Cops!

[Rakkasan]

I think most Chinese are suspisious of police in general, from some previous posts men have had to convince their fiance's / wives that in the US they can trust the police to help in times of trouble. My question for this thread came as the result of watching TV this weekend. Has your fiance' / wife ever watched the TC show Cops and what was her reaction? I watch the show and think most of the people (suspects) on the show are knotheads and am amazed at how stupid this group of people can be, feeling the police are just doing the job we pay them to do. Does your fiance'/ wife view it this way or does she think the police are being abusive?

[SinoTexas]

That stuff is edited for television and the cases shown are for ratings. Introduce your spouse/fiance(e) to your local law enforcement folks so that she can see that they a real people. In most cases, they will be happy to talk to you and show the human side of them.

 

As aye,

 

Jim

Edited June 24, 2007 by SinoTexas (see edit history)

[Dennis143]

Absolutely, Chinese have a deep distrust of police. Chinese settle issues on their own. They will often hide domestic problems from friends and family, as a face saving issue. Many Chinese living in America are learning the importance of using 911, yet seem to seldom use it unless it is a life and death emergency. They are slowly learning that the police (at least around here in the very large Chinese communities) can be trusted to help you and not to be feared. This is still not an easy adjustment for most, as their fear is deeply rooted.

 

I have heard countless stories of domestic abuse from Chinese women, abuses from both Chinese and American husbands. Never did any of these women call the police. They just leave and never look back. Several friends have been struggling on their own for years, after leaving their abusive husbands.

 

As far as the COPS program, Leiqin is no different any of my past American ex's, they all hate the show and don't understand why I like watching it.

[Rakkasan]

That stuff is edited for television and the cases shown are for ratings. Introduce your spouse/fiance(e) to your local law enforcement folks so that she can see that they a real people. In most cases, they will be happy to talk to you and show the human side of them.

 

As aye,

 

Jim

I guess i must not have made myself clear in the OP. I understand her need to know that police in the US are much different from those in China and I have friends on the police force that she will meet at some point. I also know that COPs is edited for TV and the much needed ratings. My inquiry was as to how your SO reacted to watching such a program and did she think this was what an everyday encounter with the police in the US was like, such as does she think the police in the US are abusive or does she think the suspects are knotheads? Perhaps I should have put this in TC so it wouldn't be taken to seriously. My mistake.

[jim_julian]

OK Rak ... I just asked my wife, who said ...

 

"Every country has these problems (she means crime). In China they even have a show like Cops. The police are the same all over the world, there are some good ones and some bad ones."

 

In response to follow on questions she didn't see a significant distinction between police in China and police in the us. FYI one of her cousins is a police officer.

[SheLikesME?]

We seldom watch TV. Waste of time. Sorry Rak.

 

Since I don't care too much for trafic cops, my wife will probably take the opposite view .

[JimandSarha]

Police in China are perhaps 1000% better than police in the United States. They are polite, they are helpful, they don't sweat the little stuff. They've never heard of John Wayne, have no complex's. Don't fear their own citizen's. They don't need 3 cars to make a traffic stop. They aren't armed to the teeth and scared so s**tless of the public that they feel the need to use them.

 

Most importantly, Chinese cops are on the street where they might actually be helpful. They don't see themselves as secondary collectors of taxes that politician's don't have the guts to collect. Whereas American police either can't be found or 90% of them are in speed traps desperately trying to collect traffic fines to supplement taxes.

 

I have never felt a twinge of dread with Chinese police, even when they have occassionally waived me over on my scooter to point out some inadvertant infraction. They've never tried to ticket me either.

 

On the other hand, the Police in San Diego and most of Southern CA are feared by the citizens and shoot people at an alarming rate I never saw even in the violence of the projects in Chicago.

 

American police need to get over themselves. And if they feel they have to wear body armor 24/7, maybe they ought to look at themselves as the cause.

[SheLikesME?]

off topic but.....

 

Yes it stems from public harrassment mainly over speeding, and enforcing the easy laws. Give us Investigators, not patrol cars with radar. Get into real crime and fraud and prosecute white collar crime that really costs us. That will make revenue in the long run and make everything more productive and fair.

[JimandSarha]

The entire justice system is way too stuck on itself. They've deluded themselves that fear = respect.

 

Here's what it means to me to be an American. Freedom. Ownership of your government. Government at the federal level is divided into the three main branches. Executive, Legislative and Judicial.

 

Here is how you can tell that the Judicial system is off the track, broken and looks at you as a feudal subject.

 

Find out where President Bush is going to be appearing. Go there. Heckle him mercilessly. Do it even if you love the guy. Tell him he's a fool, incompetent, you wish he would do the country a favor and drop dead. What is going to happen to you? Nothing. If you are doing it from the front row you might get escorted out for causing a public disturbance. Will you be arrested, jailed? Almost certainly not.

 

Do the same for your Senator or Representative. Same result. You can even go into their actual offices and tell them to their faces they are idiots. You will be asked to leave but that's it.

 

Now. Do you want to do this to a policeman? I imagine not. Not even from a distance. Want to walk into your local courthouse and go into a public courtroom and react verbally to whatever the judge's decisions are as they progress through their morning? We all know that challenging much less verbalizing our displeasure or contempt for the judicial system will get us arrested, beat up or worse. I'd put the odds at 50/50 with cops and 100% with judges.

 

The justice system doesn't take any crap out of you.

 

That's why I don't trust it, don't respect it and generally think that it needs to be redone from the bottom up.

 

Jim

Edited June 25, 2007 by JimandSarha (see edit history)

[SinoTexas]

The entire justice system is way too stuck on itself. They've deluded themselves that fear = respect.

 

Here's what it means to me to be an American. Freedom. Ownership of your government. Government at the federal level is divided into the three main branches. Executive, Legislative and Judicial.

 

Here is how you can tell that the Judicial system is off the track, broken and looks at you as a feudal subject.

 

Find out where President Bush is going to be appearing. Go there. Heckle him mercilessly. Do it even if you love the guy. Tell him he's a fool, incompetent, you wish he would do the country a favor and drop dead. What is going to happen to you? Nothing. If you are doing it from the front row you might get escorted out for causing a public disturbance. Will you be arrested, jailed? Almost certainly not.

 

Do the same for your Senator or Representative. Same result. You can even go into their actual offices and tell them to their faces they are idiots. You will be asked to leave but that's it.

 

Now. Do you want to do this to a policeman? I imagine not. Not even from a distance. Want to walk into your local courthouse and go into a public courtroom and react verbally to whatever the judge's decisions are as they progress through their morning? We all know that challenging much less verbalizing our displeasure or contempt for the judicial system will get us arrested, beat up or worse. I'd put the odds at 50/50 with cops and 100% with judges.

 

The justice system doesn't take any crap out of you.

 

That's why I don't trust it, don't respect it and generally think that it needs to be redone from the bottom up.

 

Jim

 

You might want to try riding with a US law enforcement agency for a week and I think you'll change your tune. You sound like the classic case of someone ticketed for speeding and arguing with the patrol officer that they should be out cracking down on more important law breakers...

 

As aye,

 

Jim

[warpedbored]

It is also pretty risky to try and bribe an American cop, SOP in China.

[SheLikesME?]

The entire justice system is way too stuck on itself. They've deluded themselves that fear = respect.

 

Here's what it means to me to be an American. Freedom. Ownership of your government. Government at the federal level is divided into the three main branches. Executive, Legislative and Judicial.

 

Here is how you can tell that the Judicial system is off the track, broken and looks at you as a feudal subject.

 

Find out where President Bush is going to be appearing. Go there. Heckle him mercilessly. Do it even if you love the guy. Tell him he's a fool, incompetent, you wish he would do the country a favor and drop dead. What is going to happen to you? Nothing. If you are doing it from the front row you might get escorted out for causing a public disturbance. Will you be arrested, jailed? Almost certainly not.

 

Do the same for your Senator or Representative. Same result. You can even go into their actual offices and tell them to their faces they are idiots. You will be asked to leave but that's it.

 

Now. Do you want to do this to a policeman? I imagine not. Not even from a distance. Want to walk into your local courthouse and go into a public courtroom and react verbally to whatever the judge's decisions are as they progress through their morning? We all know that challenging much less verbalizing our displeasure or contempt for the judicial system will get us arrested, beat up or worse. I'd put the odds at 50/50 with cops and 100% with judges.

 

The justice system doesn't take any crap out of you.

 

That's why I don't trust it, don't respect it and generally think that it needs to be redone from the bottom up.

 

Jim

 

You might want to try riding with a US law enforcement agency for a week and I think you'll change your tune. You sound like the classic case of someone ticketed for speeding and arguing with the patrol officer that they should be out cracking down on more important law breakers...

 

As aye,

 

Jim

Why argue? I never do. I just get a lawyer or go for deferred adjudication.

 

I did give a policeman a piece of my mind once. I asked him how he could go home to his wife and kids after working a job that does nothing but harrass honest citizens all day. I forget all the words now, but he just looked ashamed when I got through. I don't feel bad about it either.

 

I reported a State Trooper who didn't like the way I looked at him, and acted as if he was ready to punch me out. Got right in my face and acted all tough guy. He was training a rooky who was shocked at his actions. I just stood there waiting for the hit that never came. He was a real hot head. SO I called the judge, who knew him and admitted they had problems with the guy, but would pass on my comments to his super.

 

I don't understand the desire to be any kind of traffic cop, deputy county sherriff, or state trooper. Talk about all the brave things that happen from time to time you want, the easy road of tickets is too often what is taken. Ticket writing causes more distrust and disliking of officers than anything else. They shouldn't need bumper stickers asking us to back the Blue. We should want to. I dang sure do not contribute to their legal slush fund anymore, when they call asking for donations. I don't understand cities that want revenue from tickets instead of protection from harm by the taxes we pay. I don't understand judges and perole boards letting drunk drivers off so easy, to return drunk to the roads. Pull the radar out of squad cars as a show of less harrassment, then maybe I will donate to their legal fund again. One can judge if a person is reckless, drunk, or driving way faster than most. At one time in this country, speed limits were set by the average speed people drove on a particualr stretch of road. Our cars and tires are way more advanced than when the limits were set anyway.

 

rant rant rant

 

PS: Now nothing personal Jim

Edited June 26, 2007 by SheLikesME? (see edit history)

[JimandSarha]

My family owns a law firm. My father, brother, sister. All lawyers. The sister is a Circuit Court Judge.

 

I've got cops for "friends". They think we're friends. I think they take too many steroids, work out too much and thnk their Glock is their penis.

 

 

 

Why do people not have a high opinion of law enforcement? Lots of reasons. Too many to go into. Probably its mostly the attitude and the complete lack of doing what they are paid to do.

 

Most cops are in traffic enforcement as far as I can see.

 

How many rapes, robberies, assaults and murders are there on the roads????

 

Sure, driving is dangerous. But in the scheme of things, the real societal destruciton is not in us driving 80 in a 65.

 

So why are they there? Its the money. They are addicted to the money they get from traffic enforcement.

 

I can honstly tell you that I could get stopped 5 times a day for traffic offenses and never miss the money. I've got all I can use and then some. Its the attitude.

 

Now, lets not put my attitude to my perceived failure of the police to do what I consider to do their jobs. I can point out a correlating attitude that puts it all into perspective.

 

Do people dislike the fire department? No, generally the fire department gets very high marks from people.

 

How can this be?

 

Well, generally firemen show up when they are needed in 5 minutes or less.

 

There are no cops where we NEED them. They are on the road collecting taxes at the threatened point of a gun.

 

Could it be job performance? Hmmm. It seems cops are 100% effective in giving me a ticket.

 

Firemen on the other hand regularly fail to stop fires and the house is a complete loss. And yet, the public and even the specific homeowner usually thank the firemen for doing all they could. Why? When firemen get done doing their jobs, they are usually exhausted, quite often injured, possibly even dead. And they often apologize for not being able to do more.

 

Cops on the other hand occasionally shoot citizens to death for no apparent cause.

 

I appreciate the fireman who can't prevent me from potentially losing everything in the world I own including my wife and children much more than the cop who purports to be trying to save me from myself while handing me a ticket for $300.00, while the 'streets' are running with blood and drugs. Thank you very much Officer Friendly.

 

And who's fault is all this? It starts with the institutions but it ends with us and the media.

 

I know way more than I need to know about President Bush, his associates, where his kids go on vacation, how much they party, etc, etc, etc. I know almost constantly what goes on (or doesn't) in the minds off all those in the Executive and Legislative branches of government down to and under the dog cather.

 

Nobody in the media ever covers in detail and offers commentary on the judicial system. Why? The first two branches of government generally just give me rules to live by and take my money. That's bad enough. The Judicial branch can take your property, they can take your liberty, they can take your life and there is no recourse for you outside of that system.

 

Think you're picked on by the Executive or Legislative branches and you can take your case to the Judicial system. Get raped by the Judicial system and your recourse is the same system thats screwing you over.

 

Think of the Duke rape case. Nifong might have put common citizens with no resources in jail for most of their lives for purposes no one can yet explain. Only an ability by these well to do families probably saves them.

 

The media hails this as a great victory of justice. Say what? I'm serious SAY WHAT?

 

1 year of their lives gone. Millions of dollars of their money and the publics money GONE. A prosecutor who's life is wrecked and will possibly go to jail because the judge in the case never stepped in and threw it out. Bad prosecutor, inexplicably bad judge. Police investigators who never said to the prosecutor that they wouldn't stand for this if it eve made it to trial. They shold have told Nifong that their testimony at trial would not be helpful to him.

 

The system is busted and nobody cares. Just platitudes to appreciate the badge, the boys in blue.

 

Screw that. Respect is earned. I've got a Glock too, it makes me nobody.

 

Jim

[JimandSarha]

Ad another thing.

 

I'm an exporter, importer and I own my own business 100%. Its not a corporation. Its me. 100% me.

 

So?

 

I spend a LOT of my time on minimizing taxes. I take every single trick I can find to stay on the line to pay as few duties, customs and income taxes as possible. I also do whatever I can to dodge fees from the banking system. I paid 110,000 last year to Mastercard and Visa alone in processing fees.

 

I spend fully 25% of my day attempting to not bleed money to the Feds and the banking system.

 

I have no grudges against the IRS at all. None against the Customs Service or whatever they call themselves this month. I don't hate the Federal Reserve.

 

My expenditures to the police and judicial systems each year are well under $500 annually. Do I get tickets? Sure, don't we all?

 

You could not comprehend the amount of money I give and try to avoid giving the Fed in my career.

 

You don't hear a peep out of me about "them evil revenuers". So don't try to cast me as a disgruntled driver. And I'm not a criminal either.

 

I jsut don't think the justice system serves the citizens. It serves collecting money.

 

As with most things in life, it comes down to Money, Power or Sex. The police business is about at least 2 out of 3.

 

Jim

[toy_rn65]

Police in China are perhaps 1000% better than police in the United States. They are polite, they are helpful, they don't sweat the little stuff. They've never heard of John Wayne, have no complex's. Don't fear their own citizen's. They don't need 3 cars to make a traffic stop. They aren't armed to the teeth and scared so s**tless of the public that they feel the need to use them.

 

Most importantly, Chinese cops are on the street where they might actually be helpful. They don't see themselves as secondary collectors of taxes that politician's don't have the guts to collect. Whereas American police either can't be found or 90% of them are in speed traps desperately trying to collect traffic fines to supplement taxes.

 

I have never felt a twinge of dread with Chinese police, even when they have occassionally waived me over on my scooter to point out some inadvertant infraction. They've never tried to ticket me either.

 

On the other hand, the Police in San Diego and most of Southern CA are feared by the citizens and shoot people at an alarming rate I never saw even in the violence of the projects in Chicago.

 

American police need to get over themselves. And if they feel they have to wear body armor 24/7, maybe they ought to look at themselves as the cause.

 

 

 

With this kind of attitude, I would be surprised if you didn't get a ticket when you get pulled over for a traffic infraction. Are you saying the police should not do anything when a law is broken by not sweating the little stuff? And why would you expect not to be ticketed for commiting a traffic infraction, even inadvertently? That is ground for citing you unattentive or careless driving. 3 cars to make a traffic stop, sure. How do you know the car he has just stopped wasn't associated with someone with a warrent? American cops aren't armed to the teeth and scared so s**tless of the public that they feel the need to use them. They are arm to the teeth just to level the playing field. You wouldn't bring a knife to a gun fight, would you? Since over 80% of our population drive ourself to whereever we need to go, I would say the most effiective way to patrol is by car, let alone that improves the respond time. Try to call for police in China and watch how long it take them to show up. Responding to a crime is very different than responding to a fire. More than not the fire would still be burning by the time the engines got there but a crime has already been commited by the time the officer get the call from dispatch.

 

And obviously you haven't seen the "other" side of police business in China!

Edited June 26, 2007 by toy_rn65 (see edit history)