Police I Have Known
Sep. 18th, 2006 10:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jamesqBack here I gave my crackpot theory of why cops have a certain attitude that I dislike. ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
slavewench called me on it but I think I need to explain where I'm coming from a little more.
Now keep in mind that I don't think cops are bad in general. I do think that any job that is given power over other people is one that will attract people who want to wield that power. Some will have a selfless duty to serve the public interest. Others will be bullies. I think this is self-evident. If you don't think so, consider your attitude towards politicians - are you cynical about them but not about cops? If so I would suggest a mental disconnect somewhere.
I think it's good that we have these people, but I'm too cynical a person to ever trust them blindly. Let me tell you about the few experiences I've had with law enforcement. I'll leave out my recent speeding ticket and the time I got a ticket for jaywalking. I earned those fair and square and the cops were just doing their jobs.
The first was when I was very young. Probably in grade six or so. The police came to our door looking for an uncle of mine who had a warrant out for his arrest (I don't remember which uncle). His last known address was at Casa Cyr, where he had stayed sometime in the past, though we hadn't heard from him in over a year.
The talked to my father, who wouldn't have helped them even if the uncle was present (that whole family loyalty thing that Dad had in spades). They asked if they could come in and look around. Come back with a warrant said my Dad who loved nothing better then to stick it to the man. They left.
Next morning I was walking to the corner to catch my bus to school. A patrol car was waiting on the street and the told me to get into the car. Being twelve I wasn't going to argue with a pair of cops. Well they proceeded to ask me a bunch of questions. Was my uncle staying in the house? Do you know where he is staying? Are you sure - you know it's wrong to lie to a police officer no matter who tells you to. Etc. Etc. Had I known where the uncle was, I'd have probably told them, but as I mentioned, we hadn't heard from him in ages. The eventually let me go - with an admonition not to tell anyone about the questioning. My big regret was in not immediately turning around and going straight home to tell Dad.
I told him when I got home from school. His reaction was predictable - he hit the roof. Called up the cops and demanded that they leave his son alone. I didn't hear both sides of the conversation, but I gather that the guy on the other end of the line wasn't being too helpful - my dad was soon screaming at him and demanding his badge number.
I was scared shitless, but Dad reassured me that he wasn't angry at me. If they tried it again I was to answer all questions with "I want to speak to my father right now". I saw them again the next couple of days, but they didn't bother me - they were just staking the place out.
I was somewhat older the next time I had to interact with a constable. It was after the gas station I worked in was broken into. This would have been around 1990 or so.
I had to go up to the station on 14th street north and give a statement. The "statement" was almost an interrogation. They had no idea who had broken into the station, but since the float was stolen, and the float's location was known only to staff they had a pretty good idea that it was a staff member who had done it (I figured it was one guy in particular but I had no proof aside from the knowledge that he was a self-centered little prick).
The cop asked me lots of leading questions along the lines of "when the person is caught, how do you feel he should be dealt with". I responded in the vein of "the law should be merciful if there were extenuating circumstances - stealing to feed a dying relative for example". This raised a few eyebrows from the cop and probably led him to believe the thief was me. "Are you saying the owner should forgive the person who robbed his store", he asked? "No", I said, "Ray was under no such obligation and could cheerfully ban the miscreant from ever setting foot in the store again. But The Law has an obligation to see the whole picture and respond accordingly"
At this point the cop no doubt concluded that, while I might be a bleeding heart prima-donna living in an ivory tower instead of the real world, I wasn't a thief. I can live with that. All-inall a fairly neutral meeting compared to the one when I was a child.
There was another cop who came into the station now and then to chat with Ray. He would make joking comments with me and call me big guy (and as many of you know, few things get on my nerves quicker then people calling me big guy). He was one of those guys who would make cutting remarks and dress it up as "just joking around". I didn't like him. He reminded me of too many bullies I knew in school. He'd learned to disguise his bullying tendencies, but I could still see through him.
One day we got to talking about problem customers. One guy had threatened me and I asked what I could do about it (i.e. did i have any legal recourse to vague threats).
Then there are the nitpicking cops. I suppose they need to be a little persnickety about the fine details of a report, but they don't need to be in-your-face about it.
One was whengarething and I witnessed some drunk loser threatening a convenience store clerk with a big-ass knife. In the statement I said "machete", which apparently is not a synonym for big-ass knife as I believed, but was actually a very specific kind of big-ass knife. Which the officer took pains to point out to me after they had recovered the big-ass knife in question.
All I know is that the first time you see someone threatening another human being with a knife, it could be a swiss army knife, but it looks like a long sword.
But really buddy, I'm not dumb, you only have to tell me something once and I usually get it. Explaining it to me slowly, several times, like to a child, is not necessary.
More recently I got a call from the Lacombe police about my accident. On the report, that a mountie helped me write, I was chided, repeatedly, for saying "right-hand turn" when I meant "left-hand turn". Worst part was that it was the Mountie's typo, not mine. Didn't stop the Lacombe cop from explaining it to me slowly, several times, like to a child though. I sense a trend here.
The biggest nitpicking of them all came the time the notebook computer was stolen from my office at work. Fuckers took my knapsack with my gaming notes in it too. Unlike the notebook, they were irreplaceable (especially since I stored the electronic copies on a zip disk. Last time i ever trusted that technology.
Anyway, I had to go to Silver Springs to make a statement. The cop at the desk asked me what happened. i tried to explain, only to be corrected on my informal terminology every single sentence. i.e. I said I was robbed, but apparently I wasn't because I wasn't present when the notebook was stolen (robbery has a precise definition, and I didn't use it correctly). He seemed to take great pleasure in correcting me at every turn - explaining it to me slowly, several times, like to a child.
So yeah, my encounters with cops have been unpleasant. Not dangerous or injurious in any way, but certainly irritating. Which brings us back to the jack ass who tried to run me off the road last week:
1) Yes, I could make a complaint.
2) There were no witnesses.
3) It would be my word against his and for all I know he could say I was driving drunk or accuse me of trying to run him off the road, or some other nonsense.
4) It would not be a productive use of a cop's time in a world of real criminals.
Given all that, the best possible outcome would be that he gets talked to by a cop - a "punishment" that accomplishes nothing. For my part I think it's likely that I would be treated in a patronizing manner. At worse, I could get accused of something and be treated like dirt all for the low low cost of wasting my time.
slavewench called me on it but I think I need to explain where I'm coming from a little more.Now keep in mind that I don't think cops are bad in general. I do think that any job that is given power over other people is one that will attract people who want to wield that power. Some will have a selfless duty to serve the public interest. Others will be bullies. I think this is self-evident. If you don't think so, consider your attitude towards politicians - are you cynical about them but not about cops? If so I would suggest a mental disconnect somewhere.
I think it's good that we have these people, but I'm too cynical a person to ever trust them blindly. Let me tell you about the few experiences I've had with law enforcement. I'll leave out my recent speeding ticket and the time I got a ticket for jaywalking. I earned those fair and square and the cops were just doing their jobs.
The first was when I was very young. Probably in grade six or so. The police came to our door looking for an uncle of mine who had a warrant out for his arrest (I don't remember which uncle). His last known address was at Casa Cyr, where he had stayed sometime in the past, though we hadn't heard from him in over a year.
The talked to my father, who wouldn't have helped them even if the uncle was present (that whole family loyalty thing that Dad had in spades). They asked if they could come in and look around. Come back with a warrant said my Dad who loved nothing better then to stick it to the man. They left.
Next morning I was walking to the corner to catch my bus to school. A patrol car was waiting on the street and the told me to get into the car. Being twelve I wasn't going to argue with a pair of cops. Well they proceeded to ask me a bunch of questions. Was my uncle staying in the house? Do you know where he is staying? Are you sure - you know it's wrong to lie to a police officer no matter who tells you to. Etc. Etc. Had I known where the uncle was, I'd have probably told them, but as I mentioned, we hadn't heard from him in ages. The eventually let me go - with an admonition not to tell anyone about the questioning. My big regret was in not immediately turning around and going straight home to tell Dad.
I told him when I got home from school. His reaction was predictable - he hit the roof. Called up the cops and demanded that they leave his son alone. I didn't hear both sides of the conversation, but I gather that the guy on the other end of the line wasn't being too helpful - my dad was soon screaming at him and demanding his badge number.
I was scared shitless, but Dad reassured me that he wasn't angry at me. If they tried it again I was to answer all questions with "I want to speak to my father right now". I saw them again the next couple of days, but they didn't bother me - they were just staking the place out.
I was somewhat older the next time I had to interact with a constable. It was after the gas station I worked in was broken into. This would have been around 1990 or so.
I had to go up to the station on 14th street north and give a statement. The "statement" was almost an interrogation. They had no idea who had broken into the station, but since the float was stolen, and the float's location was known only to staff they had a pretty good idea that it was a staff member who had done it (I figured it was one guy in particular but I had no proof aside from the knowledge that he was a self-centered little prick).
The cop asked me lots of leading questions along the lines of "when the person is caught, how do you feel he should be dealt with". I responded in the vein of "the law should be merciful if there were extenuating circumstances - stealing to feed a dying relative for example". This raised a few eyebrows from the cop and probably led him to believe the thief was me. "Are you saying the owner should forgive the person who robbed his store", he asked? "No", I said, "Ray was under no such obligation and could cheerfully ban the miscreant from ever setting foot in the store again. But The Law has an obligation to see the whole picture and respond accordingly"
At this point the cop no doubt concluded that, while I might be a bleeding heart prima-donna living in an ivory tower instead of the real world, I wasn't a thief. I can live with that. All-inall a fairly neutral meeting compared to the one when I was a child.
There was another cop who came into the station now and then to chat with Ray. He would make joking comments with me and call me big guy (and as many of you know, few things get on my nerves quicker then people calling me big guy). He was one of those guys who would make cutting remarks and dress it up as "just joking around". I didn't like him. He reminded me of too many bullies I knew in school. He'd learned to disguise his bullying tendencies, but I could still see through him.
One day we got to talking about problem customers. One guy had threatened me and I asked what I could do about it (i.e. did i have any legal recourse to vague threats).
"You're a big guy - just take him out back and put the boots to him"What I should have said was "Are you advising me to commit assault, Officer?" but instead I just stared at him like he was nuts.
Then there are the nitpicking cops. I suppose they need to be a little persnickety about the fine details of a report, but they don't need to be in-your-face about it.
One was when
garething and I witnessed some drunk loser threatening a convenience store clerk with a big-ass knife. In the statement I said "machete", which apparently is not a synonym for big-ass knife as I believed, but was actually a very specific kind of big-ass knife. Which the officer took pains to point out to me after they had recovered the big-ass knife in question.All I know is that the first time you see someone threatening another human being with a knife, it could be a swiss army knife, but it looks like a long sword.
But really buddy, I'm not dumb, you only have to tell me something once and I usually get it. Explaining it to me slowly, several times, like to a child, is not necessary.
More recently I got a call from the Lacombe police about my accident. On the report, that a mountie helped me write, I was chided, repeatedly, for saying "right-hand turn" when I meant "left-hand turn". Worst part was that it was the Mountie's typo, not mine. Didn't stop the Lacombe cop from explaining it to me slowly, several times, like to a child though. I sense a trend here.
The biggest nitpicking of them all came the time the notebook computer was stolen from my office at work. Fuckers took my knapsack with my gaming notes in it too. Unlike the notebook, they were irreplaceable (especially since I stored the electronic copies on a zip disk. Last time i ever trusted that technology.
Anyway, I had to go to Silver Springs to make a statement. The cop at the desk asked me what happened. i tried to explain, only to be corrected on my informal terminology every single sentence. i.e. I said I was robbed, but apparently I wasn't because I wasn't present when the notebook was stolen (robbery has a precise definition, and I didn't use it correctly). He seemed to take great pleasure in correcting me at every turn - explaining it to me slowly, several times, like to a child.
So yeah, my encounters with cops have been unpleasant. Not dangerous or injurious in any way, but certainly irritating. Which brings us back to the jack ass who tried to run me off the road last week:
1) Yes, I could make a complaint.
2) There were no witnesses.
3) It would be my word against his and for all I know he could say I was driving drunk or accuse me of trying to run him off the road, or some other nonsense.
4) It would not be a productive use of a cop's time in a world of real criminals.
Given all that, the best possible outcome would be that he gets talked to by a cop - a "punishment" that accomplishes nothing. For my part I think it's likely that I would be treated in a patronizing manner. At worse, I could get accused of something and be treated like dirt all for the low low cost of wasting my time.
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no subject
Date: 2006-09-19 05:39 am (UTC)They think we're supposed to have respect for them after they act like that? Even though I've always been treated much better by the RCMP than I have by the CPS, I hate to admit it, but my respect for officers of the law is mostly reserved for the CPS...
So yeah, in all my time on this earth, my experiences with cops have generally mirrored yours.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-19 02:04 pm (UTC)I think the favourite question I was asked was "what was missing?". Let's see... my house has been ransacked, I was advised to NOT touch anything, I'm positive I could give you a detailed list. I can see a large empty space where my laptop ought to be, the glass in my window is not exactly missing, but appears to have relocated itself to my pillow, my sense of security definitely seems to have vanished...
Now, I recognize in a City the size of Calgary, a lot of crime goes on, and a home B&E is small potatoes, however, to me it's not that small - it's significant. Therein lies the disconnect between the police and the civilian. Sure, we might not know the correct language to use, but is the owness on us to learn that "robbery" happens when we are in attendance, and "theft" when we are not? Surely that's the police officer's job when he takes a statement. Or should all of us civilians attend police terminology school?
Perhaps what is most telling to me is the varied responses that you receive when you dial the 266-1234 number to report something that you deem suspicious. I have had everything from the "why are you bothering to call us?" to the "thank you, we will send a car to check it out..." school of thought. It almost depends on who is manning the phones at that time. However, I will persist in calling in that which seems odd to me - I still remember calling in a certain car that was sitting outside our apartment building with a fellow seemingly living out of it (suitcase in the trunk, sleeping in the car...). My sense of paranoia identified that perhaps this individual was casing out the apartments... the cops disagreed when they arrived on the scene less than 60 seconds later. It would seem that the license plate number that I reported belonged to a car which had been stolen, and guess who was fast asleep in the car when they arrived? Now THAT's justice. And I was quite pleased that the police were kind enough to tell me the car had been stolen and someone they wanted was fast asleep inside.
Having said that, I have had some not so pleasant encounters with the police as well - such as an argument about a so-called-illegal-left-turn. (Just go back and look at the damned sign, will ya? I don't have time to fight this in court, and I know what the sign says...); or my oh-so-clever response to a checkstop when asked if I had been drinking. Note to self, never respond to that question with the phrase, "not yet, but it's a hellava good idea". I see that my career in comedy still has not taken off...
Well, here's hoping that your - and my - future encounters with the police are few and far between; and that they are a bit more pleasant than in the past...
Cops & Jargon
Date: 2006-09-19 05:46 pm (UTC)I suppose that tendency to correct the use of terminology is not terribly surprising - working in technology as both Quixote and I do, it's annoying as hell when someone mangles the terminology that we use every day. (Anybody else remember a certain nameless senator claiming that the "internet was like a bunch of tubes"?) It's amazingly easy for us to get used to the jargon we live with every day, and jarring as hell when someone misuses it.
I've only had a handful of encounters with police over the years, and for the most part they have at least been courteous to me. I've never had the "cop on a powertrip" experience, and that's probably as well.