| Why Cops are "Pricks" |
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| Written by Lea Anne Weil |
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Anyone ever wonder why cops are such 'pricks'? Every shitty, rotten, horrible, scary situation that exists in life, cops deal with it. Repeatedly. Every friggen' day. Your 'worst day ever' is just another tour to a cop. Car accident, homicide, rape, robbery, baby mama drama, baby daddy drama, family dispute over who gets the last pork chop that winds up with a dinner guest sporting a steak knife in the chest, a kid that goes missing or runs away, a Dad who gets tanked up and uses Mom as a speed bag, a drug overdose, hostage situations...every despicable thing that one human being can do to another is what the police are immersed in every day.
Just recently, police in Newburgh, NY were at the scene where a wonderful upstanding citizen was holding others hostage. Earlier this year, this young man's brother charged the police with a knife (it was the last thing he did on this earth...) and the present hostage situation put the lives of 2 people in peril as the perpetrator ranted and raved. The police charged him and subdued him. What does his family do? Why, they charge the police of course! Listen, one family member was a savage who tried to kill the police and just a few months later his little brother is threatening the lives of others while he holds them hostage. Just after minimizing the threat from this psycho, they have to hold off his family who tried to rush the police. Just a little note, when your 'emotionally disturbed' family member is off his/her meds and is a danger to himself or to society and the police have to be called to the scene, try to remember they are the police. If you wanted a social worker or a psychologist, you should have dialed one directly. This past month, a young NYPD officer gained some notoriety when he bought a pair of boots for what appeared to be a homeless man down on his luck on the streets of Manhattan. It was a selfless gesture and the story went nationwide. It was an opportunity to see the police in a kinder, softer light and quite a human interest story. Of course the media wanted to know all about the recipient of the benevolence - who was he? What was his 'story'? Well, it was learned that Mr. Hillman was not (and is not) homeless. He has a nice apartment in the Bronx; he receives Social Security and Veteran's benefits and has a loving supportive family in Pennsylvania. When asked what he did with the boots, he claimed that he hid them because he didn't want to be robbed and that they were valuable (B.S. - he sold them). Mr. Hillman also claimed that he intends to sue the photographer because he didn't give permission for his picture to be taken and he wants a 'piece of the pie'. Officer DePrimo said that he was going to keep the receipt in his bulletproof vest as a reminder that no matter how hard a day he was having, he would know that someone else is having a harder time and that he would always be grateful. Officer DePrimo did an honorable thing, but the death of his innocence and naivte has begun and in its place, cynicism and disdain may have begun its germination. Stuff like this happens all the time. You call, they come. When they come, it is likely that someone will be leaving in handcuffs. You cannot call the police to a violent situation and expect that in the end, everyone's tears will be dried, hot chocolate and cookies will be handed out to be enjoyed by all and "Kumbaya" will be heard in the background. They are law enforcement officers. They enforce the law. You do not get to determine how they execute their duties. If you could have handled the scumbag you called them about, you would have. You couldn't, so just shut the hell up and deal with the fact that your husband/wife/brother/sister/baby mama/baby daddy/child/BFF could very well be spending time as a guest of the municipality who came to answer your call for help. Cops hang out with other cops. They get each other; they don’t have to explain themselves. They laugh at things other people think inappropriate. Their humor is dark, but they love to laugh. They work second jobs and they are Boy Scout Leaders, lacrosse, football, soccer, hockey and baseball coaches. The divorce rate in the United States is over 50%, for cops it is significantly higher, and with good reason. They spend twenty –plus years being tired and grumpy from the commute, the crazy hours, the job and pain in the butt bosses. When they walk in the door and the kids yell, “Daddy!” (or, “Mommy!”) they ‘re ready with a big hug, a smile and a “What’s up guys?” How, you ask, do I know these things? I have spent twenty seven years being married to one of them. He is one of those big-mouthed tough guys who know everything. He trusts no one. He is a cop’s cop. He has an amazing memory and eye for detail that is astounding. Anyone who has ever worked with him will tell you he is probably a little crazy, but that he is the best cop they ever worked with. For twenty years, I watched him walk out the door and I always prayed that he would come back. There were some really close calls, but he always made it home. I have never taken that for granted, I know too well the ache and emptiness in the eyes of the survivors of the shield. For twenty years, I lent my husband to New York City to patrol the streets and to keep the wolves at bay so that the people of that city could live under the blanket of security and safety that his existence provided; all the while knowing that the very citizens he protected resented his presence. In 2010, our son took the oath of office and wears the shield his father wore before him. Again, I wait each night until I hear the key in the door before I fall into a deep sleep. Cops ARE pricks. It's what keeps them alive and whole, because if they let all the crap they deal with actually sink in, it would destroy their souls. So they will deal with the things you don't want to believe really happen. They will be physically and emotionally bruised, battered and bloodied. And at the end of each tour when they take off the uniform and close their locker they say a brief prayer of thanks for making it through the day safely. There is one thing that a cop wants every day when he or she goes into work – just one thing. At the end of tour, they want to go home. That’s it, just to make it home where things are normal, boring and safe. When all is said and done, that really is their job - to make it through the day and arrive home safe and sound. Lea Anne Weil's husban and son are both police officers. We apologize to Mrs. Weil for the omission of her byline in the print version of her article in the Feb 2013 issue of American Police Beat. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites         Comments (22)
  written by WAYNE OXFORD, February 16, 2013
SO VERY TRUE. I HAVE WATCHED 2 OF MY DAUGHTERS CHANGE FROM INNOCENT LITTLE GIRLS TO HARDENED WOMEN, BUT THEY DID THIER JOBS. THEY PROTECTED AND SERVED.
 written by dayna , February 23, 2013
Trust me, we dont all think that. There are more of us, we are quieter than them.
 written by William Ruber, February 23, 2013
My son &I are you both police officers as well as other family members , its very good to have some one else with that same mind set to talk to after a bad day on the job , who has & dose live trough the long hours , terrible weather, bone heads &idiots we encounter daily .
 written by Mike Kalinsky, February 23, 2013
Law enforcement is my second career or as I like to call it, my calling. I commute 130 miles round trip through Philadelphia traffic to my Sheriff's Office where I am paid less than any Officers in neighboring areas that have far more tools and are called upon a little less. I try not to judge humanity based on what I see day in and day out from people who are at their worst 9 times out of 10 when they are in contact with my coworkers and I.
 written by Mr Robert J. Castaldi, February 23, 2013
I bore that title with pride. If you weren't calling me a prick, I wasn't getting my point across so I wasn't doing my job right.
 written by Margit Mackley, February 24, 2013
Thanks to ALL policy officers who every day doing their jobs trying to keep us safe. Unfortunatly not everybody sees it this way and this is the trouble with todays society. Why is it that every time a police officer does his job, all you hear from the criminals family is "he or she is or was such a good person'? If this would be so, why are they doing these horrific things? For what? Killing, stealing, rape etc. etc. When does it end? Parents start taking control over your kids again. Teach them right from wrong and especially teach them to have respect!!! for others. When did it all start that criminals can get away with just any thing and every thing? It all starts at home. They are your children, you brought them into this world, now take the responsiblity and raise them as good people, law abiding citizens. If this was possible it would be a perfect world.
Police officers continue doing a good job. Thanks  written by Valarie, February 24, 2013
Thank you!!! Tomorrow we will celebrate our 18th year of marriage. So many people and family think cops are jerks and have no clue what it is really like. We are grateful for the dull and boring days we spend with him on his days off. Only a few more years of this before he can retire!
 written by Jimmy Russell, February 24, 2013
Oh please, they get amazing pensions, medical and benefits, and statistically, it is not one of the most dangerous jobs compared to fishing logging and farming.
Cops are dicks because they know there is no accountability. No one is going to fire them for "being a dick." Just remember, when seconds count, cops are just minutes away.  written by Sophia, February 25, 2013
They should save the bad for the bad and treat normal citizens like normal citizens. My opinion.
 written by john, February 26, 2013
in the end its a job they chose to take.. if they are going to be a holes, just because you have a badge.. do something else, because that one prick you meet might be the only representation a person has.. thus thinks all cops are pricks and brings the whole profession down!!
 written by Jacque Teeple, February 26, 2013
I know it must be horrible to deal with people like this and I praise you for the job you do,God Bless you for giving back and serving and protecting.
Jacque  written by Charles, February 26, 2013
Sophia--you said they should save the bad for the bad and treat normal citizens like normal citizens...I ask you, what criteria do you use to determine if a stranger is a "normal" citizen or a "bad" person. I recall the police gave a young teenage boy back to Jeffery Dahmer after the kid escaped and went to the police for safety. Was JD a "normal" looking citizen or the ugly Monster child molester with horns???
 written by DM, March 03, 2013
Then... don't sign up to be a cop. It's that simple. We all don't like our jobs, and while most of us don't risk our lives daily, we didn't sign up for a gig where the ultimate downside to it is death!
We get it. They risk their lives every day. But, again, that's their decision. When they said, "hey, I want to be a cop," they agreed to doing a job that might keep them from every going back home. They're pricks because most are on a power trip or were picked on/bullied growing up so now it's "their turn" to right the wrongs from childhood. Hopefully they all undergo a Psych Eval prior to graduating the academy.  written by M. Lurie, March 10, 2013
Please explain what's any different between what you described and what many other professionals endure during their daily lives of service? Maybe you should have entitled your rant "why cops, military fighting men and women, correctional officers and firemen are such pricks". Of course, that wouldn't be as accurate, because it seems only cops think they have a free pass to act like retards because of the inherent dangers of their career choice. Your average special forces warrior (who faces far more danger on a day to day basis) is typically a humble professional, with the heart of a warrior who lives his life by an ethos and doesn't use his career CHOICE to shit on the rest of the planet.
I'm a correctional officer, not a commissioned LEO. You know what the difference between me and your average cop is? I'll tell you. I get to deal with these idiots AFTER the cops get done with them. Cops have the luxury of a firearm, a taser, a baton and some pepper spray. They usually have a partner too. When a cop gets the domestic violence call, he doesn't go alone. You know what I get? I get the opportunity to supervise 100 of these losers at one time BY MYSELF. I get a clip board and somebody in the control center watching me on a camera, so that if/when one (or 12) of these turds decide to hold me down and beat the shit out of me, or worse, stab me to death, maybe somebody will make it to my ward before I die. When a cop enters a domestic violence situation, at least there's only one or two violent criminals, and a whole bunch of other people who aren't violent criminals. And the violent criminals he faces will rarely if ever be more heavily armed than he is. 100% of the people I'm surrounded by every minute of every day is already a proven criminal. Most of them are frequent flyers. Maybe I should be a prick too.. How about our military fighting men and women, who go down range everyday and face terrorists at every turn who are armed with automatic weapons? Are they pricks? They endure 110 degree days with 70lbs of gear, and then -10 degree nights when they are trying to sleep in a jerry rigged barracks with plywood walls that they aren't sure will still be standing in the morning. They don't travel from point A to point B without a high probability that they will get their asses blown up by a roadside bomb. And they don't have the luxury of shooting first and then filling in the facts later on their oprep, because our government sets them up to fail by ordering them NOT to shoot until they have absolute confirmation they are being fired upon. And they do all this for about 25k a year, which is a solid 10k-20k less than your average cop. Are they pricks too? Do they use their career choice as an excuse to be assholes to the rest of the world? Or do they just do their jobs like heroes, without talking about how dangerous or thankless it is like you have so eloquently done here? How about firemen who run into a burning building with a roof that is about to collapse on them at any moment. You want to talk about balls? Go do what they do for a living day in and day out. Put the donut down, get your fat, non PT ass in gear and haul a 60lb hose into a building with a fire fighting ensemble on, while smoke fills your lungs, then carry a 300 lb. woman down a rickety ladder while the windows of the building your ladder is leaning on get blown out from the heat. So spare me the "we're dicks because..." Bullshit. Your dicks because your dicks. Nothing more and nothing less. Look, as a corrections officer, a military vet, the son of a career marine and the brother of a metro police officer, I have all the respect in the world for any person who dedicates their life to service. I dedicated my life to service. I'll agree with parts of your rant, and I'll be the first to admit that when it comes to your average civilian, your plumber, your taxi driver, your accountant, your white collar desk jockey, there's no comparison. People who dedicate their life to service get my vote every time. But there's nothing less impressive than a man or a woman that can't keep their emotions in check under pressure. And there is nothing more pathetic than using your line of work as an excuse to treat anybody and everybody like a piece of shit. This is America, nobody held a fucking gun to your head and made you become a law enforcement officer. If you can't do the job without becoming a jaded sack of shit to the rest of the community, get the fuck out of that line of work.  written by Tim M, March 31, 2013
You know I can appreciate this, but part of the job is not taking out job frustrations on citizens that expect your service and protection. Human beings suck, but they are counting on police officers in times of need. Being a prick means you should retire or get in another line of work. Lest someone remember you and be a prick to you in your time of need. Wouldn't that suck?
written by Tim M, March 31, 2013
You know I can appreciate this, but part of the job is not taking out job frustrations on citizens that expect your service and protection. Human beings suck, but they are counting on police officers in times of need. Being a prick means you should retire or get in another line of work. Lest someone remember you and be a prick to you in your time of need. Wouldn't that suck?
 written by Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, May 11, 2013
Cops are not whole. They are brain-dead, heart-dead zombies.
As for cops wives: The idea of getting into bed at night with a zombie and loving it is too weird for words.  written by Weston Easer, May 18, 2013
Cops uphold the law not protect the people. You're feelings are the least of their concern. Just be happy in knowing that many cops are clinically depressed underpaid ego roid raging morons. Thankfully they have access to guns, sharp knives and other objects that make suicide more plausible. They make a Crappy 28k per year. Everytime one gives me crap I just smile because I know it must really suck to feel that way. Just remember what you put out; you get back. Their depression anger and rage will eat them from the inside out. They are their own worst enemy. I pity them.
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