[First Published May 2016]
Quite a few years ago, I started collecting “Things Cops Want You to Know” and posting the best online here.

The suggestions I received from the law enforcement community were a colorful mixture of facts, fun and folklore, and they continue to come in.

I also got a lot of comments from people who took exception to what the Cops were saying, or didn’t quite get the tongue-in-cheek meaning of some comments.

If you have something that you want the Cops to know, leave a comment here and the better ones will migrate to the “Official” list.

Note: “You Suck” does not indicate the degree of thought and intellect I’d like to represent here, so if you have nothing constructive to say …

ATTENTION POLICE – You Should Know …

• Please learn the US constitution and your State constitution and abide by them. They are the documents you swore an oath to uphold. It might be tough to accept but those documents are there to restrict YOU not us! They are there to protect us from you. Our freedoms are not supposed to be convenient for you. and a citizen exercising them is not being “uncooperative.” (Fitz)
• If YOU don’t respect your badge, and what it represents, how can you expect others to do so?
• PLEASE – Interact with us the same way that you would like other cops to interact with your parents, spouse or child.
• We know that you have to establish authority, but calling me a bitch or dropping the “F” bomb doesn’t help me respect you.
• As long as we are not physically obstructing you, we have a right to film you when you are performing your duties. Merely making a video of your actions is not an offense and you have no authority to confiscate cameras, phones, tapes or memory cards without a warrant.
• Some people are jerks and hate cops, but that’s not all of us.
• As a member of law enforcement you are held to a high standard — mere words can’t hurt you, and “Contempt of Cop” is not a crime.
• You are law enforcement, not legislators.
• Scott Says: To the cop that put the message about fighting and not losing, the same can be said for us. When you take an aggressive stance and threaten or impose brutality remember
  1. You might not get paid to lose but most civilians have nothing to lose, especially depending on what you’re there to charge them with.
  2. You may have pretty toys (as you so disturbingly called these dangerous weapons that can cause great bodily harm including death) to help assault us but they mean very little when someone is fighting with heart and for equality.
  3. You may have backup on its way and pissed off but I bet my homeboys could be there faster than your backup and 2x as mad. So think about that the next time you nonchalantly and so light heartily talk about beating a United States civilian.
• A “pat down” is a “pat down” to check for weapons for officer safety. The courts have ruled those are allowed. But a “search” requires a warrant or consent. Unless its obviously a weapon, the unknown lump in my pocket is none of your business, and my refusal to let you search is my RIGHT.(Grant F.)
• When I am pulled over for going 4 miles over the speed limit (that is my bad). My passenger’s identity is of no concern to you. Unless they look like a person of interest, and you can prove it in a court of law.
• My asserting my RIGHTS does not give you probable cause to violate them. Ask officer Howell in St Helens and trooper Oxenrider with Oregon State Police how that worked out for them. (Grant F.)
  On a related note, Elizabeth Says …
  Please stop thinking that refusing a search/not permitting you to do whatever you just casually asked about makes us guilty. It doesn’t.
  Using the old, ‘well if there’s nothing there then you shouldn’t have a problem with it’ is only designed to verbally insinuate guilt.
  You have a job to uphold the law, and civilians have the job to uphold our constitutional rights without manipulation or assumptions!”
• Rather than escalate a situation, speak calmly and clearly if you want cooperation.
  Screaming at people doesn’t make them understand you better, instead it causes them to block you out. (Paulo)
• Just because you stopped us because you profiled us, [don’t feel as if you must] give us tickets or warnings to cover it up. Be pleasant, thank us and be on your way.
  We’ll respect you more for respecting us than if you penalize us for having done nothing but drive a crappy car. If we cant afford a better car, we cant afford a ticket we didn’t earn. (Christine)
• Remember our lives and jobs suck too. Badgering us with interrogating questions when we’re just having a bad day doesn’t engender our cooperation or courtesy.(Paulo)
• I know not all cops are bad and most of you conduct yourselves professionally and courteously. However, I cannot distinguish you from the bad cops at first glance so the only safe thing for me to do is assume you’re a bad cop. (Bruce)
• Zarathustra adds: The tone of your comments (Things Cops Know) sets the tone for your interaction with the public, it’s generally borderline hostile and intolerant. We get it you’re great and carry a great burden for 30k a year. Also, blasting your radios at full-volume at a public restaurant is annoying and in poor taste.