How Hard is it For a White Guy in a Suit to Get Arrested in NYC?

[The Question]

The reality is Rock, this is how cops work...and generally the "profiling" is not off the mark. This is also not something that is exclusive to minorities either. Yes, it happens more frequently to minorities, but profiling is sort of how cops make judgments about people, situations and circumstances, and it's based off of years of experience in most cases. Again, I'm not saying it is right, and I'm not saying there aren't cops out there who specifically target minorities even if they have no reason to...but "profiling" is really how cops work. They won't tell you this of course, but this is how these things work. It's just a fact of life.

A list of things that were in the past just facts of life includes a lot of really terrible things. We can change the way things are when they suck. It's allowed.

 

[charl_huntress]

A list of things that were in the past just facts of life includes a lot of really terrible things. We can change the way things are when they suck. It's allowed.

Yes, we can and we should do this, Q. I do understand this, but..."profiling" is not just limited to a cop's way of thinking. IMO, everyone "profiles" someone. That's why I'm not sure if that is something that can be changed. It's the same thinking behind what would cause someone to cross the street if they saw someone who looked like he/she might be dangerous, and the same thinking behind what might make you approach someone you thought was safe. "Profiling" in total is just....judgments based on a person's life experiences in most cases. How do you really change that?

 

[Octoberist]

I'm going to talk about the bad cops here: I do think that the police force does bring in certain type of personality; that, and the 'unwritten codes' that allow bad behavior to happen. Keep your mouth shut if you want to keep ya job! Eventually you maybe as guilty as the bad ones.

You could say that humility and innovativeness makes for a good cop. And I think many get either a.)Disfranchised and disillusioned; or far worse b.) easily corrupted due to the job, their peers, or they've always been like that.

Sometimes I wonder how female cops get into this sort of thing. for example, if I was a woman, I wouldn't want to be in the LAPD. I would probably go for Orange County.

 

[charl_huntress]

You'd stand a better chance of being promoted in LA, which means more money. LA also tends to hire more women and minorities then OC.

I know people don't like cops and tend to think most are corrupt, but the truth is most are not. Lots of individuals who work in the public sector become disillusioned with their jobs, and cops probably suffer from this the most because of all the horrendous things they are privy to. Also, most police organizations are structured around the same SOPs that guide the military, so unwritten rules can become a norm. I do agree more oversight is needed to review tactics and procedures to ensure training is complaint with changes in society and updated measures for enforcement. Law enforcement like the military needs to be able to change and adapt so they can continue to be effective. There are unfortunately some areas where this change is more slow going due to the size of the force, legacy of veteran officers, etc. This is does not mean, however, all police agencies are corrupt at the core.