We Hate You

[Lbaust260]

As most of you are aware, there has been a recent spike in police officer deaths over the past few weeks, most recently the New York State Trooper, the three Canadian Mounties, and now the two Las Vegas officers, all of whom were killed deliberately, simply because they were police officers.

Once you put on the badge, you go from being a regular Joe, to now being one of the most hated individual around. I know a lot of guys/gals on these forums come from Long Island as volunteer firefighters/EMTs, and for the most part, have people wave as they drive by in the fire truck. However, it will be a harsh change of reality once they switch their fire department patch for a police department patch.

So, with that being said, I wanted to create a thread that talks about how you, the police officers, deal with the daily abuse, threats, smart remarks, or even a simple middle finger as you walk by? What advice would you give to a new candidate coming out of the academy? How do you deal with the daily stress of being hated? Feel free to tell some of your war stories as well; How did the encounter go, what did they say to you, and what was the outcome?

[DigitalFrenchie]

As a rookie, I would take it personally for the first few months. Very quickly though, especially in certain areas, being hated is just a way of life for cops. I learned very quickly to just ignore it and that looking out for me and my brothers and sisters was the priority. As much as academies try to preach otherwise, in many communities, it is very much "us v. them".

[CAnde]

You learn to be super polite and respectful or just ignore it because it drives the haters nuts.

Also what's all this hatred about I did a detail at a school last week with mounted and canine. Everyone loved us....until the big red playground showed up (FD), then we didn't exist.

[emlaxstar9]

Awesome topic would love for some officers to chime in

[Fast05GT]

As most of you are aware, there has been a recent spike in police officer deaths over the past few weeks, most recently the New York State Trooper, the three Canadian Mounties, and now the two Las Vegas officers, all of whom were killed deliberately, simply because they were police officers.

Once you put on the badge, you go from being a regular Joe, to now being one of the most hated individual around. I know a lot of guys/gals on these forums come from Long Island as volunteer firefighters/EMTs, and for the most part, have people wave as they drive by in the fire truck. However, it will be a harsh change of reality once they switch their fire department patch for a police department patch.

So, with that being said, I wanted to create a thread that talks about how you, the police officers, deal with the daily abuse, threats, smart remarks, or even a simple middle finger as you walk by? What advice would you give to a new candidate coming out of the academy? How do you deal with the daily stress of being hated? Feel free to tell some of your war stories as well; How did the encounter go, what did they say to you, and what was the outcome?

Its not really like that honestly, its hard to explain.

Are there people out there who hate you? Yes, 1000%. But they do not hate you, they hate the uniform and what you stand for and represent. They have no idea who you are, your personal beliefs, or what your favorite TV show is. They just hate the fact that they did something wrong and now you are going to make them pay for it.

That's whats different about policing than any other job. You need to tell someone they did something wrong and now they are going to have to own up to it.

For every interaction you have with the public, you should try to start off good with them(I mean unless they are blatantly cursing you out in the street, but then F them, they are probably intox/edp or are in desperate need of a discon summons or be put under) and let them take it where ever it goes. There have been so many times where we have been fair with the people we stop and after its all over they are walking away with summonses laughing and thanking us for writing them. It's all about how you play the game.

If they want to curse and yell and cause a scene, thats fine, write them or collar them and call it a day. No need to take it personal, cause its not. You'll get over it because you will be forced to.

And not everyone hates you. Working people, or some what normal people, even in these terrible neighborhoods love you. And I mean love you. They will come up to you and tell you "thank you so much for being out here, I feel safe because you are here, God Bless You, have a safe tour" and little kids think you are a super hero.

[unobserved]

Threats in person are dealt with accordingly.
My most powerful weapon with non-crime related "verbal abuse" is called sarcasm, I welcome the opportunity to improve my skills.

[GeneralZod]

Hated or not, always be on a lookout for airmail. A buddy of mine otj said you always get things thrown at you, (especially air conditioning units) if you're by the projects. He said that you just get used to ignore their blabber and cellphone cameras in your face and proceed to do your job.

[SkellTF]

Always be nice and courteous when you can, you just might change the persons opinion towards cops. The savages love to get a reaction out of you. It boosts their savage levels to extreme and makes them act even more like animals while they scream "GET DAT PIGS BADGE NUMA" "MUTH ****A PIGGS" and my favorite "PO-LEEEECE BRUTALITTYYY". Its like a ghetto mating call that rallies them together.

[upandcomingpo]

This is probably a dumb question but were the officers in Vegas wearing bullet proof vest.. I tried finding information on that and couldn't

[SkellTF]

This is probably a dumb question but were the officers in Vegas wearing bullet proof vest.. I tried finding information on that and couldn't

They were shot in the head. Not even given a chance.

[upandcomingpo]

They were shot in the head. Not even given a chance.

I see thanks.. Not that it matters now.. But I see a future where officers might wear bulletproof helmets for a good portion of thier tours..definitely not now.. But maybe in the not too distant future

[upandcomingpo]

Hated or not, always be on a lookout for airmail. A buddy of mine otj said you always get things thrown at you, (especially air conditioning units) if you're by the projects. He said that you just get used to ignore their blabber and cellphone cameras in your face and proceed to do your job.

I'm not even an officer and I can see its clear they don't wanna be helped.. They rather live that lifestyle and get upset when you guys screw thier plans up

[TruGuardian]

Threats in person are dealt with accordingly.
My most powerful weapon with non-crime related "verbal abuse" is called sarcasm, I welcome the opportunity to improve my skills.

Absolutely....Intelligence over Ignorance.

You have to find the humor in some sad, depressing, and patheic individuals & situations.

Kill them with kindness, I say...there is nothing more annoying to ignorant fool than to be in everyway the least bit of an A-hole.

[Hindsight 20/20]

In the academy, walking down the train platform, I remember someone giving me the finger on the opposite side, and me waving and saying "Thank You!"

Our job is to deal with people. Due to the nature of the job, most of those people will either be ****ed off, afraid or in shock. Common sense and knowing how to talk is a cop's best tool to interactions with the public. But even cops are humans. Guys in busy commands, going out every day in radio cars, doing 15 to 20 jobs a day, no meal, expected to get their activity, their collars, answer 311 jobs on top of all the flavor of the week initiatives every command has, and doing it for years? Guys get burnt out. So if one interaction a person might have with a cop who is having a bad day somehow leads to "all cops are a-holes", does it say more about cop or the person making the statement?