Why do you think people disrespect police officers?

[dannybuntu]

I mean think about it, police officers protect us from the bad guys and enforce the law so that we would all be living (or trying to) live our ideal lives in whatever political system that we have. Although ideally, democracy isn't a perfect system, I think it comes close to the ideal state since people get a shot at being who they are and living what life they want.

Of course, there would be a certain level of discrepancy when it comes to an individual police officer's temperament and mood. They're also people after all. But more than that, they are people tasked to protect people who are sometimes making it harder to protect them.

It's a really high stress job and I think police officers deserve respect more. In the same way that citizens also deserve this respect.

How about you? Do you think people don't respect police officers as much as they should?

 

[PhilA]

I have the highest respect for police officers, I think they do a tremendously stressful and important job.

But you're right, there are way too many people that do not respect officers nowadays.

A lot of it stems from the general slide in respect across the board in our culture. Kids back chat adults more, people are more willing to fight in public, and people aren't afraid of the police.

We are too soft on repeat offenders in my opinion, but that's another topic.

 

[Ricardo187]

Even though you don't always find a respectful police officer, in general, this is a problem and it's people's fault. I guess police should be more friendly to normal people that isn't labelled as a suspect though. At this point some show too much authority and think they're superior even though they're speaking to a civilian and that civilian might dislike the tone the officer is using and that's how many discussions start.

If you mean simple insults and disrespect for no reason, then you're completely right.

 

[WhyLater]

Police have authority over your average citizen. So from the get-go, you have a power imbalance, which makes many people uncomfortable. But when that power is abused, authority becomes tyranny. Tyranny is considered one of society's greatest injustices, and many people will rise to contest it.

Now, police officers who abuse their power are almost certainly the minority. But stories of tyrants (surely inflated by fiction, e.g. Gotham PD from Batman) have left a sour taste in many people's mouths. And you know the old saying: it only takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch.

 

[bala]

I would give the answer to this in one sentence."GIVE RESPECT & TAKE RESPECT".That might sound silly for a first read,but re-reading will make you remember of instances relating to the quote and there you can understand its real meaning.

 

[Profit5500]

I respect some police officers but I do not trust most of them. I think a lot of the officers who put on the uniform end up taking advantage of the power they have. Some of them are very authoritative and have no respect not even for a elderly person. I would just be careful just going around them some are too quick to pull the trigger.

 

[Muthoni]

I think that community policing should be encouraged so that the police and the community can interact. Most people are afraid of the police and believe that they are out to get them. Some people panic if the police pull them over; they straightaway think that they have done something wrong. Good policemen are great assets in a community.

 

[dannybuntu]

A lot of it stems from the general slide in respect across the board in our culture. Kids back chat adults more, people are more willing to fight in public, and people aren't afraid of the police.

We are too soft on repeat offenders in my opinion, but that's another topic.

Very true with regards to the respect thing. It's going to get worse as more people learn that they basically dislike each other and refuse to talk.

But what you said made me think. The "general slide in respect across the board" is becoming a global thing. Now I like lot of TV shows but I'm beginning to think that it has a strong effect not just in American culture, but also to the cultures who watch them.

Or maybe I'm just getting old, but kids these days...

 

[True2marie]

I think people disrespect police officers because of stereotypes about them or a previous unfair encounter. So, they label all police officers as 'bad' based on the actions of a few rotten apples.

I strongly believe that in any profession there are stars and demons.

It's just a fact of life.

 

[bala]

I think people disrespect police officers because of stereotypes about them or a previous unfair encounter. So, they label all police officers as 'bad' based on the actions of a few rotten apples.

I strongly believe that in any profession there are stars and demons.

It's just a fact of life.

Oh..so this is what they call as "past deeds coming back to haunt us..??" is it..?
Why isn't it the other way around..like why can't all cops be termed good based on a few good apples..just a thought..

 

[lei]

Of course people don't respect them. People don't ever want to pay the price of what they did. It annoys them. Nobody wants to get caught in the wrong, and when they do they make excuses and dislikes the person.

 

[stevesxs9]

I think a LEO job is arguably the most scrutinized job in the world. There are those who serve their community with pride and dignity everyday and there are those who have lost their lives in the line of duty. Those two things alone deserves the utmost respect. Now because there is every kind of media outlet and device available, people see and hear stories of Police brutality and abuse of power and they analyze these things and I believe that's where a lot of the disrespect comes in.

 

[Katzuhiki]

Both sides should receive the same amount of respect that they give. The police and civilian both have no right to disrespect each other. Although in this relationship usually you would favor the police, it's not always like that in society.

 

[Shawn]

People disrespect law enforcement officials because they think cops are just out to get them. People don't realize that police officers don't make the law, they enforce the law, if you don't like the law, don't blame the cop, blame the lawmakers and write to your elected officials.

 

[GemmaRowlands]

I think that sometimes the police can get bad press because there is a lot of negative stuff reported. But that is by far outweighed by the wonderful things that they do day in and day out that just aren't mentioned at all. It's a shame that there's this attitude, because the majority of us would be expecting the police to be there for us if we needed them, yet we are far too fast to make comments about them.

 

[Whitewolf2578]

Only people that disrespect cops are criminals. That is all you need to know. I respect cops because those that become Police Officers put their lives on the line every day and the pay isn't that great.

 

[Ricardo187]

Police have authority over your average citizen. So from the get-go, you have a power imbalance, which makes many people uncomfortable. But when that power is abused, authority becomes tyranny. Tyranny is considered one of society's greatest injustices, and many people will rise to contest it.

Now, police officers who abuse their power are almost certainly the minority. But stories of tyrants (surely inflated by fiction, e.g. Gotham PD from Batman) have left a sour taste in many people's mouths. And you know the old saying: it only takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch.

Indeed, that's a good explanation of what happens since one can affect the whole team. Other problem is when the officers don't respect the citizen's rights, or the citizens want to use their rights such as not complying to traffic checkpoints on borders, where police officers sometimes ask to frisk the vehicle, or to see documents and know names and the people refuse that. Arguments start often there and you can find many videos where that happenes.

 

[KrustyKrabella]

I think a lot of the time, rude behaviors towards any group of people are a learned trait from the parents. Whether that be disrespecting police officers, being racist or homophobic or misogynistic or whatever. People only know what they are taught. And since children generally interact only within the family until they enter school, parents attitudes have quite a long time to rub off on impressionable children.

Of course there are many other factors that could cause someone well into adulthood to suddenly dislike a group of people for whatever reason. I just truly believe a lot of the time, it's something handed down from parents or caregivers. Oftentimes, spanning several generations.

 

[js85]

Absolutely. I just mentioned this in my intro topic, but I'm really tired of seeing how it's a "cool" thing to be against cops. It's becoming a positive social activism thing to riot against law enforcement when it should be the opposite. I think this is causing police officers to be more defensive because they're unaware of which civilians are trying to "stand up to the man" and be aggressive, or which are peaceful and need redirection. It's really disappointing and I'm sick of hearing all of the cop-bashing.

 

[btatro]

I think people that disrespect police officers, or other people of authority, are people that lack respect in the first place. There certaily are some 'bad' police officers, but I do believe that the majority are part of the 'good guy' club.