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These threads are enough to try an active cop's patience. I've been a deputy for a little over two years. During that time, I've made arrests and issued citations "on public property", and "on private property", running into the dozens. During that time, I've also run into exactly two railfans, one birdwatcher, and a bunch of folks wandering around near an Army parachute drop zone (on private property) trying to take pictures of Junior defying death from sudden impacts with the ground. I don't need to subscribe to TRAINS, the Audubon Society, the Sierra Club, or the AIRBORNE journal to figure out when someone is doing something harmless, or when they are breaking the law. I do need to graduate from a police academy, take additional training each month, and undergo the supervision of my sergeant, lieutenant, chief of deputies and Sheriff. My arrests are also scrutinized by the same people as well as a District Attorney, judge, and sometimes, a jury. There are even folks from the local "media" and watch groups ranging from the NAACP to Amnesty International who pay very close attention to the activities of my department and me. I don't worry about them as long as I do my job right. When I do screw up (it does happen- I'm human) I hear about it in ways that have a real impact on my paycheck, my marriage, and my life in general. Each time I stop my patrol car to "hassle the public", I'm doing it for a reason. Usually it's because I'm responding to a call from a property owner or because someone sees, hears, or smells something suspicious. (An example of this was a call I got of a possible crystal meth lab in a neighborhood. Turned out the ammonia smell was from the fertilizer a farmer had just put down.) Woe be unto the cop who dumps a call into the hopper because he/she "knows" it's a dumb call. I routinely pull up behind cars parked on the side of the road that don't belong there. Because I've been shot at from cars like that, I will always call in the plate and my location. You could say that I am "hassling the public"... but you would be awfully happy if that car turned out to be YOUR car removed from YOUR driveway without YOUR permission. Similarly, you probably would be grateful if I rolled up just after you had been mugged "on public property" where your Nikon had been removed from you and your body was busily trying to expire in a ditch. It is my distinct impression from learning the hard way- through contact with a lot of the public- that someone who practices law on the side of a road, or in a public area, without benefit of passing the bar- has something to hide that they don't want me to know about. The general public in my little patch of heaven gets upset over my "hassling citizens" when they are the recipient of a traffic ticket or a citation. That's nothing compared to the wrath of my county government when they discover I let a bad guy with warrants go because I couldn't be bothered to ask him/her what he/she is doing. Folks, I do this job because it pays the bills, it's something I generally enjoy doing, and it needs to be done. My first training officer made it pretty clear to me: "If you want the love of the public, go be a fireman. Nobody objects when a fire truck or ambulance shows up at the front door, even when they dump 500 gallons of water in the kitchen to put out a grease fire. Everyone hates the cop at the front door, even when they called him there." Most police and sheriff departments have "ride along" programs for the general public. Instead of generally blasting law enforcement for "neo Nazi" activities, why not take a ride with a real cop doing a real job? You might discover that the police and deputies out there aren't as stupid as you think. More to the point, you might actually figure out WHY we do what we do when we do it. Erik
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