Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire If I wuz a cop....

I'm still the employer like it or not. Obviously, my power is through my elected officials and not directly to the police department. But I'm still one of the employers.

That's a nice thing about the sheriff's office the sheriff is directly elected by the employers, no third party there.

The end game is not for the citizens to lose respect for the LEO's the end game is for the LEO's to lose all respect for the citizens.

If they can accomplish that anything will fly, gun confiscation included. Once we lose their respect the relationship is broken and the police will become a tool of the state to be used against the public.

You sound like an idiot.

Most degrees everybody earns anywhere these days are not worth the paper they're written on. They're spitting out IT and business management specialists like bunnies and most of them can't boot up a computer and balance their checkbooks.

And while you're "considering" all Leo's skilled white collar employees entitled to a much higher level of compensation, are you willing to actually "pay" for it?

When was the last time you had to deal, personally, with a cop?

Well see that's the point I was trying to get to. LEOs should now be required to have a BS degree in law enforcement before becoming a LEO. The course needs to be structured around today's world. Most degrees LEOs earn, (here in ma) ended up not being worth the paper they were written on. Not saying you per say so cool your jets, but they were getting credits for "life experience" and given degrees without a single bit of classroom work, none.

And BTW LEOS should NOT be allowed to be in a Union as there simply must be a way to weed out those who don't belong there.

In exchange for this I would gladly consider all Leo's skilled white collar employees and not only held to a much higher standard of conduct but to a much higher level of compensation as well.

The LEO of the future needs to be handled in this manner.

I'd settle for one that considers it a tragedy if an innocent person dies from the actions of a fellow cop.

Some of the persons responding deserve to be policed by those w/ the critical thinking skills and physical and moral courage of DD and HarryM. Those that are not a good cop have no concept of what it involves.

mike r

If all LEO's had bachelors degrees and masters degrees we would need to be paid what that is worth on the market. The taxpayer could never afford to pay those salaries. I had a 2 year degree and for the most part it was what I needed to get in the door in 1979. I started as an Army MP in 1973 so I was involved in some form of LEO just a year out of High school.

As for a 4 year degree it meant nothing then except it opened doors to jobs outside of Police work and to Federal LEO jobs where people skills for the most part are not required. I knew a good chief who had NO degree. Unfortunately he was as smart if not smarter than the City Manager who had a Masters. It took a good year but he finally got the Chief fired. What an embarrassment! Not the fired Chief but the chity manager.

It's what is in a guys head before he ever applies. The degrees may get you a deputy chiefs job or a chiefs job but then you don't really need any street skills. You need the skills it takes to keep from getting fired by a retard chity manager or mayor with a political agenda. I would like to say the smarter guys had 4 year degrees but it only meant they stayed in school longer. Now to get to Sergeant you need a 4 yr. degree. Here again, you don't have to be the smartest, you only need to stay in school longer to get to the next level.

Common sense and the Golden Rule are the primary things a person needs to be a good cop. If you treat people fair and with respect your job is half done. The degrees impress other people who have degrees but Joe Citizen doesn't care about the degrees. They only care about the officer's people skills, common sense and being treated fair. Most of all they want the officer to offer a solution, help them get their property back and bring the bad guys to justice. Many citizens will bend over backwards to help you catch the bad guys. You need to be there when they offer the help and be prepared to do something about it.

Of course this means that the citizen has to meet the officer half way as well. Folks who yell " kill the pigs" have failed that hurdle and no matter how hard the officer tries, he or she will never be successful in their eyes.

WE did have a union. It was to fight for the things unions commonly fight for but the primary function was for wages and benefits. If we did not have a union, we would have all been under the poverty level with no benefits. Our process of eliminating under qualified officers was a good process and for every example I am aware of, successful.

Of course, Iowa is a right to work State and the Iowa legislature has done a good job of defining Labor Laws that are basically fair to both sides. If the legislative process is screwed up a Union won't change that. It only makes the "Union" thing worse. If you want more control over the Unions, get more control over your legislature or stop complaining.

Just my observations.
kwg

They just want to help people, catch bad guys or in the case of the narcissists...have power. We know the public is largely supportive of us and that the dickheads who don't are in the super minority.

Education never hurts anybody, but it does nothing but limit the applicants we have to choose from in LE. If anything, the age required to be a LE should be higher. Immaturity is biggest factor in most of our problems. There is nothing that can be learned in a classroom that determines whether a person will be good cop, or not. Nothing.

Sample of two, but it makes the point.

I worked with a guy who had a degreein, and had worked in the field of, aerospace engineering. But he was an awful cop because he was a lazy, arrogant coward.

Another partner had a GED. But he was fearless and cared more about the people he served than anyone I've seen.



A college degree requirement will weed out the unintelligent. But the things that make a good cop can't be taught. They can be honed and practiced, but not learned.

But lurking on the roads and writing traffic tickets to commuters isn't helping people or catching bad guys. It's simply generating revenue for the government. Expired plates, no seat belt, 10 mph over the speed limit, etc.. If cops came across to working people/taxpayers as simply wanting to help people and catch bad guys, I think a lot of the public perception of cops from those folks in particular would be way more positive than it is.

I can bring mine to the hog hunt. A cool 10 spot if you taze bobby in the nuts. You still owe him after the phone incident.

And do you have any idea just how many "big" cases come from simple traffic stops?
I've recovered stolen firearms, made countless narcotics and DUI arrests, not to mention warrant arrests. Hell we picked up a guy wanted for murder in Ca on a traffic stop

"Mac...I think (in hindsight) 25 would be a good starting point."

I noticed from an earlier post that you became a cop "as soon as you could". That's why the hindsight.

A salesman has plenty of experience as a buyer. He brings that to his job. An engineer spends a good bit of his life dealing with problems[think automobile] caused by other engineers. Doctors get sick and hurt.

A cop who's entire adult life has been as a cop, has never seen the other side "of the counter". He's never been subjected to the arrogance and B.S. some cops display on a regular basis, or been physically mistreated AFTER the cuffs are on, just for fun.

You guys inhabit a world pretty much immune from mistreatment by the others in your profession.

I can't think of another field of employment like that.

Hell, even Lawyers get sued by other Lawyers.

But lurking on the roads and writing traffic tickets to commuters isn't helping people or catching bad guys. It's simply generating revenue for the government. Expired plates, no seat belt, 10 mph over the speed limit, etc.. If cops came across to working people/taxpayers as simply wanting to help people and catch bad guys, I think a lot of the public perception of cops from those folks in particular would be way more positive than it is.

A lot of bad guys are caught from traffic stops, as are drugs. Sometimes even shoot outs and tussles are generated from traffic stops.

Merry Christmas and a Happy GFY.