Oh, Officer Benny, how many nasty handcuff fantasies did you inspire? He used to cruise by my bus stop at 5:15 every weeknight, grinning big and making googlie eyes. He stopped one evening to warn me to be careful, since the #43 stop was next to a notorious dive bar. If I hadn't had a boyfriend at the time, Officer Benny and I would have been "going downtown" together.

Don't forget Lt. John Hayes, who helped bring donuts and social services to the assorted down-and-out people who hung out around Deano's on Madison, selling drugs and themselves.

His GOTS program moved to 23rd & Union when Deano's/Club Chocolate City closed and the "business" (though not the actual people) moved to that intersection.

I can't be the only one disappointed that this did not actually contain any "I hooked up with a hot cop" stories after seeing the illustration!

The Cops Who Checked on a Delinquent

I was the props mistress for a high school production of Fame and had to stay late to finish some pieces the night before Opening. Around 1:30 in the morning two police officers walked through the loading dock onto the stage of our theater and asked for me. The stage manager said I was probably in the production room, but could they hold down a board while they were there. They complied as he nailed something together, then went to find me washing paintbrushes.
As I heard them say my name, my stomach dropped and I expected to hear about something horrible that happened at home. One of the officers told me my dad called in because he hadn't heard from me all day and was worried. I apologized as I went to call home and they laughed as they walked away.

The cop who hangs out at the Wallingford food bank keeps things nice and peaceful among the sometimes unruly crowd of desperate people.

Well, once the DOJ reads these lighthearted chestnuts I'm sure it'll be all, "Well gosh, gee, did WE make a mistake! Carry on SPD!"

king county officer sherman ewing, who drowned back in 1993, was the nicest cop i ever knew. he used to come in to the pizza restaurant where i worked after his shift most nights. the kids who hung around making trouble always gave him a hard time and thought he was a prick, but he was just doing his best to help them stay on track. those shitheads rejoiced when they heard that he died, and i gave them hell for it. he was a good man and a good cop, and him dying was a great loss, for sure. RIP, officer sherman.

Every cop I've ever chatted with in Seattle has been really nice. My favorite two encounters in the city were:

1. Westlake. Some protest or another was going on and there were a TON of cops out. A *TON*. There were like 5 protestors. I asked one, "Whats gonig on? Seems a bit lopsided." He laughed and mentioned it was an anarchist protest and some had smashed stuff up the week before, so they wanted to do a show of force. 40 feet away, one ararchist is screaming something about arresting all pigs. The cop I was talking to mentioned that the screamer actually was a nice guy and pleasantly chatted with him in the past. Reminded me of that only Looney Tunes where the Coyote and Sheepdog check in daily on a time clock to kill each other, then go out for beers and family events.

2. I got pulled over once for a barely-expired out of state license tag on Elliot. The cop asks for the docs, and I explain I had forgotten to update it--it was right after we moved back. He goes away, to look at the rare of the car, and hands me the paperwork back. "That bumper sticker," he says. "Where'd you get it?"

"Which one?" I had two. A "BNL" one for Barenaked Ladies and one that said "REPUBLICANS FOR VOLDEMOORT".

"The Voldemoort one. I really, really need that bumper sticker," he answered. I told him, he got reallty giddy happy, said good night, and sped off to another call. Voldemoort spared me a ticket I guess.

My favorite all-time though is when I was maybe 14, 16, our home was across the street from a junior high school that just got a lot of nice new trees and shrubs that week. It was summer, hot out, window open, late at night on Saturday, and I was wide awake reading--maybe 2am, 3am. I saw a car drive across the school lawn. It was a big Sam Raimi type classic. Guy hops out, and starts tugging shrubberies out of the ground, shoving them in the backseat and trunk. I casually reach over, dial 911, and tell them. The lady says, "Hang on one moment." Hold music.

I hear sirens. The guy stands bolt upright like a groundhog--the sirens are REALLY CLOSE. I'm laughing my ass off now as she comes back on the line. "I saw your address," she says, cackling. "Do you see the officers?"

"Yes," I say. The dumbass was on the other side of the cafeteria, ripping up the bushes, from where SEVEN police cars were parked, the guys outside eating their shift lunch. Two blocked him driving across the lawn, and the others just casually walked over the maybe . I heard one of the cops shout "Nice night for gardening" and the guy just yelled back "Fuck me!" She and I were dying laughing on the phone over this.

It sucked living across from my junior high when I went there, but that right there was worth the headache. Funniest cop thing I ever saw in my life.

Jen, your cop story (which is awesome) ended better than this douchebag's:

http://cars.failblog.org/2011/04/13/funn…

My girlfriend was walking downtown, and sensed that she was being followed by a sketchy-looking, possibly-drunk-and/or-homeless guy, who was mumbling incoherently.

Even as she picked up the pace of her walk, this guy managed to keep up and follow her for a few blocks, until she had to stop at a crosswalk sign. Little did he know that two bike cops were following him as well. Just as this fellow was about to grope her, the cops -in one synchronized motion- jumped off their bikes and tackled the dude. I wish I could have been there to see it. Thank you, anonymous bike cops.

A summer or two ago, I found an iPhone lying abandoned in the parking lot behind my dad's apartment. Nearly all its data had been cleared, but upon calling a number that it listed as having been registered to, I reached a young man who informed me that his place had been burglarized. (He'd been intending to sell his phone, which was why the data was wiped from it.) I met up with him at the local police station and gave my statement to a few cops, who were friendly and professional. After giving them the details of where I found the phone, and my reference to a few neighbors who'd told me they'd seen the guy who dropped it, I went about my business.
Apparently they caught the guy, who had also burglarized a few other residences and attempted to rape a young woman. It felt good to see the cops getting things done. Thanks, Evanston Police!

At a New Years Eve party I had - eh hem... 1999 - one of the "guests" decided to set off a PVC pipe bomb. Not the Unibomber kind but more like the basic make.your.ears.bleed sort. I was told someone was setting off a bomb and I ran out to the driveway to find wires leading into the street to a small cylinder device and those wires were just touching the car battery of a Toyota Pickup and... KABOOOOOM! No sooner were the cops coming around the corner and as they got out of the car my best friend started running and one of the officers yelled "STOP!" He stopped and walked back and the officer asked "why the hell are you running" to which he replied, "habit". The cop could barely keep a straight face as I apologized for the behavior of my guests and promised to keep it down. He left us alone with a grin on his face and just told us to chill out. Whew!

Keep em coming folks!! I love these stories!

Deep and profound thanks:

To the cop who decided that a man with a shopping bag full of laptops in Pike Place seemed suspicious, one of which was mine that had been fingered out of the coat room during a work meeting.

To the detective who turned on my laptop, found a copy of my resume, and called me before the meeting had even ended.

Two cops, doing a police-beat sort of thing outside of my boyfriend's apartment building on broadway, the year I moved here (1998) inquired about the music coming from the rooftop. They asked: was there a party going on? Why, I asked, was there a complaint? No, just curious. I invited them up. They were so cool. They didn't accept any drinks, but still seemed to have a good time (not in an off-the-clock sort of fashion). Party lights, pretty girls and dancing guys... fun for all. Wish I'd gotten their names.

Thanks to the cop who didn't charge me with a DUI after I drunkenly totaled my truck. I've been sober since. 16 years.

I was driving up from Olympia during rush hour on an extremely rainy day, driving fast lane when I had a blow-out in my rear tire. I swerved and nearly hit the center median, and only barely was able to maintain control of my car. I was panicking, not sure how I was going to get my car over three lanes of traffic when I see flashing lights and hear the magic words, "Pull over the side, I'll stop traffic." He stops traffic, and I am able to hobble my poor car over to the side. He follows me and I expect a lecture about something, not sure what, I was so freaked out. He just motions me to open my trunk, and without a single word, proceeds to CHANGE MY TIRE in pouring rain alongside the freeway. I was so grateful, and always share this story when people try to tell me that the police are mean and corrupt.

Power corrupts, but altruism and service to others purifies. It's nice to read stories of the other side of that spectrum.

Steve Leonard is my officer of the decade. He was the officer who responded to the shots fired March 26th 2006, 'the capitol hill massacre'. A medal doesn't even begin to describe what I, and about 90% of my friends, owe this guy. His quick response, his words meant more that day than he will ever know. Thank you Steve, thank you.

In 2001, back in my young, radical, and idealistic days, I was in an immigration reform protest walking down some downtown street (I think it was 2nd Avenue, but it was a decade ago, and I can't remember). The idea was to march from Capitol Hill down to the then-INS detention facility in the International District. We had our share of anti-authority cheers, many of them vulgar, many of them not at all police-friendly.

And yet, we were flanked by Seattle police, guarding the protest as it went through the streets. Along the sides were a few bike cops. I distinctly remember one of them at points ringing his bike bell in line with our cheers, and smiling at us.

It left a distinct impression on my 19-year-old know-it-all brain--that the cops were people, too.

I'm now in Toronto, and just a few days ago, I was walking home from work to my apartment in the Village (the gayest gaybourhood in North America). Six giant bears, all Toronto Police officers, in uniform, were standing at Church and Maitland. Two of them were waving rainbow flags, and all of them invited me to stop and have barbecue, a fundraiser for the Toronto Police LGBT Youth Bursary.

Oh! And one more:

All my thanks to the Tampa police officer(s) whose name(s) I'll never know, who finally arrested my brother for DUI. It was his fifth time getting caught, but the first time he wasn't able to talk his way out of it.

He's been clean since. The 10 days in jail really scared the shit out of him and got him to get help. It's altogether possible my brother would be in dead right now had you "just let him off with a warning".

@25: Well, I always do like to shop in happy stores...

I'd like to thank the Madison, WI police officers who refused to arrest protestors occupying the WI capitol this Winter/Spring. My favorite story comes from a friend of mine who was staying overnight in the capitol. One of our esteemed Republican state senators comes in early in the morning, escorted by two officers; a group of people, including my friend, is camping out in front of his office, blocking the door. Mr. Senator is already visibly unhappy with the situation, and, upon being unable to enter his office, he begins shouting at the protestors to get the fuck out of his way, go home, etc. After they don't listen to him, he turns to one of the officers and insists she arrest the protestors. She looks at him, gives a short laugh, and says simply, "No."

I'd also like to thank the Milwaukee police officer who arrested the woman who bumped and pushed me with her SUV because she wanted to make a right turn and I was crossing the street, in a crosswalk, with a walk signal, during a protest (which was, admittedly, slowing down traffic, though not stopping it). The funny bit was how angry she was with the cop; apparently she was under the impression that it's okay for her to hit pedestrians with her car if they're in her way when she has somewhere to be.

I used to provide night time street health care to women who did street prostitution in downtown Toronto. Wendy Leaver was someone who believed in protecting the women and men who worked downtown, even if their jobs weren't legal. She took reports in professionally, she let us know descriptions of bad johns, she treated people with respect.

I really love this story. And the sentence "Because being good at your job is never breaking news."

I suspected I was pregnant and it was confirmed when I did this stupid-ass hormone-addled thing: screamed at two South Philly contractors that they weren't allowed to dump construction waste in the apartment complex dumpster across the street. I kept yelling as I called 911, and the officers who showed up were so respectful and patient - both with me and with the contractors as they called up the complex owner, their boss (ahem, my mistake), who had told them to go ahead and use the dumpster.

The female cop told me that it was great to be a good neighbor and aware of what was happening on my street, but that challenging two large guys to their faces was potentially not in my best interest. I hear you, ma'am, and thank you.

It was nice seeing all the Police Pipe Band members in Fremont last night, drinking pitchers of hard cider at the Red Door.

Thanks to the cop who showed up when that drunk guy broke in my front door at 2 am. Very professional.

I would like to extend my thanks to the empathetic SPD officer who gave me a written warning and his sincere congratulations on my very-visible pregnancy (instead of a well-deserved speeding ticket) when he pulled me over on Lake City Way a couple of weeks ago.

I'm HORRIBLE at remembering to renew my tabs. I have gotten at least 5 tickets for it. This is tiny, but meant a lot to me. I was at the Dr's office and my appt went long, so my meter expired. I walked out to my car, and sure enough, there was a parking cop writing a ticket for the car in front of me. When I got to my car, it hadn't been ticketed yet, thankfully, but the officer turned to me and said, "Hey, I noticed your tabs are expired. There's a tab renewal place two blocks up that is still open for another half hour, so you can fix that right now if you have time." I thanked her profusely for the reminder and directions, and especially for not ticketing me for it. You bet your butt that I went directy there. I really appreciated the helpful attitude from a parking cop.

I love OFFICER BENNY @ Garfield. Providing safety & guidance for the nearly 2000 people that enter the school every day. I have seen him check in with kids, urge them to do better, laugh & joke... and give the stern eye. As a Bulldog mom, i feel better knowing he is there with our community.

On my 21st birthday, I was stumbling home when a strange man started following and harassing me-he kept saying things like he "was going to tap that ass whether I liked it or not." A cop on patrol pulled over and not only questioned the man, but gave me a ride a home. Even though I was obviously highly intoxicated, he just checked my id, wished me a happy birthday, and drove me right to my door.

I'd like to thank the Bellingham cops who were so easy on college kids lifestyle violations (skateboarding down Railroad Ave in traffic at high noon, walking the dog through downtown w/o a leash, skateboarding on WWU campus). Each time you warned me rather than ticketed me, or god forbid searched me, I had felony, although relatively small for pre 9/11 Bellingham, amounts of weed in my backpack. Ranging from 1-4 pounds in per incident. Thanks for letting me skate, no pun intended, I'm a reasonably productive member of society now, and the drug War still sucks-but you know that.

@18 The EXACT same thing happened to me in downtown Seattle a few months ago. I only regret that I was too shaken up to take a moment to get his name so I could send him a muffin basket.

In 2004 I was doing an internship in NYC and was substantially away from home for the first time. I was on my lunch break at a fast food place feeling kind of lost and depressed because I didn't know anyone. A group of policemen was eating near me and one kept making eyes at me and stuff, which was goofy but really improved my mood. When I got up to leave he actually asked for my number. I didn't give it to him (I was kinda lame and got embarrassed... plus he probably didn't realize I was underage at the time) but instead said "Why don't we all just get back to work?" Everybody laughed. It's silly but I've always remembered that as the day I actually started to like NYC a bit! Thanks for the cheering up, Mr. Officer.

I remember being in a POS VW bug that croaked on the freeway, on an extremely hot afternoon, right after we'd been to the grocery store. This was many, many years ago, and the groceries in that car constituted the better part of a week's pay for me, and I was freaking out about them spoiling, the frozen food all melting, etc. A State Patrol officer pulled up behind us, and first took me and the groceries home (even helped me carry the bags in), then went back and took my boyfriend to the auto parts store to get the part he needed to restart the car. Neither of us could afford a tow truck, and we were a good 10 miles from home, so that meant a great deal to us. He definitely went above and beyond that day for a couple of broke college kids.

Oh, and I have to give a shout-out to a friend, Officer Parker, at the Southwest Precinct, who uses her art-school skills to do offender identification portraits that have caught at least two very very bad apples.

Thanks to those diligent police officers who patrolled and protected Greenwood during the outbreak of arson that really terrorized a neighborhood. Thank you for listening to us during community meetings, reassuring us, and finally nailing that lunatic!

This thread is making me happy.

I was wandering around my hometown, walking from home to school, ten years after I graduated. Officers showed up - apparently, there had been a rash of break-ins in the neighborhood, and someone had called me in as suspicious. The responding officers were very professional, and had the decency to be embarrassed about the whole thing; in the end they gave me a ride to the school.

A few years back, I was helped by the Sheriff's office when I had some identity theft. The deputies who initially responded to my call were helpful, and the detective who worked on my case was very accessible. He gave me his personal cell number in case I ran into more information regarding my case, and he kept me updated as he worked on the case. A couple of months later, the criminals were busted, and it turned out that they had victimized many people.

I,persnaly like to give props to the po-po on broadway walking the beat: after my father passed away(over a year ago),i was left with his belonings,one of his belonings was a GUN(i did not have a gun licence so it was illegal for me to possess one)...anyway,i was sitting up on broadway drinking coffee when i saw two cops walking the beat, so i decided on takeing a chance on asking them what to do with my fathers GUN(i was fucking scared if i told them i have a gun without a licence,they could arrest me,if i did nothing one day i could get busted by the cops and if they get a warrnt to search my pad...)SURPRISNLY...the cops told me where to dispose of the GUN!!! no arrest,no questioning,no harassment whatsoever!!! i am glad that SOME (Unfortunely not all...)cops in this state are nice and i hope to see more... Oh one more thing... i am going to get a gun licence so this NEVER Happens again...just in case... don't get me wrong, im just trying to be a upstanding cidzen, but who the fuck is these days?

We were 16, and it was a few hours after my best friend had gotten the news that her parents were getting a divorce because her father had had an affair. She was inconsolable, and all she wanted to do was drive around and cry so she wouldn't have to go home. I wanted to be a good friend, and after she'd declined my carefully worded offer to take over the wheel and started sobbing again, I dropped it. But I was starting to get worried about us getting into an accident, when we got pulled over. Thank you to the officer who noticed her distracted driving despite the fact that she wasn't speeding or swerving. Thank you again for spending a full 20 minutes being the compassionate authority figure that not only convinced her to let me drive us for the rest of the night, but got her to see what I hadn't: that right now her life sucked, but it wouldn't feel like this always, and she should be careful to not sabotage her future just because she was upset.

Our second child did not sleep for longer than an hour or two for the first 6 months of her life. When she was about 5 months old I was nursing her in the girls' room while my 3 year old ran back and forth between me and my husband in the backyard manning the barbeque. I finally told her to either stay in or go out but quit running back and forth. Fifteen minutes later my husband came in with dinner and I asked where our oldest was. He said she was with me. But she wasn't with me, I thought she was with him. Long story short, we couldn't find her. We searched the house, the yard, the street in front of our house and the alley behind our house. She was gone. I called 911 and within minutes there were 2 cops in our house and I could see 4 - 5 cop cars driving around the park across the street. I was panicked. I remember a woman cop telling me they needed to search my entire house and they needed my permission. Of course, do whatever you need to do but you need to find my toddler. Then I remember another cop telling me that what usually happens with kids that young is that they crawl into a small space and fall asleep. For example, she could be here, and he flips up the down comforter on our bed and there she is sound asleep. I had been stand by that bed yelling for her and she never woke up. All I can think now is how we looked to the cops, two crazy, exhausted parents who can't keep track of their 3 year old. But they were all kind and accepted our thanks and apologies with grace. Thank you for helping us and being so kind with our foolishness. I will never forget.

Another:
17 this time, and driving a different friend home at 3 AM. She'd gotten fed up with always being the perfect good girl while everyone else had irresponsible fun, so I'd offered to be her safe sober friend (but not DD, it was an overnight party) while she tried drinking for the first time. That plan backfired on me when she insisted on going home after having had way more than we'd agreed on, and a state patrol officer pulled me over on the freeway even though I'd been careful not to speed, and I answered his questions as calmly as I could despite literally trembling with panic --"Did you know your taillight was out? Have you been drinking? How much has your friend had?" He could have given me a minor in possession ticket too (because though I hadn't had a drop, under Colorado law I was considered a minor, in possession of a minor in possession, fucked up law I know but it'd happened to a couple upperclassmen the year before), but he let me drive off with just a warning about the taillight.

One more:
We were having a house party. Things were under control, even with a small amount of underage drinking and a large amount of weed smoking and buying happening. Then some rough guys showed up and were trying to start shit, and we were forced to call the cops on our own illegal party. Thank you to the officers who stayed friendly, and efficiently took care of the troublemakers without checking IDs of the few teenagers there or following up on what had to have been a very noticeable smell of marijuana smoke. Thanks SPD. We know a lot of you are good, reasonable people.

Special thanks to the cops who caught me chugging a heffeweizen at Cal Anderson yesterday and simply told me to pour it out, then apologized for having to make me do it.

Where's Charles Mudede's Cops He Has Loved??

Am I the only one totally offended by an article by and about a bunch of white people telling stories of things cops let them get away with?

I know in an era of jaywalk-slap or mexican-piss there are in fact good cops out there, but coming from a class who haven't [yet] fallen victim to SPD brutality, it rings completely hollow to me.

@60 well, put it this way: I'm black, I've never been given a break by the cops. I was charged (and convicted) of reckless driving for driving 65 mph on the freeway (when the limit was 55) and received a 1-year suspension of my drivers license. I was detained for jaywalking once. It's offensive to me for anyone - ESPECIALLY members of the white, middle-and-upper class, educated class to flaunt all the shit they've been allowed to get away with given they already enjoy several privileges they already enjoy. They might as well be the rich kids at the camp across the lake.

Okay Fetish. Every other day, The Stranger agrees with you. If this were a publication that constantly does this, I'd agree with you. However, it's important to point out that police are people too. No one is saying you're not entitled to your views, or that they're not correct, but don't shit all over me because I have one good thing to say about one cop. I'll join you in your protest against police abuses every single time, but I also have the right to say 'thanks' to someone who protected me or helped me out.

I've got two, from Seattle:

The first is ancient, from the late 80's. I had a job in Pioneer Square which sometimes let me out late at night. One night ran especially late, and I was on the street looking for a bus at about 2:30am. Unbeknownst to me, Metro had just switched the northbound night-owl buses one street over (with no signage - thanks guys!) - so there I am, a female-type person, standing at a defunct bus stop in Pioneer Square in the middle of the night. Of course I immediately began to get cruised by all manner of icky male-type persons in their cars. Not having the money for a cab ride to the U-District, and having missed the last night-owl bus, I began to seriously freak out. After fending off the 6th or 7th cruising male (and bordering on panic), I finally managed to flag down a patrol car. The officer was an older guy, alone in the car, and he listened sympathetically to my tale of woe, but sadly explained that he was not allowed to leave his current patrol area, and there just really wasn't anything he could do for me. I freaked out some more. The cop thought for a bit .... then said "Come on, get in. I've got a daughter about your age and I sure wouldn't want her stranded out here at this time of night, either." He Proceeded To Drive Me All The Way Home, to my front door in the U-District, and we had a nice chat along the way. He told me how many years he'd been on the force (over 20), told me that he'd taken a bullet once in the line of duty, and that, if any of his superiors found out how he'd broken the rules to help me that night, they ought to cut him some slack for that reason alone. His name has long since slipped my mind, but his kindness and willingness to help a citizen in distress never will.

This is a long post, so I'll tell the second story in a few minutes.

Second story, December 23rd, 1995:

I was living temporarily with a friend who lived on a very busy street in Greenwood. I'd rented a place in another part of the city, but was delayed moving in by a month, so needed a place to stay for myself and my two beautiful Akitas. Long story somewhat shorter, I was at work that night when the friend called to tell me that both dogs had accidentally gotten out and were running loose through the neighborhood. By the time I got there, one of my dogs was already dead, hit by a car in front of the house. The other dog was safely inside, but two cars had stopped outside the house: the one driven by the teenage girl who had hit and killed my dog, and the one driven by her father, who had been following right behind her.

The father insisted on calling the cops, because he wanted me prosecuted for the dogs being off-leash, and to hold me accountable for the damage done to the vehicle. The responding officer was a very professional, petite female, and she was going back and forth between me, devastated and sobbing inside the house, and the people outside.

After about the third trip she began to get suspicious, told me to hang on, she’d be right back. Few minutes later she comes back in and says “Yeah, they were trying to scam you. I took a flashlight and looked closely at this ‘damage’ they were claiming, and saw rust in the dented metal. Your dog did not cause that, they were trying to get you to pay for damage that was already done to the vehicle.” She was visibly a little angry and I think she’d given that dad some stern words. As I’m standing there wiping my eyes and thanking her, she suddenly hugs me – this tiny policewoman hugging me so tight, I can feel her bullet-proof vest through her uniform. Her professionalism and compassion that night really helped to make a horrible situation somewhat less so, and I'll never forget her righteous anger at that asshole scheming father.

These are my two stories I trot out whenever I hear somebody whining about 'bad cops' in Seattle - yeah, there are some bad cops, but hopefully they are found out and dealt with, and guess what: there are a HELL OF A LOT MORE OF THE GOOD ONES. And I thank them for the dangerous and important work they do every day.

I remember back in '99, a buddy and myself decided to go on a skateboarding road trip. We ended up in Aberdeen the first night because my aunt and uncle had just moved down to Oregon but invited us to stay the night at their place before the renters moved in. We decided to park anywhere downtown and see if we could find some street spots to skate. We only got about an hour of riding around (and finding nothing) before a patrol car pulled up. First thought was that we were going to get harassed and tickets for skateboarding. The officer rolls down the window and says "What are you guys doing down here? This isn't really a safe area for you guys to be at this time of the night." (It was almost midnight) He then tells us to jump in the back and proceeded to take us to the brand new skate park that just opened that day. He let us skate it for about fifteen or twenty minutes before saying that we needed to come back when the sun was up. He took us right back to where I parked my car and said have a great time tomorrow. We went back the next day and ripped the park all day and it didn't even rain.

That officer was beyond awesome and I'll never forget that night.

I like the Seattle cop who opened the door for me at the Space needle.

@19:You tell 'em,ACAB! ("All Coppers Are Bastards" indeed!).Yeah,man;this is The Stranger;not Z Net!

Fuck the polICE:I don't need 'em!Members of my movement police ourselves;we're grown;don't need to be watched by anybody who is good (but all you evil motherfuckers best watch your sorry asses !!!. . .for real . . . )

That's impoLICE!And to all you pig lovers:Remember Lord Acton's famous quote?

Well there are lots of members of different movements that WONT police themselves, 5th columnist. We need police reform, not an anarchist utopia. Never. Gonna. Happen.

A few years ago, a friend of mine had a drug-induced psychotic episode. By day 2 or 3, several of his friends were freaked out enough that we decided to take him to the hospital. We brought him to the ER, from which he tried to bolt, almost running straight into a very busy street. He hardly said a coherent word to any of us. The hospital refused to admit him and after making several phone calls, we learned our only option was to call the police and see if they would get him involuntarily committed-- yuck. When the police came, they were amazingly professional and empathic; they actually managed to get through the psychotic fog and get my friend to go into the hospital voluntarily. Later, the doctor came out to thank us for making sure he was admitted because he was in such bad shape. Those cops were amazing. I wish I had gotten their names so I could have written the department a letter praising them.

Two years ago I was at work when the man who had raped me showed up. When I was first attacked no one believed me, so I never reported it. After my reaction upon seeing him again people believed me. So after work they took me out to calm my nerves. I had a few too many drinks and against better judgment drove home. I was pulled over and arrested for DUI, as I sat in the back of the police car I was overwhelmed and just let loose with my story of rape and why I had been drinking. I was embarrassed about being in that situation and angry that I was the one in handcuffs while the man who raped me was walking around like nothing had happened. I had a long story, and we sat there on the side of the road for a good half hour. He listened to everything I had to say. He even included it in the report. The next day he called me at home and offered his support and told me everything was going to be okay. Then he helped me in court to get counseling for my rape, something that I had never been able to do on my own. Even though I made a horrible choice to drink and drive and I very thankful for the outcome.

Driving across America. Ran out of gas on some lonely, long stretch of secondary highway while looking for a campground for which we'd seen a sign. Friend and I crashed out in the car. Cop woke us up, put us in his car. Left us in it, with my friend in the front seat with a rifle on the rack and keys in the ignition. Found the secret key to the closed gas station, filled up a can. Back at our car he said "follow me". Led us to the campground and used his spotlight to help us find a nice site. Thanks man!

Most cop stories are of the bullying/nannying variety, but I suppose that that might be because most cops are undereducated bullying assholes.

Let's not forget the entire crew at Seattle Center. Those are some busy cops. They deal with homeless people in a way that's rare for any human. They know them all by name, know which to keep an eye on, and have always been great when a production, such as a festival, needs to invade their space.
Think of all the idiots that flock to events at Seattle Center. Our brothers with badges over there handle those crowds with respect and an attitude far better than mine by the time we ever opened gates for a festival.
They do a damn fine job of keeping everyone at Seattle Center happy and are rarely thanked. Thanks boys and girls.

Not to bring attention to one of the black eyes for police in the recent past, but Everett PD Officer Steve Klocker deserves everyone's thanks, despite the poor outcome of the case, for having the incredible guts to stand up for Niles Meservey and human decency in general by telling the truth about what he really saw when his partner Troy Meade decided to put seven slugs in a drunk man's back. Probably ruined his career and definitely alienated him from almost all of his fellow officers (potentially even put himself in danger), but by refusing to lie to protect Meade's interests, he showed the heart of a lion and proved to me that despite my deep cynicism, there are cops out there who will do the right thing even when they have nothing to gain and everything to lose from it. Officer Klocker, you are a true patriot.

Officer George Davison from SPD.
In 2001 my boyfriend kicked down my door and brutally beat the shit out out me. SPD responded in less than 5 minutes and quite possibly saved my life. Officer Davison followed the ambulance I was in to Harborview and stayed with me for hours until I was discharge and my sister could pick me up.
Six officers and one Detective testified in court against my ex and helped put him away. Detective Tye Holland gave me a huge hug outside the courtroom before I went on the witness stand. When the trial was over I hand delivered them all thank you cards. I was a blue haired tattooed little 19 year old who had had nothing but bad experiences with police in the past and these men changed my outlook on police forever. I will always be grateful for their kindness

Big ups to ACAB,Ice T,Tom X,and fuckkyou!!!As for Caralain?Wake up!(Unless your greedy;in that case stay asleep;you'll be easier to exterminate!).Big ups to all my fellow members of the Worldwide Underground!Coppigs gotta die ASAP!The Status Quo has got be obliterated.AmericKa blows.

Big ups to fetish and red below!Hey!Caralain!If an anarchist utopia (redundant,eh?!) happens,then you won't be around to observe it with that demeanor of yours!

One night after being ousted from a bar for being super-belligerently drunk, I attempted to enter my (own) apartment through the closed front window. With my hand. Well, after trying to ram my way through the front door (which isn't as easy as it looks in the movies). After cutting up my hand pretty badly, and only busting through one pane of glass, I called the cops on myself, though why I did it I really don't remember.
Instead of running me off to the drunk tank, the kind-hearted officers called a friend they found in my cell phone, drove me to his house, and placed my dumb ass in his possession for the night.

Deputy Robert Lurry is an absolute guardian angel in disguise!

He saved my family, and I am truly grateful.
I still owe the man scones...