The only people who dislike the police are the people who are always in trouble.. i dont think police get the respect they deserve, they do a wonderful, often dangerous job and do not get the credit they should. I think if you chose to become a police officer then you will be entering into a very good career.. well done and good luck with your future!

also, don't let the authority get to your head. nobody likes a dick cop - and you can still "police" without being a dick, i've met plenty of awesome POs! good luck with it!

I like and respect the job police officers do. I have known some cops that are really good people. I have also met some cops that are major assholes.It is the same in any profession there are good and bad.

Normal people like and appreciate them - go for it, and good luck.

A lot of people have had bad encounters with the nefarious "bad cop." Just be a cool dude, and do your job without being an ass, and nobody will hate you.

I admit I have a bias against police officers, but I wouldn't say that I hate them. I am cautious. Some people do need to be cautious in dealing with them, because racial profiling and abuses of power are very real. Certainly there are good cops who really work just to protect people and there are less noble officers who give the profession a bad name. The problem is that when you meet a cop, you don't know which type you're dealing with, or even what mood s/he is in that day. The key is how YOU behave in your job. Don't let people's feelings about cops be enough to discourage you from becoming one. As with any profession, I would say you should really know what you're getting into. Talk to cops. Volunteer with them if you can. If you are sincere and mean to treat people fairly, then we need people like you, whatever field you choose.

No, your job will be to serve and protect, if you happen to give out a speeding ticket ro two, you will be doing your job, so don't allow the negativity of others destroy your dream, go ahead be a policeman

I am one. The job rocks and the pay is better than most people think. We'd love to have you!

As long as you are making the decision out of a decision to serve and protect and not out of a desire to control and bully, I think we need people like you. Be sure you are prepared to face the dangers. Be sure you have a way to deal with the stress. You will deal every day with some pretty horrible people and that can get inside of you sometimes. I haven't been a police officer, but I have worked with the DJJ, teaching juvenile sex offenders. It can be pretty hard sometimes to shed the sorrow you are exposed to daily and still maintain your humanity. I could only do it three years before it just ground me down. So be sure you are prepared to face the very cruelest part of humanity daily, without coming to believe that that behavior is normal. Most of us aren't like that, but sometimes it can seem that kind people are a bare majority. It took having a child with cancer for me to see again that there are more good people than bad. As to why some people hate police officers, there are two sides to that. Some police officers give the force a bad name. Some police officers want to wear a gun and dominate people. Some are compensating for bad things that have happened to them and they haven't dealt with. Some have been on the job long enough to lose that humanity. They have been ground down by that constant onslaught of man's inhumanity to man. But some folks hate police for their own reasons. Some people have forgotten that to have rights, you must live up to responsibilities. Some want to satisfy their own desires and face no consequences for their actions. They hate the police because the police represent the conscience that they should have, the reins they should pull in on their own behavior.

People that hate cops in general are ignorant. There may be some crooked cops but in comparison to how many good cops there are the percentage is very very low. Its 'cool' to be against authority. What kind of logic is that? While I dont agree with all of the laws we must abide by and I sometimes break them I cant hold that against the cops themselves. They dont make the laws, they just do their jobs. Police have helped me through hard times and have helped crack down on the prostitutes and crack dealers in my neighborhood and I thank them for that. I think its great that you want to be a police. I hope it goes well for you. To tell you the honest truth I wouldn't mind be a cop myself but unfortunetly I wouldn't quite pass the drug test :P

No im going to be a cop when i get out of the military i think its a great job...and uniforms are oh so sexy!!!

Have you seen all the innocent people being killed by cops on the news.. And those are only the reported cases that make the media headlines.

From my profile - prior answers about cops/police: Cops - (MY take) Law Enforcement - http://www.answerbag.com/a_view/2279450 Why are cops on AB criticized and DRed? - http://www.answerbag.com/a_view/2212210 Is it dangerous to be a cop? - http://www.answerbag.com/a_view/2525377 Not all cops are alike (not all are bad) - http://www.answerbag.com/a_view/2794631 Why do people love firefighters but hate cops? - http://www.answerbag.com/a_view/3295987 (with tribute videos)

depends on your location.. in my hometown, cops earn money based on how many people they can pull over and what they're pulled over with.. usually pulled over for nothing but the cops try to find something against you. they also speed and make illegal turns when they're not supposed to.. it's not like they're chasing after someone or some emergency came up.. they do it because they can and they think they're above the law. over here they also purchase illegal drugs.. it's a shame.. and very scary. but generally probably everywhere else you go, they're very nice. the cops in the city where i go to college, they're extremely nice and laid back and understanding...funny too.

I hate them and only a very select few have proven to me I should hold them in a different regard. The why is long and complicated. You're naive to think all they do is try to serve and protect. I thought like you when I was young and didn't know any better. The movies, media, and everything/everyone else always glorified the cops. Yes, depending on who you are, your strength of character, in which country you will be serving, and for which politicians, I think it is probably a bad decision. But follow your dreams, you'll find your way. It isn't usually a very direct path. Maybe you'll end up as a defense attorney or an activist...

they're so cool, just like YOU!

People who say police officers are corrupt or bullies are the same kind of people who generalize about most populations. Asians are good at math, Polish people are stupid, etc. I've worked alongside a lot of cops. Of course there's the occasional bully or the guy who takes his impunity too far. By far, most are dedicated people willing to do what most others won't. These are the men and women who'll walk into your house without hesitation in the dead of night to protect you. (And can we stop with the quota thing? One, it's largely untrue and two, if you're speeding or have faulty equipment you deserve to be pulled over. Period.)

well there is good and bad in every group and when a group's practices tend to make a person more susceptible to corruption like when given the position of power over other people one becomes to think he is better than the common man and begins to abuse power... depends on what you want from life... you can certainly get rich this way and you can certainly die trying

The reason a lot of people hate police officers is because some, not all, but some police officers abuse the power given to them, and they do it often. It's not a bad decision to become a police officer, just try to commit yourself to abiding by your duty to using your power responsibly and fairly.

I don't know what country you live in. But here where I live, the police are very corrupt. In my country, I'd recommend you not to be a police officer.

I don't hate them. Of course it's not a bad decision, just so long as you would make a good one.

I think two groups of people are attracted to being police officers, those who are altruistic and want to help people and those who want to carry a gun and bully people. I respect and admire the former and feel much gratitude for their service. I fear the latter. As far as it being a good choice for you, disturbed, you need to understand that you are going to have to remain calm at all times, no matter what someone does to you. You will be attacked, punched, kicked, shot at, spit upon and generally treated badly by all sorts of people. Can you take that without losing your cool? Can you hold people to both the letter and spirit of the law, no matter how awful they are? Can you deal with it when you do the right thing, and someone gets off on a technicality? Do you have the fortitude to keep doing the work, no matter how tough it is? And do it fairly? If so, then we need people like you. But if you are going to get discouraged and angry and return the bad behavior of others in kind, then maybe you'd better find something else.

No, you'll be a hero!

Being a cop is hard. I suggest going on ride alongs to get to understand the job better. I'd also say a trip to the morgue is needed. Had a friend that got his BA and payed his way through the acadamy, only to find out he couldn't deal with corpses. Needless to say his career was short lived.