As far as this thread is concerned, I have to agree with all of the posts here so far including RANDER's...
I beg the indulgence of the forum's participants in letting me share one of my few experiences with officers of the law... BTW, They all turned out to be good experiences fortunately!!!
Way back in 1986, I was coming back from working at night in Manhattan... I got off at the "63rd Drive" subway station in Queens, New York City, NY... As I was walking through the upper most level of the stop making my way towards one of the exit stairways of the station, I encountered two very irate, agressive individuals that demanded money from me... I said that I did'nt have any to spare and the next thing I knew, I was hit in the gut so I started to hit back!!! Well, before I could do or say anything more, I was unconscious only to be awoken by the pressure of someone suturing my face back together again in a hospital ER!!!
Why do I mention this? First and foremost because, if it were'nt for the two of New York's finest that broke protocol and put me in the back of their squad car to rush me to the nearest hospital (St. John's on Queens Blvd.) approximately four city blocks away from the subway station, I would NOT be participating in this forum as I do presently... I would've definitely bled to death at the crime scene because, I had lost over four pints of blood when I arrived at the hospital and I was already "flatlined"!!!
Both of these Police officers (a few of my many Guardian Angels) saved my life - no question about it!!!
As did the talented medical personnel in the ER for resuscitating me back to life!!!
However, I owe these two Police Officers my life for actually breaking their own departmental regulations because according to protocol, they were supposed to wait for the EMT's to arrive so that the EMT's would transport me to the nearest ER and they would provide escort so that the ambulance could get to the ER in the most efficient and unimpeded manner.
These fella's could'nt wait for that because as I later found out, they were both Marine Reservists and they just acted on instinct - PERIOD!!! "TO HELL WITH PROTOCOL!!!" was their exact statements to me and my family afterwards. In doing what they did, they were reprimanded upon arriving back to their precinct by their precinct commander!!! Go figure!!! They helped save someone's life and they were being punished for it??? Not if I or my family could help it because as soon as we found out that the police officers were going to be punished for what they did, we told the precinct commander that he'd better have a good explanation to give the media coverage that would ensue if he was to carry out the repremanding of these two Heroes of mine!!! Needless to say - shortly thereafter, these two officers were the recipients of department commendations instead of reprimands appropriately so!!!
There are also BAD cops too however for the most part, they are the minority thank GOD!!!
After my experience, I'm real hesitant to generalize all cops as being BAD, even though I see some of the reported terrible incidents in the news since then, and I wonder how many have'nt been reported that occurr on a daily basis... I still and will always have the utmost respect for these men and women that choose to serve and protect us on a daily basis!!! The BAD ones well, they'll be sorted out and hopefully sooner than later as was in the past.
BTW RANDER! I'm really grateful that you got your trailer back and considering what happened, in as good of a condition as possible!!! I also do hope that you get your money back for impound fees!!!
Respectfully,
Henry