5 ms·

I don't think that's true. This doesn't describe any of the police officers at London's Metropolitan Police Service (or the NYPD for that matter) I ever interac

I don't think that's true. This doesn't describe any of the police officers at London's Metropolitan Police Service (or the NYPD for that matter) I ever interacted with.

wavefunction 10y ago
That clears it up then! I on the other hand have had plenty of questionable interactions with (and due to) police officers in different parts of the US, which have ceased once I hit middle age.
- EpicEng 10y ago
  'plenty'. Define plenty. We have numerous documented issues, sure. What portion of the total population do those pertain to?
rbcgerard 10y ago
The question you have to ask yourself is if you did something completely legal, but rude and obnoxious to a police officer (say calling them a "dirty pig") every time you saw one, would they turn the other cheek (as they're supposed to) or would they endeavor to harass, arrest, assault you?
- a3n 10y ago
  > ... or would they endeavor to harass, arrest, assault you ... ... because they can. In every area, power and money don't change you, they merely reveal who you are.
- pacaro 10y ago
  While YMMV there is an interesting difference to policing in the UK and the USA. In the UK, the officer calls you "sir" or "ma'am" and you call then whatever you want to ("occifer" and "cuntstable" being perennial favourites). In the US, you call the officer "sir" or "ma'am" and they call you whatever they feel like (my interactions have almost always been polite, but I've witnessed "boy", "punk", "shithead") Edit: see also https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contempt_of_cop https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contempt_of_cop
  - gertef 10y ago
    Is "occifer" a pun or just a mangling of "officer"?
    - pacaro 10y ago
      I think just a mangling. In context it may simply be as close as a drunk can get.
aninhumer 10y ago
I'm fairly biased and privileged, but my impression is that the police in the UK tend to be more professional than those in the US.
travmatt 10y ago
Gonna go ahead and venture a guess that you're not a black or Latino male ages 14-24. I think you'd be surprised by just how different experiences are.
- DrJokepu 10y ago
  Please do not use the "you're a white male" line on me, because you know nothing about me.
  - coldtea 10y ago
    For one, your Twitter profile and other info is in your profile pic. Second, parent didn't say "you are X" but that they'd "venture a guess" based on the specific context of what had been said. So they don't need anything else (personal backstory etc) to make it -- just to apply what they know/believe is the general case for people making similar statements (positive view on the police behavior etc). Even if you specifically are not white, it doesn't mean what the parent said doesn't apply in the general case: that whites generally have smoother interactions with the police, so their appreciation of how policemen are is more positive.
metaphorm 10y ago
come to America and walk around in a majority black neighborhood in a big city.

I don't think that's true. This doesn't describe any of the police officers at London's Metropolitan Police Service (or the NYPD for that matter) I ever interacted with.

wavefunction 10y ago

That clears it up then! I on the other hand have had plenty of questionable interactions with (and due to) police officers in different parts of the US, which have ceased once I hit middle age.

EpicEng 10y ago
'plenty'. Define plenty. We have numerous documented issues, sure. What portion of the total population do those pertain to?

rbcgerard 10y ago

The question you have to ask yourself is if you did something completely legal, but rude and obnoxious to a police officer (say calling them a "dirty pig") every time you saw one, would they turn the other cheek (as they're supposed to) or would they endeavor to harass, arrest, assault you?

a3n 10y ago
> ... or would they endeavor to harass, arrest, assault you ... ... because they can. In every area, power and money don't change you, they merely reveal who you are.
pacaro 10y ago
While YMMV there is an interesting difference to policing in the UK and the USA. In the UK, the officer calls you "sir" or "ma'am" and you call then whatever you want to ("occifer" and "cuntstable" being perennial favourites). In the US, you call the officer "sir" or "ma'am" and they call you whatever they feel like (my interactions have almost always been polite, but I've witnessed "boy", "punk", "shithead") Edit: see also https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contempt_of_cop https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contempt_of_cop
- gertef 10y ago
  Is "occifer" a pun or just a mangling of "officer"?
  - pacaro 10y ago
    I think just a mangling. In context it may simply be as close as a drunk can get.

aninhumer 10y ago

I'm fairly biased and privileged, but my impression is that the police in the UK tend to be more professional than those in the US.

travmatt 10y ago

Gonna go ahead and venture a guess that you're not a black or Latino male ages 14-24. I think you'd be surprised by just how different experiences are.

DrJokepu 10y ago
Please do not use the "you're a white male" line on me, because you know nothing about me.
- coldtea 10y ago
  For one, your Twitter profile and other info is in your profile pic. Second, parent didn't say "you are X" but that they'd "venture a guess" based on the specific context of what had been said. So they don't need anything else (personal backstory etc) to make it -- just to apply what they know/believe is the general case for people making similar statements (positive view on the police behavior etc). Even if you specifically are not white, it doesn't mean what the parent said doesn't apply in the general case: that whites generally have smoother interactions with the police, so their appreciation of how policemen are is more positive.

metaphorm 10y ago

come to America and walk around in a majority black neighborhood in a big city.