Having a grandfather, father, brother, best friend, and many other friends that were and are LEO’s I know a lot of officers. City, County, Troopers, Federal DTF, FBI, Tribal police, US Marshall’s, and Wardens. 99.8% are professional and chill.
I’ve probably been pulled over 9 times in my life. 7 were great experiences. A couple of them were friends of mine. 2 were not so great. But that doesn’t mean they were bad cops (I do know a couple though). One had a really bad night and the other I have no idea. But the next time I saw him, we talked and everything was fine after that.
People really ought to do ride-alongs with Officers to see what they have to put up with. It would give them a greater appreciation for the job they do. I’ve seen the druggies, the thieves, the domestics, the MVA’s, murders, suicides, grieving families, the poor people that think the officer stopping to check on them is harassing them, and the rich people in the Porsche’s that think they’re above the law and get bent out of shape when they get written the minimum ticket for doing 103 in a 65 (ride-along with my dad on that one).
How many people you all know that call the cops because everything is wonderful in their life and they just want to tell a cop about it and share the joy? How many people know the previous call that officer was just on before they pulled you over for speeding? How many have ever encountered one of those officers clearly having an off day and asked if everything was ok or if there was anything you could do for them. It’s a thankless job. Door greeters at Walmart get treated better by the public.
I’ve been pulled over several times with firearms in the car. Not one Officer has ever cared past “Do you have a gun in the car? Ok, What is it? Ok, Where is it? Ok no problem, let me run your license and I’ll be right back with you.”