food for thought

[bezzabsa]

had this mailed to me by a friend, read it - then think about it.. sobering thought really!!
A POLICE OFFICER SPEAKS

Well, Mr. Citizen, it seems you've figured me out. I fit neatly into the category where you've placed me.
I'm stereotyped, standardized, characterized, classified, grouped, and always typical.
Unfortunately, the reverse is true. I can never figure you out.

From birth, you teach your children that I'm the bogeyman, if they do anything bad I'll take them away then you're shocked when they identify/associate with my traditional enemy... the criminal! You accuse me of going too easy on criminals..until I catch your kids doing wrong.
You may take an hour for lunch and several coffee breaks each day, but point me out as lazy for having one cup.
You pride yourself on your manners, but think nothing of disrupting my meals with your troubles.

You go mental with the guy who cuts you off in traffic, but let me catch you doing the same thing and I'm picking on you.
You know all the traffic laws...but you've never gotten a single ticket you deserve.
You shout "IDIOT" if you observe me driving fast to a call, but raise the roof if I take more than ten seconds to respond to your complaint.

You call it part of my job if someone strikes me, but call it police brutality if I strike back.
You wouldn't think of telling your dentist how to pull a tooth or your doctor how to take out an appendix, yet you are always willing to give me direction on the law and telling me how to do my job.

You talk to me in a manner that would get you a bloody nose from anyone else, but expect me to take it without batting an eye lid.

You yell that something's got to be done to fight crime, but you can't be bothered to get involved.
You have no use for me at all, but of course it's OK if I change a flat for your wife, deliver your child in the back of the patrol car, or perhaps save your son's life with mouth to mouth rescusitation, or work many hours overtime looking for your lost daughter.

So Mr. Citizen, you can stand there on your soapbox and rant and rave about the way I do my work, calling me every name in the book, but never stop to think that one day your property, family, or maybe even
your life could depend on me or one of my buddies.

Yes, Mr. Citizen, it's me the cop!

The Author of this article was Trooper Mitchell Brown of the Virginia State Police. He was killed in the line of duty two  months after writing the article......

[thermidorthelobster]

I like the text, but in the interests of dispelling all these myriad myths that roam the Internet, I'll point out that the Mitchell Brown thing is a crock.
http://www.snopes.com/glurge/police.htm

As some of you may have noticed, these Internet myths are my pet hate.

[Wanderer]

And mine.....

Ed

[bezzabsa]

Hmm, one of 'those' is it..... a good thinking piece spoilt by a tacky' add on'.. oh well, a few of the boys in blue i know have similar sentiments ;)

[Wanderer]

Pick any part of the text from that sort of thing and stick it in inverted commas in yahoo or google and you'll usually end up with Snopes in the list.
T'internet seems to be full of this sort of thing ;)

[Wanderer]

I've just typed into yahoo
"but expect me to take it" snopes

and it comes up with the snopes page for the urban legend.

Many versions of these things even have the same spooling mistakes.

[Bush Tucker Man]

It may an urban legend, orwhatever, but I agree with the issues raised on the behalf of the 'Police Officer'

You call it part of my job if someone strikes me, but call it police brutality, if I strike back.

You talk to me in a manner that would get you a bloody nose from anyone
else, but expect me to take it without batting an eye lid.

It's just like we get treated in the NHS.
Expected to take all the abuse, but not 'supposed' to answer back. And
as for the being struck, I know all about that  :roll:

[Evilgoat]

A lot of the problems perceives with the Police are down to the entities they have to deal with and lack of morale.

Lack of staff and funding means there arent many to start with and of them, half of em are redy to pack it in. What little morale they have is detroied by the fact that the CPS wont actually prosecute anyone so why bother?

They are also fighting a rise in crime and a drive to actually catch mor criminals, this means they need to go for quantity of prosecutions to be seen to be doing something, enter the motorist.

You can get about 10 prosecutions from a few hours with a speed camera or maybe 1 a day actually trying to catch some of the little scrats, then when they do the CPS drop the case.

[Bush Tucker Man]

What little morale they have is detroied by the fact that the CPS wont actually prosecute anyone so why bother?

Quite.
Did you hear Jeremy Vine on(Monday or Tuesday) where they were discussing attacks on NHS staff?
One case centred around a patient wandering the corridor in the middle of the night.
A Nurse asked him to go back to bed & he whacked her in the face with a Jug!!!

She needed surgery & has Titanium plates in her face.
The patient was arrested (I hope he 'resisted' arrest )
Then he was brought back to the same ward to finish his treatment, under Police guard
Not on is it??

And to put the cap on it, the CPS said there was no case to answer & no  chance of convicting :shock:  :shock:

Poor Nurse & poor Police :(

Me?, if I I'd been in the Police, I'd have dropped the hint to the male relatives of the Nursing staff when (& where) he was getting released

As for my 'little incident', when that little scrote broke my nose, I ended up telling management what was happening with any conviction, as they told me he'd been in court (he hadn't)
He got an 18month suspended sentance & has to pay me £150 'damages'

[Tailendcharley]

:o  :o Bet you don't get those damages Richard...I've received 3 damages cases against me before I retired from my job and I haven't received a penny from them...oh well,I've off to the Darby and Joan Club in my 110 now...bye :(  :(

    Billy who has no Mates