No Recourse
One of the many things that infuriate some of the average Joes like me is the fact that a cop having a bad day has the power to destroy your life. Although I have never even touched an illegal drug, a cop could easily drop a baggie of crap on my back seat during a traffic stop. Then during the arrest and pat down, when he discovers my weapon (I am always armed), things could get really really bad. Why would a cop do this? Ego trip, power trip, a fight with his wife or supervisor, maybe I accidentally cut him off in traffic, just about anything could trigger this behavior. If the dash cam were to record something not beneficial to the cop, the recording will be mysteriously erased. In the aftermath, assuming I could force an investigation, other cops will do the investigating. Any evidence gathered is controlled by other cops. My only defense is my own audio and video recording, but even that will get you arrested even though it is my fundamental right to make such recordings. There are no checks and balances. The average Joe has no recourse.
I don't for a minute think that most cops act like this. There are some good cops, but an increasing percentage buy into that "us vs. them" or "if you're not sworn, you're not born" paranoia. As a child I was taught to respect cops, but my attitude changed one day when an ignorant redneck wearing a sheriff's deputy uniform overreacted during a "man with a gun" (me) call in rural Georgia over 30 years ago. Now I avoid all interaction with cops. If a cop says hello to me, I pretend to not hear. I avoid eye contact with all cops. I will not assist them in any investigation. I can not benefit in any way by conversing with a police officer. As someone else so eloquently stated elsewhere on this forum "There is no situation that could not be made worse by the introduction of law enforcement". Now the police have fully automatic assault weapons and armored personnel carriers. Many of you dress like you are going to war. I have not read in any newspaper that a war has been declared. Who is the enemy? I'd like to know. Don't give me that crap about police work being such a dangerous profession. There are many professions that have higher injury and mortality rates than police work.
Remember mach1chris, as you interact with the citizens on the other side of that "thin blue line", your actions have long lasting consequences. At one time I would have come to the aid of an officer under attack, but now I am responsible for my own defense and that of my family. Since it has been decreed that cops have no responsibility to protect the citizens, I have no moral responsibility for your health or welfare. You people in uniform set yourselves apart from the rest of society. You drew that thin blue line, not me.
One of the many things that infuriate some of the average Joes like me is the fact that a cop having a bad day has the power to destroy your life. Although I have never even touched an illegal drug, a cop could easily drop a baggie of crap on my back seat during a traffic stop. Then during the arrest and pat down, when he discovers my weapon (I am always armed), things could get really really bad. Why would a cop do this? Ego trip, power trip, a fight with his wife or supervisor, maybe I accidentally cut him off in traffic, just about anything could trigger this behavior. If the dash cam were to record something not beneficial to the cop, the recording will be mysteriously erased. In the aftermath, assuming I could force an investigation, other cops will do the investigating. Any evidence gathered is controlled by other cops. My only defense is my own audio and video recording, but even that will get you arrested even though it is my fundamental right to make such recordings. There are no checks and balances. The average Joe has no recourse.
I don't for a minute think that most cops act like this. There are some good cops, but an increasing percentage buy into that "us vs. them" or "if you're not sworn, you're not born" paranoia. As a child I was taught to respect cops, but my attitude changed one day when an ignorant redneck wearing a sheriff's deputy uniform overreacted during a "man with a gun" (me) call in rural Georgia over 30 years ago. Now I avoid all interaction with cops. If a cop says hello to me, I pretend to not hear. I avoid eye contact with all cops. I will not assist them in any investigation. I can not benefit in any way by conversing with a police officer. As someone else so eloquently stated elsewhere on this forum "There is no situation that could not be made worse by the introduction of law enforcement". Now the police have fully automatic assault weapons and armored personnel carriers. Many of you dress like you are going to war. I have not read in any newspaper that a war has been declared. Who is the enemy? I'd like to know. Don't give me that crap about police work being such a dangerous profession. There are many professions that have higher injury and mortality rates than police work.
Remember mach1chris, as you interact with the citizens on the other side of that "thin blue line", your actions have long lasting consequences. At one time I would have come to the aid of an officer under attack, but now I am responsible for my own defense and that of my family. Since it has been decreed that cops have no responsibility to protect the citizens, I have no moral responsibility for your health or welfare. You people in uniform set yourselves apart from the rest of society. You drew that thin blue line, not me.
