Feeling vulnerable

SamClemensMT

Well-Known Member
I just would like to know if the average officer feels like a target. I know that soldiers who served in Operation Iraqi Liberation often said that they felt like they could be sniped at, at any moment. I just feel like I would have the same feeling as a law enforcer. Am I wrong?
 

LitoLawless

Well-Known Member
This is actually a really good question. You would think so with how easily they get nervous, and how drastic their methods tend to be. The thing is (especially in New York City) they tend to be justified in their actions most of the times. Cops/authority figures are not the most favored people. Especially in places like Iraq, where the people feel like the US is intruding on their everyday way of life.
 

Rainman

Well-Known Member
It pays to be prepared for the worst at all times. That doesn't necessarily mean being paranoid and having your finger on the trigger all the time. There are places in town which are relatively safer for everyone but considering the fact that violence against police officers is getting to be more common how would you feel if you were a police officer patrolling those streets? Vulnerable?
 

ThatGuyWithTheHat

Active Member
I seriously doubt it. Police officers are the only people who can defend themselves without going to jail or getting sued, so I'm sure they feel a lot less vulnerable than we do.
 

primalclaws1974

Well-Known Member
It is part of an officer's training to feel like a target. They have to be prepared, and must go at each stop as if that person is a threat. I don't mean they have to treat people in hostile manner, but they cannot trust people either. For this reason, officers probably do feel like a target.
 

SamClemensMT

Well-Known Member
It is part of an officer's training to feel like a target. They have to be prepared, and must go at each stop as if that person is a threat. I don't mean they have to treat people in hostile manner, but they cannot trust people either. For this reason, officers probably do feel like a target.
I think you just nailed it. The average police officer probably keeps it near the front of their mind that anyone could be a threat to their safety. It's a form of paranoia that can't be helped. Unfortunately, I think that this is a major contributing element in why police can be so brutal when dealing with even nonthreatening, nonviolent members of the public.
 

musicmonster

Active Member
I think it's normal to feel that way at times. But in the US, cops are treated with respect and even feared especially now. But of course, that is not exactly the case when you are out of your comfort zone.
 
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