Secondly, why is it that everyone assumes that cops are propagating the myth that theirs is the most dangerous job? That can be blamed on the ignorant media, so don’t blame police for the misconception. As a police officer I can say that where we fall on the “most dangerous jobs” list was not even remotely a factor in why we signed up for this job, and does not figure into the decisions we make on the job each day. Trust me, we’re not pining for respect and glory. These days that would be like becoming a stripper in order to gain academic admiration. It is a job that is unquestionably necessary regardless of the attention that it receives, negative or positive.

I think what bothers me most about this article is that the author thinks that the use of superior weapons and tactics needs to be justified. It’s justified because it’s inherently better (i.e; safer, more effective). There is not a single drawback for anyone except the criminal who now has a higher probability of apprehension. Even if there was need for a source of “justification” it would have nothing to do with a statistic on how many police officers are killed each year. Things like weapons and tactics are decided by people much smarter than you with a lot more information than you have. They spend their careers studying and analyzing specific incidents on a case by case basis and then make adjustments in order to address very real and very quantifiable problems. Furthermore, they are very successful, which, whether you like it or not, is directly relatable to the lack of on-the-job deaths.

All that to say: I have no problem with disputing the validity of common beliefs about police work. What is annoying, however, is that you come to your conclusions based mostly on faulty reasoning, and ignorant and swayed perspective, and inaccurate assumptions based on your bias.

And I don’t understand your thought of ending the war on drugs. That would cause so many more problems than you could possibly imagine. The people who don’t deal with it on a daily basis just don’t understand the fear an officer has on something as simple as a traffic stop. ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN AT ANYTIME and an officer has to ready for it. 69 died at the hand of criminals last year, but how many criminals tried and failed?

http://www.killercop.com

I wish I could find the citation but a few years ago, when the NYPD union was demanding more officers per car, there were several studies cited that said cops were prone to get into MORE physical confrontations, not fewer, because they felt they were in a stronger position and that more cops were hurt as a result. I don’t recall what it said about how legitimate those confrontations were, just that there were more of them.
I see some people have absorbed the Sept.11 firefighters’ “we were running in while everyone was running out.” I have come to hate that expression because it has been so misused, allowed to excuse all kinds of misbehavior. Honest to God, I hope someone Tasers some cops some day, in self defense. Of course, they’ll probably get killed in the process but enough is enough.

“Statistics are good but when I point out that based on the number of car stops, search warrants etc. that the number of actual “bad cop” or “bad action” is a small percentage. I have people here, call me names and say that even one is too much.”

Because one IS too many when the perpetrator in question can get away with, sometimes literally, murder thanks to the thin blue line crap. Firefighters don’t have the power to ruin or end an innocent person’s life just because he didn’t get fellated by his wife/girlfriend/local ho last night.

Too many highschool bullies are getting past the psychological screening. That large cities actually budget out-of-court settlement funds should be a huge red flag.

I believe Verizon and Sprint both have sufficient bandwidth for this purpose already. A PMD in a vehicle, would have enough battery, and a backup battery of 4Ah or so for the truly paranoid might be in order, just in case the bad cop cuts the battery cable.

Already happening, and the two cases I know of that resulted in cops getting bent over as they deserved were mentioned on this site. The ape-shit cop in St George, MO, and the NYPD detective under arrest for six counts of perjury, both the result of personal recording devices.

Of course, now that the police are properly warned, Terry searches will ensure that such equipment is “accidentally” damaged into a non-functioning state.

The police are the public and the public are the police; the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.

-Sir Robert Peel, Founder of the Metropolitan Police (London)

No one is coming. Full stop. We as citizens are responsible for our own defense, because no one else will ever get there in time. And police are not legally required to defend us in any event — that is a matter of law and precedent. Don’t believe me? Look at the case where a man killed his three kids, then himself, while the mother pleaded with the cops and got the finger from them. The lawsuit was dismissed about a month ago.

Police are properly named, in the military definition of the word. All they do is “police the area” after you’re dead, and are arrogant about it while doing so. “Protect and Serve” is an empty phrase created by a PR firm, with no legal standing whatsoever.

Not as many as there should be, unfortunately. If there were, they’d be more careful about such things.

Far as I’m concerned, no-knock raids should be illegal except in a hostage situation where there is a clear threat to life. There is no other justification.

If policework is so dangerous that every policeman is allowed to carry a loaded gun, why not the average adult man too?

See?