Bad/stupid cop stories

[Brandon Pierce]

I was watching America's Most Wanted, and later read the recap on the website, and I still can't believe a cop was stupid enough to do this:


Note of Desperation
Shortly after, Harper took Francesca and left town. They wandered across the country from Texas to South Carolina. Harper forced Francesca to work as a dancer to support their life on the run.
Francesca says Harper wouldn't let her out of his sight. And she was pregnant again.
While the two were driving one night, Francesca begged Harper to pull over and let her use the restroom at a Pizza Hut in Shamrock, Texas. While in the bathroom, she used an eyeliner pencil and wrote a note on toilet paper: "Help, the man I'm with is a murderer." She included the license plate number of Harper's car. Francesca left the note with the restaurant manager, and whispered, "This is not a joke."
On The Run Again

The manager called 911. When cops pulled over Harper's car, Francesca got out and told the officer not to tell Harper who had turned him in. But he blurted to Harper, "How does it feel to know your girlfriend turned you in?"
Harper was arrested and brought back to San Antonio. He was charged with the murder of Jerry Permenter, but bonded out of jail. Harper moved right back in with Francesca and she gave birth to their daughter.
But Harper didn't want to stick around in San Antonio for his trial. So he fled, but before he left, cops say he threatened Francesca one more time, promising he would be back to kill her and take his child.
Previously, officials believed Leonard Ray Harper had returned to San Antonio. A confidential informant said Harper was back in town, and had contact with him in January 2005. Whether or not Harper has stuck around San Antonio this long is priceless information; therefore, authorities are hoping AMW viewers can help provide any information leading to the capture of Harper.

I know the main issue is the man killed a person and held his woman hostage, but the fact that a cop disobeyed a request from the woman, is the reason why Harper is now out of prison and looking for his ex-wife to kill her as revenge. When I saw the report on telelvision I just thought "How stupid and inconsiderate!" That officer should have been fired.

Can anyone think of any other stories about idiot cops?

[Shawn Hopkins]

One time I saw a Kentucky State Police Trooper who couldn't parallel park. He was stuck in kind of a tight spot on a city street and trying to extricate himself from it he backed into one car and bumped it pretty hard, then bumped the one in front of him pulling forward. Then he drove away.

Recently there was another trooper in my hometown that got kicked off the force for trying to start a brawl outside a Poison concert. My brother works for KSP and said they were glad to see him go.

The sheriff in my hometown is pretty damn shady, but he is as-yet unindicted. The sheriff in the last town I worked as a reporter at, in Virginia, is probably somewhere well into his eight month federal prison stint for money laundering. He and 12 other officers were brought down in a scandal that included, among numerous other things, taking seized drugs from drug busts and selling them back to other drug dealers. I was there taking pictures when the FBI and the Virginia State Police showed up at the sheriff's office with machine guns, a helicopter and command vehicles and started hauling documents out of the sheriff's office. It was quite a scene, as were the public brouhahas and federal trials that followed.

But before I went into PR I worked with and reported on cops for about 8 eight years. In that time I came to realize they're just people under those uniforms. Some are idiots and make stupid mistakes and let the power corrupt them. Others are more honest and upstanding and serious about their jobs. I've met supercops and total bozos. I've been amazed by how quickly they've caught crooks who did runners and were tracked down six states away and disgusted by cold cases that saw no movement for years. It just depends on the person and the agency, really.

[SSJPabs]

Eh, the stuff that doesn't make it to TV is far worse. Honestly? After taking 3 semesters of criminal law and procedure in school, I have an even worse opinion of police officers than I did when I went in. Yes they provide a needed function, but the courts really need to do their job and regulate them.

[purplehairedwonder]

Pretty normal compared to the other stories, but one from my personal experience: I was pulled over by this cop for going 36 mph. True, it was in a 25, but I was following my friend who was going just as fast as I was, not to mention it was midnight on an empty road that people often go 50 mph down in broad daylight.

Anyway, so she pulls me over in my friend's driveway and I give her my license and such. She checks my record and has to see that I've never been pulled over in my life, and she writes me a ticket anyway. THEN she has the nerve to ask if she ruined my night. I was pissed but didn't want to make the situation worse so didn't say anything so she goes, "I did, didn't I?", practically sounding sorry. I just said, "Yeah" and left it at that. *grumbles*

[Spideyzilla]

Pretty normal compared to the other stories, but one from my personal experience: I was pulled over by this cop for going 36 mph. True, it was in a 25, but I was following my friend who was going just as fast as I was, not to mention it was midnight on an empty road that people often go 50 mph down in broad daylight.

Anyway, so she pulls me over in my friend's driveway and I give her my license and such. She checks my record and has to see that I've never been pulled over in my life, and she writes me a ticket anyway. THEN she has the nerve to ask if she ruined my night. I was pissed but didn't want to make the situation worse so didn't say anything so she goes, "I did, didn't I?", practically sounding sorry. I just said, "Yeah" and left it at that. *grumbles*

She's just doing her job.

[purplehairedwonder]

She's just doing her job.Yes, filling her quota =/ I should have been let off with a warning if anything, but instead I get a ticket on the first offense AND my safe driver insurance goes out the window.

I'm not bitter about that at all >.>

[Shawn Hopkins]

Yes, filling her quota =/ I should have been let off with a warning if anything, but instead I get a ticket on the first offense AND my safe driver insurance goes out the window.

I'm not bitter about that at all >.>

By that logic no one would ever get a ticket. Cops don't know how many times other cops have stopped you and let you go in the past, so instead of worrying about your claims that this is your first time speeding honest officer I mean it they just have to judge the situation on its merits. And you were going more than 10 mph over on a 25mph street. I know everyone wants to think their situation is special and their excuses are valid and an exception should be made just this one time, but you've got to look at it from their perspective.

I've had several speeding tickets, but I never tried to kid myself that I wasn't breaking the law and didn't deserve the ticket. I was just annoyed that I got caught until it started to get too expensive and risky to my license and I started driving like an adult.

Of course, I've also been stopped for clear-cut offenses and let go more times than I've been ticketed, so in some ways it's the luck of the draw.

When I get stopped I usually keep my cool, say "yessir" and be polite, but a couple of times I have been kind of rude. My last serious ticket I pretty much lost my cool, kept complaining to the cop that with this one, the third in a few months, I would lose my license and then my job. He was trying to be nice and even let me drive my car home instead of impounding it, as he could have, but I was still a complete and utter condenscending A-hole to him and I feel a little bad about that. And I didn't lose my license or job or anything, I was blowing the situation way out of proportion.

[purplehairedwonder]

By that logic no one would ever get a ticket. Cops don't know how many times other cops have stopped you and let you go in the past, so instead of worrying about your claims that this is your first time speeding honest officer I mean it they just have to judge the situation on its merits. And you were going more than 10 mph over on a 25mph street. I know everyone wants to think their situation is special and their excuses are valid and an exception should be made just this one time, but you've got to look at it from their perspective.I'm hardly saying my situation was special; just that in context it was pretty ridiculous. It was an empty straight-away road that people regularly drive 50 mph on during the day. The only other person on the road was my friend who I was following and she was going just as fast as me, if not faster. I used turn signals and everything, so was obviously not being a danger to anyone.

However, I'm less annoyed at the ticket itself--hell, my parents just laughed at me--than at her attitude about the whole thing. I suppose I didn't get that across very clearly.

[Temple Fugate]

I'm hardly saying my situation was special; just that in context it was pretty ridiculous. It was an empty straight-away road that people regularly drive 50 mph on during the day. The only other person on the road was my friend who I was following and she was going just as fast as me, if not faster. I used turn signals and everything, so was obviously not being a danger to anyone.I'm sure you understand that daylight and nighttime conditions are much different. The darkness can hide pedestrians wearing non-reflective clothing (aka idiots or drunks) and animals such as dogs, raccoons and deer. It's actually safer to obey the speed limit at night on an empty road than to go ten or fifteen times the limit to keep up with the flow of rush hour traffic.

But regardless of the conditions, the cop shouldn't be feigning sympathy for you while writing you a ticket. That isn't part of her job description. I appreciate that police officers have to keep the personality of a brick wall oftentimes just to remain in control and operate according to procedure, and that this usually makes them out to be the bad guy in situations. But any kind of informal behavior without a good reason is unprofessional and makes the cop even easier to dislike, as in your case.

What I really don't get its why she didn't give your friend a speeding ticket, since they were right there and were obviously going as fast or faster than you.

[purplehairedwonder]

I'm sure you understand that daylight and nighttime conditions are much different. The darkness can hide pedestrians wearing non-reflective clothing (aka idiots or drunks) and animals such as dogs, raccoons and deer. It's actually safer to obey the speed limit at night on an empty road than to go ten or fifteen times the limit to keep up with the flow of rush hour traffic.This road didn't have many people crossing it day or night and the town wasn't big enough for "rush hour." I realize I sound like I'm making excuses, but it's just a matter of knowing the road I was driving *shrug*
But regardless of the conditions, the cop shouldn't be feigning sympathy for you while writing you a ticket. That isn't part of her job description. I appreciate that police officers have to keep the personality of a brick wall oftentimes just to remain in control and operate according to procedure, and that this usually makes them out to be the bad guy in situations. But any kind of informal behavior without a good reason is unprofessional and makes the cop even easier to dislike, as in your case.You've hit the nail on the head and much more clearly than I could put it.
What I really don't get its why she didn't give your friend a speeding ticket, since they were right there and were obviously going as fast or faster than you.We wondered that too. And we pulled into her driveway, so it's not like the cop didn't see her. My friend, to this day, thanks me for "taking the heat" on that ><