A Cop on the Take (not what you think)

[MAD-3R]

A Cop On the Take

First he takes ... the oath. Now look at what else he takes:

He takes .. it in stride when people call him pig.

He takes ... his lousy pay check realizing he'll never be rich.
He takes ... a second job sometimes to make ends meet and support his
family.

He takes .. time to stop and talk to children.

He takes ... your verbal abuse while giving you a ticket you really deserved.

He takes ... on creeps you would be afraid to even look at.

He takes ... time away from his family to keep you safe.

He takes ... your injured child to the hospital.

He takes ... the graveyard shift without complaint because it's his turn.

He takes ... his life into his hands daily.

He takes ... you home when your car breaks down.

He takes ... time to explain why both your headlights have to work.

He takes ... the job no one else wants -- telling you a loved one has died.

He takes ... criminals to jail.

He takes ... in sights that would make you cry.
Sometimes he cries too, but he takes it anyway because someone has to.

He takes ... memories to bed each night that you couldn't bear for even one day.

He takes ... time to explain to his family why he can't make the ball game


his child is in and why he has to work on the holiday when other parents are off.

Sometimes ... he takes a bullet.

And yes, occasionally ... he may take a free cup of coffee.

If he is lucky ... he takes retirement.

Then one day he pays for all he has taken ...
and God takes him.


FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
Have you thanked a cop lately? Try it.
When you see a cop in the super market, standing in line in a
cafeteria, shopping at Wal-Mart, or anywhere else. Try it.

It will make the cop's day, and will certainly be a blessing to you also.

[MAD-3R]

Just a note to the LEO out there.

thank you

[LincMercLover]

I have a great deal of respect for cops, but with the same token, try to keep myself far away from them. I know buying this car was not a good step for that direction, but I will say one thing, it has shown me there are cops out there who are reasonable, and can be personable. Every cop I've dealt with before, was a complete, well... not very nice word... But that comes with being my age, right? I should let it roll off my shoulders, right? Umm... no... I've paid my way to have this vehicle on the road, I'm no different than any of you, and some officers I've dealt with have not recognized that. And that, to me, is pittiful. But, since I've had this car, I've encountered many pleasant people who work the job. I'm not saying they aren't out there, cause they are. But, I'd rather still keep myself far away as possible from them, just cause of the ignorant ones that are out there. Officers on this board, I KNOW I wouldn't have any problem with because, well, we're family here. My $0.02 anyway...

[RF Overlord]

That's beautiful, MAD-3R...

When I worked in Salt Lake City for 2 months during the Olympics, security was extremely tight, as you can well imagine. I made it a point to thank the National Guard and other members of the armed forces I encountered daily on my way into and around the venues, not just because they were holding M-16s, but because they made me feel SAFE when I came to work, and they were just as far away from home as I was...

[MassMarauder]

MAD-3R - Very Nice tribute.

LML - I hear ya loud and clear dude. Without a doubt it's always one or two that give the dept a bad name. Certainly was true in my home town.

[SergntMac]

I really don't know what I should say here, what I could say here, what would work here word-wise, what will fit here, and feel okay to say to you all, and still be okay with me. I still don't know, please forgive me for intruding, this feel more like your private place than mine.

The invitation to this thread seemed suspicious to me, but I chose to open it anyway. Suspicion...let's come back to that later, k?

As I read the truth of this thread, I am deeply touched, maybe I was okay here, maybe liked, maybe appreciated, maybe welcome here after all. While all along I felt some pastels of respect I felt came my way, some of these family-like feelings I got here I had not earned, or, deserved.

I have my own nemisis, on another board, and I wish he would just stop. He does nothing for the service cops perform, and he embarrasses me, and more because he seems an in service cop too.

Sadly, I cannot help thinking that you all read me as you may be reading him, ergo, my caution, and shortcommings.

I am a cop, and most of you should know that by now. A big-city cop, which may cause me to sound much different here than the good old boys you may encountere at your local coffee stop every morning.

I'm also a C/O, a higher ranking cop, in a large metro Department that automatically requires me to be, and, sound like, more the political bureaucrat, than your friend. I can't help that now, it's where I landed after 25 years of hands-on nitty-gritty street work. But, I'm here for one reason only, a mutual praise of and love for, the MM, nothing more.

I've done the grunt stuff, and I love every painful memory about my grunt days. The atmosphere for a grunt is the 1 on 1, face to face confrontation with a community at large that opened my heart and my head, on the truth of it all. Years of one community pulling and not letting go of, my left arm, honest decent citizens demanding abatement and protection against the strength of forceful tugs from another community twisting my right arm, the few "free" citizens who were responsible for the disruption.

I am not King Solomon, I did not learn how to divide the baby.

We will never agree on what is right or wrong here, we will always disagree. That disagreement is the foot-hold for further exploration, lynchpin to lour larger learning to come. Every lock has it's key, and that's how things here should be. "No one person knows all, no one person runs all" defines community. BTW, that also defines "family" too.

Yes, cops do a lot of different stuff, more that most of you think about. Because of that stuff, cops are different, weird, unusal, and out of place and out of step, and...Lost. We are not as maleable to the political environment we have to step into, as much as most normal people would be. We do our job, and for those who ask us to "go get them," we chase down those who say "come get me." Once the chase is over, us cops usually end up standing alone, in the praire of an indecisive culture we just landed in.

I'm happy to be here, I enjoy your offer to say "I think" without being held to a higher standard of "YOU should have known better!" This board is a home for me, a place to share my opinion, my fact, my truth, my story, as I live it, about the MM.

Thank you.

Now...Back to the show, eh?

[chapel1]

MAD-3R that was very nice and Mac that was very personal.I hope us Marauder Owners never start ripping each other over any well intened posts.I really enjoy reading and communicating with such intelligent people.I really feel a kinship to my fellow "Marader's":coolman:

[Billatpro]

I have just gottin back in town today from business in AZ, it was a distributor meeting for Action racing collectibles distributors with full day sales seminars and a lot of humm drum, at the end of a long day we were treated to a guest speaker, FDNY Battalion commander Richard Picciotto. For those of you who don't know he is one of NY Firefighter's who rode World Trade Center 1 to the ground and lived to tell about it.

His story was to put it mildly, compelling and heart wrenching. The list of men who died in that crime are all listed in the opening pages of his book "Last Man Down" But His tribute on Monday was not limited to those men he called Brother but also to those who's epitath have not been written, to those men who chose to run into those buildings and not out, with nothing more then a sense of duty they took an oath to preform inspite of thier fear of death. There are many of those "cops" listed among the dead, the same cop for which the tribute posted by MAD-3R. was writtin.

Yes Sarg you guys are "Different" "Weird" "Unusal" "Out Of Place" and from the bottom of my heart "Thank you" for being that and a whole lot more!

[Billatpro]

And BTW where did that disertation come from?

[MAD-3R]

This was sent by the president of our local Mustang club. He is a Fairfax county cop. And a hot roder, and a former Marine.

And someone I would trust at my back in a dark ally.

[MassMarauder]

I hope that I'm wrong but I fear that my comments might have been offensive…and the last thing I want to do is offend or alienate ANYONE on this board. Being a respected and well-liked member of this board is extremely important to me! I am one moderate republican who deeply appreciates the men and woman that are out there everyday putting their life at risk, trying to protect decent citizens….while ALSO trying to keep the civil rights folks quiet. I work in a high tech, high stress environment…that pays reasonably well and I would NOT trade it to be a police officer for twice the pay.
Sarg and others: If my post was offensive in any way, please, please, accept my apology.

[NYSP618]

I don't think any law enforcement officer would really take offense, i did my 30 years with the state of New York, part of which I spent doing "Professional Standards", nice words for internal affairs, More than anything I do not appreciate a fellow officer that caused a black smear on his department because that smear rubbed off on all of us, like it or not. You could be a butcher and retired for 10 years and do something wrong but once a cop if you do anything wrong the news media is sure to state "former officer" in the article. Those of us who chose the profession realize it goes with the territory. It's part of life that not everyone appreciates us but as I said it goes with the job. There are times when it seems like no matter what we do, we were wrong (I was at Attica for the retaking of the prison in 1971 and the courts are still arguing about it) but there are plenty of times where our hand has been shook or the pat on the back was given. We do the job because we want to make a difference. And believe it or not, sometimes we did.

[RF Overlord]

Mass:

Speaking only for myself (and I'm a civilian), I did not find your comment offensive...clichéd as it may sound, some of my best friends really ARE cops. LEOs come from all walks of life and some are better suited to the job than others, it's just that the potential is perhaps greater for public abuse of power than in other fields. Add to that the fact that many people are "afraid" of the police, for whatever reason. I guess that's why "COPS" is such a hit show...

[SergntMac]

Mass, no apology necessary, Bud, no harm, no foul.

[tomd]

Why are cops now day so much harder on teenagers?
Don't get me wrong I like cops, but some can be down right mean! The reason some of this cops write tickets is crazy! They're only helping to make teenagers hate them even more and insurance companies even richer.
:po: