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Hullaboarder
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: toronto
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i've lived in the usa & canada. i've also done my share of law-breaking. whether i've been in the wrong or not, i've never been treated badly as an individual.
my only negative experiences have been in large scale crowd control (the police went way too far at the WTO in seattle)...i don't blame the individuals, though. police get scared too, right? and with the uniform, they're an easier target for angry types.
we all make mistakes sometimes. because police all look the same to many people, the individual mistakes are lumped together.
i also blame the media. how often do we hear a story about a police officer helping someone? rarely. scandal gets press, kindness doesn't. when i'm travelling, i'll ask police officers for directions or advice if i'm lost or uncertain. it's remarkable how helpful and knowledgable they are. they're also really glad to help (nearly without fail.)
of course, we all freeze up and check the spedometer when we see a police car behind us...and there have definitely been times when i haven't wanted to see a man in uniform...but there have also been plenty of times when i've been glad to see them...
um...yeah...down with platitudes!
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