Honestly, I'm not a troll. I didn't mean to come off so strong in that other thread. I'm interested in having civil discussions, so I made a thread about my views.
From what I've seen, cops are legalized thugs of the government. I'm not saying that we should get rid of cops, i know that society would fall apart without them or whatever, but power always corrupts them, even idealistic ones. I wish cops were less intrusive, less pushy, and more reasonable. I see cops using tasers on people who have done nothing but mouth off. there is no excuse for cops arresting someone and wasting time just for selling pot. And I don't like the militarization of police. Why do they call us civilians and strap on weapons every day like they're looking for a fight? Face it, they are. Cops need boards of ordinary people, not fellow cops, to review shootings and citizen complaints. They need more oversight and training.
In a little late, forgive me.
I disagree with you from the first sentence. Cops are not "legalized thugs of the government". Granted, there are a number of assholes who were bullies in school, loved the power they had over people, realized they couldn't actually produce anything worthwhile in the private sector and thus became cops. However, I honestly believe that those are in the minority. My belief comes from first-hand experience. I have a family member who is a retired cop (which probably creates a bias), and I've been helped many times by cops. This help doesn't come from my family association, as the only cop in the family lives over 2000 miles from me and I refuse to display PBA window stickers or wallet cards.
Exhibit A-
Well before I got married, I used to meet a friend at a local billiards club. One night, my car broke down on the way home. A State Trooper stopped by within 10 minutes and hung around while I tried to get my ride started. After we both realized it was futile, I asked if he could drop me off at the hotel down the street so I could use the phone. Before entering the car, he asked for my drivers licence. Instead of driving me to the hotel, he took me 8 miles out of his patrol route and drove me to my parents house. Embarrassed, he asked me how to get back to the highway.
Exhibit B-
My brother was applying to a film school and part of that application involved submitting a film project. The project my brother came up with wasn't the best script in the world but involved a lot of camera work with many complicated scenes and cuts. So while a bunch of the neighborhood idiots were in my parents front yard armed with cap-guns and swords, a cop stopped by and asked what we were doing. After we explained, he laughed and offered us the use of his spotlight. We accepted, returned it two days later, and the cop was invited (and attended) the end of the year film festival.
Exhibit C-
At an old job, I met a guy who I really got along with. A lot of similar interests, sense of humor, etc. He told me he was getting into satellite television repair and asked if I'd be interested in helping him start a company. I was, so I headed over to his place after work to get some hands-on experience. Turned out he wasn't repairing systems, he was modifying set-top-boxes to receive signals without paying for them. He was also smoking pot heavily. I've never done a drug in my life and never intentionally committed a crime, so I left. Smelling like pot. Took about 20 minutes until I got pulled over. I was pulled over for a burned out brake light, but I KNOW the officer smelled the pot. He asked if I had been drinking, and I told him the truth. I had been. Then he asked about the pot smell. I told him the truth. He asked me how much further I had to go until I was home. I told him the truth. It was only about 2 miles. He followed me home, shook my hand, wished me a good night.
Exhibit D -
This one was just a few weeks ago. I was driving my wife's car, not realizing that she had forgotten about updating the registration. I was pulled over about 3 miles from my house. The officer took my info, ran it through the computer, came back and told me that he had only pulled me over for a brake light but found that the registration had expired. He also said that it was an honest mistake, but also offered to follow me home to ensure my safety.
That's the extent of my experience with police officers. Every single one of them has gone above and beyond what they were required to do and extended help without my asking for it. I treat them with respect. I'm honest with them. I do what they ask of me. I'm polite. Every time I've been pulled over, I turn on the hazard lights, shut the engine off, roll down all the windows. When stopped outside of a car, I keep my hands visible. I speak calmly. I'm polite.
Lesson to the burned - Be polite. Do what you're asked. Answer honestly.
Long post and I'm sorry for it. Just my 2 cents.