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Who Wants To Be A Cop?Posted Saturday, August 1, 2009, at 12:01 PM
The public expects, rather the public demands, that our cops perform their jobs with perfection, that they operate with uncanny instincts to handle every situation. When they make a mistake...when they are human, they are an easy target for the second guessers out there. When cops are off duty, they are still expected to remain diligent aren't they? After all, we would notice when our neighbor, the cop, speeds, or has a loud argument with their spouse, or lets their lawn run down. They are cops, they are expected to be above all our human foibles. The training never stops if your a cop, it is a daily effort to stay abreast of changing conditions, ever-changing attitudes, and a challenging legal system. Surely this level of performance would demand large salaries, don't you think? Wrong, cops are never paid enough money. I've seen them out there, standing in the middle of a frozen interstate, trying to save lives because some dummy was driving 60 mph in a blizzard. How much is that worth, that public official, ready at a moments' notice to put their life on the line? To you cops out there, and you former cops, I thank you for your service to our communities. I appreciate the hard job you have, and frankly, I'm glad it's you, and not me, out there standing on that frozen Interstate at three in the morning. And I know I won't like it if one of you pulls me over for something, but, I promise, you'll only get "yes sir" or "yes ma'am" outta me. Comments Showing comments in chronological order [Show most recent comments first] |
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A 'yes sir' or 'yes ma'am' is truly one of the only appropriate responses when encountering law enforcement officials. When they approach your vehicle, their minds must be rife with thoughts of "I hope this one is sane" and "I hope I don't have to go to DEFCON 1 with this one".
The public is allowed to ride along with the boys in blue. I've done it, and encourage anybody interested in seeing how these fine individuals conduct themselves to do it also.
Good article Sam.
Mr. Oblate,
I have my opportunity to ride with Law Enforcement. I must say, I learned a great deal about what Police have to deal with every day.
Sam,
Have you noticed that whenever some State or local governments want or need money, the first thing politicians threaten to cut, if they don't get the tax increase, is Law Enforcement. Police should be the last thing they cut. It is a thankless job, and I'd like to join you in saying a big THANK YOU to all Law Enforcement out there. I am also getting tired of police being made out to be racists by the media and ACLU types. It gets damn old.
I'd love to know where you live because everytime I hear of budget cuts the first on the chopping block is education.
My dad is a former Tulsa Police Officer, and I have nothing but the utmost respect for the men and women in blue.
I am going to grant your point. Could we say that they threaten to cut teachers and cops?
Michael - that is just plain freaky. Both of our dads, former cops, and yet we see things so differently.
You are right Sceptre, and the often the real money that could be spent on cops, cops on the street, is spent for different kinds of cops, the bureauweenie cops. You know what I mean, the green cops, the business harassment cops, the political correctness cops, tax collection & harassment cops.
Back when the mafia was about, we could see the prototype of the bureauweenie cop. The enforcer, ready to "push the button" on somebody when the Godfather told them too. Today, our Government has become worse than the Mafia, and a bureauweenie cop can make your life hell with a few pen strokes.
I have always believed that bad laws make criminals out of good people. More and more, our Law Enforcement dollars are used to support bad laws and keep good people in line and in control.
I will agree with you on that Montana, the two top areas that are almost always certainly cut when the belt needs to be tightened are education and law enforcement. Both are are sorely underbudgeted, but are also the first to have funds cut.
Actually, Sceptre, no I am not talking about bureaucratic programs beings cut, I'm talking about actually education being cut. The arts are almost always the first to go away when money is short, followed by the special education programs. Then they pack way more students into a classroom then there is room for in another attempt to save money.
Interesting thing, though, athletics are almost never cut, actually athletic programs have, in the past, been added, when other educational services are cut.
Mr. Eldridge, on this issue how do you think we see things so differently. You have the utmost respect for law enforcement, I have the utmost respect for law enforcement. When met with an officer your answers are always followed with a sir or ma'am, when I am met with an officer my answers are always followed with a sir or a ma'am. You believe police officers are sorely underpaid, I believe police officers are sorely underpaid.
Where are the differences on this issue?
Mike, I was thinking how both of our dads were policeman, and yet, you on the left, and me on the right, politically and culturally.
We actually appear to be in agreement (it's a miracle) regarding the police and our mutual respect and admiration for cops and the jobs they do.
AND - Congrats on getting married. Gods' blessings to you and your bride.
Mike,
I believe the reason many athletics are not cut is the fact that they can pay for themselves in many cases. You'll find when a sports are cut it starts with the ones that can't cover their expenses. If a program can pay for itself it doesn't make much sense to cut it. Marketing a local athletic program is a great way to keep it open too. Just look at all the Bison merchandise around and add that to ticket sales and you have a good program that can make a real contribution to its own expenses.
Art just doesn't have that kind of large scale appeal to people. That's just life, people like to make sports look like they get favored over something like art when, in reality, the sports can simply pay their way and art can't.
If a sport can make enough money to stay open it stands to reason that it could possibly make enough to have some left over and that money could also be used to keep your art class open. However, it's doubtful that a successful sports program canceled over an arts class will actually save the art class anyway.
Thanks for all the kind words.
In fairness, though, cops get into the profession because they WANT to. Sometimes their reasons are good, sometimes they are neutral, and sometimes they are just downright wrong.
The ones there for the wrong reasons tend not to last very long.
All things considered, I think that my coworkers and I get paid "enough"....IF their families are small (which mine now is). I look at it this way: about 90% of the time, what I'm ACTUALLY doing at the time probably isn't worth more then minimum wage. The problem is that there's no telling when that will change to one of the other two categories....
- the 9.99% of the time that requires the sort of patience and expertise (or discomfort and/or minor danger) that'll run you at least $100 an hour in any other industry, and...
- the 0.01% of the time you just can't PAY anyone enough for, due to the danger/misery involved. Just for the sake of argument, though, call it $10,000 an hour.
When you amortize it over time, it works out.