Posted on 07/24/2015 10:09:35 AM PDT by Paul46360
That’s the reason so many have a criminal record. Apparently, ‘self-control’ to certain members of society is what holy water is to vampires.
Various factors. Do you live in a big city or small town? I grew up in the Mission District in downtown SF. There were gangs and criminal activity that swept up innocents. Happened a lot. Me and my friends were innocents, but cops were wary due to stuff being done by others. One of my good friends around the corner from me got shot up in a gang fight. My next door neighbor friend got killed up the street in his car in a drug deal that went bad. I didn't do those activities. Anyway, cops were always stopping and harassing me and my friends. Didn't help that my best friend in high school is black; cops always thought we looked suspicious together. One time three cop cars converged on us, manhandled us throwing us against the car, frisked us, swearing the whole time and threatening us. They pulled everything out of the car (and kept some of my stuff). When they found nothing illegal, they gave me a ticket although I did nothing wrong. Protests to a desk sergeant and a judge did no good. Similar things happened again a couple times.
Later I ended up working for the police department as a civilian. By that time I had learned to handle them. One time a cop car followed me and my wife to her mom's house where we would drop off our children for babysitting while we work. They jumped out of the cop car yelling at me that I ran a stop sign (false charge). I got in their face and told them "If you rookies delay me from my meeting with Captain ... at the Hall of Justice then you're going to be sorry you messed with me!" and berated them for going after innocent people. They went pale in their faces, got in their car and quietly left. True story, I was meeting with higher-ups that morning. I had been told that if I ever got a ticket it would be "fixed" for me. I've seen a lot of good cops. But also saw some rotten ones. Usually the older ones are mellow, but some of the young rookies are punks.
When I was a youngster, the cops would stop me for whatever infraction, and I was always very polite to them. I went from seventeen to twenty five without getting a ticket. Sometime after that, I started getting tickets every time I got stopped. Nothing changed but the cops attitude.
The last ticket I got was for passing on a double line. It did not happen, but the cop came to my home FOUR days later and gave me the ticket.
The Judge, like all tyrants said I was lying and fined me $170.00. Like it or lump it. I paid, because it would have cost me more to fight it, and I didn't think I could win in the same corrupt Courts.
That seems to be the situation nowadays. Cops have more attitude, and some are overly aggressive (no "Serve and Protect" attitude at all). Thing is, it depends on what motivated people to become cops. For some, it's a family tradition. For others, it's a sense of being superior to others and a way of lording it over regular folks.
Some of the guys I hung around with in my teen days were punks, getting in trouble and going no where in school or dropping out; they became cops. One of my brother-in-laws was like that, we were roommates when young before he joined SFPD. He would tell me stories of them beating people for the fun of it. Thankfully he grew out of that later on. Other guys thought about protecting people, but got sick of the police attitudes and quit the force. Happened to another brother-in-law, he couldn't stand the way people were treated by his fellow cops in SFPD so he resigned. A lot of crap is dished out by rookies.
Seems to be too much intimidation attitude these days. Been luckier with judges. When I fight tickets usually the judge nods in agreement that a cop is a jerk and dismisses the ticket.
I understand your point, But! Should you decide to resist due to some illegality by the police, you have some serious decisions to make in a very short period of time. Hopefully, it will not cost your life. Police who knowingly or even unknowingly exceed their authority are still dangerous. Unless you are willing to die at that moment, you should live to sue at a later time.
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