Good Cop Bad Cop

grammie, atc, any I missed, thank you! Means a lot.

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20 years and 1 month ago, late at night, we pulled into town ahead of the moving van. Went to our new business location. Place had been abandoned for many months. Before my key hit the lock, local cops pulled up.

I introduced myself as the new owner, and praised their alertness, noting it to our trio of youngsters. Good way to start our new life, I thought. Even in Chicago, I had told the kids, turn to a cop if there's trouble.

Later, a bully cop was in our place, and slapped cuffs on my 10yo son as a 'joke.' Cop was armed, I was not, and I tried to be all haha polite, but it was the one time I ever wanted to punch a cop. Jerk got in trouble later. Wasn't even a modern steroid thug type cop, just an old-fashioned swaggering bully.

But at least it happened when my kids were about the right age to start moderating the idea that Mr Policeman is Your Friend. (Our business for a while served a lot of young folk, and we had a lot of cooperation from very good cops.)

That was before Officer "what's that smell?" Green frisked me & searched my car. (Long-winded story linked in nic.)

My last significant cop encounter (just a turn signal burned out, no ticket) was with a steroidal, hyper-grim, grilling-me highway patrolman. No problems, really, I marveled about all the cop computer stuff filling the front seat, but his manner made my skin crawl; he was not the Smokey of my youth; different breed, and not better.