Dear Friends:
As a follow-up to our article on how riot cops are removing all personal identity items from their person so that they can't be identified..... I think its time we look at police culture in general and see what needs to be done about it!
First and foremost all the articles on the qualities of a police officer parrot each other with these platitudes on the characteristics that make up a good law-enforcement officer!
These are all noble skills and character traits but in real life, they have little to do with what TYPE of person becomes a cop!
In case you didn't know it all 'baby fuzz' are given a series of psychological tests (at least here in Canada)to see it they have the inner resources and resiliency to handle the stress of this type of a job...... and if they pass that test...... there is a whole battery of stuff used to determine just how each candidate conforms or deviates from an ideal psychological profile of what makes an ideal cop!
THIS, my friends, is where police departments form an "us vs them" mentality in what they look for in candidates... and the waters start to get murky about just what is on this list!
Oh, they have the usual unique representations of what forms an ideal candidate.... but there is also a group of innate attributes that make a good cop exhibit some undesirable peculiarities as far as a society, in general, is concerned!
(Compare this to what the public image portrays!)
1. Cops are control freaks
2. Cops trend toward catastrophic thinking
3. Cops have a sick and twisted sense of humour
4. Cops think everyone is a liar
5. Cops suck at relationships
6. Cops take their jobs way too seriously and as we mentioned before form an "us vs them" mentality!
But, unfortunately, that's not all folks..... there is other stuff lurking in the bushes that society, in general, finds disturbing.... and cops themselves accepts being part of the job!
First of all, cops are by their very nature hands-on, take charge types of people... but this also makes them authoritarian and rigid in their outlook and perceptions!
Along with this goes a tendency toward being a bully and a rebel who lacks social restraints against inappropriate behaviour and revels in actions that get their adrenaline going. (Cops, for the most part, just LOVE fights and car chases... and have a tendency to get very caught up in the excitement of the moment.)
Cops a very judgemental because of the nature of their job... and this often leads to rash decisions that tend toward the physical..... or even violent side!
Also because of the nature of their job most cops have a strong sense of entitlement that will put them at odds with society in general given the right circumstances!
BUT, on the other hand.... it's a tough job that I wouldn't want to do! (Cops, on the other hand, wouldn't want to do anything else!)
WHAT THIS ALL BOILS DOWN TO FOLKS..... is that police departments might want to take a second look at just what characteristics they are looking for in a cop... and try and find a happy medium between the ideal and the reality!
The way I see it anyway!
As a follow-up to our article on how riot cops are removing all personal identity items from their person so that they can't be identified..... I think its time we look at police culture in general and see what needs to be done about it!
First and foremost all the articles on the qualities of a police officer parrot each other with these platitudes on the characteristics that make up a good law-enforcement officer!
Communication skills. ...Compassion & empathy. ...Integrity. ...
Negotiation skills. ...Eagerness to learn. ...Mental agility.
These are all noble skills and character traits but in real life, they have little to do with what TYPE of person becomes a cop!
In case you didn't know it all 'baby fuzz' are given a series of psychological tests (at least here in Canada)to see it they have the inner resources and resiliency to handle the stress of this type of a job...... and if they pass that test...... there is a whole battery of stuff used to determine just how each candidate conforms or deviates from an ideal psychological profile of what makes an ideal cop!
THIS, my friends, is where police departments form an "us vs them" mentality in what they look for in candidates... and the waters start to get murky about just what is on this list!
Oh, they have the usual unique representations of what forms an ideal candidate.... but there is also a group of innate attributes that make a good cop exhibit some undesirable peculiarities as far as a society, in general, is concerned!
(Compare this to what the public image portrays!)
1. Cops are control freaks
2. Cops trend toward catastrophic thinking
3. Cops have a sick and twisted sense of humour
4. Cops think everyone is a liar
5. Cops suck at relationships
6. Cops take their jobs way too seriously and as we mentioned before form an "us vs them" mentality!
But, unfortunately, that's not all folks..... there is other stuff lurking in the bushes that society, in general, finds disturbing.... and cops themselves accepts being part of the job!
First of all, cops are by their very nature hands-on, take charge types of people... but this also makes them authoritarian and rigid in their outlook and perceptions!
Along with this goes a tendency toward being a bully and a rebel who lacks social restraints against inappropriate behaviour and revels in actions that get their adrenaline going. (Cops, for the most part, just LOVE fights and car chases... and have a tendency to get very caught up in the excitement of the moment.)
Cops a very judgemental because of the nature of their job... and this often leads to rash decisions that tend toward the physical..... or even violent side!
Also because of the nature of their job most cops have a strong sense of entitlement that will put them at odds with society in general given the right circumstances!
BUT, on the other hand.... it's a tough job that I wouldn't want to do! (Cops, on the other hand, wouldn't want to do anything else!)
WHAT THIS ALL BOILS DOWN TO FOLKS..... is that police departments might want to take a second look at just what characteristics they are looking for in a cop... and try and find a happy medium between the ideal and the reality!
The way I see it anyway!
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