It’s still a very honorable job to hold even on today’s environment of widespread public contempt for that particular profession. Plenty of folks out there that are truly fit and meant to protect and serve their community. The problem is the lure of power attracts all the wrong people too
I almost got into a fist fight with a UTPD crossing guard, he started blowing his whistle as I was halfway through the crosswalk, I picked up the pace and he started yelling "GO BACK AND WAIT". I laughed and went on to class. Class lets out, Barney Fife sees me and says no one's going until he speaks to me. I can't help but laugh and start walking towards him, he yells "You won't threaten me!" I put my hands up, tell him to calm down. He's still yelling and tells me I'm going to learn to respect him. I start grinning, it's absurd. He tells me he'll slap the smile off my face, I told him to try. We're nearly nose to nose when another officer starts telling me I need to leave. I didn't see him anymore after that
I’ll also add, god bless ladies who become cops and who are actually good at their jobs. But truly for the life of me I don’t know why any women would want to insert themselves into a profession like policing. There’s a lot of bad and incompetent females cops who allow the chip they carry on their shoulder make them generally be very miserable to interact with under every type of policing situation.
You have to obnoxiously load up on OT hours as a young cop just to make ends meet in most municipalities starting out.
Individual cities spend billions on police each year. And an LA police officer makes well into the six figures
I don't think you can go blanket across the nation about police costs. Yeah, they make decent money in larger cities, but in nearly every area of TN I've been in, they don't for a long time.
I haven’t seen 6 figure pd unless captain, etc. but still, in Memphis, I believe you are looking at mid 40s most often, which isn’t going to motivate many to risk their life everyday.
Is it really that dangerous to be a Police Officer? Are you really risking your life more than any other job? Or is that a narrative we tell ourselves, and has lead to a climate where cops are quick to pull the trigger simply because they are constantly in fear instead of the reality being they are not in that much danger compared to many other jobs?
Reminds me of the 2015 OU game when my buds and I witnessed two cops chase after someone in orange leaving Tin Roof that they were told needed to be arrested for PI only for them to end up blind side tackling and cuffing a completely different and random UT student in orange instead. To add to their blunder, this random poor dude was walking just a few yards behind his parents in town for the game when this happened. You talk about chaos and holy hell that unfolded. Took them 15/20 minutes of his parents and dozens of other witnesses screaming holy hell at them for them to finally recognize/admit their mistake and free the kid.
Definitely major municipalities are dangerous imo. Especially traffic stops. Never know who the hell you just pulled over. However if you are say a Brentwood Policeman it's probably a safer job than bagging groceries at the nearest Publix.
I remember being in college delivering pizzas in Farragut, which was a pretty easy, fun gig. I got pulled over for a tail light I think by a female cop and she proceeds to give me two tickets, one for the light and one for having the wrong class license to deliver material. I think she said I had to have a commercial license or something. To deliver pizzas. My boss was like "Yeah, that's bullshit. Just go to court and they'll throw it out.". I went down to the courthouse and I don't even think I went in front of a judge. Someone from the DAs office came to me and said I was fine, they weren't even going to bother, and I could go home. I never had another issue on the matter.
You can definitely make 100+k in Davidson County as a basic and young cop, you just have to be willing to be on the clock 60-70 hours a week. Between Preds games, Titans games, new soccer team, concerts and Broadway the opportunities are limitless for Metro Cops to volunteer for OT pay. Hard part is actually being willing to work that much. But many do and clean shop with their pay.
Come on dude, it is a sincere question. I have always assumed it is a damn dangerous job, but nationally less than 120 cops are killed on the job most years, mostly in car accidents. A roofer is far more dangerous as a job than being a cop, as far as life and limb go. It shocked me that cops are not in the top 10 compared to how we all react to cops and how we as a society defend them. Would I want to be a cop? Hell no, because the things they see must be some of the most horrific shit in the world. Perhaps the most dangerous thing about their job is the damage to their psyche and outlook on life. I think it is worthy of discussion.
They are after bad guys. Bad guys being involved makes it a risk. Next warrant served or pulling over a car could be it. That would stress me out. Roofers get electrocuted or don’t use harnesses and make it more unsafe. They aren’t shot at. Plus there are no telling how many roofers compared to police.
I used a flat number, and I should have used the correct data. The data is based per 100,000. Not flat numbers. A roofer is five times more likely to die on the job than a cop. I am challenging my own beliefs here, and I think we could all use that. The reality is that while it is a dangerous job (and I never claimed it wasn't), it is not really all THAT dangerous compared to many other jobs that we take for granted. is it more dangerous than me sitting here updating software and rebooting servers? Infinitely. But the reality is that it is not like walking into an active war zone every day. It just isn't. And having the narrative be that it IS an active war zone could lead to a lot of the atrocities that we see by the police.
In my anecdotal experience whenever you get pulled over and see a women cop step out of the car, you automatically know you are virtually assured you shall be getting a ticket instead of a warning. Some male cops will let things slide, but generally speaking female cops are far more sticklers when it comes to crossing the Ts and dotting the Is on enforcing the laws exactly as written. "I clocked you going 45 in a 40, here's your ticket sir. Have a great day."
