I've been following this thread and just couldn't resist posting any longer. I think Machinist's post and some of the replies are legit and valid. The rest belongs in the Zen Zone.
I'm not in law enforcement, however my work requires that I work closely with them from time to time, and have a few of them as friends. I also deal with alot of the same people police officers do. I hate to break it to everyone, but corrupt cops aren't as common as you all think. Can alot of cops be dicks? You betcha. But if you had to deal with people on the lower end of the gene pool and people that would steal from their own mothers all day long, wouldn't you be a little bitter too? Fact is most cops are just like everyone else.....regular people who just want to do their 8-10-12 hours at work and go home to do whatever else they like to do.
In all my interactions with law enforcement I have only known 1 that I could legitimately consider corrupt.....just 1. He is no longer employed as a police officer, and not by choice. I also have encountered 1 ADA and 1 CPS worker who were corrupt, FWIW.
Automatic Monkey said:
I don't respect cops. I realize there are some good ones, but being all cops either commit wrongdoing or tolerate it in their peers, they all have to be tarred with the same brush. I do not cooperate with police or give them information, and do not talk to them at all unless I'm the one who called them. Your life and your freedom is not a priority for any police officer. They are the weakest link in American society.
This might take the cake for the most rediculous post I have ever seen on this site.
Sucker said:
A close associate of mine was recently stopped and his car was searched. The cop found, and confiscated his money (more than $10K), which was wrapped around his player's card, exactly as you described. The excuse that Mr. Peabrain Cop gave: "Most drug dealers use casinos for laundering the money". Now; I'm not a drug dealer and I don't KNOW any drug dealers, but I got to thinking - perhaps he's right about THAT statement.
This is very true for the low level street dealer. Pay special attention to the craps table. Bars are very common for the next tier up also.
Automatic Monkey said:
Look I knew a lot of bad kids growing up. Always in trouble. The ones who came clean and took responsibility for their actions, and wore their suspensions and detentions like a badge of honor, grew up to be what society would call criminal. Petty theft, drugs, etc. Then there was another class of bad kid, they did the same things as the other kind, but who would stick to their story no matter what, blame others, and either brownnose, bully, or lie their way out of whatever they go into. Guess what they became.
A cop's loyalty is to cops. Not his country, not society at large, and certainly not you. This may be difficult for some, but if I had to pick either a drug dealer or a cop to trust, I would pick the drug dealer. The reasons are straightforward to me: the drug dealer is more likely to see me as an equal than the cop, and to reciprocally rely on my trust. If a drug dealer comes up to me and starts asking me questions, he's just being friendly, I can be sure he's not trying to trap me into incriminating myself. If my neighbor is a drug dealer, I'm not going to bother him and he's not going to bother me. Being I don't buy or use drugs our paths and interests will likely never cross.
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Until the 3am drive by that kills you or your family. Or how about the rival drug dealer/gang that wants some new turf and decides to rob and/or kill your drug dealing neighbor.....but oops! He got the wrong house....happens all the time. Do you think that the drug dealer's customers are going to be equally as trustworthy? Good luck with that.
collegebj said:
I play hockey and every now and then i play on my bosses old mens team, half the team, and league, are cops. Everytime ive been there ive witness many of the cops chug 5-6 beers after the game then drive home, alot in squad cars.
Also my grandpa has worked every level as a cop. Hes now retired and does alittle detective work on the side but he always says you wont believe how corrupt the big city police department are. He wroked in the murder capital so i think he had a pretty good understanding.
I play hockey as well....also with alot of cops....and I have never once seen one drive a squad car to a game, or any time not on department related business for that matter....so I'm gonna have to call BS on that part. However, if they were drinking and driving a department vehicle that would show some very bad judgement and obviously I'm not going to defend that. Show me someone that drinks and says they have never driven after having a drink, and I'll show you a liar. Not condoning drinking and driving, but I'm a firm believer that what I do on my time off, within reason, is my own business.
As far as big city PD corruption, there's probly some truth to it. Both local cities you could be referring to as the "murder capital" are very corrupt
on many, many levels. To try and narrow it down to just cops is unrealistic.
aslan said:
I don't think he is assuming they are all bad at all. I think he is speaking in generalities, and that in general, he would trust a drug dealer over a cop. I have a hard time trusting even a good cop. They tend to be too beholden to the rules, to the system.
"I realize there are some good ones, but being all cops either commit wrongdoing or tolerate it in their peers, they all have to be tarred with the same brush"
That kinda sounds a little more specific than just a generality.
Bottom line....most cops are given a bad rap by the few who are legitimately "dirty". Everyone likes to criticize the police....until they need them
Homeschool
They had just gotten a long nights sleep and had just gotten on the road...So they were wide awake....Definitely a profiling case.... 
