If you feel the quality of officers has gone down, what is the reason behind it? Could it be that our starting salary is not competitive enough to attract veteran, older officers from other departments? Is it because a certain ex-police chief caused such internal turmoil in the department that a lot of the "good" officers left?
I consider myself, and the guys on my shift, to be good officers. I have friends on other shifts that I have worked with that are also good officers. However, this is a profession where one bad apple spoils the bunch. Just because you had a bad run in with one officer doesnt mean another officer might have handled the situation in the same way. Remember...we have the unenviable positions sometimes to entire a very volatile situation, try to gather factual information from witnesses (and it is strange how 10 people see the problem and no one can relate the same story), and then take necessary action.
I am glad you feel comfortable enough to have a gun, and I pray you have been trained on how to shoot it. But remember...in order for you to use deadly force, deadly force must be presented to you. We have to live by the same rules. And it doesnt matter if you think you are a good shot - I know officers that have shot 1000's of rounds through their Glocks, but when the situation arises with adrenalin, tunnel vision, and the threat itself, it is a whole new ball game.
A comment on the person who got tazed...if the situation escalates to the point where someone needs tazed, we wont take the time to ask if he has any medical conditions that we need to know about before doing so. If he does have a heart condition that is so serious, then he shouldnt be acting the way he is that would prompt an officer to use physical force.
I could go on and on, but, I should get to bed instead. I have court in 7 hours - where I DONT lie....
Bottom line...anywhere you go, there are good and bad people. Life is just like that. But you can be sure I do not know of any cops on our force that plant evidence, use force unnecessarily, or intentionally go into situations looking to treat someone unfairly. If you encounter one, I suggest you go to the Chief or any other Admin with the PD and request the incident be looked into. If we do have bad cops, us good ones would rather have them pointed out and dealt with than have to work side by side with them.