I can't speak to everywhere, but here as a general rule the smaller the town, the more likely that the police will be a general azzhole. Our State Police and Highway Police are usually top notch, with just an occasional bad one. Long distance truckers may disagree with the Highway Police one, but they worked out of the Highway Department and I was around them quite a bit, and found them very good. To me it equates to the pay that is available, so the small towns must take what they can get, and then you get a mayor with a power trip, and that is trouble. Couple that with people like me that live out in the country and must by necessity, fend for themselves, and there is room for disagreements. miles
That describes the situation here as well, Miles.
Typically, a young guy who wants to be a cop for all the wrong reasons gets weeded out by the State L E agencies, and the ones in the large cities.
But the small agencies, city and county, just need someone who is willing to work cheap.
When he wraps his car around a utility pole, chasing some local kids who have outrun him before, "Another hero has died in the line of duty, and cops everywhere who hear of it will be posting and texting,'Rip, Brother'."
Law Enforcement in general is one of the safer occupations, but the Myth of the Hero Cop serves the interests of too many entities to allow it to be be exposed for what it is... a myth.
But, I do try.
