I’ve heard stereotypes about America being a police state, but at the same time there are stereotypes about Americans having a lot of freedom. How often do you actually deal with the police?

45 comments

  2. I couldn’t tell you the last time I had an encounter or exchange with a police officer

  4. I am the night clerk at a gas station. The City Police and the County Sherriff comes through daily. A Texas Ranger comes through at least once a week. The vast majority of the time they are getting drinks/snacks or tobacco, but sometimes they are checking on something.

  6. Technically every day since one of my buddies is a sheriff’s deputy and we talk a lot.

    Nice dude, but he’s got ADHD like a motherfucker so if he’s excited about something then he’s definitely someone you end up having to *deal with.*

    Insofar as actually interacting with the police in a law enforcement capacity, I think the last time that happened when I wasn’t the one who called them was like 2 years ago when I got my last speeding ticket.

  7. Last time was when we had to evacuate due to a fire. Time before that was at least 30 years ago when we had a break in.

  9. The last time I spoke to the police when they were on duty was a few months ago when I was the only witness to a coworkers hit and run

    Other then that…I think said hi to a campus police officer last fall as I walked by her and I guess we have a few regular at the coffee shop I work at who come through in their patrol cars.

  11. The last time I had dealings with the police was probably about 3 or so years ago, when I got pulled over for speeding.

  12. Almost never. It’s been more than a decade since I’ve spoken to a police officer other than a border patrol agent when reentering the country. My town does not have a police department.

  13. Hardly ever, last time I got pulled over was for speeding back in college, it was a small country highway through farm land where I was the only car I saw for miles, and after just chit chatting with the guy it ended with him checking my license and insurance card, then he just said “Look, just try to slow down a little bit man, and be safe.”

    That was it.

  14. Not super often but at our place I suppose we deal with them maybe a bit more than the average person. They’ve been nothing but nice to my bf + I though. They know we’re not a problem. One time I offered them a cat. They didn’t take me up on my offer but thanked me anyway.

  15. There are sheriffs in the office I work in who I interact with on a daily since they’re essentially coworkers. Aside from that I dont think I’ve ever really interacted with the police.

  16. Other than seeing them around either driving or in a government building, my last face to face interaction with the police was 2005.

  17. Your average redditor has never lived in a police state and is likely an over-priviledged American with an inferiority complex.

  18. Maybe twice in my life? And by “encounter,” I was pulled over for speeding once, and another time picked up as a teen with a couple friends for being out at 3 am 😂 we were taken to the station and our parents called to pick us up. Hahaha

    I actually went into the station yesterday after witnessing an accident, though, to offer my name and number in case anyone had questions about what happened since I had a front row seat (but not involved).

  19. Twice a year on average, though it tends to happen in clusters.

    Chicago PD are not very helpful, as a general rule.

  20. In a negative way? Almost never. But our police give back a lot to the community. Like today we were out shopping and the police were collecting school supplies for local needy kids. So I do have some positive interaction.

  21. The last time I spoke with an officer was when I received a ticket for speeding 9 years ago.

  23. What do you mean “Deal with”

    We have Sheriffs who patrol around our neighborhood. I was out pulling some weeds and a patrol car went by, and the person rolled down the windows and told me the yard looked nice. We chatted a bit and I asked him if he wanted a drink. Lol offered him a beer. But I had some Cokes in a cooler, and he gladly accepted them.

    Saw another one out patrolling another neighborhood while I was on my bike. I was drinking some water, and they say gotta keep hydrated. And we chatted a bit again. That’s basically it though.

  24. We have a few local sheriffs that we deal with often. They’re great people, community-minded, and very helpful.

    I’ve never, ever run into one of the few “bad apples.” The media likes to present small parts of a whole to make LEOs look bad.

  25. I never really had to deal with the police. Only two times are when I was in fifth grade and we had an officer come in to lead the drug prevention program (it was a huge thing in the 90s and 00s). And another time where I called police officers because I thought someone had broken in (false alarm).

  26. For the average person, you will rarely ever interact with police if you don’t want to. You’ll definitely see them but it’s not like they’re stopping random citizens for small talk. The last interaction I had with one was when I got my catalytic converter stolen a couple months ago and had to make a police report for my insurance claim.

  27. I think the last time I had an interaction with a cop that was talking to me in investigation of a crime was almost a year ago, when I was the victim of a hit-and-run. Before that, it was about two years prior when I got a speeding ticket, and before that it was probably about five years.

  28. In the last 35 years 5 traffic violations, 1 sheriff delivered a summons, a dozen times where feds were either customers or business partners

  29. Almost never. I occasionally drive too fast and might get stopped every couple years….don’t always get a ticket.

  30. I work in a college and have to call them everyday at work as part of our protocols. My interactions at work are positive, but my interactions outside of work have been a mixed bag, and I still feel like I get uncomfortable sometimes when I really shouldn’t.

    My Lyft driver was pulled over for blowing a stop sign. He didn’t have a license and spoke very little English. When the cop went back to his car to phone the station, the guy kept saying that I needed to tell the cop that I was his sister and that I knew him. I said I would not lie to the cop, and the guy kept trying to push it. I was getting really uncomfortable and wanted to get out of the car, but I didn’t know how the police officer would respond to that.

  32. When I worked with the public, maybe two or three times a year. It was a small town, but every now and then we would have someone wander in who was drunk or high. There were also several occasions when drug paraphernalia was found in the parking lot when we opened up. We also turned in lost property, like cell phones.

    ETA: I should add that the cops usually handled the person who was causing problems by telling them they needed to leave. They never arrested any of them on our premises. I can think of couple of cases where they might have arrested the person somewhere else; for example one guy left before the cops showed but they said they had been dealing with calls all over town about the same guy all day.

  34. I used to say hi to the resource officer at school. Since graduating, 18 years ago, I have spoken to on duty cops 3 times. 2x I was involved in a car accident, once as a driver, once as a passanger, and the third time was to pick up my mom from a car accident.

  35. Pretty rarely nowadays. After leaving the gas station I’d say maybe once or twice a year, usually for things like fights at my local bar or reporting drunk drivers. Last time I had an official conversation with a cop was last fall, they were looking for a suspect who had run into our neighborhood and they were canvassing houses.

  36. I work in a government building and the Sheriff’s Office provides security, so I deal with law enforcement all the time at work. The deputies are generally pretty chill.

    Other than that it is not very often. The last time I got stopped for traffic was a while ago and I got a warning but no ticket.

  37. Once and not even directly. I came out to drive home and had a parking ticket on my windshield in highschool. Far from a “police state”.

  38. In college a detective stopped me in the dorm hallway and asked if I could answer some questions about one of my floormates that had weed in his room. I told him no and never heard from him again.

    Never dealt with a cop on any other occasion.

  39. Last time I dealt with the police was 2 years ago to tell them I found the bike I had reported stolen.

  40. Aside from being pulled over for speeding, I’ve only ever spoken to the police to report a crime.

  41. In these situations I’m the one harassing the police.The last time was a couple years ago. There was an illegal campsite that I knew about, so I showed the parks dept and local police where it was. Before that there was a bit of a kerfuffle when I reported a campsite to the parks dept and they told me to call the police. I’d did, and they gave me the run around saying there was nothing they could do. So emails went out, and a city councilwoman who was a former member of the police dept got involved, problem was solved. I’ve had arguments with police before this, some guy was tearing up park property and they said there was nothing they could do because it’s natural. That time after newspaper articles and getting the mayor involved the police did finally realize that they were allowing vandalism. Seems like every few years they need to be reminded what laws they are supposed to enforce. I know I sound like a real busybody but illegal campfires that damage city parks do happen, and when it’s really dry they are especially destructive.

    I can think of one time I was picking up litter, I had picked up an extreme amount of beer bottles. So, of course, all those beer bottles rattling together came to the attention of a couple of cops. They thought I had been drinking and were going to give me a ticket. Really guys, I’ve got like four bags of beer bottles, my dog, a walking stick, and I’m the one they think needs policing? I soon set them straight but I had a good laugh about that one.

    Another story, recently sitting in the livingroom with the front door open one night, I hear the police ask if I’m in trouble. Hmm, no I’m fine. So they went next door, I guess my neighbors had called the cops on each other. One guy was being too loud I guess. I hadn’t heard a thing except some laughing.

    From my perspective, the police do a good job and they don’t bother me at all.

  42. Rarely. Professionally, I think less than five times.. at least one due my husband being in an accident and me needing to get to the hospital ( I don’t drive). Once because somebody threw a brick through my window.

    When they provide security for our local 5 Ks and community events, it’s a quick acknowledgment of their presence.

    Don’t be an ass, don’t break the law, and generally be a decent human being, and law enforcement leaves you alone.

  45. OP you’ve said you are Canadian (as your sn also reflects), did you catch what went on with the truckers a few months ago, out your way?

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