Do you believe your local police earn their paychecks?

[primalclaws1974]

What I mean by this is, do you think there is enough activity in your town to condone your local officers' paychecks? Do you think they do an adequate job, or are they slacking? My town is big enough (10,000) to keep the police busy at times (the local blotter always seems full), but as I have said in other posts, I do see a lot of time to do speed traps. One could say that an officer's job is not constant action, as in the movies, and I would agree. For me, my opinion is that the local police do earn their paychecks. What about your local police?

 

[Peachdejour]

I personally feel our town is considered one of the safest suburbs to live in because we have a well staffed police force that takes their jobs very seriously. They are present, fair, and courteous. Now, out of towners hate driving through our town because you will get pulled over if you are not obeying the traffic laws, but this is why I feel safe raising my daughter here. My mom encouraged me to join my parents in this town after college because I was looking for a sense of security for my daughter and myself. I feel that the local police have helped provide part of that for me. So, yes, they more than earn their paychecks in my opinion.

 

[LitoLawless]

Well, technically they do. They clock in and out of work everyday like anyone else with a job. As long as they do their hours on the clock then they should get paid. If you mean "earn" as in cleaning up the street that they are suppose to protect then I would say that they can do a better job. I really believe that they do the best that they can, and it's really hard to predict when a crime will happen. All they can do is keep constant patrol around those places.

 

[Kamarsun1]

Well I live in a decent size city and I would have to say yes they earn their paycheck, it's a job and at the end of the day that's all they really care about, like any job, do what your told, support your family, and pray to make it home safe.

 

[Peachdejour]

Well, technically they do. They clock in and out of work everyday like anyone else with a job. As long as they do their hours on the clock then they should get paid. If you mean "earn" as in cleaning up the street that they are suppose to protect then I would say that they can do a better job. I really believe that they do the best that they can, and it's really hard to predict when a crime will happen. All they can do is keep constant patrol around those places.

Keeping the streets clean is a two way street. This means that the people that live in the community need to be proactive and unafraid to speak up when crimes occur. This can be hard when some areas are controlled by violent gangs that threaten your family if you speak to the police. I do think that police officers can have a considerably harder job when they work in those areas. These areas also tend to have officers that are overworked due to city budget constraints and on the job burnout is probably a day to day factor. Also, the police officers need to have community backing. In places like New York and Ferguson, there are certain areas of the city where their job is almost impossible because of civil unrest.

 

[weepforsweep]

I don't think there is a enough work for what there payed for. You need cops just in case something goes down. There an insurance for citizens' safety.

 

[dez97]

Nothing really major ever happens in my community. So whenever the local police in my city does something I kind of just feel like they have nothing to do except try to get our students to join the force because really NOTHING happens where we live, not even simple car crashes. Not saying we want them anyways. So yes, they do earn their pay checks cause we have an exceptionally low crime rate, and I couldn't tell you when was the last time I heard about something bad happening in our community.

 

[Kittyworker]

I don't know, I haven't had any dealings with the local police apart from random breath tests coming back from the beach. I guess the fact that there hasn't been any need to call the police in this area is a good indication that they are doing their jobs pretty well.

 

[fliktor7]

I'm not really sure about how much money the get at month, but they risk their lives for our protection, so they probably deserve that and more.

In my city there is a very low crime rate too, the most criminals are the politicians, the most of them don't earn the money they get.

 

[bala]

Nah,they really don't earn their lumpsum paychecks.They sit around the table and just wile away time.On top of it they are bribed heavily if some one needs some work off them.There are loads of probs in the city but the cops don't take the right measures.

 

[Muthoni]

I think that they should actually be paid more. They put their lives at risk every time they put on their uniform. Most criminals are ruthless; therefore it is possible to get hurt at work or at worst get killed. Their motto is to serve the citizens and ensure that law and order is observed for the sake of everyone. It is a difficult job that most people would not hold for a single day.

 

[primalclaws1974]

Thanks for the answers. Police officers, like most civil servants, are on the low end of the pay scale. For the amount of training they receive, they are actually paid pretty well. I went to school for four years. I have a BA in psychology and human services. Starting out, I cannot make more than about $30,000 in this area. An officer can make at least $40,000 after only 8-12 weeks training. Are they paid well? No. Are they paid well for the time it takes to become an officer? Yes.

 

[Josie]

In my home town, no lol. There was nothing to do! I didn't live in the smallest town in the world or anything.. it's a touristy place, with lots of people, but crime was mostly stolen bikes and b&e. Of course I'm glad the cops were there for when it was needed and I do think they deserve their paycheck, but I just always wondered what they did between bad guys, because there were large stretches lol.

Where I am now, absolutely. I think the bigger the city, the worse the crime and it's a lot more often than I'm used to (and I'm in the safest part.. nothing happens right where I am; reminds me of home). Very glad they're out there. But of course, those bad cops are more in bigger cities too. I've already read some terrible things that people are furious about.

 

[Gelsemium]

I really don't have reason or information to think otherwise, I mean, they are doing their jobs or else they would get fired, but sometimes I would expect some more initiative from them.

 

[bala]

Nah,at least not here.They get a lot of bribes too in addition to that.Sometimes that becomes a sole reason o loathe on them all the more.Sometimes envy too.

 

[GemmaRowlands]

Yes, the officers who work in the town that I live in certainly earn their money, because the truth is that they do an absolutely fantastic job. There is plenty to keep them busy, as there are some rough areas, and they always know that their lives are in danger when they are responding to calls, but all the same they choose to do the job because they genuinely care about the area that we live in. Whenever I have needed them, they have responded very quickly indeed, which is perfect - because you know that whenever you need them, they are going to be able to help you. Nothing in the world can be better than the peace of mind that gives you.

 

[hellonamesdan]

In my local area, definitely not! Especially the University Police. They are so rude to the students and they think that they're better than everyone else, which really doesn't make a lot of sense at all when you think about it. They're rude and never helpful even when you try to be nice to them, and all they ever do is try to bust kids for smoking or drinking instead of dealing with other parts of keeping the campus safe.

 

[pandabear1991]

This to me is a sensitive question and ultimately broils down to how much effort an officer puts into his/her job individually. Like any other workforce, you have some that over achieve, some that are acceptable achievers, and then the ones who rely on others to do their jobs while they collect a check--and often are abusing their job at the same time.

I would like to say we have some pretty well mannered, good-willed, lenient cops in our 3000+ town, but this isn't the only city I have lived in. I have known crooked cops in my home town personally. Just depends on the individual person, but law enforcement is definitely not the only workforce where these ill-willed workers exist.

 

[jperd21]

Well, I'm not sure what my local P.D. makes, but I think it depends on the officer. I live in a really small town, and most of the police hang out at the local 24-hour gas station and talk all night. I've even seen officers ignore blatantly drunk drivers because they didn't want to be troubled with it. Plus, according to the officer, the girl was getting on the interstate, and he wasn't gonna leave town just to follow a drunk... too bad it's like this sometimes.