Gigi

I am going to have to disagree with you here... Cops are not normal people, in fact I think they are the closest things we have heros nowadays.
When was the last time you talked someone out of killing themselves, or breathed life into someone, or had a child die in your arms, or pulled them out of a burning car or conforted someone who just lost a loved one, or found someone's lost child.....the list could go on forever. I think you are forgetting cops do more than just write tickets or ruin your day. They risk their own safety and wellbeing for you, for all of us. And for that they deserve your respect.

Everyday (or night) my husband kisses me goodbye and leaves for work I pray that he will come home safely. In the last four years of our marriage we have been to more officer's funerals than weddings. This year he will miss every holiday with our children this year, including our baby's first Christmas.

and for what?? the pay sucks, the hours suck, the benefits suck? do you really think he does this all just so he can stick you with a stupid ticket?? SERIOUSLY?

He does it because he truly cares... He wants to help people, he wants to make a difference. I hope someday if you ever need the help of the police that you are lucky enough to have an Officer like my husband respond to help you. Because I promise he will do his best to help you.

BFE

gigi, tell your husband that I appreciate what he does, and why he does it even with the pay so low. Unfortunately, there are not more out there like him, and unfortunately, LEOs and 1st responders do not get paid enough in my opinion.

best of luck to you both.

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enthuuuuusiast

e-rider

Sometimes I think we do underestimate the importance of the police in keeping public order. Just look at societies around where they don't have an effective police force, or worse, where there is widespread corruption. Let's not forget that those men and women are a critical component of orderly civil society, and are worthy of our respect.

Where police forces are at their worst however, is when they become tools of a corrupt state. Nothing corrupts like money, and for many communities here, nothing brings in money like traffic fines. In many areas of this and other countries, police are as disgusted as anyone at this blatant artificial tax.

Clicky: Michigan: Police Chiefs Admit Traffic Enforcement is for Revenue | The Truth About Cars

There is a whole industry based on lucrative traffic enforcement. And although it's not as if we don't need traffic control for everyone's safety, I wonder just how aggressive all this petty enforcement would be if you took away the money incentive for communities?

And it doesn't end there -- automatic licence plate scanning is becoming more widespread, enabling the police and their employers to track all of your travels. It may not be misused now, but who knows? You trade liberty for safety a small piece at a time until it's all gone...

Gigi, may your husband always come home safe, and may he always stick to the high principles that made him want to become a police officer in the first place.

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"It's not denial, I'm just very selective about the reality I accept" -- Calvin