Debate Police Officers- uphold the law or above the law?

I was thinking something because of a few incidents. It deals with police officers. I was wondering wither people believe they uphold the law or they above the law?

This debate is about Police Officers upholding the law or above the law, your stance on that.

Obviously several may wonder what I mean by upholding the law or above the law. Upholding the law is when police officers follow the rules of the law. Above the law is when the police officers make their own rules. They go outside the law. They may think they are the law when they are not.

I view law as documents that are written by the people and for the people which the people in that country should follow.

Law- A rule of conduct or procedure established by custom, agreement, or authority. Curtsy of dictionary.com

My stance is above the law. I know because of certain incidents that police officers view themselves as above the law. Some incidents are personal and some are not.

How many times have they pulled out in front of you while driving?
Police officers speak to press before we do.
Why is it when you question a ticket they say you were arguing?

There is just so much that bugs me.

I want to look at Police chases or "hot pursuits" first.

Krisite's Law

Above is the website for Krisite's Law. In California there was a bill purposed in 2004 it was a pursuit policy that would "prohibit chases unless the public faces "certain, immediate and impending" peril." It was taken off the site from an article in AP Wire Service.

It is not just in America. Australia: http://www.smh.com.au/news/Police-P...ghrisk-pursuits/2004/11/05/1099547388745.html. Any where there are police chases, police officers act above the law and doing so innocent people die.

“Many Americans have no idea that innocent people are killed and maimed in the name of justice because of a mindset that says we must get the bad guys at any price.”

“Accidents are not premeditated. Pursuits occur when a person decides to flee and an officer decides to chase. People who flee are self-absorbed; they are not thinking about the safety of others. So the burden to protect innocent victims falls on the police. It is not easy for them because they are trained to get the bad guys, and many officers say it's their job. But others say innocent victims do not deserve these death sentences, but too often the biggest losers are the innocent.” Both taken from kristielaw.org

I for one believe police officers should be blamed also. Cause and effect are a big factor in most of these types of accidents.

The mother in Kristie’s case does blame a few people even the police for her daughter’s death. The driver/fleer didn’t pose any immediate threat. Plus the police officers violated their own pursuit polices.

So the fleer broke the law and the officers give chase while hurting people in the process. Like most I was taught two wrongs don’t make a right. Vehicles are the deadliest transportation on the road today. Why play chicken with them?

We have all scene articles on innocents being killed in accidents involving police officers.

Police officers have immunity from lawsuits. We have given them the power to uphold the law and the power to not take legal responsibilities for their actions in some cases. Great I feel safe. I am being sarcastic.

Example http://www.kristieslaw.org/blanket_immunity.htm

 

I, in some cases, DO think that the police put themselves above the law. I have heard some stories of cops hurting innocent people and not being blamed for it. It was, of course, on accident, but I still think they should be charged with SOME kind of crime. I saw on the news that they apprehended a woman for whatever reason, and when she posed no threat at all and was in cuffs on the ground, an officer kicked and used a tazer on her. NOT RIGHT!

 

not all but more or less officers seem to think that they are above the law. taking things into their own hands has costs lives but in some cases saved them.

the "are you arguing question" has happened to a few of my friends while driving.

i notice that if the traffic light turns red, Officers will turn on there sirens just so they don't have to wait, and cut them off when they get on the other side.

they seem very impatient sometimes, like they are in a hurry to bust someone else

 

That's a pretty retarded thing for a cop to do. It puts a lot of other people at risk for getting hurt. I mean, red lights aren't THAT long, are they?
:anger2:

 

no red lights aren't long at all, it is very idiotic but hey it happens.

 

Yeah, as they saying goes, "**** happens." Seriously, the cops are treating themselves like, beacause they're a cop, are better than the common man/woman. At least the cops around my area. It REALLY ticks me off.


P.S. Basher, nice new avvy/sig.

 

stupid ****s they even jump in and out of the car pool lane and will cut you off, you don't even have the right to get PO'd!

has anyone ever got the "you fit the description" crap they pull just to stop and check you if your on the street walking?

 

I have actually. It's pretty annoying when they accuse you of being someone else. I've already had the cops called on me twice for 2 stupid things. Really ticks me off...

 

I have seen the Red light capers. They should get ticketed for that. If I was a cop.

Has anyone heard/experienced when you go against a cop the others harass you? It happened to my sister years ago. It was a cops sons fault I think. That is just another reason why cops abuse their power. They are not above the law.

Don't even get me started on how they get their kids out of trouble. For small things of course.

Edit: Thanks Shijin

 

what where the two things that you did?

It depends on the situation if the cops go above the law if the perosn is high on what ever. they may have to use a lot of force to bring them down but sometimes they ae not and use a lot of force to take them down.

I know one time my brother was pulled over here in my home town because he had out of state plates and also the cop was new and there was alot of break ins the second time was a few days later another cop pulled him over right in front of the court house next to the sheriffs office he said his tags didn't show up on the computer. both cops were PD officers not deputies from the sheriffs office

 

There are good cops.. And there are idiot cops and there are bad cops..

I think a lot of Cops fallow the rules and uphold the law.. But its the ones who have there own agenda that make a bad name for the rest of them..

When i was in highschool there were a few officers who would come into the school and interact with the students.. It was these Cops that I repected.. But now and then a new cop would come in.. Sometimes they would get the lable of Super cop.. Why because they nailed you for any infraction they could..

I think there are a lot of good cops out there. I have met some really good ones... just some ruin it for the rest..

 

I guess so. I got D.A.R.E. officers comin' into my school every Tuesday (I think) and they're pretty cool. They don't say stuff like, "Hey I'm a cop and you can't see my gun." They respect you, and we respect them. Mutual trust. ^_^

Well, first I was blamed for apparently "blinding" some kid at the movie theater because I "supposedly" shined a laser pointer in his eye (which I didn't). After he claims I did it, he goes, "Ow daddy, that boy just shot a laser in my eye!" The dad leans over and says, "I'll have your house!" The "blinded" son was taken away on a stretcher and I was hauled off to the police station for a little Q and A with my fellow law enforcers.


The other time (which was actually quite recent) I got the cops called on me for doing the "The Phantom" tradition on my new neighbors. He thought I set a bomb on his porch and called 911. He claims I placed a dead mouse on his porch also. So yeah, 5 minutes after I tried to explain the whole phantom thing to him, the cops show up. :blush: I was ticked. I wanna T.P. that S.O.B. for being so stupid. He had two little girls who I was doing that for to!

 

Not all police are bad... In fact my mom couldn't do her job very well if it wasn't for some of them... then again my parents both work for a part of the government which isn't too favored either...
Unfortunatly... the cops people run into most are the patrol cops... and those are usually just rookies who could care less sometimes. Oh well.... What do I know?
Not like senators and other states men don't think that they are above the law...

 

That's true in some cases. Hopefully this thread won't turn into a Senators-Above or Uphold the Law thread. I don't think you hear about Senators doing as many offenses as police officers have.

 

probably because they dont concern themselves with us as much as police officers do.

 

I think I have only met one good cop. He was the cop at went to my high school years back. He had been a cop for a while actually. A lot of people hated him because he gave out J-walking tickets. It was the law. But him being a few years on the force he probably has done his share of bad deeds. So there may be "good cops" but there isn't any "honest cops."

My town has this head of the health department guy who thinks he is above the law. He runs red lights and etc. He doesn't get into trouble because he could close down establishments.

 

One phrase can sum up that last little paragraph: abuse of power. Cops who do that are actually breaking the law, I think. Isn't threatening buisnesses against the law? Yeah, it is. Does he do that kinda stuff?

 

k guys it's as simple as this: Some are good, some are bad. I know its already been said but i think it needs to be said again. Its not true or fair to say that all cops are bad and think theyre above the law.

 

I believe it is fair. Some I will say will learn to act better. Others don't.

When given power like that they have to learn how to use it. Let's say anyone became a king or queen. They wouldn't know what to do. Through trial and errors they may succeed. I honestly think kind of like cops. They are not kings or queens but they were given the power to protect people. Power corrupts people. Some will learn others don't. People like to think that they are right all the time. They hate to be wrong. Cops are people hence the "arguing" or “yelling.”

The Health Department man doesn't state it but his actions are apparently well enough. I was working at KFC years ago and he did an inspect. I cheated and changed all the times. He didn't notice. Hehe.

 

Let the Learning Begin: Pt. 1

Ok, this time I'm straight up playing Devil's Advocate. I haven't posted here at all because I didn't know very much about the police force or about how they did business. Well a few nights ago I was out drinking with a cousin of mine who happens to be a cop in a neighboring city close to where I live and, remembering this thread, I got a chance to ask him a few questions about how the police did business. For over an hour he shared stories and explained how the law enforcement officials work. A few things caught me by surprise and a few I wouldn't have known as a non-officer.

So lets get started with the knowledge dispension.

When you are driving around and you see the flashing lights in your mirror at that moment you are 'under arrest'.

Under Arrest as in "handcuffs on and take you to jail" Under Arrest. The only reason they don't haul you off is because they issue you your court summon date right there on your ticket. They can't take everyone to jail because it's a waste of time and resources. Be that as it may when you are pulled over you are being placed Under Arrest.

Those who flee are the exact same kinds of people who flee from cops on foot, resisting arrest. The police officers have no choice but to give chase. When they are giving chase they turn their lights on to warn others to get the hell out of the way. Legally those lights give them the right of way. It's the officer's warning to move your ass clear of the danger. If you chose to ignore that warning and suffer an accident as a result, then who's to blame? The police were warning you to watch yourself and if you didn't hear because your music was too loud or you weren't paying attention to your mirrors tell me why it's THEIR fault you got into an accident.

The cops aren't chasing the bad guys because they want to have a high speed pursuit. Stand back and listen to yourself a moment. They're doing what they need to because someone is evading the law, and they are trying their best to bring him in without hurting anyone else. How do you think the cops who are involved with chases that leave an innocent bystander dead feel. Do you think they get off on that kind of thing?

Remember that Officers of the law are the only body in the United States which can suspend your constitutional right to free movement. They're the only ones. Not judges, not senators, not presidents. No one else can, save a police officer. When they pull you over they're fully within the bounds of the law to do so.

Neg. Number one a police officer cannot apprehend you for no good reason and proceed to beat your ass unless you were doing something that he would consider threatening. I'll go over that in more detail in a second.

Secondly, did you know that unless a cop catches you in the process of doing something illegal he can't FORCE a search upon you. He cannot simply walk up to you and FORCE you to allow him to search you. You know what they do? They walk up to you, say you fit a description and ASK to perform a search. It's in your rights to DENY that search, but most people don't know that. They simply give in, argue or do something stupid which causes the police to take action. Unless he caught you doing something illegal (i.e. selling drugs) then he cannot search you without your permission.

My cousin told me about one case where they got an anonymous tip saying five black individuals were fighting in front of an apartment. One of them had a gun. When he pulled up he found five black males sitting around all sweaty and little scuffed up. He asked them if they had seen a fight (he knew it was them, but he couldn't say it) and they said no. He asked them if they knew anything about a fight and they said no. Then he pointed to one individual and said that a caller notified the police and said that someone fitting your description had a gun on him, so he asked the man if he could perform a search, to which the man assented.

By this time his back up had arrived and he told them to ask the others to do a search. All four of them agreed. Halfway through one guy he lost his nerve and split. Of course the police began to pursue him. A short distance away the guy ducked behind a fence, while reaching into his belt, and ended up slipping, breaking his toe. Of course that was the end of the chase. They cuffed him and hauled him up. Sure enough he had a gun on him. He was also a three time convicted felon and figured he had nothing to lose. He was going to shoot it out.

In court his case was thrown out. Why? Because it was his right to allow an officer to perform a search without any grounds and it was his right to stop the search whenever he chose, to which he indicated by running away. Even an anonymous tip isn’t enough grounds for an officer to search you without your permission. He has to see you do a crime or have more than enough reasonable suspicion that you were performing a crime to do anything about it.

Even then it’s a toss up.