The Po Leese

I am a self admitted cynic. In some ways I am as naive as I was when I was kid and I find myself unpleasantly surprised when someone does something nasty to someone else. I just don't expect it and when it does I am shocked and dismayed. However, when it comes to the local police departments, I fully expect THEM to do nasty things. I know I know, they are there to "serve and protect," and that we should give them our full support, blah blah blah, but I rarely see any police officer doing anything other than trying to catch everyday normal citizens doing something out of the ordinary so that they can be separated from their hard earned cash. I drive back and forth between here and Maryland on a fairly regular basis. I have seen unmarked white Mustangs with people pulled over. Now... is it just me or does that just seem WRONG?? The police spill their usual crap about how they are trying to keep us safe, but wouldn't a marked police car, which would deter speeders, make more sense? Deterrence means that we are all safer, right? But no, they put a sports car on the road so that they can catch anyone speeding so that yes, they can have the extra cash for those donuts, or so that they can fill their quotas. Then we have the jaded and burned out police officers who are only in it for the pension.

Recently one of the attorneys at work was in need of a local police officer's deposition regarding an accident that he investigated. The police officer was completely uncooperative (you would think testifying about accidents would be part of his job). That particular police officer was more interested in getting his appearance fee than in doing the job he is already being paid for. Sad, it is.

Then we have the "Police Benevolence Associations" calling our house and asking us for even more of our hard earned cash, throwing the guilt upon our heads about taking care of these officer's family, should they die on the job. Well ya know, let me see... they already get paid more than I do, they are in a job that they chose to do and they knew the risks, not to mention the fact that if something were to happen to me on the job (explosion, ghostly presence, disgruntled client), would anyone be soliciting donations from strangers to take care of my family? I think not. That, coupled with the fact that these "Benevolence Associations" get a very large chunk of the profits from whatever they take in, it is all a crock of shit.

I will insert the usual disclaimer here. I am sure there are good, honest and decent police officers in the world of law enforcement. I, personally, have yet to see those rare creatures.

When the boat crashed next to my apartment a couple of years ago there were 5 police cars with lights blazing outside my apartment, and I was the one being yelled at because I didn't have the truck tag number of the owner or that I didn't get the make and model of the pickup truck. Sorry guys, I was too busy laughing and lamenting the fact that the boat didn't crush my car. Let's see........ no damage, crashed boat, embarrassed boat owner, woman bawling her face off because a boat came loose from a truck and forced her to hit her brakes. A recipe for social disaster apparently since it took 5 police units to respond to the phone call. Police work at its best, I guess.

So there you have it. My weekly rant. I have a cartoon about this but it is on my computer at work. If I remember I will attach it when I get there.

Later, my fellow reprobates.