Police. Are they American Heroes?

[USLegionary]

Yes

No

[nightdrot]

Voted Yes, though in a strict understanding of the word, "heroes" are those who go above and beyond their specific duties. So in that sense, there are definitely a subset of police who qualify as heroes, while the majority are doing their jobs, albeit it is an extraordinary and very often highly dangerous job.

That said, no joke, when I was no more than 5 years old, I can remember my mother telling my younger brother and me, "If you kids get thrown in jail you can expect to stay there because I won't be bailing you out. Because if you are in jail it means that you deserve to be. When a police officer tells you to do something you say, 'Yes, sir" and you do it!"

To be sure, beyond wondering how I would end up as the first second grader incarcerated on Alcatraz, speaking at just a personal level, I have no sympathy for this notion that someone is a delicate little snowflake who deserves to have his feelings given a higher regard than the rule of law. It is utterly alien to everything I was raised with.

The police have a risky job, their lives are on the line at every stop, and they have no way of knowing who you are or what you are doing. They deserve deference and if they go outside the bounds, you have redress for that in a court of law.

The current popular attitude toward law enforcement is an outgrowth of a sniveling, self-absorbed and self-pitying culture that too easily takes for granted the difficult task of maintaining a stable social order. "The policeman was mean to me!" Good grief.

Do they get unfairly treated? Absolutely. It is the sign of a self-satisfied and sanctimonious age that too easily takes for granted its safety and those who assure us.

In 1977, after nearly two decades of a culture that had taken to calling the police, "pigs" and that thought the criminal was a victim of society rather than a victimizer, Gallup took a poll. It showed that 72% of all women - and 92% of African-American women - of all classes and incomes and all the rest, did not feel safe walking in their neighborhoods at night.

Suffice to say, we are, in the culture's current penchant for denigrating the police, repeating history. Americans, as was said of the French kings, "Forget nothing and learn nothing."

[exitseven]

Cops come to the rescue every day. They are heroes

[Sour-rose]

Heroes? Hell no. Police are just mofos who want to dish out justice... no matter how it comes to be. Or even if it's what's called justice.

[purplepoppy]

The amazing thing about police is if you don't commit crime they leave you alone

[Agagagagaga]

No they don’t 😂 wtf. Maybe in goddamn Wales where you have more sheep than people. 🤦‍♂️

[josephinelcajon]

Exactly I have never had any problem. And the only ones who seem to dislike them are criminals

[WhiteBoyChill]

Had No problems here either

[Vegasrunner]

@purplepoppy Well that's not true. Try something else.

[ManOnFire]

@purplepoppy Terribly untrue. In the U. S. especially if you're black, the police can bother you for doing nothing wrong, only because "they got a call" or you "looked like someone else." Shame on you for this particular answer.

[KostasKouvalis]

www.youtube.com/watch

[WhiteBoyChill]

@ManOnFire Go ahead and cry about it.

Maybe if black people were more cooperative shit wouldn’t hit the fan for black people all the time

[KostasKouvalis]

@BoyOnFire, I work around law enforcement. They get calls all the time. A few days ago we got a call about an illegal camper, so the rangers were stopping and questioning everyone in the area.
I'm White and I once had campus police approach me and check my pulse because they received a report of a student doing drugs. I wasn't happy about it, but I cooperated. In Chile, we left a store and the alarm went off. Why, I have no idea. They stopped us, checked us and send us on our way. That's how law enforcement does their job. If you don't like it, then move into one of those police free zones that ANTIFA set up. We'll see who you call to help your ass when one of your own people robs you.

[josephinelcajon]

@KostasKouvalis I remember this. Back when people had a sense of humor and could take a joke! SNL was amazing in the 70s and 80s.

[KostasKouvalis]

@josephinelcajon Yeah and sadly even Chris Rock has fallen victim. I saw a recent skit where he basically said George Floyd was "innocent". It's amazing how people can change in 15 years. I liked Chris Rock 'cuz he never gave a shit about political correctness.

And yeah, no way in hell would films like "Blazing Saddles" or "Silver Streak" be released today. Richard Pryor did the whole "Black White Supremacist" thing, when Chappelle was still a start up performing at small clubs.

[MCheetah]

@purplepoppy
You say SO many things that have me utterly convinced that you're rich and live in a gated community outside of the real world.

[purplepoppy]

Isn't it amazing how most people never get harassed by the police yet others get stopped on a daily basis? I wonder what these people are doing to attract attention

[MCheetah]

@purplepoppy
Yeah, it's called class. Or socioeconomic status. Rich people tend to not get bothered by the police. Poor people, regardless of guilt, tend to more often.

[USLegionary]

@MCheetah but don't rich people commit less crime, for instance looting target?

[purplepoppy]

Perhaps if the poor committed less crime they'd be more employable and less poor.

[USLegionary]

Much like Tupac whe he made a G one day but he made it in a sleazy way. Sellin' crack to the kids but he gotta get paid.
Well hey, well that's the way it is

[MCheetah]

@USLegionary
Rich people don't commit less crime. It's just no one cares about "white collar" crime because they're rich. So cops aren't going to bother an investment banker stealing millions of dollars, but will arrest a poor person for shoplifting batteries from a Target (unless they live in California, I guess; steal as much as you can carry there).

@purplepoppy
Okay, Marie Antoinette. "Just stop being so poor already, you filthy peasants. If you just died off, the police would stop bothering you." It's ironic you're also so left-leaning saying that.

[USLegionary]

@MCheetah when the US president is planning on handing billions to trillions of taxpayer money over to the banks while pretending its to help people pay off student loans now that is criminal.

[MCheetah]

@uslegionary
I agree. That's why I say the rich commit just as many crimes as the poor.

[ManOnFire]

@purplepoppy "I wonder what these people are doing to attract attention"
- Simply being non-white is enough.

[KostasKouvalis]

I'll be completely honest Poppy, you always seemed more left leaning, so I'm surprised, albeit delighted to hear you say this.
You're okay😂

[ManOnFire]

@kostaskouvalis Bruh. You're a literal coward who blocked me for shit I don't even know the reason for nor do I even know you, but you think you can tag me? If that's not retarded I don't know what is🤣

[exitseven]

@Agagagagaga I never had any problems with cops. I am polite and do what they tell me to do. Most of the time I got off with a warning.

[Vegasrunner]

@exitseven what you just articulated is called privilege. Ty for sharing that.

[MCheetah]

@exitseven
I've never committed a crime in my life and I've still been harassed by cops. I don't even think it has to do with my race either; more so my socioeconomic status (not wealthy/upper middle class) as I've heard white people treated the same way. And it also probably has to do with location, as I lived in Philadelphia, a city with more than a million people. Maybe small-town cops are friendly, but most city cops are probably assholes and those are the only ones I've ever dealt with.

That's why I don't trust or like cops. I'm not BLM, but lots of cops are angry and unstable and WILL f*ck with you just because they're having a bad day and need someone to take their frustrations out on.

[HippieVeganJewslim]

Explain George Floyd.

[Bratsondanielle]

@HippieVeganJewslim drug addict criminal who resist arrest and die of his overdose... why's there anything to explain?

[Bratsondanielle]

He tried to use a fake dollar bill and got arrested. Of course later the blm terrorists burned down half the country 😒 🙄

[exitseven]

@Vegasrunner no, it is called manners.

[Vegasrunner]

@exitseven There's statutes that regulate manners?

[exitseven]

@Vegasrunner no but if you behave in a respectful manner then you will be treated with respect.

[Vegasrunner]

@exitseven So you're saying law enforcement doesn't behave in a respectful manner?

[exitseven]

@Vegasrunner I am saying that if you don't mouth off to the cops they will treat you with respect If you don't try to resist arrest you won't get a beating and if you don't shoot at the cops you won't get shot.

[Vegasrunner]

@exitseven That's certainly an opinion you can hold but historical evidence proves you wrong. Can you show me the statute that says "mouthing off is punishable by death?

[Bratsondanielle]

@Vegasrunner cops generally treat people nicely no matter what and no matter color or something whatever. Where it always goes south is when they yell at the cops and shoot at the cops etc.

I've been pulled over numerous times and I'm always treated as I would expect

I saw a guy get busted few days ago and he was yelling at the top of his lungs and spitting at the cops and everything. I was honestly thinking "just bust a cap" cut damn...

[MCheetah]

@exitseven
"if you behave in a respectful manner then you will be treated with respect."
I gotta disagree with that. You've clearly never lived in the big city before.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnusirQE9qo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtcPWDNE2Bk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GggwRSX493Y

I'm sorry, but your ability to not get sh*t on by the police is proportionate to how much wealth and influence you have in society. So I agree with @Vegasrunner. That's why it's usually only rich white women who talk back to cops.

[Vegasrunner]

@Bratsondanielle TY for proving my point. The fact that you have been "pulled over" numerous times only goes to highlight the privilege you hold. Unfortunately most people of color can not afford to brazenly break the law like you do w/o fear of repercussions or even death. Why do you have so much confidence in your ability to break the law?

[Bratsondanielle]

@Vegasrunner my black boyfriend Kenya was pulled over lots of times and he is still alive and doing well. He's just polite with the cop that's really all it takes. Saying it's about color is stupid 🙄

[Vegasrunner]

@Bratsondanielle Lol, so you're telling a black man about an experience that another blacken shared w/ you? The fact that you believe him simply being alive after being pulled over literally is the problem and only goes to validate my point. Perhaps this is a subject your "black boyfriend should be speaking about instead of you?

[Bratsondanielle]

Lol see what you're doing is what you crazy people always do. When I said "he's alive " I was going off of your stuff saying "oh all black guys get shot on site if they forget to click the seat belt " which obviously objectively isn't the case. Lots and lots of people of all colors are pulled over all the time by cops of all colors and both genders. Usually it goes without any problem or issue. Obviously

[Vegasrunner]

@Bratsondanielle I see your confusion. I never said anything remotely like that. So you made up a fake scenario in an attempt to make a point? I see why u like police so much now lol they do similar things. If you really understood history of the police force then you wouldn't be spewing this nonsense or you wouldn't have a "black boyfriend" Organized police forces have only been around for about 150 years and it began as a way for slave owners to capture their runaway property in fact in the southern states any white man could be deputized at any moment to help combat a slave uprising. Today many of these same descendants hide behind their gun and badge to commit the same heinous crimes and it is no surprise that their support always comes from the most ignorant of our society.

[Bratsondanielle]

@Vegasrunner there has been a form of police in all countries since the dawn of day.

When a white person is pulled over by a black cop nothing happens in 99.99% of them and when a black person is pulled over by a white cop nothing happens 99.99% of those times either

There are black police officers too. You know that right?

And there are bad cops. Of course there are. Just like there are bad people of all colors and both genders. Some people are bad.

But saying that all cops are just out gunning for black people is objectively stupid. If you look at the demographic then look at victims both of "everyday shooting " and that of cops you will find that you don't have a case here.

And last but not least: why are you assuming that I can't have a black boyfriend? Why are you even assuming that I'm not black? Are you a racist?

[Vegasrunner]

@Bratsondanielle You 1st statement is blatantly false so I won't respond to that. Even if your percentage was accurate that would equate to almost 330K people per year which is an outrageous number. You "all cops" statement isn't something I said so I can't response to that. Who said you can't have a "black" boyfriend?

[Bratsondanielle]

@Vegasrunner lol you should clearly get a crash course I'm math.

I hope nobody says that. Not that I care. Racists always just kinda reminded me of roaches. They're usually low IQ unemployed morons

[Vegasrunner]

@Bratsondanielle You may want to take your own advice regarding math. Police by definition are employed so I can't agree w/ the unemployed part but I do agree w/ you assessment of the racist ones having a low IQ, that tends to be a trend most racist have.

[Bratsondanielle]

@Vegasrunner 99.99% of all encounters go smoothly... how does that leave 330,000 per year? Do you have any idea how many police encounters that would require annually? 😲

[Vegasrunner]

@Bratsondanielle There are approximately 330 million people in America assuming your number was accurate and "99.9 %" of all encounters went "smoothly that would mean approximately 330k per year dont go smoothly. I'm agree you numbers probably aren't accurate and more people than that are abused by police but based on your numbers that's approximately the stats which is way to high in my opinion.

[normalice]

in my opinion this question is best framed as "what sort of person becomes a police officer?" I think there are a lot of people who join because they legitimately want to stop crime. But I think such people are quickly disillusioned by the fact that police do absolutely no crime stopping. They respond to crime already committed. And more specifically, they prefer to catch crime that can be settled with a fine, because that's how they get paid.

But then there are also some people that join the police bexause they are scared and what protection or validation for their legal opinions. These usually turn out to be the "bad apples" that spoil the bunch.

[Vegasrunner]

No. Police are not heroes. in my opinion a firefighter is a hero. They have to run into burning buildings to save lives and they have none of the authority of Law Enforcement. During the 1992 LA Riots many firefighters were injured and attacked by civilians yet they still did their jobs and put out the fires through the city w/ little or no protection from the police. Most of the cops ran like cowards because for all their tough talk they couldnt do shit once the power of their badge was stripped away and they were forced to fight man to man.

[Rangers]

They hold the fabric of America together in a time where so many people are committed to victimizing innocent people all day every day.

We need to increase the force 5 fold, then our freedom can be effectively defended from criminals committed to stripping people of their freedom

[TacticalLizard]

White people are Americans The rest of the people Are from foreign places. Africans Are blacks you can’t be From Africa have African Ancestors African Skin color and be American 🇺🇸 All American Is being white just like you can’t Be A white dude and been born to 2 Mexican parentsMexicans are From Mexico 🇲🇽
And Whites are from America 🇺🇸
And are American 🇺🇸
Some police are bad some are Good
They have a Job to do a duty to protect and when One Person falls out of like it’s the job of the police to Put them back in line of following the laws so that people don’t get hurt or Killed or Worse.
Police suck and They do a lot of harm but they also do a lot of good
And without them The world would be in a state of constant Chaos.
Like the movie the Purge.

[TacticalLizard]

And it’s a shame People feel the need to use Guns just the other day Something from a Tree fell down and hit me and I thought about how somebody could Shoot me dead I’m an open Target and if someone wants to shoot me they can and there's nothing I could do.

[TacticalLizard]

People just need to grow the fuck up and Quit Complaining Quit arguing and have Peace
You Want Peace yet you Force your beliefs down others Throats.
Not an effective way of having peace with the races. Instead of being a dick and forcing beliefs down everyone throat just relax and realize nobody has to agree or do as You tell them to do ounce you realize and accept that Peace can start to happen.

[TacticalLizard]

Shooting someone is a fucked up thing to do I don’t care if you’d White black yellow or green
Stop with the race Shit
I don’t care if your black white yellow orange or green It’s a skin pigmentation that’s it.
And a scientific fact that we have different skin colors due to pigmentation and Saying you don’t like someone based on skin color makes you against science 🧬 an idiot

[TacticalLizard]

Different races do different things differently.
Some are More prone to Growing up in poverty some grow up in a good loving family some don’t
Accept people who they are and move on who cares if some Person tells you they don’t Like The way you look
It shouldn’t matter your You
And you should be proud of being Yourself you shouldn’t be offended for being yourself for looking different but Proud of way you look and who you are.

[TacticalLizard]

And you should Strive to be a Better person on a daily basis improve don’t stagnate

[TonightYouu]

Only on Tv and even then they spend the first 35 minutes trying to prosecute the wrong person

[MCheetah]

I agree with you.

[MCheetah]

Hell no! Most of them suck in my experience! They just happen to be a necessary evil in life, like taxes. You gotta deal with them, but I grew up always knowing "Cops are there to punish people, not help them. Some people need punishing, but they are NOT there to help anyone." If you're being robbed and you're not wealthy, see how long it takes for police to arrive.

[dustybiker]

Yes.
In fairness where are the images of all the good cops? You can’t only show your angle. Shows your ignorance to truth and facts. There are down and bad sides to everything. Nothing is all good or all bad.

[USLegionary]

These images are of cops arresting criminals

[RolandCuthbert]

Everyone should be judged on their actions. Not their job description, title, or name.

I have run into some very cool, very respectable officers.

Then I have run into dudes who have no business wearing the uniform.

[Havthrills]

They are. Had a couple cops killed close to here a couple days ago from gang members. All you hear on the news is the bad stuff. There might be a few bad cops, but will you judge them all because of one?

[jshm2]

You are three times more likely to be killed by a US cop, than a terrorist.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-02601-9

[USLegionary]

Lol you were more likely to be killed in detroit, Chicago or L. A. as a young black male due criminality than as a US soldier serving in Afghanistan or Iraq.

[Dargil]

For you 31 that voted no, don't call 911 when an armed robber breaks into your house. Instead, offer him a BJ.

[lorenzomichael]

Fuck no there all dicks. We know we can't trust them, and if you do then your stupid. When was the last time you've seen one of them bastards do anything good? Fuck the cops remember there not your friends..

[Bratsondanielle]

... they're not your friends although there are good ones out there

[lorenzomichael]

Where are they?

[Bratsondanielle]

I was mostly mocking your messing up their / they're/there but since you ask... all the cops I met and ever heard of

[BlueScorpio]

Yes if they aren't the crooked, racist, hiding murder evidence type.

[ManOnFire]

I don't consider any cop to be a hero for bothering you for doing nothing but walking down the street or wearing the same colored clothes as some other guy that a Karen phoned in about.

[WhiteBoyChill]

I’d like to see you jump in an Apartment on a domestic violence call

[TroyDT]

I know a civil rights attorney who says 98% of cops are good, but the 2% who aren't get all the press.

[WhiteBoyChill]

I guarantee you all these people in the comments section that hate the Police don’t even have the balls to do a single day’s worth of their work.

[goaded]

Crappy poll, because the ones protecting people are, and the ones kneeling on people's necks or covering for those that do, are not.

[USLegionary]

Kneeling for justice?

[zagor]

No, just people trying to do a very tough job. Most are good people.

Many don't realize how much is involved with the job. Picture going to a house to tell the parents that their teenager just blew his brains out.

[Jaximus-Lion]

Not from what i have seen and been through. I would say 25% are heroes

[Surely]

They are my heroes. I know that I couldn’t do their jobs and keep cool like some have been shown to do.
Though I have never been arrested!

[Hispanic-Cool-Guy]

American certified crooks. When it comes to law and justice, the system must be nearly spotless of any corruption.

No one honest person can say that about American cops.

[WhiteBoyChill]

Dude wtf? How is it that you take more issue with Police than the people they detain

[Hispanic-Cool-Guy]

@WhiteBoyChill: I don't support illegal much tolerate ish especially from public officials.

Cops do illegal ish and violate people's right a lot.

[WhiteBoyChill]

But the vast majority of the time, they’re out catching bad guys.

So why do you take issue with them more generally?

[Hispanic-Cool-Guy]

@WhiteBoyChill: I just told you why..

[WhiteBoyChill]

Yeah you said supposedly because they do illegal stuff a lot. Even though you only have secondhand knowledge. I mean for God’s sake there’s actual entire youtube channels that show Police in the line of duty. Yet you’re out here swallowing the media’s narrative

[Hispanic-Cool-Guy]

@WhiteBoyChill: Second hand knowledge? Please. I have many times cops doing foul stuff, heard personal testimonies, my personal experiences.

In this country whole police departments were so badly corrupted that they needed to be totally shut down.

[Hispanic-Cool-Guy]

*seen

[WhiteBoyChill]

And yet you’re the guy who complains about Police giving you a speeding ticket when you were going 20 over in a school zone.

Maybe if you didn’t have such a narcississtic attitude, your interactions with them would be a lot better. They don’t take shit from other people

[WhiteBoyChill]

“I did nothing wrong even though I blatantly disregarded the law”. I mean if you were being honest, that’s what you’d say

[Iron_Man]

Some are the legitimate ones are That fight crime

[hostboy__fastestlaps]

Not completely. The system has good apples, obviously, but also highly corrupt apples

[Anonymous]

Fuck fuck the police. Liberty and justice for all my ass.

[JosyJosy]

Only the good ones are.

[imfreeze95]

For every profession there are assholes don’t paint with a broad brush

[captain_voidwalker]

I'm a fan of ditch the blue and get good and cozy with 2A instead.

[userxvi]

You'll back the blue until it happens to you

[bubblegunnn]

Sorry sir but nah.

[josephinelcajon]

I think our military is our heroes!

[KrakenAttackin]

A hero is a meatball sandwich.

[AlperEngin93]

Yes they stop the ignorant monkeys

[GoodGuyBreakingBad]

Yes...

[Carina0]

Cops are the same in every country trust me

[TwoToTooTutu2]

Some departments yes, others are a no.

[msc545]

Only when they are killing black people.

[Agape93]

Nope, fuck em

[Smegskull]

Heroes don't get paid for it.

[Anonymous]

Goddamned right they are!

[Fuentes]

Yes most are

[SmokinAces2000]

Absolutely not

[WhiteBoyChill]

Because you’re an idiot

[WhiteBoyChill]

Its like you don’t even have firsthand knowledge of the work they do.

How about setting the example for the rest of us if its so easy to respond to domestic violence calls and armed suspects?

[Anonymous]

yes of course