Fort Myers Police Reiview Website and Forums

[hiknapster]

I have always found a police presence to be extremely reassuring. But I would expect them to know how to catch the bad guys and not take such obvious delight in intimidating good, decent, law-abiding people.

You were stopped for no reason and that felt good? Did you change lanes when you were suppose to? That is an actual law, by the way. You have to move over for emergency vehicles if they are pulled over. Of course, you are suppose to if you are safely able.

[mike810]

I see where you are coming from saying its reassuring. However, I still don't appreciate being harassed. Intimidation, harassment, and/or violence, is not the way to go, there are many other ways for them to show their authority.

[TannerBoyle]

Originally Posted by mike810

I see where you are coming from saying its reassuring. However, I still don't appreciate being harassed. Intimidation, harassment, and/or violence, is not the way to go, there are many other ways for them to show their authority.

Like how?

[kroeran]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

But I would expect them to know how to catch the bad guys and not take such obvious delight in intimidating good, decent, law-abiding people.
.

I suspect that most people who get into trouble with the cops are giving them attitude, assuming they are not already poking the beast with dress and facial hardware that says "up yours to the man. "

When I am pulled over or at customs, I signal with my words, body language, and facial expression, respect for what they are doing, and on a more personal level, respect for the pain in the butt they may choose to be for that particular interaction.

We all have an innate animal need for power, control, to dominate and to feed our ego. You do not want to become part of that cops daily requirement to feel like a man by beating on you, physically or otherwise.

Same goes with an encounter with punks...no eye contact, apologize if you accidentally brush them, back down if challenged with words.

Life has two sides, the side of chaos, law of the jungle, and the side of order. Eventually you have to choose sides and reflect this in deed and costume.

When an overaggressive cop pushes my button, I like that, because he is MY cop paid with MY tax dollars enforcing the will of the man, and I am the man.

[hiknapster]

It's funny. On a forum, it's difficult to really know who you are responding to. If you met me, you'd realize that I already know all that. I'm sure that your words will help the younger or less mature that haven't figured out life yet, though.

I imagine that's why I wasn't getting tickets! They're looking for that one person that they can get going. It was never going to be me. Once again, I was a reporter for many years. I know how to handle them. In fact, up north, most were my friends. My mother retired from CT The Department of Corrections and my father worked for NY for awhile.

[kroeran]

yes, my words were more for the original poster

with your reporting background...can you advise

is there any room for freelancing articles to the local newspapers?

I am thinking along the lines of local personal interest stories and maybe getting $50 once in a awhile...or do they stick entirely with in-house pros?

[hiknapster]

Good question.

The last year I worked was 1996. Newspapers, for the most part, have been bought up by big corporations. The daily that I worked for was owned by the same family for about 150 years. They sold it to The San Francisco Chronicle.

They bought it merely to make money. There used to be two editions, so they slashed it down to one. That was very common back in the 80s. They slashed the staff in half. Eventually, The New York Times bought it.

There are very few small community papers. I'm not sure how large The Daily Breeze is, but I know that there is a gentleman by the name of Taubert who has a local online paper. I don't know if he would pay or not.

I think you are referring to human interest stories. Reporters usually call them fluff pieces. I loved doing those. At one point, that was all I did for a very large area. In my opinion, every person has a story and I would love to be the one to tell it.

If you are very good, perhaps The News-Press would buy your pieces. Maybe not, though, without experience. The truth is that one of the worst fields to go into is journalism and communications. It sounds "fun" so reporters are tripping over each other, meanwhile, they are sounding the death knell for newspapers.

[kroeran]

any job that sounds fun is low or no dollars. Figured that out in my twenties when I put the guitar aside and went back to school to get "trade".

"there's gold in muck" -Baudelaire

I guess if you want to make money, you have to think of the least fun possible in the most disgusting place possible - oh, that describes my job in my home town!

how about dog yard turd removal in Leheigh?

cleaning up foreclosure homes?

road kill removal?