Last night I watched the TV show "COPS" for the first time in many years. A couple of incidents really struck me.
One officer in a patrol car said it was a slow night, which gave him a chance to do other kinds of law enforcement. He almost immediately hit the lights for a car with a burned out license plate lamp. He approached, asked the young guy driving for license and registration, then asked if he'd been drinking, or if there were any weapons or drugs. The guy answered no, no and no. The cop asked if he could look in the car. The guy said no, and gave his reasons. The cop asked again. Then he said the guy looked like he was stoned, and told him to get out of the car. He then questioned him and in very short order the guy was in cuffs on the curb and the officer was searching the car. Funny how that works.
In another incident, deputies went to a guy's house. They knocked on the door and called his name. He didn't come to the door. A neighbor woman came over to get her child. When the kid came to the door, the cops saw an adult in the house and walked in. They didn't ask permission. One of the guys in the house went to light up a cigarette, and the cop told him not to light it. Huh? It's the guy's house.
In both cases they got the guys on legitimate charges, but the way they went about it leaves a bad odor. It's really reached a point where I don't like cops.