"(PeteCresswell)" wrote in message
...
Per John Doe:
I would bet that the percentage of bad cops roughly parallels the
percentage of bad people.

I would agree - with emphasis on "roughly".

I'm guessing police work attracts a certain percentage of unsuitable
people just as fire fighting attracts pyromaniacs and child care
attracts pedophiles.

I tend to be a little suspicious when I hear about a guy who "always
wanted to be a cop".

Possibly an overreaction, but it's been in my mind ever since I read
about a NYC cop who became Policeman Of The Year or somesuch. The
question was "Why did you become a police officer?" and the answer was
"I was out of work and they were hiring."

OTOH, there's Serpico who, by all accounts, always wanted to be cop and
turned out to be an exceptional one.

My son will be entering the NYPD Academy next month. He didn't alwyas want
to be a cop but looked into it and decided that it interested him as a good
career. I honestly wonder how he will fare as he is not one to put up with
police abuse of citizens rights and Lord knows what happens to cops who
expose the wrongdoing of other cops.