Policecops

If only they were really like this, but they're not. I spent years actively hating the police, but they probably do serve a purpose. According to a friend who worked in a womens' shelter, they're the main reason most domestic disputes don't end in bloody murder, which is something to be grateful for. I've never been particularly helped by their presence, nor have many of the people I know. There's the rule of law aspect of having a police force that I must have benefited from somehow, but mostly there have been fines, po-faced lectures, shrugs at inquiries into if they'll find my stolen property, or if they'll look for those guys that started the fight. And these are the positive encounters. I've also been fined unjustly, detained for no reason, pushed around, threatened with violence, and once pulled over because they thought I might have been speeding if they weren't there. In Rio they arrested me for a bribe, when I didn't have any drugs, they offered to arrest a dealer and get me some.
It's a problem of consistency, mostly. I just don't know what to expect. I'd much rather they either always fined you, always gave you a lecture, or well anything really, as long as they always do it. It's just the reasonability, the discussions only work if both parties are of sound mind, and even if I sometimes am and can discuss things calmly, I can't be sure of that, and neither can they.