Police Mentality

June 18, 2010 by Bradley Jardis
Filed under: Issues, News 

I was just reading this article in the Union Leader about my local police department’s upper management forming a union.  I was reading the comment section and came across this:

“For your information, I am a Law Enforcement Officer with a Municipal Department. I am a Union Steward, Councilor and Vice President of my Chapter. I make just above $14.00 an hour and have been employed in this position for 3 years. I put MY life on the line so YOU can sleep at night. I also spend hundreds of hours per year fighting for the rights of my fellow coworkers. Managment is trying to again pass me over for a pay increase all while raising our healthcare. And for the record, we pay for everything we have. Keep your insolate, derrogatory, and blatantly disrespectful comments about Union activities to yourself. Unless YOU are going to walk the fine line, and put your life in harms way, so others can be blinded by the very safety I PROVIDE.”

After vomiting, I provided the following response:

“Unless YOU are going to walk the fine line, and put your life in harms way, so others can be blinded by the very safety I PROVIDE.”

^^–  That is a bunch of BS.  I was a police officer for eleven years in this state and the police do far more to HURT people than they do to HELP.

You are not providing safety when you are attacking people for victimless-crimes.

Get off your high horse.  Law enforcement is NOT that dangerous of a job.

Can anyone argue that the private sector is far more efficient at things than the public?  The government is the only organization that gets more money when it FAILS.  If the private sector fails, it goes out of business.

Policing should be privatized.  It would be far more efficient, less corrupt, wouldn’t be attacking people for breaking victimless “crimes,” and would actually be accountable.

It is impossible to hold police departments accountable.  What are you going to do, stop paying taxes?  The police department will come to throw you out of YOUR house and will kill you if you defend yourself.

Don’t know if the UL will publish it.

Comments

26 Comments on Police Mentality

    2. Seth on Fri, 18th Jun 2010 4:33 pm

    Nice.

    3. Paul on Fri, 18th Jun 2010 5:14 pm

    Yep, well said.

    4. Wes Sayville on Fri, 18th Jun 2010 6:07 pm

    Brad,

    I can’t image you are too popular with your former police colleagues.

    Do you get harassed by them? Thank you, Wesley

    5. Bradley Jardis on Fri, 18th Jun 2010 6:22 pm

    Hey Wes.

    Nah, I haven’t had any problems. I harbor no ill will towards anyone. I know lots of police officers who are very decent people. People who believe they truly are doing the right thing by going along with the status-quo. At one time I thought it was doing the right thing also.

    I’m just trying to present ideas and thoughts advocating liberty by being active in NH’s liberty-media scene to try and convince people that the status-quo is unacceptable for a country that calls itself “free” and a state that has a motto of “Live Free or Die”.

    Thanks for reading Free Keene :)

    6. Lord Metroid on Fri, 18th Jun 2010 7:34 pm

    Farming is the most dangerous job available. You use very heavy machinery and unpredictable livestock that can hurt you and you are often alone on the field, in the barn or your machine yard.

    Being a police however is not that dangerous. I would wager that the most common work related damage is papercuts from all the forms that needs to be bureucraticly shuffled around.

    7. Bradley Jardis on Fri, 18th Jun 2010 7:45 pm

    Lord,

    There is some danger to it… but no where near the danger this holier-than-thou guy would like you to believe.

    Most of the danger, I’d say 60%, comes from people defending themselves from the police-initiated aggression.

    8. Paul on Fri, 18th Jun 2010 8:09 pm

    Here are the 10 most dangerous jobs in America:

    Occupation — Fatalities per 100,000
    Timber cutters 117.8
    Fishers 71.1
    Pilots and navigators 69.8
    Structural metal workers 58.2
    Drivers-sales workers 37.9
    Roofers 37
    Electrical power installers 32.5
    Farm occupations 28
    Construction laborers 27.7
    Truck drivers 25

    Police # of deaths per 100K seem to be between 15-20, ranking police work around 15th, in most of the lists I’ve seen.

    9. PaulO on Fri, 18th Jun 2010 8:48 pm

    If he’s going to take that attitude, he should share that attitude with the many other professions that put their lives on the line so he can sleep at night.

    Most dangerous jobs and salaries for 2008:

    #1 Fisherman: 129 fatalities per 100,000 workers
    Salary: $27,950

    #2, Logger: 116 fatalities per 100,000 workers
    Salary: $30,360

    #3, Airplane pilot: 72 fatalities per 100,000 workers
    Salary: $111,680

    #4, Structural construction worker: 46 fatalities per 100,000 workers
    Salary: $47,170

    #5, Farmer/rancher: 40 fatalities per 100,000 workers
    Salary: $49,140

    #6, Sanitation worker: 37 fatalities per 100,000 workers
    Salary: $32,790

    #7, Roofer: 34 fatalities per 100,000 workers
    Salary: $37,430

    #8, Power line installer: 30 fatalities per 100,000 workers
    Salary: $54,300

    #9, Oil and gas driller: 24 fatalities per 100,000 workers
    Salary: $37,400

    #10, Merchant mariner: 23 fatalities per 100,000 workers
    Salary: $61,960

    Tied #11, Truck driver: 22 fatalities per 100,000 workers
    Salary: $37,580

    Tied #11, Coal miner: 22 fatalities per 100,000 workers
    Salary: $46,540

    #13, Taxi and limousine driver: 21 fatalities per 100,000 workers
    Salary: $25,820

    Tied #14, Construction equipment operator: 16 fatalities per 100,000 workers
    Salary: $43,630

    Tied #14, Police officer: 16 fatalities per 100,000 workers
    Salary: $51,410

    In fact, a large percentage of Police Officer fatalities are automobile related. 2008 was the 11th consecutive year that more officers were killed in traffic-related incidents than from any other cause. More than 61% of this year’s fatalities involved accidents and 39% resulted from criminal acts.

    Just another way victimless crimes are hurting people.

    Edit: Dang, Paul beat me to it!

    10. bil on Fri, 18th Jun 2010 11:33 pm

    It was that extra time you took to put the ‘O’ on your name! :) Nice to also see the salaries in there. —bil

    11. Wes Sayville on Sat, 19th Jun 2010 9:35 am

    Hi Brad,

    Thanks so much for your previous responses. Very helpful.

    I was wondering if I could impose and ask another question?

    As an advocate of open-carry of firearms. I’m always concerned about the potential of a confrontation with law enforcement. Here is an example of one situation I ran into; last year I was in a business eating lunch and drinking a soda when I was suddenly asked to leave by the manager solely because of my open-carry status. I immediately left mentioning that I would comply willfully and would of course be taking my wallet and money with me (and never returning to patronize that business).

    The owner was apparently concerned and had called the police. The police responded with three cars/officers; I was standing by the back of my car getting something from my trunk. Police shouted at me with orders to get to the ground, hands over head, searched, firearm taken away, etc. I suspect (but am not sure) that guns were pointed at me by police – I could not see as my back was to the police).

    After all was said and done, my firearm was returned to me and I was allowed to leave; police felt there was no real problem. The police said the store owner was paranoid due to a past armed robbery. One officer applauded my open carry position. However, another police officer commented “yeah that’s just great — but you better expect this kind of treatment to continue in the future”.

    I understand the concerns and don’t want to be a burden to police or anyone else. Although I’m in disagreement about many laws and government intrusion, I am a peaceful and respectful person and have never shown any disrespect for police. They are responding to a man with a gun, which in many instances is clearly a life-threatening scenario, so I don’t really have any issue or complaint with how the police dealt with me; I know they too want to go home to their families and are not going to take any chances on a man with a gun scenario .

    Short of seeking an concealed weapons permit, do you have any suggestions or advise for those of us that do advocate open-carry of firearms?

    I would be especially interested in what to say to police who either confront me directly or are called to my location to confront me (such as in my experience last year).

    The reason I bring this up, is your past advise suggestion in dealing with police is to say nothing. Seems like saying nothing is going to cause more alarm and exasperate the situation; given some of the video clips I’ve seen here, remaining totally silent might even get me or an innocent bystander shot.

    Seems as a practical matter, I really must communicate calmly and appropriately with police to prevent a disaster!

    If you have time to respond with guidance, it would be much appreciated. Thank you for your thoughts! Wes Sayville

    12. Paul on Sat, 19th Jun 2010 10:05 am

    I certainly don’t think it’s good for police to respond in this manner to someone peaceably open carrying.

    It seems in NH police are getting used to open carriers, and no longer freak out about it nearly that badly. Ridley report, for example, has plenty of video of open carry events which go just fine. If there’s police contact at all, they just ask a couple quuestions — certainly nothing like what you describe.

    13. Bradley Jardis on Sat, 19th Jun 2010 10:33 am

    I think that police responding this way is actually a civil rights violation. Someone using a protected right simply cannot have guns pointed at them (this could be considered an arrest) if they have done nothing other than carry a firearm.

    My advice is always to remain silent. Questions the police ask you about open carrying might be geared towards building a case for disorderly conduct against you, you never know.

    May I ask where you were treated like this?

    14. Mark on Sat, 19th Jun 2010 2:11 pm

    I left a message at the Union Leader website. It hasn’t shown up yet and I don’t know if it will and all considering I live in Washington state and that they can filter what shows up on their site. My idea is: let’s pay the cops slightly more but only if they quit pursuing victimless crimes. What do you all think?

    15. Bradley Jardis on Sat, 19th Jun 2010 2:14 pm

    An interesting notion indeed.

    Of course you cannot escape the fact that if someone commits the victimless act of not paying the cops, that they will go after them for it :P

    16. Mark on Sat, 19th Jun 2010 2:25 pm

    Bradley, definitely there are problems with my solution. And I don’t expect that suggestion to actually work as what exactly will the cops be doing when half of their work is gone in the blink of an eye? Maybe, just maybe, people would be more comfortable with the cops sitting around waiting for something really illegal to happen than shaking down people who like weed for instance. And if you know me you would understand how I dislike govt employees being overpaid and underworked!

    17. Mark on Sun, 20th Jun 2010 7:44 am

    Hey Bradley, there is someone at the link you provided (Union Leader) typing smack about you.

    18. Bradley Jardis on Sun, 20th Jun 2010 8:17 am

    Hey Bradley, there is someone at the link you provided (Union Leader) typing smack about you.

    Of course there is!

    If a police officer quit his job back during the civil rights movement and started talking about the injustices of the police arresting black people for doing things that only white people can do… you’d better believe that the modern-day police lovers/police officers would talk smack about him if he talked about the inequalities of the now!

    19. Bradley Jardis on Sun, 20th Jun 2010 8:21 am

    This is what was written about me:

    Brad Jardis,

    You smoking the funny stuff again?

    The only reason you’re not a cop anymore is because you were FIRED from Epping PD!

    You are a disgrace to law enforcement and the profession – sleep tight, son, because there are real cops out there that stand ready to protect people from deranged people like yourself.

    - Frank Shirley, Manchester

    Fired, I was not. I quit.

    Disgrace? Well, I suppose if opposing using violence to solve problems and opposing putting human beings in cages who haven’t harmed anyone else makes me a disgrace… I am a disgrace.

    The only thing police need to protect other people from the likes of me is the fact that I now advocate ideas of a world that doesn’t use violence to solve problems. I am sorry he thinks that people need protecting from that.

    20. Bradley Jardis on Sun, 20th Jun 2010 8:23 am

    My response… not sure if the UL will post it.

    Frank Shirley,

    Thank you for using your real name. So many people are afraid to do so.

    Fired, I was not. I quit. There are news paper articles about how the Epping Board of Selectmen refused to fire me.

    Disgrace? Well, I suppose if opposing using violence to solve problems and opposing putting human beings in cages who haven’t harmed anyone else makes me a disgrace… I am a disgrace.

    The only reason the police would need to protect other people from the likes of me is the fact that I now advocate ideas of a world that doesn’t use violence to solve problems.

    I am sorry that you think people need protecting from that.

    21. Wes Sayville on Sun, 20th Jun 2010 7:37 pm

    It was in Florida.

    22. Alex on Mon, 19th Jul 2010 5:51 pm

    Sounds like you never should have been a cop in the first place. You’re probably doing a much better job in your career as a blog writer. I have a question for the posters throwing out statistics about dangerous jobs. How many of those fishermen and loggers were the victims of homicide? Probably around 0. Most of those deaths in the “dangerous jobs” were accidental. Gunfire is the leading cause of line of duty deaths for law enforcement. Always has been, and probably will be for the foreseeable future.

    23. PaulO on Mon, 19th Jul 2010 6:05 pm

    Alex, I must respectfully disagree with your last statement and would love to see your sources for that information.

    Most of Police Officer fatalities are automobile related. 2008 was the 11th consecutive year that more officers were killed in traffic-related incidents than from any other cause. More than 61% of that year’s fatalities involved accidents and 39% resulted from criminal acts.

    http://forums.officer.com/forums/showthread.php?108678-Number-of-Law-Enforcement-Officer-Deaths-Declines&p=1565096&viewfull=1
    http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-12-29-police-deaths_N.htm

    24. Paul on Mon, 19th Jul 2010 6:28 pm

    Who cares whether it’s homicide or not? Risk is risk. I’m no better off if I die because of an accident than if I die because I get shot.

    25. Alex on Wed, 21st Jul 2010 10:31 pm

    I should correct one of my statements. 9/11 actually claimed more officers in 2001 than gunfire. As far as my source, http://www.odmp.org

    26. PaulO on Sat, 31st Jul 2010 12:28 pm

    Alex, I couldn’t find any information in that link that supported your claim of “Gunfire is the leading cause of line of duty deaths for law enforcement.”

    27. max allison on Thu, 12th Aug 2010 12:25 am

    i’m a little unsure of idea of a privatized police force- would that mean a wealthy suburb would be like a wealthy private school and a shoddy town would be a shoddy whatever? it doesn’t seem fair. wouldn’t the wealthier simply get the best of the best because they could afford it while everyone else would get whatever was leftover?

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