Town cops vs city cops

   / Town cops vs city cops #1  

Boondox

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Location
Craftsbury Common, Vermont
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Deere 4044R cab, Kubota KX-121-3S
I noticed a burned out headlight this morning in my Subaru. Made a mental note to pick up a bulb during this morning's trip to the Big City of Burlington. On the way, I stopped at the post office to pick up my mail. A local cop pointed out that I had a light out. I thanked him and mentioned it would be taken care of today. He waved. We parted.

We drove to Burlington. I'm driving down a busy street five mph over the speed limit with some joker right on my tail. The joker backed off suddenly. Up ahead I noticed a police car at the side of the road. I drove past him and pulled into the auto parts store. The officer falls in behind me, blue lights fired up. Asks for my license and registration. Tells me I have a light out. I tell him that's why I came to the auto parts store. I even have the owner's manual out showing the type of bulb I need. No matter. He writes me a fix it ticket on the spot before letting me go get the bulb. I don't think he even shaves yet.

I go inside after the big arrest. Buy a bulb. Walk outside and install it. Lights work. Drive to the police station in the pouring rain. Ask the sergeant behind the desk to come sign off the repairs. He looks at the ticket and notices only 12 minutes have elapsed since it was written. He askes the circumstances. I tell him. He radios the officer and has him personally come to the station to stand in the pouring rain and verify the lights work.

Gawd, give me a grizzled sergeant or a small town cop any day!

Pete
 
   / Town cops vs city cops #2  
That's a good story. From my experiences in the past it seems to be just the opposite. The more seasoned the officer the less tolerant they are. I imagine he learned something today too.
 
   / Town cops vs city cops #3  
Well, there are some people that should never wear a badge and our little town is blessed with one of them. He pulls people over for going one mile per hour over the speed limit. At the basketball games he was going into the stands and taking suckers away from people because no eating in the gym. Even the school said they never told him to do that. This guy makes Barney Fife look like Clint Eastwood.

Dur
 
   / Town cops vs city cops #4  
I agree some times the big city cops are worse compared to the county cops. The last 2 sheriff's if they caught a kid drinking and drivig they took them home told the parents and gave a warning. If they disobeyed they were an example. THey also left us teenagers alone on the weekend nights in town, or would stop by and hang out. Thetown/ city cops were different they al the time harassesd us. One thing was they went around trying to enforce a curfew that didnt exist and also tried to write tickets fo under car neon lights not just blue and red. I was taking the rool off truck to a friends shop the other morning and stopped by on the business road in town which is no thru tracks unless delivering or break time. I stopped and as I was about to step down an officer told me move it or we have you towed. I went to see the manager and asked if I could park in the back where I was and was told yes. I went outside and got some flak especially when pointing out 3 of the 8 handicaped spaces had cop cars in them. I walked back in and told the manager to cancel my order that the fre coffee drinkin m*&)(*ers were running off paying customers. He apologized and asked the officers to kindly mind their own business or he'd have them leave. We have a new sheriff now and amostly new deputies/ excity cops. I was driving hme from the bar I go to on the weekends. I dont drink at all when I have to drive myself. I was comming back home about 1230 and right over the line was a Tish county deputy car. I got on down the road and hadnt passed met or followed a soul. I had the road to myself which is 2 lane most of the way till I hit the bypass. I met 2 parked trucks on the side of the road that look similar to 2 other deputies that work there. I got onto the bypass 5 miles later and this car in the north bound lan put a spotlight on me from about 300 yards and held it till we met. THis is a divided highway but it was stil hard to drive lit up. I got about 500 yards past him and he turned around and ran up behind me with his high beas on and tailed me up till the 4way stop and let me go through it. When I got pulled over he came up to my window and it was a guy I went to school with. He told me I had been reported weaving b the motorist behind me. I told him not to lie about it that no car was behind me. He then told me thats what they told me to say when they pulled me over. I then proceeded to gnaw his tail about blinding me with the spotlight like and idiot. It seems tht when we got a reasonable cop that acts like a professional that they seem to move on to greener pastures. I dont mean to knock anyone in law enforcement but sometimes they take things way too far. last year we had a city cop a few towns over shoot hisself in the leg practicing his quickdraw in the police staions dressing mirror in front of a 15 year old wanna be cop.
 
   / Town cops vs city cops #5  
Back about 1980, I was a young punk, straight out of the U.S. Army, and looking for a job. A good friend of mine had an uncle that was a Major on our small towns Police Dept. He was trying to talk me into joining the police force. I explained to him my position on some types of crime. If I ever had to deal with someone beating a woman or a child, I would become Judge, Jury, and Executioner right there on the spot. He convinced me that I wouldn't because I knew better.... (I still didn't become a cop)
/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
He went on to say a few words that I will never forget. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

"There's two kinds of cops....With one, it's an attitude, with the other, it's just a job" /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

From that day forward, I've had the utmost respect for good cops. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

By the way, we buried a good cop in Louisville today. He was shot and killed by a gun-wielding 17 year old last Thursday. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif
 
   / Town cops vs city cops #6  
My wife got pulled over by a NY State Trooper about a quarter mile from our house on our road. Drivers side headlight was out. As he walked up to the van, she pulled the replacement bulb out of the glove box. She showed it to him when he was at the door and he said, "I guess you know why I stopped you. Make sure you install it tonight". Never asked her for ANY paperwork and said, "Have a nice evening". That was nice.
 
   / Town cops vs city cops #7  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( "There's two kinds of cops....With one, it's an attitude, with the other, it's just a job" )</font>

That's one way of putting it. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif The fact is that they're human, and just as in any other profession, there are good ones and bad ones. I think in my nearly 25 years in the business, I think I've known the very best and the very worst, including a few who went to prison themselves. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
   / Town cops vs city cops #8  
Very impressive what you accomplished in the police force Bird.

It's obvious that you were one of the good ones. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
   / Town cops vs city cops #9  
Folks have all sorts of reasons for going into law enforcement, and unless they're very dishonest or real dumb, money isn't one of them. Anyhow, there's "the guy next door", the macho former high school jock with no other prospects, the burned out oldsters waiting for retirement, and so on. Whatever, you just have to go with the flow, as you've no real choice unless there are credible witnesses or a videotape in the police vehicle. My son recently got a disorderly conduct citation for talking back to a campus cop when he told the kids gossiping outside a dormatory after a basketball game on a Friday night at about 10 pm (on the citation) to go to bed or study. I gave my son no sympathy - he's got to learn - say, "yes sir", and move on. Turns out that particular cop did such at multiple locations that night, with parents as witnesses in a few locations, and the cop's busted, with all citations lifted - but what my kid did, if transferred to an embittered inner city cop who could have said my son was buying narcotics or similar (and not have to present any proof), could be a major problem.
Anyhow, some reasonably honest cops need citations to make a living - no excuse, but understandable. I went to a hunt club last weekend, with my son, and the owner, a retired state trooper, greeted us with "I hope you've gone real slow through the local town" - seems 2 prior clients that day were busted for minor speed violations. The local city council had reduced the allocation to the "police department" (2 cops and a car), and the cops had to make up the difference by soaking the "foreigners" passing through town.
If it's only your word against a cop's, before a local magistrate, you're toast.
 
   / Town cops vs city cops #10  
Funny to see this post today. My daughter and son-in-law visited this evening. He's a small town cop. I describe him as a lawsuit waiting to happen.
 
 
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