Dont know Joe however saw something I thought might be appropriate if ever
you are stopped driving your HMV, Jeep , M35 wahtever, by the Police.:
The author of this article was Trooper Mitchell Brown of the Virginia State
Police. He was killed in the line of duty two months after writing the
article.
A POLICE OFFICER SPEAKS
By Trooper Mitchell Brown of the Virginia State Police
Well, Mr. Citizen, it seems you've figured me out. I seem to fit neatly
into the category where you've placed me. I'm stereotyped, standardized,
characterized, classified, grouped, and always typical. Unfortunately, the
reverse is true. I can never figure you out.
>From birth you teach your children that I'm the bogeyman, then you're
shocked when they identify with my traditional enemy...the criminal!
You accuse me of coddling criminals...until I catch your kids doing wrong.
You may take an hour for lunch and several coffee breaks each day, but point
me out as a loafer for having one cup.
You pride yourself on your manners, but think nothing of disrupting my meals
with your troubles.
You raise hell with the guy who cuts you off in traffic, but let me catch
you doing the same thing and I'm picking on you.
You know all the traffic laws...but you've never gotten a single ticket you
deserve.
You shout "foul" if you observe me driving fast to a call, but raise the
roof if I take more than ten seconds to respond to your complaint.
You call it part of my job if someone strikes me, but call it "Police
brutality" if I strike back.
You wouldn't think of telling your dentist how to pull a tooth or your
doctor how to take out an appendix, yet you are always willing to give me
pointers on the law.
You talk to me in a manner that would get you a bloody nose from anyone
else, but expect me to take it without batting an eye.
You yell "something's got to be done to fight crime," but you can't be
bothered to get involved.
You have no use for me at all, but of course it's OK if I change a flat for
your wife, deliver your child in the back of the patrol car, or perhaps save
your son's life with mouth-to-mouth breathing, or work many hours overtime
looking for your lost daughter.
So, Mr. Citizen, you can stand there on your soapbox, and rant and rave
about the way I do my work, calling me every name in the book, but never
stop to
think that your property, family, or maybe even your life depends on me or
one of my buddies.
Yes, Mr. Citizen, it's me...the cop!
Sorry, but I hate when people try to generalize about the actions of Police
Officers. Tom Carrell
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Tue Aug 07 2001 - 09:34:11 PDT