Hi, I’ve been a paramedic for fifteen years. I’ve worked alongside cops that whole time. There’s a bit of variability, usually Sheriff’s deputies really do want to help people and stop bad guys much more than metro PD. As a rule of thumb, though, the police are not your friend, ever.
Had someone pull a shotgun at a house party once. I called 911. They wanted to know which manufacturer of shotgun before they’d dispatch a car, and finally showed up 13 hours later.
Such an expansive feeling of freedom and protection! They truly are heros! Like a meatball sub.
ETA: if only they’d thought to call the cops at Uvalde.
My wife and 5-year old daughter was followed by a guy who had seen her in a pharmacy; he was having an argument with the store attendant but for some reason decided that she had done something that warranted his attention so followed her out the store and was yelling abuse at her down the road for “stealing” (she had entered the store to buy a lip balm for our daughter, which she has abandoned when she saw what was going on). My wife, panicking, tried to hide in a doorway of a shop that had shut down but he came round the corner at just the wrong time and spotted her, then went to shout and threaten her (and, again, my 5 year old daughter). The shop across the road saw what was going on and called the cops, who came to unstick the situation within a minute.
But I’m sure you’ll find a way to somehow disregard that story and all the others you hear of the police helping people. Bear in mind I don’t live in the US before writing your next comment, please.
I never had an intent to disregard your opinion. I asked out of genuine interest. I would guess that the pushback you are receiving is largely (probably almost entirely) from people in the US.
While I would believe your story had it happened in the US, here it is probably more likely you wouldn’t see a cop for hours. Here they tend to be most useful for writing reports (if you can get them to do that) for the purposes of supporting insurance claims from insurance companies looking for any reason to say no, such as the lack of a police report.
This is not to say even here they have no use, but neutral-at-best interactions with the police seem to me to be far more common than anything positive. The anti-police sentiment is, I would argue, well earned here. Saying something that was perceived to be defending American police is probably why you’re getting the vitriol. I am personally jealous of other countries having cops that seem to give a shit.
Have you ever actually needed the police? Once you do, I’m pretty sure you won’t feel repressed.
Hi, I’ve been a paramedic for fifteen years. I’ve worked alongside cops that whole time. There’s a bit of variability, usually Sheriff’s deputies really do want to help people and stop bad guys much more than metro PD. As a rule of thumb, though, the police are not your friend, ever.
Like all those people who called to police and then got murdered?
Had someone pull a shotgun at a house party once. I called 911. They wanted to know which manufacturer of shotgun before they’d dispatch a car, and finally showed up 13 hours later.
Such an expansive feeling of freedom and protection! They truly are heros! Like a meatball sub.
ETA: if only they’d thought to call the cops at Uvalde.
EXACTLY! That’s why Uvalde called 200 of them when Children were getting Murdered!
Can you give some example situations where you believe police would make things better?
My wife and 5-year old daughter was followed by a guy who had seen her in a pharmacy; he was having an argument with the store attendant but for some reason decided that she had done something that warranted his attention so followed her out the store and was yelling abuse at her down the road for “stealing” (she had entered the store to buy a lip balm for our daughter, which she has abandoned when she saw what was going on). My wife, panicking, tried to hide in a doorway of a shop that had shut down but he came round the corner at just the wrong time and spotted her, then went to shout and threaten her (and, again, my 5 year old daughter). The shop across the road saw what was going on and called the cops, who came to unstick the situation within a minute.
But I’m sure you’ll find a way to somehow disregard that story and all the others you hear of the police helping people. Bear in mind I don’t live in the US before writing your next comment, please.
I never had an intent to disregard your opinion. I asked out of genuine interest. I would guess that the pushback you are receiving is largely (probably almost entirely) from people in the US.
While I would believe your story had it happened in the US, here it is probably more likely you wouldn’t see a cop for hours. Here they tend to be most useful for writing reports (if you can get them to do that) for the purposes of supporting insurance claims from insurance companies looking for any reason to say no, such as the lack of a police report.
This is not to say even here they have no use, but neutral-at-best interactions with the police seem to me to be far more common than anything positive. The anti-police sentiment is, I would argue, well earned here. Saying something that was perceived to be defending American police is probably why you’re getting the vitriol. I am personally jealous of other countries having cops that seem to give a shit.
No. For what? Nobody actually needs police.
Not sure if sarcastic or not. If not, you’re in the right community for that statement.
“mmmmmn, boot, so delicious”