Hey folks, a friend sent me this little article where a cop rants about the difficulties he/she faces in doing their job because of a small number of people who complain about inifinitesimal and irrelevant things. It's pretty interesting, so I recommend reading all the way till the end.
Folks,
I actually took this career path because it disturbed me to see so many victims and I was sure I was the one who would make a difference.
During my career, I have employed compassion, empathy, negotiating skills, and decency in an effort to be someone who people would actually be left with the feeling that you mater after we leave. I could write a book, no, ten books about the things I've seen in your living rooms, bedrooms, streets and alleys. But I won't because I am not talented enough and most of it would be in poor taste.
I see that this forum has a variety of genre. I see the intelligent people trying to provoke thought and engage other people’s minds. I see the sick, disturbed people who have found an audience for which they can share their disturbing thoughts. I see those in between who are just passing through musing at the fodder of all the rest. And of course we now know that Kim Jong lives in the Salt Lake Valley. So, perhaps this is to fall upon deaf ears. But what the hell, I can't send it to the paper because they sell entertainment and this isn't very entertaining. But at the risk of boring, pissing off, maligning, inadvertently offended, or maybe even causing someone to think a little, here goes.
1. Complaints from citizens
People, for the love of everything holly, why do you call us for some of this absolute shit? People are always saying "don't you guys have anything better to do?" when we show up at their home for some moronic reason. Well guess hat? They are right! We have so much more to do. Why do you use us as swords to wield at your neighbor? Why do you use us as leverage mechanisms in you’re screwed up personal relationships? You say we are all fat, lazy, or no good. So why is it every time you want to threaten, scare or piss off an ex, a neighbor, a family member etc. the first statement that rolls off of your lips is "I'm gonna call the cops on you if,,,,,,
Let me use yesterday as an example. Noon, its 59 degrees and I get a call from a guy whose neighbor’s dog has been left in a car. I get there, the windows are cracked, and the dog has only been in there 20 minutes. It’s 59 Degrees! It’s not summer and if it were the dead of winter I'd say the car is a $20,000 dog house. But it turns out this guy has a running dispute with his neighbor so guess who he calls to irritate the guy a little more? Me. When I go to leave, the asshole that called this in yells, "hey, aren't you gonna do anything?" I explain why I am not and he says "great, I'm writing a letter to the paper" Holly shit. Now I'm the bad guy because I didn't embarrass your target enough for you? Grow the hell up.
1:30 PM. Mom calls in a child abuse report on the ex. Turns out the only abuse was that he is a half hour late returning from his turn with the girl. The poor guy has two of us at his door and all his neighbors watching. But we have to respond and gladly respond to every call because of the fact that every now and then, it’s real. So we can't pick and choose and no, I don't have a crystal ball installed next to my MDC so I can see into the future. Another 90 minutes wasted on a revenge complaint. And yes, the ex got what she wanted. All the neighbors are now murmuring that this guy might be a psycho because after all, there were police officers in his home. Now his neighbors have a hard on for him and they are going to start calling us everything a bike gets stolen or a potted plant comes up missing. 3:15 PM. Car just stolen from the parking lot of a grocery store. The RP left the car running for just a minute while she went inside. Dispatch gives us a description of the car. The first thing we do is spread out into a grid of sorts hitting the main routes people would use to leave the area and we actually look for the victim’s car. Believe it or not, a great many times we actually locate the car and return it to the victim. But after 30 minutes, if we haven't found it, it's either in someone's garage in the hood, or it's out of the area. So the next thing I do is respond to where the woman is to take a report. Guess what? I get out of my car and this irate woman comes rolling over and yells at me right there in front of the super market "Where the hell have you guys been!!" She goes on a tirade about how she'll never get her car back now because we didn't respond fast enough and we could give a shit about here because she's just another dumb ass taxpayer. So I try in my most composed voice to explain "maam, when your car is stolen, the one place you won't find us is the place we are sure the car is NOT" Now I'm being a smart ass and she wants my supervisors name.
People, most of you are decent, hard working, family loving, flag waving contributors to your society. And it’s because of this that I approach everyone with dignity and respect. But to that loud minority that tries to use us to get even with the neighbor down the street, or the ex, or the boss. You are the ones that are doing everyone a huge disservice. You are the ones that take us away from the people we should be watching. You are the pathetic, bored, angry, insecure misfits of society. So the next time one of you is sitting at your barstool lamenting about how "the cops are never there when you need them" there's a reason.
To the rest of you, I'm truly sorry if it takes us a little longer than it should to get there. I know who the gang bangers are. I know most of the tweekers. I know where to go and look for your property when you've been ripped off. I know where to go and look for the guy that that just jacked your wife’s purse because as soon as I heard the physical description I recognized him and a repeat offender trying to get together some cash for his habit. But I cannot tend to these real emergencies if you are going to call us because you think someone stole your paper or the neighbor is watering his lawn on an even rather than an odd day or because the kids down the street are on the damn skateboards again. Hell, we were kids once. Leave the kids to be kids. Oh, and to the guy who called us during the busiest time of night to complain that your neighbor across the street was parked too close to the corner, real funny. He's a cop and you don't like cops so you try and use other cops to harass him? Get a life.
Live like decent people and yes, absolutely call us when you see something real happening. I'll do everything in within my ability to help you. Disclaimer. I know there are asshole cops just like there are assholes in any and every profession. I know some of the guys where like me, idealists who wanted to make a difference but now suffer from a thing we call “compassion fatigue” Most of us really do give a damn about you and when you are in trouble, we haul ass to get there before it’s too late. Even then someone will always call in to complain that I was driving to fast and ‘must have been late for dinner” But I’ll tell you what, when we get a 911 call at 2:00 AM and all the call taker can hear on the other end is a woman screaming, it still gives us chills and yes, we’re gonna drive like hell to get there as quick as possible because whoever is doing whatever to her needs to be stopped and we’re the only ones that are going in. So cut us a break. It could be your wife, or mom, or girlfriend or daughter
this is in or around your neighborhood
no -- it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
Source: Craigslist
