceries for free just because you are a good person. They also have guidelines. Why should we expect an officer not to follow their guidelines and procedures? I can not believe that officers start their shift with the attitude of “whose civil rights can we violate today” or “whose life can I destroy today”. Like I said they have bills to pay and can not afford to lose their jobs, let alone careers.

Do I believe officers do violate civil rights and make mistakes? Absolutely. However I do not believe it occurs nearly as often as is portrayed. I honestly believe that many writers out there believe that it is occurring more often than it really is. This is based on what they interpret the civil rights to be. If it were so very rampant out there then city and state governments that hire officers would be successfully sued to the point they could not even exist.

For what it is worth I think the police generally do a fantastic job. It is mostly a thankless job that few have the courage to do. I recently heard an interesting statement about police officers. Generally 90% of the population is inherently good. The police deal with the worst 10% of the population 90% of the time, not counting traffic stops. I guess that worst 10% are the ones who are bashing the police.