So trivial, yet it really ticks you off.

The Jackal · Jul 18, 2019

people don't change just because they join the police force. if he was an asshole bully before, he's still an asshole bully now. If he was a good upstanding person before, he's still a good upstanding person now.

People try to associate the 2. Cops are assholes. No, assholes are assholes, its just some of them are also cops. Nobody tells stories of the cop that was a decent person and understood circumstances, cause that doesn't make an interesting story on the internet.

Bamaboots · Jul 18, 2019

The Jackal said:
Nobody tells stories of the cop that was a decent person and understood circumstances, cause that doesn't make an interesting story on the internet.

Well said.

As I said earlier, everyone has a cop story. I'm used to it. I wrote this morning and then elected to not post something similar, wondering if anyone wanted to hear my a-hole stories from the streets to the courtroom. I seldom tell people what my profession was until I get to know them and I shut the cop stories down if they start. Trust me, I've heard it before.

Fading Fast · Jul 18, 2019

My girlfriend has several generations of policemen, sheriffs and detectives in her family. Like all of us, I too, have had a few (traffic related or being a guy in the crowd at an "event") encounters with police.

I'm with the two above posts - cops are people, some are good, some are bad, some are great, some are terrible.

I always give a modest lean in the polices' favor as they (through their own choice, but still) are the ones that go into a dangerous situation to protect me.

That said, I had one cop pull me over who clearly exceeded the boundary of that good will. I still was 100 percent polite and nothing happened, but it does make me understand what others have experienced and, this: police have a lot of power over a person in those encounters and (as most do - I believe) should wield it judiciously and temperately.

Bamaboots · Jul 18, 2019

Fading Fast said:
That said, I had one cop pull me over who clearly exceeded the boundary of that good will. I still was 100 percent polite and nothing happened, but it does make me understand what others have experienced and, this: police have a lot of power over a person in those encounters and (as most do - I believe) should wield it judiciously and temperately.

Unfortunately most of us have had that encounter. Officers, like everyone else have bad days. I've been on the carpet for them. Fortunately, most of those cops that don't wield their power judiciously and temperately, don't last long on the job. Some do slip through the cracks but it's hard work being an asshole full time so, for the most part, they either burn out or self destruct. Hard to do the job if nobody wants to work with you.

tonyb · Jul 19, 2019

I had an online exchange with a friend who took exception with my coming to the defense of a somewhat down at the heel motel. Look at all those unfavorable reviews on Yelp, she said. Read the things they say about the surly desk clerk.

Okay, I said, now you read the reviews from the people who said they got about what they expected from a down-market hostelry. This ain’t the Hilton.

As to that desk clerk ...

Most complaints were for matters such as his not apologizing for the fact that the parking lot had but one space per room, “so you’ll have to put your other car on the street, and there’s nothing I can do about that so please don’t give any further grief about it.”

The gripers wouldn’t last the first night in that desk clerk’s job. These people have NO IDEA how to deal with the sorts of people who attempt to turn low-end motel rooms into pop-up brothels and/or illicit drug distribution centers. They’ve never found themselves on the wrong side of a pointed handgun. They’ve never seen their income eroded by “customers” who steal the towels and the clock-radios.

Yelp, schmelp.

Zombie_61 · Jul 19, 2019

The Jackal said:
...Nobody tells stories of the cop that was a decent person and understood circumstances, cause that doesn't make an interesting story on the internet.

No, it usually doesn't. But that has been my experience during most of my encounters with law enforcement; they're decent people who are simply doing a job that many people are of two minds about. But then, maybe that's why most of my encounters have been more on the pleasant side--I realized they were just people doing their jobs and I did what little I could to not make their day worse. Besides, with two exceptions I knew exactly why I was being pulled over and there was absolutely no valid reason to blame the officers for that.

Trenchfriend · Jul 20, 2019

I discovered a new "Double Salami Pizza" from my favorite storebrand, but while eating, I saw, it's indeed paprika-Salami!

I mean, I basically like paprika-Salami, but the pizza got not less of it. So, let's see, what the evening will bring...

vitanola · Jul 21, 2019

Bamaboots said:
Everybody has a cop story.

Yes. Like the nice officer who pulled my then ninety two year old father over and accused him of making an improper lane change and then fleeing and eluding. On a sunny suburban Thursday afternoon the officer came up to the window of my dad's three year old Toyota Camry with his gun drawn, and kept the weapon unholstered for most of the encounter. I was in the passenger's seat, and was similarly nonplussed at the officer's strongly threatening demeanor.

Dad had been driving over a newly widened and paved road which had not yet been striped, and he had followed the path which he had driven on this road for fifty years. Had the road been striped he would have made an improper lane change, but as it was not... The officer followed dad about a half mile and then turned on his lights, briefly, the road had no shoulder, so Dad could not pull over. then continued to follow for another half mile and turned on his lights, at which point Dad pulled over. There was no siren, as we were in a hospital zone.

The officer shouted and barked at my father, and kept the gun out. Dad was so upset that he actually retained counsel. He insisted on a bench trial. The case was continued twice due to officer unavailability. The third time the prosecutor dropped all charges, as the officer had been suspended pending termination. He had apparently waved his weapon threateningly in the face of the Mayor's wife...

When I returned home I this curious incident to my next door neighbor, our towns retired police chief. He told me that in his opinion a great number of potential recruits these days suffer from serious personality disorders. The better material opts for private industry.

GHT · Jul 21, 2019

Bamaboots said:
As I said earlier, everyone has a cop story.

Well there are some cop stories here that have made me smile. What you are all doing wrong is engaging the police with the wrong accent. My missus and I were driving down the Interstate 95 after visiting an old school friend in Savannah GA. On the approach to Miami our three lane highway suddenly became nine lanes wide. While I was dealing with this, my missus shouts, "there it is." She was referring to the car hire centre where we had to drop our car off.

Just to digress, this was around the late eighties, possibly 1990, so no satnav, cell phone or internet. Following Tina's direction I managed to negotiate all the traffic lights, signals and lane markings before pulling up outside the car hire centre. I felt quite pleased with myself. Pleased, that is, until I saw in the rear view mirror, a car so close to the back of our's that only the top of the grille was visible. And what were those flashing lights all about?

Pretending that I hadn't noticed them, I got out if the car and was about to go into the car hire office when a voice shouts: "Where are you going?" I turned around to see a police officer staring at me, with his hands on his hips. Oh dear, he looked quite stern. "Do you mean me, officer," I replied. "I might have guessed you were English," he answered, mellowing a little. By now his partner had got out of the car and had joined him. "What's the problem?" I asked, with hopefully enough surprise to be convincing. The second cop was just about to tell me exactly what violations I had committed when the first cop stopped him. "Don't bother," he told his partner, "they are from England." Then turning to me he said, "You from London?" "I was impressed, "how did you know?" I answered. "I've driven there," he said, "scariest experience I've ever had."

The cops thought that we were there for The Superbowl, but when I explained where we had been and that we were dropping off a hire car prior to catching a cruise ship, they were more than satisfied. The cop who had been to London proudly showed me a photo of him wearing a British Bobby's helmet. He had visited the London Police Museum, and on showing his police credentials there, they had honoured him with a gift of the helmet. The two of them posed with Tina for photographs, I'm afraid that the pictures were on 35mm celluloid and like so many other photos, they are in a suitcase full of memories.

As a parting shot before leaving, the cop who had been to London said to me: "When I heard you're English accent I reminisced my driving in London, I bet I made more errors than you did." And with that they drove off. To this day I have no idea what I did wrong.

Hercule · Jul 21, 2019

I think it all comes down to a lack of maturity (some might say intellect) to know when to exercise discretion. Power does indeed corrupt.

Nobert · Jul 21, 2019

For the record, I have never been hassled by the police. The only uniformed hubris I ever encounterd was from one of those rent-a-cops at a University campus. But since we're interrogating the subject, I'll throw in a few Good Cop stories I have.

Once, when in the supermarket, I was apprached by an officer who, rather obsequiously, asked me, "Excuse me, sorry to bother you, but are you from New Hampshire?" This is an odd opening salvo coming from anyone, let alone one of the boys in blue. After I denied being from New Hampshire (to be fair,nearly anyone from Maine would, some quite stridently), he apologized again, and said "We're looking for someone from New Hampshire, and you look just like him." I found this a bit disconcerting and still do. He asked, very politely, if he could see my I.D. and was so undemanding that I was happy to oblige. He thanked me and let me alone. I hope that in the end he was successful in his mission.

Another time I received treatement from a policeman that was probably better than I deserved. I was out at the bars and realized I had had at least one too many, and began to make for home. Now when in my cups, I am not usually the type who gets reckless or riled up or rambunctious, when I realized I've had too much of that hoopy soup, I just want to crash, to lie down and let it pass. The dumb thing that I do do in this state, is a tendency to decide that anywhere I am at the time is a good place for that. On other people's couches, other people's beds, other people's floors, the median strip of the Franklin Street Arterial and, a couple of times, the sidewalk. This was one of those incidents. I lay down on the bricks, thinking, 'I'll just lie here for a minute, until I feel better. I'll just close my eyes for a bit.' When I opened them, I was looking up at a figure, and something in my brain went, "Oh, hello officer."
Once I sloshed to my feet, he too asked to see my I.D, which I thought only fair under the cicumstances, and he asked me if I still lived on Mechanic Street, and I said, Yes, I was just on my way back there, I just wanted to go home. I was pliant, and I think he realized that I wasn't looking for trouble, besides, it was a weekend night in the Old Port and he probably had more pressing matters to attend to. As I headed off, he stopped me, pointed in the opposite of the direction I was lurching and said, "Mechanic Street is that way." "No, it's this way," I said, feeling that I was pretty sure I knew where I lived. "I think it's that way," he insisted. "No, I'm pretty sure it's this way," I insisted back. "All right," he said, got in his cruiser, and glided off to serve and protect elswhere. After a street crossing that resembled an avant-garde dance step, I looked where I was weaving and realized that he was right, my home was in the other direction. "That," I said looking ahead, "is the Atlantic Ocean." I'm grateful for the indulgence of an official towards a guy who thinks that his house is in a major body of water.

vitanola · Jul 21, 2019

Nobert said:
For the record, I have never been hassled by the police. The only uniformed hubris I ever encounterd was from one of those rent-a-cops at a University campus. But since we're interrogating the subject, I'll throw in a few Good Cop stories I have.

Once, when in the supermarket, I was apprached by an officer who, rather obsequiously, asked me, "Excuse me, sorry to bother you, but are you from New Hampshire?" This is an odd opening salvo coming from anyone, let alone one of the boys in blue. After I denied being from New Hampshire (to be fair,nearly anyone from Maine would, some quite stridently), he apologized again, and said "We're looking for someone from New Hampshire, and you look just like him." I found this a bit disconcerting and still do. He asked, very politely, if he could see my I.D. and was so undemanding that I was happy to oblige. He thanked me and let me alone. I hope that in the end he was successful in his mission.

Another time I received treatement from a policeman that was probably better than I deserved. I was out at the bars and realized I had had at least one too many, and began to make for home. Now when in my cups, I am not usually the type who gets reckless or riled up or rambunctious, when I realized I've had too much of that hoopy soup, I just want to crash, to lie down and let it pass. The dumb thing that I do do in this state, is a tendency to decide that anywhere I am at the time is a good place for that. On other people's couches, other people's beds, other people's floors, the median strip of the Franklin Street Arterial and, a couple of times, the sidewalk. This was one of those incidents. I lay down on the bricks, thinking, 'I'll just lie here for a minute, until I feel better. I'll just close my eyes for a bit.' When I opened them, I was looking up at a figure, and something in my brain went, "Oh, hello officer."
Once I sloshed to my feet, he too asked to see my I.D, which I thought only fair under the cicumstances, and he asked me if I still lived on Mechanic Street, and I said Yes, I was just on my way back there, I just wanted to go home. I was pliant, and I think he realized that I wasn't looking for trouble, besides, it was a weekend night in the Old Port and he probably had more pressing matters to attend to. As I headed off, he stopped me, pointed in the opposite of the direction I was lurching in and said, "Mechanic Street is that way." "No, it's this way," I said, feeling that I was pretty sure I knew where I lived. "I think it's that way," he insisted. "No, I'm pretty sure it's this way," I insisted back. "All right," he said, got in his cruiser, and glided on to serve and protect elswhere. After a street crossing that resembled an avant-garde dance step, I looked where I was weaving and realized that he was right, my home was in the other direction. "That," I said looking ahead, "is the Atlantic Ocean." I'm grateful for the indulgence of an official towards a guy who thinks that his house is in a major body of water.

Those stories about competent, respectful officers are encouraging.

My Dad was actually shocked to the core by his experience. It was only his second ticket, you see. His first came when he was driving a cab in his University days. Truman was President then...

Trenchfriend · Jul 22, 2019

Hey, marketing-boys, what's the point of charcoal-powder in shower gel?

Want to get rid of the industrial overproduction?

Harp · Jul 22, 2019

Hood Starbucks stopped the New York Times this morning. I would just bag the Times until the evening train.
Now I need to grab it later elsewhere. One stop shopping with the morning joe does it for me.

3fingers · Jul 22, 2019

Trenchfriend said:
Hey, marketing-boys, what's the point of charcoal-powder in shower gel?

Want to get rid of the industrial overproduction?

Carbon is used to adsorb other generally undesirable things and odors. It works very well in industry and water treatment. At the percentage of carbon content and contact time in shower gel, toothpaste, etc. and the claims made of "toxins" being absorbed, my scam-o-meter is buzzing.
It won't hurt you, but don't expect much in the way of noticeable results.

Trenchfriend · Jul 23, 2019

3fingers said:
Carbon is used to adsorb other generally undesirable things and odors. It works very well in industry and water treatment. At the percentage of carbon content and contact time in shower gel, toothpaste, etc. and the claims made of "toxins" being absorbed, my scam-o-meter is buzzing.
It won't hurt you, but don't expect much in the way of noticeable results.

I'm not using it. I just saw the ingredients-list.

LizzieMaine · Jul 24, 2019

In the Era, charcoal chewing gum was a thing.

The idea being the abrasiveness of the charcoal would scrape off the guck on your teeth. No voodoo health claims -- just a gimmicky way to keep your mouth fresh between stints of brushing your teeth with powdered chalk.

Trenchfriend · Jul 24, 2019

Not a political topic, just fashion.

Our new minister of defense, "Annegret". Now, it finally happened! MOMMY-HAIRCUT goes german army!

1000778_1_fullwidth_kramp-karrenbauer-hat-mehr-geld-fuer-die-bundeswehr-gefordert-und-bringt-damit-den-koalitionspartner-gegen-sich-auf-foto-michael-kappeler.jpg

LizzieMaine · Jul 24, 2019

The "Menopausal Helmet" claims another victim.

Harp · Jul 24, 2019

Cubs need another starting rotation southpaw before trade deadline. And only four position players regularly hit.

So trivial, yet it really ticks you off.

The Jackal

One of the Regulars

Bamaboots

Fading Fast

Bamaboots

tonyb

Zombie_61

Trenchfriend

vitanola

I'll Lock Up

GHT

I'll Lock Up

Hercule

Practically Family

Nobert

Practically Family

vitanola

I'll Lock Up

Trenchfriend

Harp

I'll Lock Up

3fingers

One Too Many

Trenchfriend

LizzieMaine

Trenchfriend

LizzieMaine

Harp

I'll Lock Up

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