SultanOfSwing

Drivers are arseholes out here, too. They were arseholes in California as well (though at least out there, lorry drivers seemed to be much more likely to keep right than they do here on the motorway).

Shite drivers are universal.

hungryhorace

It depends on how the copper wants to handle the situation. Did I show you the video where the state trooper attempted to lecture me on how to drive? I sat there and disagreed with him vehemently. He was an idiot.

hungryhorace

Agreed, but its the aggression that goes with it that is so prevalent here. The UK is pretty aggressive as well, but little things like saying thankyou when you let them out, or even letting somebody out is far more likely to happen there than in MA.

markonline1

Despite coming from a family of cops (grandad, sister, cousin, ex wife), I can't say I'm a fan of them, but this I agree with this. When my ex joined, I did gain a new persepective and respect for them. My ex was a DC in Surrey. Even here, she was dealing with pond scum on a daily basis. I guess it's only natural you are going to start treating everyone you deal with the same when you are dealing with scumbags day in day out.

Again, I agree with this. I've often described the police here as nazi's. I too feel the police are militarized, but then going back to my previous point, generally the scumbags back in the UK aren't carrying firearms, here they are. There is an arms race between the police and the public.
I had a lot of interaction with the local sheriff's office in my previous job. The deputies were always ok with me, but they had no issues calling people in their custody "****ing retards". Ok, so the people were often drunk and acting dick's, but using language like that shows a complete lack of professionalism. A couple of my staff had issues when they dealt with the deputies. When I explained I'd never had any issues, the reply was always the same. "You ain't Mexican".
They do a difficult job, but compared to the UK, this sometimes feels a bit like a police state to me officers here.

markonline1

I remember, as a tourist in San Fran years ago, addressing a cop as mate. Bloody hell did he not like that. Complete dick head.

hungryhorace

**** them I say. They don't get to decide what they like or don't like. They should treat us with respect, and vice versa. The idiot cops are too stupid to realise that just one bad interaction with them pollutes that person - and those close to them - for a very long time.

RoadWarriorFromLP

American police departments provide paramilitary training and recruit from ex-military, while screening out those who do not have goody-two-shoes pasts. (Even minor drug experimentation can disqualify applicants, for example.)

So I wouldn't say that the police are a fair representation of the society as a whole, as their hiring practices don't reflect that.

RoadWarriorFromLP

Given your contempt for stop signs, I would skip the lectures and go straight for the suspension or revocation.

hungryhorace

STOP signs, for the most part, are absolutely pointless.

99% of them should be YIELD signs. You could always try roundabouts, but given how badly the average American driver handles a rotary, I guess that idea is out of the water.

Pulaski

Yeah, but that's true of many occupations. Nurses and teachers spring immediately to mind as occupations for which the recruitment process tends to select individuals with certain traits that, while common in the general population, are not traits that everyone has.

The police select for physical fitness, assertiveness, and competence with firearms, which seems like a fairly useful skill set for law enforcement officials.

hungryhorace

Which is the problem. Ex-Military should NOT become police officers without a huge amount of psychological screening. The military are trained to kill, and to handle situations completely different from civil law enforcement.

Military Police officers joining the Old Bill, I have no issue with, but core military? Absolutely no chance. They are a murder just waiting to happen.

And that again is part of the problem here. You just need to tell an American you were in the military and they'll firstly 'thank you for your service' (another part of the brainwashing) and then have this god like respect for you. All because you signed up to murder people in defense [1] of the homeland.

[1] Not sure I can name one war in the last 100 years that the Americans embarked on that wasn't 'offensive', bar WW1 and WW2 which were just causes, and also - notably - before they were a military force and superpower.

hungryhorace

If they're looking for a person who can chase after a person, then shoot him with 12 rounds, then yes I guess that's a 'useful skill set'.

RoadWarriorFromLP

I've pointed out that rotaries and roundabouts are not the same. But whatever.

In any case, you should obey the stop signs until you have used those outstanding skills of persuasion of yours to get the local authorities to change them.

I've dealt with your kind before. When I am in pedestrian mode, your ilk come close to hitting me at least a couple of times per week, since you've convinced yourselves that you are safer and smarter than everyone else even as you put others at risk.

Pulaski

This, all the way!!!

I have developed complete contempt for ones installed at the exit to private parking lots. How long before they come an install a Stop sign at the end of my driveway?

RoadWarriorFromLP

A good police officer knows how to get along with people, because that's how they'll get intel from the locals.

Treating a patrol like an occupation isn't a great way to get cooperation or trust.

Most cops will never have to use their weapons. If they can learn how to deal with people more effectively, then they'll need to use them even less.