Do police have too much power?

[primalclaws1974]

I understand cops have a tough job to do. I respect them for doing it. My question is why do they have the authority to pick and chose on some cases? If a policeperson is having a bad day you are less likely to get out of a ticket, versus if their day hasn't hit any roadblocks you might get by with a warning. Some cases are cut and dry based on law, such as domestic abuse. If one person has a mark, the other has to go to jail, but the freedom to be harsher on a person if they disrespect you seems to be a flaw in the system.

 

[ProtectNServe]

It really depends on the circumstance when you ask "do police have too much power". I know of an instance of several undercover detectives attempting to make an arrest if Florida who knocked on the suspects door at 2:00am, did not announce that they were undercover. When the occupant opened the door he had a gun in his hands thinking he might get jumped since he had no idea who was knocking that time of the night. The police shot him to death. By the way they knocked on the wrong door. They were not charged with any crime and it was determined that they did everything by the book. That is an example of way to much power.
There are cases that are just as extreme where they do not have enough power.

As far as the treatment goes based on the officers mood. No matter who you are, the people you come in contact will be treated differently depending on how your mood is. Many police officers will let something minor go because it takes more time to write out a report than it is worth. Most police officers are more patient than most people. I know that may be hard to believe but imagine having to hear the same excuses day in and day out from people as to why they broke the law, or how they are innocent. After a while it is like listening to your child lying to you day after day, with them thinking that you are falling for it. Police do this day in and day out and let people off. Next time you do get a ticket you should thank the officers for all the times they let you speed by without pulling you over, and yes we do know that you were speeding.

 

[ally79]

As Protectnserve mentioned, no matter what your job is the kind of day you are having will effect your attitude towards the people you come in contact with. No matter what field you are discussing you will always have a few bad apples, but I think that on the whole most police officers are just trying to do their job and get home safely to their families.

 

[jeremy2]

I understand cops have a tough job to do. I respect them for doing it. My question is why do they have the authority to pick and chose on some cases? If a policeperson is having a bad day you are less likely to get out of a ticket, versus if their day hasn't hit any roadblocks you might get by with a warning. Some cases are cut and dry based on law, such as domestic abuse. If one person has a mark, the other has to go to jail, but the freedom to be harsher on a person if they disrespect you seems to be a flaw in the system.

I don't necessarily think that the police have too much power.Due to the nature of their work,they are supposed to enforce the law and it's therefore their duty to see that the law is followed to the letter and that offenders are apprehended and face justice.

 

[btripp2]

I don't think police officers have too much power. I just feel like when anyone has power there is a chance for abuse of power. And the media has seemed to examine more closely this idea of police brutality and abuse of power. But I like to think that there are still good police officers that outnumber the bad ones. Perhaps I am too optimistic.

 

[bala]

If they don't wield that power,they will never be respected at.They should have more power,but to be brutally honest,they should know how to utilize it wisely.
They should learn the manners first before enacting their powers.
for me,its OK if they are even given additional powers.After all,they are layer of cosy material that helps us weather the cold.

 

[Nate5]

I feel like in certain circumstances, a little bit of protecting their own happens. Most police departments are really stringent on making sure the enforcing the law should not result in breaking the law yourselves. However, there are some that let things slide, and that's obviously unacceptable. Always remember to complain so any wrongdoings can be held accoutnable.

 

[primalclaws1974]

It really depends on the circumstance when you ask "do police have too much power". I know of an instance of several undercover detectives attempting to make an arrest if Florida who knocked on the suspects door at 2:00am, did not announce that they were undercover. When the occupant opened the door he had a gun in his hands thinking he might get jumped since he had no idea who was knocking that time of the night. The police shot him to death. By the way they knocked on the wrong door. They were not charged with any crime and it was determined that they did everything by the book. That is an example of way to much power.

Interesting incite. Thank you. Although I appreciate not getting a ticket, I think you are missing my point. I am saying that a police officer should have to 100% of the time follow the law to the letter. It is too easy to become bias and be harsher on a "type" you have dealt with day in and day out, and being more lenient with, say, a pretty lady or an elderly person. If I got more tickets, but was treated the same as everyone else, and it was not dependent on the officer's bad day, I could accept that.

 

[mark973]

I don't necessarily think that the police have too much power.Due to the nature of their work,they are supposed to enforce the law and it's therefore their duty to see that the law is followed to the letter and that offenders are apprehended and face justice.

I agree. Police don't have too much power but the way they must enforce the law may make it seem like they are drunk with power when really they are just trying to do their job.

 

[leahcim132]

I believe the cops are given a reasonable amount of power. Not too much. However, there are some shady cops that will abuse all their power and those are the cops I despise the most.But if it's a good cop, then I salute them. They are the ones we should truly appreciate because they don't abuse all their powers.

 

[stevesxs9]

I think the law enforcement profession is one that really won't get respect either way. I think the power they have, is needed in certain situations. It's just a very under appreciated job in my opinion.

 

[GlacialDoom]

It depends on which officers you're talking about. If you're talking about romanian officers, I can tell you they aren't that bad, and they don't abuse the little power they have. Their bosses are corrupt, though.

American officers, though, that's a whole other story. I hear about all the shit they're doing, flashbanging toddlers, shooting innocent dogs and breaching innocent people's houses. That's terrible and there should be something done about this.

 

[primalclaws1974]

It really depends on the circumstance when you ask "do police have too much power". I know of an instance of several undercover detectives attempting to make an arrest if Florida who knocked on the suspects door at 2:00am, did not announce that they were undercover. When the occupant opened the door he had a gun in his hands thinking he might get jumped since he had no idea who was knocking that time of the night. The police shot him to death. By the way they knocked on the wrong door. They were not charged with any crime and it was determined that they did everything by the book. That is an example of way to much power.
There are cases that are just as extreme where they do not have enough power.

As far as the treatment goes based on the officers mood. No matter who you are, the people you come in contact will be treated differently depending on how your mood is. Many police officers will let something minor go because it takes more time to write out a report than it is worth. Most police officers are more patient than most people. I know that may be hard to believe but imagine having to hear the same excuses day in and day out from people as to why they broke the law, or how they are innocent. After a while it is like listening to your child lying to you day after day, with them thinking that you are falling for it. Police do this day in and day out and let people off. Next time you do get a ticket you should thank the officers for all the times they let you speed by without pulling you over, and yes we do know that you were speeding.

The story you told me is not what I meant by too much power. That was getting away with murder. It might have been a misunderstanding, and should have been manslaughter, since they did not announce themselves. They got away with it because they were police. The power I mean is to be a street judge. It is not up to the police to decide your fate. Their job is to protect you and uphold the law. If you break the law, pay the price. It shouldn't be based on how much butt-kissing you decide to do.

 

[Kate]

American officers, though, that's a whole other story. I hear about all the shit they're doing, flashbanging toddlers, shooting innocent dogs and breaching innocent people's houses. That's terrible and there should be something done about this.

Just one more completely ridiculous instance of gossip about America getting waaaay out of hand in other countries. This is ludicrous to even bring it up. Every job has a certain amount of corruption. There are doctors and clergymen who get into the news, too... to take the profession as a whole and make a statement like this... well that just upsets me to no end. (See, I didn't use the term that was screaming to get out about what it does to me.)

This is how the world grapevine works... and I've seen it happen for decades, so it's nothing new. A dog that has been trained to kill and attack and may have been guarding something like a meth house... guess what? A police officer comes by to check out a meth report and.. yep, there's the killer dog attacking. Would YOU say "nice doggie woggie, please don't attack me!"?????? No, of course not.

Dog attacks and is shot. But guess what, by the time the gossip mongers get ahold of the story, it's suddenly an "innocent" dog. GRRRR.

And that other thing you accused concerning toddlers? I don't even know what this IS but I can probably figure it out and I can't *believe* you're saying that other countries believe this. Craziness to think people believe such garbage on the levels they seem to believe it. Even if it happened once, it could have happened with a priest, doctor, or used car saleman too, now couldn't it?

Posts like this is why I chose to leave the forum for a while. I came back today hoping to see some semblance of reality but... this is the post I read first. Oy.

 

[mimsee]

I don't think police officers have too much power. I just feel like when anyone has power there is a chance for abuse of power. And the media has seemed to examine more closely this idea of police brutality and abuse of power. But I like to think that there are still good police officers that outnumber the bad ones. Perhaps I am too optimistic.

I agree 100% with this post here. They don't have too much power, but they do have power. Anybody with any amount of power has the potential to abuse it, unfortunately..but if the police had no power at all then the law would not be enforced and society cannot thrive without a set of laws...but I will say that many laws we have right now are a complete crock. I feel like there should only be a handful of laws that everyone should follow and if those staple laws are broken then there is no going back..such as thievery, murder, rape, and etc. People being arrested for things like possession of marijuana is just ridiculous to me. It's a plant found in nature but all of a sudden men and women have decided that it's illegal to own? Get out of here. The people arrested for marijuana are taking up valuable space in our prisons where the real criminals such as rapists, pedofiles and murderers belong.

 

[Determined2014]

I do not think that the police have too much power,if they did they would not even abide with the law, we all have bad days, and no matter what the job is, when you are having a bad day you tend not to want to do anywork, so no they do not have too much power.

 

[Gelsemium]

I don't think that the police has too much power, they have enough power to do their work correctly I believe.