3 ms·
It's kind of unfair to paint all the police as the same -- it varies both by officer (hard to predict) and by department (easy to predict). I try to deal stric
by rdl 13y ago
It's kind of unfair to paint all the police as the same -- it varies both by officer (hard to predict) and by department (easy to predict). I try to deal strictly with California Highway Patrol and various Peninsula PDs.
BART PD, SFPD (and SFFD), EPA PD are pretty horrible. I'd go out of my way to avoid contact with them, be wary, and use protection (a lawyer).
OPD is bad too, but by virtue of being a rich white guy I'm not really at much risk from them (except through inaction). Oakland Fire is surprisingly good.
I've called 911 for road obstructions, traffic accidents and the like hundreds of times. I've stopped for some fairly serious accidents before anyone else got there, called 911 and gave an accurate and detailed report , set up flares and blocked with my car (when victims were ejected from the car), first aid, etc.
Never once have I had a problem. In the cases where someone was seriously injured and I had better medical training than the CHP who arrived, I waited until the paramedics and ambulance got there and talked to the paramedics before leaving.
Taking this story at face value, these SFPD officers need to no longer be police officers.
- vonklaus 13y agoGlossing over some of your assumptions, I find I agree whole-heartedly with your conclusion.
- rdl 13y agoSFPD seems to have gotten a lot worse between 1999 and today. All the good officers I knew back in 1998-2000 were in their late 40s, so probably retired. I don't know what has happened to the department otherwise.
- liotier 13y agoAs the article's dialog mentioned, I suspect that they have been priced out of the area by real-estate value increase - the good ones may have found postings in locations more favourable to people employed in the salary range of a police officer.
- seestheday 13y agoThis might be the core of the issue. If businesses complain that they can't find any good developers for $60K/year, we say that they should be paid appropriately. I hear a lot about teachers in the states being terrible, and I also hear a lot about teachers in the states being paid poorly (because it should be a calling or some other bullshit reason). Is it the same with cops? I live in Canada and feel like we don't have it nearly as bad. Teachers are paid very well, and it is a difficult job to get. Cops are paid reasonably well and it is a difficult job to get.