Sunday, March 15, 2009

Damned if You Do, Damned if You Don't...

I wish people would make up their damned minds as to what they would and would not like us, as police officers, to do.

If we don't train in the rain, we are weak. If we do train in the rain, we will get sick and cost the city sick leave.

If I stop someone for speeding, I should be out catching murderers. If I arrest someone for murder, I hear about the speeders on their street.

If I shot somebody, there would be an outraged crowd asking why I didn't just use my Taser on the person. If I deployed my Taser on the person, the outraged crowd would ask why I tased them.

I have had times while I had a resisting subject on the ground, when I had two groups of people standing around me. One group hollering "stop, you're hurting him", and the other group hollering "kick his ass". What I was actually trying to do was somewhere between the two.

In police work, it is not possible to please everyone. Hell, most of the time it's not even possible to please most of the people.

As a result, I have adopted a personal policy during my career. When I undertake any task, commit any act, or otherwise perform any job related action, I ignore what bystanders, suspects and witnesses are saying. Nothing anyone around me can say, except other officers of course, will have any effect on my decisions.

If I have decided you are going to jail, there is nothing you or your friends can say that will change my mind, because if I arrest you, you're going to tell me how wrong I am. If I don't arrest you, someone else is going to tell me how wrong I am.

If I have to be wrong, dammit, at least someone is going to jail behind it...

5 comments:

Berserk said...

Ain't it great?

*Goddess* said...

In police work, it is not possible to please everyone. Hell, most of the time it's not even possible to please most of the people.

That thought holds true OUTSIDE of police work as well.

Anonymous said...

trust me.. what they dont yell at you out there.. they call in to us inside. And we have to 'listen' to them! We'll never make everyone happy... Ugh!!
-Dispatcher

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I just had some asshat kid call in here to complain about his friend being "harrassed" by us....after we checked the kid's ID and did a field contact since his friend was parked through the woods around the corner from the kid's house....and since it was an upscale neighborhood the little %^&$ proceeded to tell me all about his Mommy and Daddy's money and how he pays our salary....grrrrrr. I just have to step back and take a deep breath. They'll never stop, and I would be stressed to the max if I truly listened to all of it.

Tara said...

some ass-hat tried that "i pay your salary" line on my fiance'.. he handed it ass right back to him stating the clear fact that he rents and doesn't pay taxes, therefore does not pay his salary. i couldn't stop laughing.

Bottom line.. no one is ever happy.. just stay out of the media's eye and you'll be ok.