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To what standard should police be held?

What standard of behavior should police officers be held to?

  • They should be held to a higher standard than the rest of us.

    Votes: 38 74.5%

  • They should be held to the same standard as the rest of us.

    Votes: 9 17.6%

  • They should be held to a lower standard than the rest of us.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Other

    Votes: 4 7.8%
  • Total voters
    51
tres borrachos said:
So do we, including in our biggest city here in NH (Manchester).

They get fired for on the job malfeasance, and off the job malfeasance.
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There is a lot of turnover in our police department here, well first, because there's more money in joining the Border Patrol or Customs but also because a lot of the patrol officers feel their higher ups don't have their back. Even a complaint from the demonstrably violent and lying criminal can get them a black mark on their record.
 
molten_dragon said:
A lot of the time when discussions come up of police mishandling something, you get people defending them by saying how difficult their job is. That got me curious about how people feel about the subject in general?

To what standard of behavior do you think police officers should be held while on duty? Should they be held to the same standard as anyone else? Should they get some slack because of their difficult job? Or should they be held to a higher standard of behavior because of the enormous amount of power they wield?
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They are government and the wield the power and sovereignty of the People; they must be held to a much higher standard with much stiffer punishments than the rest of society.
 
DA60 said:
They should obey and enforce the law...the rest is gravy.
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That's it. Yes, because of the specific consequences and risks involved with their jobs, many professions have rules, regulations, and requirements that apply to people in those professionals that don't apply to the rest of us. That, however, is not holding a person to a higher standard than other people. It is simply holding them to a standard appropriate for the profession they are in. Anybody in public office who violates the public trust should be held accountable and should suffer the appropriate consequences for doing that. There should be no exceptions. But the idea that a rogue cop out of a department of mostly good cops is going to shake the public's confidence more than a bad mayor or justice department or election official or governor or senator or president is just absurd.
 
Higher standard...they are given additional power by the rest of us and that means they should be held to a higher standard when exercising that power.
 
AlbqOwl said:
Strongly disagree to your heart's content, but I won't change my mind and agree with you that police officers must be more honest and above reproach than anybody else who holds the public trust
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I didn't say they should be held at a higher standard than others who hold a government position. I said they should be held to a higher standard than the average citizen.
 
X Factor said:
There is a lot of turnover in our police department here, well first, because there's more money in joining the Border Patrol or Customs but also because a lot of the patrol officers feel their higher ups don't have their back. Even a complaint from the demonstrably violent and lying criminal can get them a black mark on their record.
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I have and have had family members and close friends who are/were in law enforcement and yes, there is a growing trend to accuse/blame the cop first and make a huge deal of possible wrong doing. But once he is shown to be in the right, there is rarely notice given to that. That kind of thing wears a person down after awhile. You can do a good job for only so long when everything about your job is seen as negative and bad or suspicious and you get almost no appreciation for the really difficult and necessary job that it is. Most especially if the whole department is tarnished by the one, very rare bad cop.
 
AlbqOwl said:
But the idea that a rogue cop out of a department of mostly good cops is going to shake the public's confidence more than a bad mayor or justice department or election official or governor or senator or president is just absurd.
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Ever heard the saying "one spoiled apple ruins the bunch?"

Now, I am not saying the public's confidence is noticeably shaken when it is just one cop. But corruption is like a disease. It can spread quickly, especially if it isn't immediately rooted out.
 
AlbqOwl said:
I have and have had family members and close friends who are/were in law enforcement and yes, there is a growing trend to accuse/blame the cop first and make a huge deal of possible wrong doing. But once he is shown to be in the right, there is rarely notice given to that. That kind of thing wears a person down after awhile. You can do a good job for only so long when everything about your job is seen as negative and bad or suspicious and you get almost no appreciation for the really difficult and necessary job that it is. Most especially if the whole department is tarnished by the one, very rare bad cop.
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I was engaged to a cop's daughter and the stress they are under can be immense. The level's of depression, alcoholism and divorce amongst cops is way above the national average.

It is, quite literally, a near thankless job.
 
iliveonramen said:
Higher standard...they are given additional power by the rest of us and that means they should be held to a higher standard when exercising that power.
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Seems the same standards should apply to our elected officials as well. Funny how each party can excuse those standards when applied to their own elected officials. "He might be a crook, but he is our crook. Look at all the good things he has done for us."
 
BretJ said:
Seems the same standards should apply to our elected officials as well. Funny how each party can excuse those standards when applied to their own elected officials. "He might be a crook, but he is our crook. Look at all the good things he has done for us."
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I don't think people do...if someone does something illegal I don't think people tend to support them.
 
Geoist said:
As a teacher, I am held to a higher standard. If I post pictures of myself drinking on FB, what do you think happens to me? And what happens to the CEO if he does it?

Cops are on the public payroll and are expected to protect the citizens. Of course, they should be held to a higher standard.
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Which proves my point. Teachers, CEOs etc. all are held to a high standard. Same as cops.

Nobody should be held to a lower standard than anyone else. Everyone should be held to the same one.
 
tres borrachos said:
Which proves my point. Teachers, CEOs etc. all are held to a high standard. Same as cops.

Nobody should be held to a lower standard than anyone else. Everyone should be held to the same one.
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I doubt a CEO is going to get fired for posting a picture of him/herself holding a beer. Nor should they.
 
Geoist said:
I doubt a CEO is going to get fired for posting a picture of him/herself holding a beer. Nor should they.
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A CEO will get fired for abusing his power and getting caught. He will be fired for many transgressions.
 
tres borrachos said:
A CEO will get fired for abusing his power and getting caught. He will be fired for many transgressions.
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Are we still talking about picture posts?
 
CRUE CAB said:
Never heard of it taking six months. You have a link to any of your statement or proof or anything other than cop hate?
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I watch our local Police Commission hearings. I have seen some misconduct cases take years to resolve. Shootings vary quite a bit on the investigation time depending on a variety of circumstances. If you are curious go to the websites for Police Commissions, Citizen Police Review Boards etc. and newspapers and look at how long it takes to resolve cases.

Here's a link to a well known case that happened on Oct. 22, 2013 with a decision on charges announces on July 8, 2014: No Charges in Shooting of 13-Year-Old Andy Lopez By Sonoma County Sheriff's Deputy | NBC Bay Area

If you review my posts you'll find criticism of police practices and certain laws, and examples of bad cops, but no expression of hatred towards the police in general. They are people, some are good at their job, some should be considered unfit for police work. I believe all people with the amount of power and responsibility as the police need to be held equally accountable. Effectively being held accountable is the key to get the best performance from workers.
 
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tres borrachos said:
I checked "Higher standard than the rest of us" and then I wished I could have taken it back. They should be held to the same standard as the rest of us when it comes to malfeasance on the job. You do something improper as a cop, you should have to pay the price. No more, no less.

Why is a cop who does something "improper" any worse an offender than a teacher who abuses a kid, or a CEO who abuses his power - or a politician who abuses his office?
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Because normally the CEO or the teacher isn't armed like a member of Seal Team Six.
 
AlbqOwl said:
I have and have had family members and close friends who are/were in law enforcement and yes, there is a growing trend to accuse/blame the cop first and make a huge deal of possible wrong doing. But once he is shown to be in the right, there is rarely notice given to that. That kind of thing wears a person down after awhile. You can do a good job for only so long when everything about your job is seen as negative and bad or suspicious and you get almost no appreciation for the really difficult and necessary job that it is. Most especially if the whole department is tarnished by the one, very rare bad cop.
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Frankly many PDs bring it on themselves with the whole Blue Wall of Silence thing. Most cops are good hardworking people who do a thankless job but there is no excuse for knee jerk defense of obvious bad actors. All that does is tarnish all cops.
 
AlbqOwl said:
I have and have had family members and close friends who are/were in law enforcement and yes, there is a growing trend to accuse/blame the cop first and make a huge deal of possible wrong doing. But once he is shown to be in the right, there is rarely notice given to that. That kind of thing wears a person down after awhile. You can do a good job for only so long when everything about your job is seen as negative and bad or suspicious and you get almost no appreciation for the really difficult and necessary job that it is. Most especially if the whole department is tarnished by the one, very rare bad cop.
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Except in high-profile cases, i.e. OJ Simpson for example, scant notice is reported if an average citizen is acquitted, too. The headline accusing someone of murder gets page 1, while the acquittal (or worse, charges dropped) gets a blurb on page 17... if anything at all. Police aren't any different in that regard.

Police blotters in newspapers are even worse. Joe Schmoe was arrested for drunk driving. Charges get dropped, the paper makes zero attempt to say that part. The public perception of guilt is left hanging.
 
Gaius46 said:
Frankly many PDs bring it on themselves with the whole Blue Wall of Silence thing. Most cops are good hardworking people who do a thankless job but there is no excuse for knee jerk defense of obvious bad actors. All that does is tarnish all cops.
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Bingo. To a great degree, if police hate their jobs, they have only themselves to blame. By covering up for the relative few who are bad and/or corrupt, they only make it harder for themselves. If they would help drive out the bad/corrupt few, their public image would improve and their jobs would be easier.
 
Gaius46 said:
Frankly many PDs bring it on themselves with the whole Blue Wall of Silence thing. Most cops are good hardworking people who do a thankless job but there is no excuse for knee jerk defense of obvious bad actors. All that does is tarnish all cops.
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As does the knee jerk reaction, much more common, to assume the cop was in the wrong before all the facts are known.
 
radcen said:
Except in high-profile cases, i.e. OJ Simpson for example, scant notice is reported if an average citizen is acquitted, too. The headline accusing someone of murder gets page 1, while the acquittal (or worse, charges dropped) gets a blurb on page 17... if anything at all. Police aren't any different in that regard.

Police blotters in newspapers are even worse. Joe Schmoe was arrested for drunk driving. Charges get dropped, the paper makes zero attempt to say that part. The public perception of guilt is left hanging.
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Yup. Good comparison. I guess I am so conscious of the fact that the average cop will almost always risk his life to save mine when necessary, and I am so aware of the real stresses and difficulty that is built into their jobs, and I am so aware of how unappreciated they are, I have a soft spot in my heart for the cop on the beat and usually give him every benefit of the doubt which most people these days don't do. The presumption of innocence until proven guilty is rarely ever extended to the cop.

Yes there are bad cops and these should not be tolerated by anybody. And there are those very few individuals who use their uniform and authority to be real jerks. But these are so much the exception instead of the rule, I feel pretty safe thinking the cop is much more likely to have acted rightly than wrongly.
 
molten_dragon said:
A lot of the time when discussions come up of police mishandling something, you get people defending them by saying how difficult their job is. That got me curious about how people feel about the subject in general?

To what standard of behavior do you think police officers should be held while on duty? Should they be held to the same standard as anyone else? Should they get some slack because of their difficult job? Or should they be held to a higher standard of behavior because of the enormous amount of power they wield?
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American cops should be held to the example of Robocop
 
AlbqOwl said:
Yup. Good comparison. I guess I am so conscious of the fact that the average cop will almost always risk his life to save mine when necessary, and I am so aware of the real stresses and difficulty that is built into their jobs, and I am so aware of how unappreciated they are, I have a soft spot in my heart for the cop on the beat and usually give him every benefit of the doubt which most people these days don't do. The presumption of innocence until proven guilty is rarely ever extended to the cop.

Yes there are bad cops and these should not be tolerated by anybody. And there are those very few individuals who use their uniform and authority to be real jerks. But these are so much the exception instead of the rule, I feel pretty safe thinking the cop is much more likely to have acted rightly than wrongly.
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As a general rule, while most people say they believe in "innocent until proven guilty", I believe that most people really don't.

General comment, applies to all.
 
I am held to a higher standard than most people at the job I do. I am expected to perform it in a better capacity than the average person. That's why my company employs me. My job involves computers, I make sure I am knowledgeable about things pertaining to my job so that I can complete it to the best of my ability.

Likewise, cops should be held to a higher standard than most people at the job they do. Their job involves setting a behavioural example, amongst other things such as conflict resolution. Thus they should be held to a higher standard when it comes to these things. If you aren't capable of doing that, don't become a cop. There's a reason that cops should be applauded for the very difficult job they do (and it is a difficult job, I definitely couldn't do it), is because their job REQUIRES them to be held to a higher standard at these very difficult things.
 
AlbqOwl said:
As does the knee jerk reaction, much more common, to assume the cop was in the wrong before all the facts are known.
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No doubt. However the whole thing stems from an "us vs them" attitude that is brought about in large part by police department policies and the insularity of the
police culture. The public is wrong to convict a cop without a trial but the reaction is at least understandable. If the police want that to change, if they want their relationship with the public to change, it's incumbent on them to change since it's largely their actions that gave rise to this situation in the first place.
 
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