US Cops

[Skids]

Hers's one for our American friends.

Over here in the UK we watch the usual TV shows that have video footage from American police departments showing car chases and arrests and things like that. What we see are a lot of cops chasing someone down, pulling them out of their car and kicking ten types of sh!t of them, when they're blatantly not resisting arrest. Does this actually go on a lot and do the cops get away with it a lot?

[tomd]

My favourite example of this was on "America's Dumbest Criminals", where they showed a testimony they went along the lines of:

 - Two cops confront individual in bar.

 - Felon tells one cop if they met as individuals he would kick his ass.

 - Cop takes off his badge, takes the felon outside, and they fight.

 - The cop kicks the felon into next week.

Thie audience find this hilarious. Is police brutality some kind of hilarious joke?

[Clanad]

A couple of things... Firstly, what you see on TV is usually gleaned from only the most spectacular chases and arrests.  Secondly, there are abuses by the police, however I believe this is fairly rare.  Thirdly, the adrenalin after a chase such as you describe is really pumping.  I have police and sheriff friends who have said that they are thinking during the chase "... if this guy is running like this, what does he have to hide?"  They are rightfully concerned the person being chased may be armed and dangerous or high on drugs.  Lastly, police are trained to be aggressive in taking a suspect down if they show any determined resistance.  They must subdue the suspect or risk injury or worse to themselves.  Most police forces are reevaluating engaging in high speed chases since it poses enormous risks to innocent  civilians...

[TheSooze]

I love the way it's always that same fella commentating (sure he works in cinema)

"It just goes to show that crime NEver pays........."

Hilarious.

[tomd]

Sheriff John Bunnell (Ret.)

[KebabMeister]

Scariest one I saw was a Cop who pulled up a guy who was swerving his car.  The cop got out and walked towards the car with the cameraman.  The driver of the car then decided to try and pull away, though very slowly and safely, i.e. not heading to the cop.  Anyway, the cop pulled out his revolver and fired 4 or 5 times through the windscreen and killed the driver.  The driver was over the alcohol limit.  The cop lost his job and I think may have served a short sentence.  That one freaked me out big time!

As for most stupid criminals, funniest was when a guy in overalls holds up a shop.  He robs them and then makes his escape.  What he forgot though was that his overalls had his name on the front and the garage where he worked on the back! :)  They caught him 20 minutes later!