Dangerous jobs

[tawood]

... But I'm sure there are some who benefit financially from drug arrests, such as taking the "evidence" to resell. I've heard such rumors but can't point to a particular case. But I do know for a fact that seizure of assets occurs and this is before trial and conviction and I cannot square that with being Constitutional...

These are the rumors that I don't think will ever stop. One guy does it once, and its common knowledge that it happens all the time. Actually, its probably more like a dozen guys did it a dozen time...but now its "every cop" or "most cops" or "10%" etc.

I hear all the time that cops aren't punished, or get a slap on the wrist...sorry, not normally, no. Does it happen rarely? I'm sure it does. Should it happen at all? Absolutely not. But what can I do? What I can do is what I'm doing now: do the best job I can, and tell people that my experience is that it is very rare. You are free to disagree, by bringing up three of four links to cases, nation wide, that you found on google.

When I see cops screw up, it pi$$es me off too...probably more so than you, as it brings us all (police) down and makes my job harder...but when people comment that "cops do this" they are implying all cops. When Denver jokes "next time a cop tells me his job is dangerous" it implies its not. That's not true either. So I call him on it. No one has ever won an argument on the internet, and I'm (obviously) not changing any minds here, so I'm done with this...sorry ya'll feel this way.
Tarheel, was your dad's job dangerous at times? Did he personally benefit from drug laws? Did he treat people illegally? Unfairly? Violate their rights? Did you do any of this? Ask yourself if you feel this is a problem for all cops then, or just the cops now. Was it rampant when he (and you) were officers, or just now that their is cell phone video, it appears rampant?

 

[PeterNSteinmetz]

I just don't understand the reaction to officers also expressing their opinion, and being told we are protesting too much.

Could it have something to do with the attitude demonstrated in threads like this one quoted below?

Agreed. And I’m sure he’ll be facing some kind of light discipline for it. I’m also sure he doesn’t care that he’s facing some discipline and in his shoes i can’t blame him

 

[PeterNSteinmetz]

When Denver jokes "next time a cop tells me his job is dangerous" it implies its not. That's not true either. So I call him on it.

The numbers say that being a police officer just isn't objectively that dangerous. To somewhat parallel the construction above. Yes, there are incidents where LEOs are injured and killed while on duty. Yes there are anecdotes the members here can recall of dangerous situations or attacks. Those individual incidents don't mean that on average it is that dangerous a job.

Have to look at the numbers to construct a valid generality. And I believe it was actually _safer_ to be a police officer last year than in prior decades.

Furthermore, doesn't it seem plausible that as police become more militarized that that biased the odds in their favor in any confrontation?

 

[PeterNSteinmetz]

These are the rumors that I don't think will ever stop.

Perhaps the poster is referring to the part about taking drugs to resell, but the part about seizure of property is not a rumor. The large scale use of civil asset forfeiture, which starts with a seizure, to generate revenue for LE and prosecutors is a rather well documented problem. This why many states have outlawed sharing of funds between local LE and Federal agencies and why there is considerable debate on reform of civil asset forfeiture at the Federal level.

 

[FormerHangie]

I guess they're including crop dusters? And banner towers and so on. No way they're just talking about commercial airline.

My understanding is that it is for all professional civilian pilots in the U. S., but I can't think of a large enough group of professional pilots who are at a higher risk of being killed than would be truck drivers. Once you get past the airlines, you have Part 135 charter and business flying, but both of those have good safety records. You do have pipeline and ag flying, banner flying and bush flying, all of which are high risk, but the numbers are small. Could it be flight instructors? I don't hear about many flight instructors going down, and it seems like it's a big deal when one dies, but maybe more instructors crash than I hear about.

 

[JCranford]

I don't think the average cop is corrupt. But I'm sure there are some who benefit financially from drug arrests, such as taking the "evidence" to resell. I've heard such rumors but can't point to a particular case.

Bingo. I think that’s what ‘wood has been saying. You don’t know, it’s just ‘known’.

But I do know for a fact that seizure of assets occurs and this is before trial and conviction and I cannot square that with being Constitutional.

You realize there is a process for asset forfeiture right. It involves a lot of affidavits, swearing before a judge, proof and whatnot that said assets were proceedings from criminal activity. We don’t just get to grab stuff and say it’s now police property.

In general cops enforce the law and I love them for it, when they are trying to catch killers and rapists. But I have something of a problem when I see cops breaking down the door of some sorry drug addict whose only crime is possession. If he is a burglar that's different,

Having worked property crimes as an investigator, drug use and burglary go hand in hand. There is almost ALWAYS a drug connection to burglary.

 

[Velocity173]

Safest job on the planet.

 

[JCranford]

Geez, I dunno who’s got it worse on that gig, the linemen or the chopper pilot!

 

[Sundancer]

Unfortunately, his "worst day" can very quickly become your worst day, or maybe last day. And then Bubba gets a paid vacation while the bosses scramble (if there's video/credible eyewitnesses) to come up with a copsplanation as to how he was following "proper policy."

I'm not seeing that, not as a regular occurence, not as a significant fraction of encounters. I've been pulled over, a single adult male, alone in my car - I sense the wariness as the cop approaches - and I have both hands on the wheel, the window down, license and registration in my fingers. Diffusing in advance, if you will. And when he asks if I know why he stopped me, I say yeah, I was doing 75 in a 55 - going with the flow, not paying attention.

Not calling 'em all saints, and if I was ever questioned about anything other than a traffic stop, I wouldn't answer - would just assume I was a suspect. Bad citizen? Maybe. Maybe the cop asking the questions is a ethical, hard working, truth seeking dude. But I can't know that - maybe he's a bad egg - you'd be foolish to gamble your freedom on the ethics of someone you don't know.

 

[spiderweb]

I took denverpilot's post to be tongue in cheek.

But yeah - I'm not going to tell a cop that somehow my job is more dangerous than his/hers.

Yeah? Try being a cellist!

 

[woodchucker]

This is how they got Scooter Libby and Martha Stewart (and probably thousands of others whose names we'll never know) and it's how Mueller wants to get our President.

Wants? It’s not like Mueller woke up one day (by the way a distinguished combat veteran) and decided that he would just conduct some sort of revenge?

You need to justify your reasoning. And by the way I served six years in the Navy, including two aboard a special operations submarine. So don’t wave the flag. Justify your reasoning.

Let’s keep this simple. Who gave Mueller the authority to investigate? Because it’s not his own agenda. And that’s my issue with your post. You imply that .... an American hero distinguished under fire .... is operating outside the law. That’s really stupid.

 

[paflyer]

Wants? It’s not like Mueller woke up one day (by the way a distinguished combat veteran) and decided that he would just conduct some sort of revenge?

You need to justify your reasoning. And by the way I served six years in the Navy, including two aboard a special operations submarine. So don’t wave the flag. Justify your reasoning.

Let’s keep this simple. Who gave Mueller the authority to investigate? Because it’s not his own agenda. And that’s my issue with your post. You imply that .... an American hero distinguished under fire .... is operating outside the law. That’s really stupid.

While I respect those that have served, especially with distinction, I fail to understand your connection to purported extra-legal process.

"Getting" people on technical grounds through manipulation is the last refuge of scoundrel prosecutors, but it's entirely "legal."

 

[spiderweb]

Wants? It’s not like Mueller woke up one day (by the way a distinguished combat veteran) and decided that he would just conduct some sort of revenge?

Jumping in, I believe Mueller is acting honorably and legally. I don't think he wants revenge, but he definitely is out to get the President--that's his job.

 

[Pilots Of America Management]

Closed, pending MC review.