Can I have a job description for officers like in Law and Order?

Do policemen have the right to ill treat honest, law abiding citizens like this?

• Occasionally, citizens experience negative situations involving peace officers. I had such an encounter two days ago, and I want to understand why the gentleman acted in the manner which he chose. I want to respect and understand police officers. Many of you guys and ladies are heroes, and you risk your lives every single day to maintain law and order, and I respect that very much. Thank you for your service and your good deeds in society. I was still quite angry because of the situation yesterday, so I flew off the handle, and went the "heart of darkness" route. I went on the rampage here on answers, and I did not exercise any self restraint. It didn't work very well. I was ranting and raving, using profanity, using a very negative attitude. I was putting down cops, and I was out of control. It is little wonder that I received such a negative response from virtually everyone that answered my various questions. I now realize that I was wrong. Furthermore, I know that I cannot expect to be belligerent and have people still remain civil towards me. Police officers face a very, very stressful job, and you have tremendous responsibilities. You put yourselves in harm's way sometimes, because it is your job. I believe that society and people should appreciate your contributions more. That being said, I fail to understand something. Please allow me to elucidate. I was driving home from school on Monday, when an officer pulled me over. He evidently could not tell that I was wearing my seatbelt, because one of the upper straps was underneath my arm. He used his PA system, and instructed me (prior to pulling me over) to buckle my seatbelt. A few moments later, he pulled me over. The officer was less than courteous to me. Throughout the entire ordeal, I was respectful, polite, and calm. The officer walked up to my door, and asked me "Sir, do you not know how to use a seatbelt?" I explained to him that I normally put the upper strap underneath my arm. He asked for my license, went back to his prowl car, and I waited for approximately fifteen minutes. He returned, and stated "I don't know if you quickly put on the seatbelt right before I pulled you over..." I responded "Sir, no sir. I had the seatbelt on the entire time." He was quite rude, condescending, and cynical. I felt like he was calling me a liar. The officer evidently did indeed have a justified reason for pulling me over, as the right tail light bulb had apparently just went out (I was not aware of this until the officer told me). He gave me a ticket for the light bulb, and a warning about the seatbelt. He rushed off immediately, but before he left, I said "Be safe out there." I was very angry and insulted by his attitude, but I just held my tongue. Was it really necessary for the officer to act so rudely? Please help me to understand something. Was it really necessary for the officer to do his little "bully dance?" Why is it called for to be rude to people like that? Does he hope that people will continue to respect the police when they act so rude, insolent, and condescending? This is just my personal opinion, but I think that acting rudely will create more animosity towards police officers. Isn't this a logical hypothesis? If people were treated with calm respect, I think that it would improve society tremendously. I know that police officers see the nasty side of society on a daily basis. I think that officers actually should be better paid, and better respected, as a general rule. But does the fact that officers have to deal with high stress situations and people who are less than honest really justify acting rudely towards law abiding citizens? Aren't officers setting themselves up for animus when they act so discourteously and unprofessionally? Please elaborate on your response, and I thank you in advance. I understand that cops have to deal with enormous stress, and they are often lied to by people. That doesn't mean that everyone lies to them. It seems like guilt by association. By seeing all of these low lifes and being lied to repeatedly, cops evidently just automatically assume that everyone is lying to them. Is this correct? Is that a logical assumption for cops to just presume that everyone is a liar? With all due respect, I strongly disagree with you if you think that the fact that cops have to deal with scum all the time is a reasonable justification for the cops being rude towards others. Once again, I have a deep respect for peace officers, and I understand that you face stressful events every day. It's part of your job to have to endure really nasty situations. But does that give you the right to act rudely towards the law abiding citizens? How is it fair that you would take out your frustration, aggression, and anger on innocent people? Please help me to comprehend this. Once more, thank you in advance.

• Answer:

  Some people just become big headed when they're in a position where they acquire any amount of power over other people. But also, people can just be jerks. Rude people are everywhere. However, I think cops should always be aware that while in uniform they are representing their department and should always treat people in a dignified manner.