It was Friday around noon and I had to fill that beast of a truck up. So I went to the 7-11 pulled up at the pumps and went in to prepay for one hundred and twenty in gas. I stood there cussing at the oil companies as the gas flowed into the two tanks. It was only one fifteen so I went back in to get my change.
Day or night there are usually a couple of patrol cars parked in the lot watching the intersection for people running the red light, or so I thought. As I walked back out to the truck I noticed a patrol car had pulled in front of my vehicle blocking it. The policeman was out running his hand along the license plate.
As I approached he told me that they had no information at all on this tag…nothing the tag didn’t exist. I told him that I had just gotten it the day before and that it probably was not in the system yet. He told me that does not happen and that the system updates immediately.
So I showed him my drivers licenses and registration, both of course in order. As he studied them I asked what I had done wrong that warranted him running my plates through the system. He angrily shoved my papers back into my hand and told me to “mind your own damn business”. He stomped back to his car, sat blocking me for a few more minutes, then pulled out of the way.
When I was growing up the police were there to protect and serve. I remember them helping people with flat tires, mom used to tell me that if I was ever lost to go find a police man. Now they are simply tools for the machine, spying on and intimidating law abiding citizens. Quite frankly if I had kids I would tell them to avoid the police at all cost…don’t even make eye contact, they can’t be trusted.
Early Saturday morning I went back into the store to talk with the manager. I told him that I would no longer do business with him if he continued being a front for police surveillance. At the very least he needed to put a sign in the window warning the shoppers of this unwarranted activity. He said there was nothing he could do and that it was corporate policy to try and attract police to the locations. It cut down on crime.
To hell with the people rights to be secure in their papers and possessions, corporate profits come first.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Police Surveillance
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10 comments:
This kind of thing is fairly common where I live in Canada. It's usually only the poor or the "outspoken" that get harassed. Maybe someone has been reading your blog?
"Maybe someone has been reading your blog?"
BWAHAHAHA! Sorry, BigBear, but that was funny.
Seriously, I'm sorry to hear about your encounter with the LEO (they stopped being peace officers long ago). At best, even though I'm as law abiding as they come, I still feel an unease around LEOs, probably because any being with the power to deprive me of my liberty I instinctively know I should be wary of.
I avoid them as much as possible. Never done anything to help me and have caused a pain in the tuckus a few times when it was not needed.
I've known some good cops and some bad cops. I try not to automatically assume that they're all out to get me.
I used to be in a KY National Guard unit that had a bunch of cops in it. When ever there wasnt much to do, they would revert back to "cop mode" and start BS'ing among themselves about what they do to citizens. I cant look at cops anymore without thinking about those sh**heads and their stories. That's too bad, because I'm sure there are good, caring ones out there. Because of the actions of a few, I suspect all of them.
That won't end when you come out here either BigBear! I think I've had every cop out here now come up on me on 159 from out of nowhere and while the sped limit is 65MPH, I drive 62MPH and they ran my plates and sped around me every time. I'm calm until I get stopped for BS, then I manage a few extra tickets but to me, it's worth it! The badge and gun doesn't mean to me what it used to mean when there's a lack of respect!
The 'law enforcement' field has, for many years now, been attracting and is now mostly populated by sociopathic types with authority complexes. Most LEO are self-selecting armed thugs, pure and simple, the old schoolyard bully now grown up. Nominal positions of "authority" for those seeking power over others, with a definitive “us” vs. “them” mindset prevalent.
Oddly enough, many of these individuals might have been ended up as criminals themselves (such as mafioso enforcers), but lack the mental fortitude and creative thought processes and/or imagination for such occupations.
‘To protect and serve'....their elite masters.
Another point worthy of mentionin, that ties directly in with BigBear's key point here -
Sociologists have noted a distinctive change in the public's perception of law enforcement personnel over the last three decades. For example, where average Americans once reported associating the sight of an LEO with feelings of safety and security, recent surveys found that for most, the sight of an LEO elicited the emotional-level responses of "apprehension" and "nervousness", responses most associated with FEAR.
Oddly enough, this is also the normal response to the sight of police in many third world nations or authoritarian regimes, where fear of police often outweighs the fear of crime.
"When the government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the goverment, there is tyranny." - Thomas Jefferson
I agree with what Fallout11 says on this; and I would like to add that, as much as I would like to believe there are still some good cops, the reality is that I don't think we can trust anyone who would accept or remain at such a job as being a cop has become. I know, we all have to make a living. But I manage to survive without being a hired thug.
I started reading the blogs on this webpage about a month ago. I have truly enjoyed reading them. I was very disapointed at what was said about police officers in this one though. I figure you can probably guess why....Im a police officer. I am from West Virginia and I am really affended about the remarks. I have been an officer for 5 years,and have been K-9 handler, a patrolman, and an instructor in elementary and middle schools. I do agree with you all about some things, but you must understand that not all police officers are bad, or out to get you. Maybe it is an area thing, being from WV I have found that there are some pretty good old boys were Im from. You always fear what you dont understand, so in saying that I hope that anyone who has questions about police work should try and find out if their local agency has a ride along program that they can be apart of. I truely believe that if you took the time to try and understand a police officers outlook on things you may see some similarities to your own. I heard from one blog the words trust. This is one thing that we cannot do. We cannot trust anyone, and some of you prove that point by your blog postings. You may not remember everyone you come into contact within the month, but they sure remember the one time they had dealings with the police officer. So I have to worry when I go out to a resturant or the store. I have to scope out the whole place and wonder if I arrested the cook or waitress. (Hopefully no one spits in my food or does something to my kids food). It may not even be the one I arrested but it could be their family member, and they are ticked that I took their brother, sister, mother, father,uncle's freedom to walk down the street, or buy a gallon of milk away from them. I hope this kinda sheds some light on what police officers have to go through on the job and in their private life. It is easy for us to become complacent and even discouraged with society, but you are right it does not give us the right to abuse our power that was given to us by the good citizens that we swore to protect. Thank you all for your honest opinions Ptl. Dan Miller
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