Police officers are a mainstay of American society; you can hardly drive down the highway without seeing several officers parked on the median, partaking in a speed trap.
These speed traps are cursed and despised by many a driver, and not often because of the resulting speed ticket. The fear is because cops can be notoriously rude!
Why Are Cops So Rude?
1. A Position Of Authority
No matter what your opinions of the police are, it is a simple fact that they are in a position of authority above the average citizen.
Positions of authority are infamous for corrupting people and turning them into quasi-authoritarians who expect everybody to respect their demands or face arrest.
Police officers are no exception! Police officers can grow used to their authoritative positions, making them feel a sense of power over everybody else.
2. They Assume Everybody Has A Motive
Part of a police officer’s job revolves around people committing crimes and trying to cover up their tracks or even actively running from the law.
After dealing with these forms of people for so long, an officer can get suspicious of most people, coming across as unnecessarily accusatory towards civilians.
Naturally, this behavior can be considered pretty rude- nobody wants to be accused of a crime they didn’t commit!
3. Cops Are Very Arrogant
Perhaps it is due to their position of authority or any of the various factors that can feed into their ego, but cops are known for having a large ego.
With an ego like a police officer’s, cops can seem very self-assured and arrogant, especially younger cops.
With an arrogant attitude comes a condescending mode of speech that many others do not appreciate!
4. You Are Not A Cop
The police operate in a type of brotherhood- or, at least, that’s what they believe. Police officers believe themselves to be important members of society, at the very top of the ranks.
Because of this, police officers often consider average citizens to be below them- somewhat like sheep to a shepherd. Cops have to protect average citizens, but the citizens are still stupid.
This mentality can lead to a superiority complex in police officers, who see citizens as relying entirely on police officers to maintain order in their communities.
This line of thought can lead to many negative interactions with police officers, especially younger ones who are fresh out of the academy and full of themselves.
5. Low Amount Of Training
Police training and requirements are notably lax, with police not needing anything more than a GED education-wise.
While police academies can vary wildly in quality and results, as a rule of thumb, they are far easier than basic training in the military.
With a force that wants to be treated like they are part of the military, one might find it quite humorous that they require less training!
6. Issues With Anger And Frustration
The stereotype of police officers having anger issues is a long-standing one, but recent research suggests that it has some basis in reality.
One study estimated that one-fifth of all police offers reported feeling angry on the job- this is not a good mentality for somebody regularly carrying lethal weapons!
7. Cops Don’t Know Their Limits
While police officers are supposed to enforce the law, there are many cases where they don’t seem to know it at all!
Many people report having their rights violated by police officers, whether it occurs during an unwarranted search or an unlawful interrogation.
Police officers are supposed to work under a specific set of guidelines. They are intended to protect and serve the public, as their infamous slogan decrees on the side of every patrol car.
However, police officers seem to forget that. Due to their tendencies toward haughtiness and developing a superiority complex, they can forget the rules they are supposed to follow.
Of course, there always remains the possibility that they do not forget the rules and believe themselves to be above them, as many decriers of the police will claim.
However, it is always good to give the benefit of the doubt!
Either way, it is vital to note that cops often flaunt the rules, whether it be regulatory laws or simple rules of engagement.
If an officer gets away with breaking rules for long enough, they can start believing themselves to be above the rules, making them behave less professionally towards citizens.
8. Cops Are Violent
Aside from the news being rife with cases of police brutality as far back as the 1980s, police officers are known for being violent to far more people than just their suspects.
One infamous study found that 40% of cops admit to abusing their families, violent or otherwise.
With cops being so violent towards their families, it can be concerning to think about what they can do to people they don’t know and love.
In many cases, a police officer who behaves rudely is preferable to the alternative.
When a cop is rude to you, they’re likely holding back exactly what they want to do to you- which is likely something violent! A rude cop is just a violent cop waiting to happen.
9. Cops Get Bored
Typically, the more affluent an area is, the lower its crime rate is. In these more affluent areas, police officers may get bored, as they do not have any crime to deal with.
To give these officers an ounce of credit, you’d likely be bored if your job was sitting in a car all day, too!
However, boredom is not rude in itself- many people get bored. The issue lies in bored cops nitpicking laws and taking their boredom out on civilians.
A bored cop may pull over a driver for an innocuous reason, just to give themselves something to do.
The driver may get confused about why the officer pulled them over, and the police officer will respond rudely, as their perceived authority means they don’t like being questioned.
10. They See Too Many Cases
It would be unfair to give police officers not an ounce of credit. Their jobs can be very dreary, especially in high-crime areas.
While officers posted in more affluent, crime-free cities may get bored, cops in more crime-filled areas will likely be kept busy and even, in some cases, overworked.
An officer in these locations will likely have to deal with multiple major- and potentially gruesome- crimes every day.
After dealing with armed robberies, home invasions, murders, and other horrific things, a cop may be irritated when forced to deal with somebody doing something simple like speeding.
While this workload is certainly no excuse to be rude to the people whose taxes pay your salary, it seems like a compelling reason!
11. People Don’t Like Them
In recent years, public opinion towards police officers has significantly trended downwards.
In the wake of more evident police brutality and political movements such as Black Lives Matter, many people simply do not like the police anymore.
Cops are fully aware of their declining status in the public eye, and many report that it distresses them. When people are stressed, they are more likely to lash out against other people.
This lashing out can result in behavior that is perceived as rude or other consequences that are not pleasant to think about.
To learn more, you can also read our posts on why cops are called 5-0, why receptionists are so rude, and why hairdressers are so rude.
In Conclusion
Ultimately, there are many reasons why cops are so rude. Whether you support the police or not, you have to admit that many police officers can be unnecessarily mean to citizens!
Unfortunately, a lack of police reform means that we are not likely to see any mostly-kind police officers in the future. It seems that the days of your friendly neighborhood guardian are gone!
