Joining LEO for the perks...

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We all know that law enforcement officers get a lot of perks. They're allowed to carry in a whole lot of places that normal people aren't. They are allowed to possess many items and weapons that normal people aren't. Some are even able to avoid petty charges like speeding tickets and such. All of this seems like a pretty good deal. A lot of us would also agree that it doesn't exactly seem fair.

What do you guys think about a person pursuing a career in law enforcement with those perks as a chief reason? We're assuming that the person is generally capable of performing the duties and has good intentions with the job. I'm wondering what you guys think about themoral aspect of going after those benefits.

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I highly doubt people join for those few perks.

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Some people do get into it for all the wrong reasons, but I think the biggest wrong reason which sticks out is so that people can feel better about themselves. People who become cops so that they can feel in charge and like superior beings are few and far between in most areas, but they are out there. And frankly, they are the probably the main cause of the negative cop encounters we have as open carriers.

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As long as they do the job equally well, their motive for doing it doesn't matter. Whether they find it exciting, like the perks, wish to help society, or just can't find any other job that seems good to me. The problem occurs when their motive affects the job. For example, the guy Michigander describes who loves bossing people around and belittling people and signed up just to do it resulting in an inferior performance compared to cops with other motives.


By analogy some people may become teachers because they love to teach. Others may like having summers off. If they're both equally good teachers, it is all good. If one became a teacher because they enjoy making children suffer and did what they could to make it a reality, that would be bad.

Now as far as law enforcement being able to carry in more places with less restrictions...

I dislike the fact that they are allowed to carry in more places than me, but the law says they can so I don't have any problem with cops taking advantage of this. I sure would if I was allowed to.

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Law enforcement officers are human beings, like most of us are. There are good and bad all in the mix. An officer joining the ranks for the perks is no different than anyone else taking a job due to what it offers them, the only difference in this is the fact that LEOs have waaaaay more chance of being injured or killed on the job than most people do. So what if they enjoy little "conveniences" now and then. The ones that do it most often just seem to stick out more. ALL of the officers that I know personally are career-minded and dedicated to public safety, most of those don't partake in "extras", because it looks bad and gives them a bad rep.
Funny thing is; I also know a lot of bikers that fit the same profile, it's just the bad ones that bring everybody down.

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bugly wrote:

the only difference in this is the fact that LEOs have waaaaay more chance of being injured or killed on the job than most people do. .

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I disagree with that. Compared to a lot of trades jobs, being a cop in most places is safer. I think that cops are given a disproportionate amount of gratitude. Millions of hard working men and women risk their lives on a daily basis so that buildings can exist, and be complete with water and electricity, and so that we can have products made in factories. (In my own 7 years in construction, I have nearly been crushed or electrocuted at least 6 times). Plus they are often exposed to lead, asbestos, raw sewage, and other nastiness. Cops, for the most part, punish us for victimless crimes such as speeding.

Police have a dangerous job, and I am thankful that they do it. I am, for the most part, very pro police, so long as they recognize the constitution. But they are not the only ones with their asses on the line.

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54 officers killed intentionally in 2008.

~100 total killed last year. hardly a dangerous job.

its safer to be a cop than not to be one

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I think that the biggest reason people are more emotionally impacted by copdeaths is that they are often the result ofopenly appliedhuman malice.It's a major faith shaker whenany tribe member is killed with evil intent and even more so when a guardian is snuffed. Malicious killing is such an important tribal concern that after you get past the first 4 jealous deity rules and get to the important stuff it's 2ndonly tobe cool and groovy toyour life givers.

Loggers, crab fishermen, truck drivers, construction workersand a ton of other hard working folks have much more dangerous jobs and get whacked and jacked up much more frequently than any non Mexican or Iraqi cops ever do. The difference is that the tribe expects and accepts some losses more than others. There's no commandement that reads, "thou shalt not let a tree fall on your head."

As the Prophet Heinlein, peace be upon him, reminds us, "Natural laws have no pity". Gravity works, ocean water is cold and deep and machines eat men on a regular basis.

When a construction worker falls his family and friends mourn the loss. When a guardianis murdered5000 fellow guardians from all over the country gather to see him off and the media gets several minutes of high emotional content screen time. I'm not saying it's right, I'm just saying its true.

If you want a more cynical take on it you could say that cops have better publicists than construction workers. If you want to see some serious tribal mourning you should see what happens when ahose jockey goes down. Those dudes get all the good press.

-Back to the original topic-

I've only known one guy who became a cop for purely selfish reasons. He became a reserve because his big brother and friends were all cops. When he lost his day job the chief took pity on him and gave him a full time job. The guy doesn't even like the job but he doesn't have many other paths open to him. He's one of the least skilled and poorest cops I've ever had the displeasure to work with. He is a huge fan of Chicken $#!^ tickets and has only ever gotten tough with high school students. He's terrified that people don't like him because he's gay and still tries to convince himself that folks don't know. The truth is no one cares who he's boinking but they do care that he's a coward who doesn't belong anywhere near a badge.

I guess that in my long winded way I'm trying to say the being a pigis the kind of job that you just won't succeed at if you aren't in it for the right reasons and ain't all the way motivated.Less than1% of applicants make it through selection, school, training and probation and that's mostly folks who really want to be there.

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I wasn't trying to imply that police have a more dangerous job than everybody out there. My point was that; as a job, cops have a much higher chance of being killed or seriously injured by other humans, which is much more random than a tree falling on them while logging or a fishing boat going down. Those are known risks that most of the time you would get some kind of warning it's about to happen. Cops don't usually get that warning, when they pull somone over, this might be the last minute of their lives, they have to deal with the public, good, bad, sane and crazy. pull a guy over for speeding and you find out he's whacked out on pcp, you don't get to go home again, you're dead. also, what other job can you do that involves getting suspended for doing your job? shoot a b.g. get suspended, pending investigation. lotsa stress, I would think. Stress kills.

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DreQo wrote:

We all know that law enforcement officers get a lot of perks. They're allowed to carry in a whole lot of places that normal people aren't. They are allowed to possess many items and weapons that normal people aren't. Some are even able to avoid petty charges like speeding tickets and such. All of this seems like a pretty good deal. A lot of us would also agree that it doesn't exactly seem fair.

What do you guys think about a person pursuing a career in law enforcement with those perks as a chief reason? We're assuming that the person is generally capable of performing the duties and has good intentions with the job. I'm wondering what you guys think about themoral aspect of going after those benefits.

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Hell yes. I would have joined the SS because they had the sharpest uniforms...

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Speaking of dangerous jobs, I drive a taxicab. This means I pick up strangers off the street in the middle of the night for money. And sometimes I carry a firearm, so I guess you might say I am sort of a cross between a cop and a whore; the difference being I don't arrest these people and I assuredly dont have sex with them.

Ha ha.

But really, as dangeroua as my job is, without the police to provide consequenses for the BGs it would be impossibly hazardous. In most taxicab robberies, the BG already has the driver covered with a firearm and resisstance is usually counter-productive. (I, however, have developed several techniques such as being able to draw left-handed from a shoulder rig while appearing to be producing a wallet). But at least here in Virginia I have the satisfaction of knowing that IF I wind p being killed by a BG, the cops will not rest until they bring him or her to justice;and for the most part the BGs know it too, and that makes my situation safer.

Anybody who becomes an LEO because it means a legal gun is IMHO probably unfit to carry a firearm let alone enforce the law. The vast majority of our Virginia LEOs are in the biz because they want to help people; except for one hack inspector here who is a real Barney Fife.

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It's a damn sight better reason than a lot of people join for. Just don't let it change you. Remember that government's job is to protect the rights of the people, rather than infringe upon them. If you can keep your respect for the constitution in your heart while carrying out you duties as a peace officer, then I say, go for it.

I'm looking into a related job myself (corrections), mostly just because I need a job, and they are hiring.

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DreQo wrote:

We all know that law enforcement officers get a lot of perks. They're allowed to carry in a whole lot of places that normal people aren't. They are allowed to possess many items and weapons that normal people aren't. Some are even able to avoid petty charges like speeding tickets and such. All of this seems like a pretty good deal. A lot of us would also agree that it doesn't exactly seem fair.

What do you guys think about a person pursuing a career in law enforcement with those perks as a chief reason? We're assuming that the person is generally capable of performing the duties and has good intentions with the job. I'm wondering what you guys think about themoral aspect of going after those benefits.

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They don't deserve any special perks. They should be subject to the same laws as every other person, and should also be under the same restrictions for carrying...

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suntzu wrote:

They don't deserve any special perks. They should be subject to the same laws as every other person, and should also be under the same restrictions for carrying...

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This is a very good point. A lot of the freedoms that we currently don't have and are fighting for are already "given" to law enforcement. Thats what brought up the thought in my head of whether it would be "right" to go after the job to gain those perks. It kinda seems like cheating to me lol.

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Wouldn't the danger factor be dependent on the type of cop? A SWAT team member is obviously more at risk than parking enforcement officer or a telephone operator at the police station.

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Perks?? :shock:

• I am required to conceal my firearm off duty in an open carry state
• I can only carry what my department authorizes
• If I fire my gun off duty other than at the range I must write a memo
• I am not permitted to have a CC permit
• Prior to HR218 I could not carry in other states
• If I do not qualify at the range I do not get to carry a gun
• If I get a traffic ticket I have to write a memo
• If I get a traffic ticket my job will punish me
• I have to buy fast food already out or they spit in what I order
• If I travel over the speed limit by 1 mile per hour in my work vehicle people call and complain to my employer
• Anyone can accuse me of being a racist and my job will sit me down for a 4 hour interview with two supervisors under the hot light
• I have to remove dead animals from the road
• I have to clean urine and feces from my car after intoxicated citizens get out
• When people are rude to me I am required to take it and say nothing
• I am required to answer all questions truthfully including my private life or I will be fired
• I cannot take on a second job with out the approval of my employer

Ya, I see the perks!

What real perks are there?

• Carry in all states (You can get this with CC permits too)
• Discounted means (Spit is free plus a dash of pot)
• No tickets (Not true. Many cops write cops and citizens get warning tickets)
• Carry in bars (Big deal! I do not even drink)

Fellas, I am not seeing how the perks outweigh the cons.

Did I miss any?

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DreQo wrote:

suntzu wrote:

They don't deserve any special perks. They should be subject to the same laws as every other person, and should also be under the same restrictions for carrying...

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This is a very good point. A lot of the freedoms that we currently don't have and are fighting for are already "given" to law enforcement. Thats what brought up the thought in my head of whether it would be "right" to go after the job to gain those perks. It kinda seems like cheating to me lol.

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Being able to carry anytime anywhere is a fine perk for a cop, whether he/she be a parkinglot attendant, or a swat member and everything in between.. Very few jobs in our country put your face on a revenge list like a job as a peace officer. Cops don't get to hide behind a mask during their day to day jobs, they are readily identifyable 24/7/365, Yes they do need to retain the right to carry whether grocery shopping with their spouse, or taking their kid to a ballgame.. even when their job tasks are performed within every letter of the law, they are most likely being sized up for retaliation anytime anyplace..

But I have met some real Pricks in uniform throughout my life, and I suspect they are just trying to compensate for something!?!?

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Why can't you open carry while off duty?

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Alexcabbie wrote:

But at least here in Virginia I have the satisfaction of knowing that IF I wind up being killed by a BG, the cops will not rest until they bring him or her to justice;and for the most part the BGs know it too, and that makes my situation safer.

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Do you actually believe that? Good gosh man, it's been 5 years since the wife of Alexandria Sheriff Jim Dunning was murdered. And they still haven't made an arrest. They're not even close to making an arrest.

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I suspect the sheriff?