"WilleeCue" wrote in
:

First, the job is reasonably safe. OSHA cannot insure that a 1500 HP
motor, driving 2 stages of compressors, will not throw it's coupler with
disastrous results when a compressor fails. It has thrown them through
walls, the motor subsequently catching on fire. Heavy industry utilizes
complex and potentially dangerous equipment as a requisite to their
function. The circuit breakers for the 13800 volt equipment are the size
of a refrigerator. Why don't police just insist of their supervisors
that their jobs be made safe?

Concerning your second premise, from listening to the police radio, and
with Pittsburgh suffering budget problems and police force cuts, I have
seen calls go for half an hour before they have someone to dispatch to
the scene (a recent call, the first responders from the fire department
had come across an accident of a pickup truck hitting a car, and the
pickup driver fled by foot. The fireman notified the police on the radio
that the perpetrator was running down so and so, but the police replied
that they had no units. 20 Minutes later, the fireman called the police
again and was informed that there were still no units. Finally 30
minutes later a lieutenant came in on the issue and finally arranged for
a car to be sent). Even calls with violence, such as violent domestics,
have had to wait 15 minutes or more before a unit is available. In a
twist on your issue about calling the police, if I was at home and heard
a noise, I get the gun first, and then call the police next. Home
invasions are increasingly common here, calling the police will get
nothing but someone to write up the report.

Examine the public servants at Columbine that hid outside while students
and a teacher bled to death.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2001/...in286144.shtml

or he oops, one of those forgivable police shootings?

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/m...20020109.shtml

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2001/...in322513.shtml

Where was that bravado that you speak about?

Police, they are no better than the rest of us. They have made a career
choice, hopefully they honor their choice by working in a dignified way.

By militarizing the police, they are distanced from the citizens that
they supposedly "serve". Some time ago, in a story on Waco, it was
pointed out why local police should handle such issues, not Federal
lackeys. Since the local police have to live with the local populations,
their actions will be tempered by their desire not to alienate
themselves from their communities. Federal lackeys have no such fear,
they go home when the "objective" has been achieved.

Few of you seem to find any fault with the police, or in worshipping the
police in a manner that people have been taught to worship soldiers. (By
this I mean driving people into a patriotic fervor). As I have posted
earlier, blind fervor is easily exploited by those in power. That's why
I say to "support" the police that honor the job and badge, not worship
police collectively. By honoring incompetent police, dishonorable
police, or police involved in criminal activity, you dishonor those
truly deserving "respect".




Yes public servants can quit when faced with possible death and so can
you. The big difference is that they don't!
In private industry you got any brains you would tell your supervisor
that there is a likelihood of you getting injured or killed and refuse
to do the job until it was safe.

If you call and tell the police someone is in your house with a gun
what do you expect them to do?
What would you do if your neighbor called you some night and told you
that? Would you run over there and confront the intruder or would you
tell him to call the police?

I think the big difference is that our public servants are expected
not to avoid or run from dangerous situations.
In industry OSHA demands you stop work if you think there is any
danger of death or injury.

When was the last time you walked into a bank or store thinking you
might get shot?
Every time a police officer in uniform walks in one he damm well
better be thinking just that.

Hope this helps explain just a few of the differences between their
job and yours.

William Lee