Reply #12: i was a career cop, spooky 3, [View All]

[jukes]

& here's a perspective:

police departments are inherently conservative and overly cautious. they also tend to base their defense of budgets on numbers. rape cases are often hard to win, and the numbers look better if you can categorize them as a "false report" rather than a failure to "clear" the case. hence, i have heard police dissuade victims from
pursuing a prosecution. the same applies to domestic violence cases, o/c.

additionally, the profession is overwhelmingly populated by men, especially men of mediocre intellect and education. (i had 1 psychologist, during the "psych eval" phase of recruitment, try to talk me out of applying to the department because i was "obviously to smart too be a cop".)

most departments rely on networking in their hiring practices, despite what they may say about "merit examinations". there's *always* a subjective component, usually board-interview, that weighs heavily in hiring. people that might "make waves" are rejected. people that can be vouched for by a "hook" or "rabbi" get hired.

given the culture and mediocrity of the police community, it's unsurprising that "false reports" applies more to the departments than it does to rape victims.


at 43, i retired. i was still quite capable of performing my duties and really loved police-work, but was unable to take the politics and hypocrisy of the job any longer.