Let's only pay them minimum wage and see how many do still do it.

Where did this illusion come from that a cops life is at risk every second they're on the job?

Reading comments itt you'd think that cops wake up and walk to a foxhole to get shot at for 8 straight hours.

If the vast majority of cops are good I'd also be willing to bet a vast majority of cops have never risked their lives to save someone else. Guess it depends on how you quantify the "risk" that they take writing traffic tickets and responding to domestic disturbance.

Engineers in charge of making sure bridges don't collapse save more lives annually.

FTR I don't hate all cops. But fuck this "they risk their lives every day so yours can be better" bullshit.


EDIT: Milo beat me to it. Shouldn't have packed a bowl in the middle of typing.

commercial fisherman are 6.4 times more likely to die than police officers over past 3 years.

If you try to hug a lobsterman tomorrow he'll try to convince you he should have his own reality show.

If someone posted a thread about a young construction worker (or any other profession) that died tragically, I promise I would still be in that thread saying "That's incredibly sad. RIP". How many people in ANY OTHER profession die violently at the hands of other people as a part of their job, though? Most of us go to work everyday--including construction workers--and NEVER have to worry about some crazy person shooting us or stabbing us just for doing our job. I'm sorry that some of you can't seem to make that distinction. I'm sure if a cop died accidentally, nobody would make a thread for them anymore than they do anyone else. It always sucks when people take the lives of fellow humans and it strikes a cord with most people.

 

Originally Posted by ECUgirl

If someone posted a thread about a young construction worker (or any other profession) that died tragically, I promise I would still be in that thread saying "That's incredibly sad. RIP". How many people in ANY OTHER profession die violently at the hands of other people as a part of their job, though? Most of us go to work everyday--including construction workers--and NEVER have to worry about some crazy person shooting us or stabbing us just for doing our job. I'm sorry that some of you can't seem to make that distinction. I'm sure if a cop died accidentally, nobody would make a thread for them anymore than they do anyone else. It always sucks when people take the lives of fellow humans and it strikes a cord with most people.

Most of the LEO deaths cited for the year 2006 occured in the category termed "non-felonius deaths". In other words, their deaths occured on duty, but were the result of an accident, rather than some "crazy person shooting or stabbing them." In fact the ratio was almost 2:1 accident over felony. Just because someone is not worried about being stabbed or shot, does not mean there are not legitimate risks involved in ordinary everyday careers. I await the ECUgirl thread about the next window-washer who dies when his scaffold collapses, or the ditch digger who suffocates when the trench he is in fails.

 

Originally Posted by Milo

Most of the LEO deaths cited for the year 2006 occured in the category termed "non-felonius deaths". In other words, their deaths occured on duty, but were the result of an accident, rather than some "crazy person shooting or stabbing them." In fact the ratio was almost 2:1 accident over felony. Just because someone is not worried about being stabbed or shot, does not mean there are not legitimate risks involved in ordinary everyday careers. I await the ECUgirl thread about the next window-washer who dies when his scaffold collapses, or the ditch digger who suffocates when the trench he is in fails.

In case you didn't notice, this thread is not about a cop who died as a result of an accident, it's to show respect for two deputies who died violently at the hands of a suspect while they were simply doing their job. If Slugger made a post about a cop who died accidentally while on duty, you might have a point here. I haven't seen anyone make a thread like that, ever.

Yes this was about two troopers who were killed by a coward. I'm sure that some of the haters may even have a problem admitting that but it seems an appropriate description of someone who shoots two people in the back. Not sure about the percentages of deaths per number of people in the industry in the fields mentioned above. I never posted that being a police officer was the most dangerous job. I said that people should thank the people who do it because they actually do make the streets a safer place. Sure there are bad cops, just like there are bad _______ (fill in the profession or job). That's because these jobs are done by humans Some good, some bad. I cannot believe that anyone would actually argue that the police don't make society safer. There are a ton of examples of how safe the world is when law & order breaks down. (LA during any riot. New Orleans during the days of Katrina. Parts of the world where the government has failed i.e. Somalia, parts of Afghanistan and Irag during the last ten years)

These two guys were simply doing their jobs when an idiot shot them in the back. The deaths were senseless and tragic I never said they were the most senseless or most tragic. I just believe that the people who say fuck the police, have it wrong

The guy slipped out of handcuffs and shot them with a gun he had on his person?

Not to disrespect the dead but it doesn't sound like they were killed for "simply doing their jobs". It sounds like they were killed because they did their job a little too simply.

Seriously. This is two reports in as many weeks of a guy who was cuffed in the back of a police car and was able to somehow reach a gun that he still had on him. Is it standard to be able to hide a gun that easily when you've already been(presumably) frisked AND cuffed?

For 2011

Total Line of Duty Deaths: 173

9/11 related illness: 6
Aircraft accident: 1
Animal related: 1
Assault: 5
Automobile accident: 35
Drowned: 4
Duty related illness: 7
Explosion: 1
Gunfire: 67
Gunfire (Accidental): 5
Heart attack: 11
Heat exhaustion: 1
Motorcycle accident: 5
Stabbed: 2
Struck by vehicle: 4
Training accident: 1
Vehicle pursuit: 4
Vehicular assault: 12
Weather/Natural disaster: 1

Read more: http://www.odmp.org/search/year?year=2011#ixzz25FoQRO3q

Police Patrol Officer - U.S. National AveragesBase pay only10th%25th%75th%90th%$34,217$41,853$59,277$67,503

You're not done yet! These numbers are only an average for all Police Patrol Officer jobs in the United States. Many factors can effect the salary you should expect. Please try our FREE Advanced Salary Calculator to narrow down this range and see exactly where your salary should fall.Begin by selecting your location:Zip CodeState/Metro
The median expected salary for a typical Police Patrol Officer in the United States is $50,241. This basic market pricing report was prepared using our Certified Compensation Professionals' analysis of survey data collected from thousands of HR departments at employers of all sizes, industries and geographies.

Okay, so if we assume that they are using the word "median" correctly, then I would say that constitutes "well-compensated".

Thanks, by the way, for posting the data.

Unfortunately, I can only find data for total "sworn officers" up to 2008. But, if we assume the numbers remained static (which I doubt), the odds for a fatality are over 4400:1 for the year.

 

Originally Posted by Milo

Yes, they do . . . but that is not what I have been saying.

i dont think i said you did

Not sure if you'll see this or not, Milo, but I have less of a problem with your comments than the ones that were blatantly disrespectful and mean-spirited. I disagree with you, but you made your points in a respectful way. I didn't get the impression that you're anti-cop. But honestly, there is nothing wrong with showing sadness at senseless death and expressing thanks and respect for people who do a very difficult job. If that's not for you, then maybe you should avoid these threads in the future.

When I google police brutality a link to the wikipedia of my local police department is the 2nd result

Wonder why I'm not a bigger fan...

also, LAPD starts at 45k for somebody with a HS diploma and the avg salary for officers in LA (including sheriff) is 84k

I guess things are different here, because cops here start out making about 28K. It sounds like it depends on where you live.

Is 45K a good salary for LA? I know it's not that great a salary here (it's what I make) and the cost of living here isn't near what it is in LA.