Police Complaint Center

Just a quick comment here.I realize this might not win me a popularity contest but what about recognizing those in law enforcement that deserve so much credit for the jobs they do?

I'm all with you. We should recognize police officers for the "good" they do. We should also hold them to the same standards they hold us to. That doesn't happen. I know several police officers and a prosecuting attorney and would never break the laws like they do. It's disgusting!

I agree JL42 about holding them to certain standards but the sad thing is it seems there is more being focused on a few bad eggs than the ones that do make sacrifices to perform their job duties.Trust me the state of Georgia makes a mockery as far as law enforcement but the state I live in makes them look like a joke because of the dedication in which the state troopers conduct them selves.Complaining is one thing but failing to show the proper respect for those in law enforcement that deserve it is also not acceptable.

I understand what you're saying. The problem is somewhat complex. I'm a 42 year old man who has never had one run-in with the law although I did get a speeding ticket for going 8 miles over the limit 10 years ago. I had always heard about how unfair and how dishonest the police were but always dismissed it as nonsense. I was charged with a DUI a few months ago and I had a stong case for dismissal but the police officer lied about every single account about that evening. I was completely stunned. If you want to convict me on the facts fine but to bolster your case by telling lies that only the officer and I knew he was telling, is unconsionable. I instantly felt disgust and extreme anger for this man. I know there is not a officer on the force that wouldn't back his story up, which is telling in itself. This kind of thing is not isolated, it happens all the time. It is no surprise that people hate the police.

I completely understand your position and agree for that officer to lie was completely wrong but you said you were involved in a DUI and just a point here.Do you understand how many people get killed by drunk drivers and some of them are young children that will never have the chance to grow up and live life and these officers are the ones who have the job of notifying relatives and having to scrape body parts off of roads when that happens?Sometimes that makes them a little hard to things and I myself have talked to may officers that have told me things that have taken place with their jobs that it is hard for them to separate their emotions sometimes from what has taken place.I am not saying that gives them the right to break any laws but certain situations people get off with crimes they commit and the fallout and devastation that crime ends up causing can be a very hard thing to take emotionally.Mind if I ask if you were given a field sobriety test or had to breath in the machine they have?If not I would have appealed the decision and you would have a right to do that.

I understand that DUIs are a serious issue and are a real problem across parts of America. I left a restaurant after dinner and 4 glasses of wine. So did almost everyone else that evening and probably the next night and the next and so on. That is a mistake I will never make again and if I were really aware that 4 glasses of wine could put me behind bars I would never have done it to begin with. The field sobriety test is what my problem was. There was absolutly no reason for the officer to tell me to take the breath test if he were following the law. I do understand that families are devastated as the result of drunk drivers. An employee of mine was killed late one night by a drunk driver and left his wife with two young kids. I'm not trying to reduce the importance of getting drunk drivers off the road but I don't think lying should be part of a police officers case and we all know it is and probably always will be.

No lying in any profession again is wrong but especially in law enforcement but I am not understanding why the field sobriety test was the problem and what the officer lied about.If you took the sobriety test and failed I don't know as whether a breath test is required to be honest unless they wanted to know exactly how far over the limit you were and then they would have to take that test to get an exact reading of how intoxicated you really were.One way to look at it however is think about what would have happened if the officer did not stop you and you ended up killing somebody then that would have been something you would never be able to forgive yourself for.I realize corruption does occur in law enforcement but I also think on the whole that more than not do their jobs and try to keep the public safe.

There was another officer there during my field sobriety test. It would have been nice but I was told there was no reason for him to be in the court room. Every test he asked me to do I did, in completion and to what any judge would consider acceptable. The officers account though was completely different from mine. He actually made parts of the account up and exaggerated the rest. Clearly the officer was no brain surgen, he fumbled through everything that he was reading to me. I could have done a better job reading it myself. What we are talking about is not if I would have killed someone on the way home it is if the officer followed the law. .08 is the legal limit here and with four glasses of wine and a dinner you aren't swerving all over the road. You are right that most officers do try to enforce our laws in order to make things "safe" in our communities. In the same breath though, those same officers are driving drunk, buying, selling and smoking weed, selling vicodin and other narcotics, and participating in credit card scams. I've seen all this stuff in the past and resently and it makes me ill.

I'll be honest if I thought all officers were corrupt I would have never came on here in defense of them and to be honest I drink occasionally but always when I know I will never be behind the wheel of a vehicle because I don't want to gamble with anyone's life including my own.It appears you have dealt with some bad situations in regards to law enforcement and so have I but I guess what changed my opinion greatly was the ones I dealt with when I moved to the state I now live in as well as ones I have dealt with on police forums on the net.You can honestly find good and bad anywhere you look and these officers deal with it on a daily basis and I am sure the frustration of having to deal with that all the time really gets to them but I really feel they don't intentionally go around signaling out people to target because of that I think they do what they feel is best considering each situation they are involved in.

If I said that ALL cops were corrupt I misspoke but I don't think I did. Nevertheless, what cops should be is responsible enough to be fair across the board regardless of their past experiences. That's what they're taught and that's what is expected of them. I have never had a problem with the police before my resent incident and I don't expect to again. You have to admit though almost everyone has been either bullied, humiliated, denigrated and/or intimidated by the police. I have contributed money ($250)for at least a few years for a catered lunch and dinner at a local, yearly festival strictly for law enforcement, I don't think they are all scum. I don't "hate" cops but I will always be suspicious of them (that's really a shame isn't it).

I really have to say I do truly understand you being upset at what took place and it seems like there was a huge miscarriage of justice because it is apparent in how polite and rational you have been in responding to me regarding this that you are indeed somebody that shows respect where it is due.I would see if there is some kind of appeal process you could go through in regards to this to possibly have the incident expunged from your record.I agree that more than likely most people have had bad experiences with law enforcement I know I have in regards to when I lived in the state of Georgia and would not respect law enforcement in the state of Georgia if my life depended on it but I have since then experienced alot of great situations in regards to law enforcement and came to realize it just depends on the person that is the officer and the reasons they have for wearing a badge.On the whole I feel it is ashamed that there are those who would discredit and dishonor their jobs and the uniforms they choose to wear but I also feel those that are worthy of their jobs and badges don't receive enough credit because of the ones who do bad things.

You are most surely correct. The good ones suffer because of the bad ones but that is human nature. Most people don't like muslims because of what not all of them believe. As I said earlier, I don't hate cops but I will always start out with complete skepticism.

I agree most people judge things based on information passed on by others without sometimes getting facts straight.Me I get to know a person for themselves then make a determination because rumors and second hand info is the best way to make a person biased in their opinions.That is great you at least keep an open mind though when it comes to law enforcement and believe based on the situation skepticism is not always a bad thing.

We already have a "Good Cops" Section on the Main Menu on the main page where do just that. Any officer or department that we run into in the course of our investigations gets a mention in that section.


Tek

Thank you Tek.I tried posting there and it would not let me for some reason that is why I I started this post.Do you also recognize those in law enforcement from police forums that are municipal cops,corrections officers,and university cops?