Study – Grow – Know

Earning Points: Why Cops Do What They Do to Average Citizens

January 10, 2014 at 8:33 AM 2 comments

by Fred DeRuvo

Want to learn why cops do what they do?

My eyes are open. I have thought for the longest time that law enforcement has been becoming more militarized for the sake of being militarized. While I still believe this is happening, I now have a greater understanding and more insight into the mind of a police officer. This is thanks to two books written by individuals who spent years in law enforcement.

Both books are very good and practical, but the “Arrest-Proof Yourself” is even more practical than the other book. I learned a ton of things that make perfect sense now.

Here’s the most important thing I learned by far and if you will allow it to absorb into your gray matter, you’ll begin to understand the whole reason people become police officers.

1. It’s the Hunt
Police officers live to hunt. That is their primary purpose. Hunting for them, involves finding the bad guys and arresting them. Forget “Adam-12” or “Dragnet,” where many times, cops were seen as partnering with the community to make it a better place for all. Don’t get me wrong. Cops want to improve the community, but to them, this is done mainly by arresting people.

They will do whatever it takes to haul people downtown into the slammer.

2. Earning Points
Guess what? It all has to do with the “point system.” Technically, while officers and police chiefs can truthfully say they do not have “quotas” to fill, they DO have something else: points.

Were you aware that cops get certain points for certain arrests? A misdemeanor arrest might be worth 1 point. A felony arrest might be worth 2 or 3 points. The more charges they can add to that arrest, the more points they receive. Don’t believe me? In Dale Carson’s “Arrest-Proof” book, he reprints one of his monthly tally sheets showing all of his arrests, the points earned, and even the kudos he received from a superior officer commending him for leading the department in felony arrests for that month.

In reality then, it’s not about “quotas.” It’s about points. Without points, no one receives a commendation, a promotion or pay raise. It’s all about points. POINTS.

3. Bored Cops
Carson (an ex-FBI agent, ex-cop and current defense attorney) talks about what he did when he got really bored on his patrol shift. He would remind himself of which car that month had been stolen the most where he patrolled (Miami). Let’s say it was a Toyota Camry 2004. He would then pull up behind that type of car, tail it for a while (so he could run the plates) and then turn the lights on and give a “whoop” from the siren.

Ready? If the driver pulled over, he would simply wave at them and go about his business. If the driver “ran,” the chase was on and he knew he had something.

Carson’s point is this: the more people he arrested, the greater the chance he had of catching the real bad guys. What is the most important thing to a cop? Arresting you. Say it again: ARRESTING YOU.

4. Here’s Spit in Your Eye
I learned a number of things I did not know…at all, from reading these books. Do you know that if you are speaking with a cop and you raise your hands (without even touching the officer), that is considered ASSAULT against a police officer? You didn’t know that? Now you do. It is an offense that will get you arrested. If you point your finger in anger at a cop, that can get you arrested too. Is that fair? Nope, but that’s the way it works. You think you’re going to be the one to change the system? Think again.

Carson tells of the many “inciters” that are used by cops deliberately. Some of these inciters are legal, some are unethical, and some are illegal. Why would cops want to do something that ramps up the situation? To ARREST YOU. If they pull you over and wind up giving you no citation or making no arrest, they have wasted their time completely when they could be hauling someone downtown.

Here is a completely LEGAL inciter that cops use to get you emotionally charged so that you will react in a way that allows them to arrest you. You’ve been pulled over and the cop asks you to step out of the car. You comply and you politely stand at the rear of the car. The officer comes over and gets within an inch of your face and starts SCREAMING at you. While he’s yelling at you, he is also likely SPITTING on you because he’s so close. Moreover, he can even POKE you in the chest. Unless you’re aware that this is an inciter that they use, you will likely react to it.

Why would he do this? Why would he treat you in such a disrespectful manner? Because he wants to have an excuse to ARREST you in order to gain POINTS. He wants YOU to give him a reason to legally arrest you.

Most of us in that situation will react. If you raise your hands, that’s assault. If you push the officer away, THAT’S assault. Carson explains exactly how to deal with that situation so that you do NOT become points for the officer.

Did you also know that if a cop starts beating on you, he MUST arrest you for “resisting arrest”? He may start beating on you for no reason, but beating on you ALLOWS him arrest you because most people will fight back so any sign of resistance from YOU will allow him to raise his baton against you. Carson suggests falling to the ground in a fetal position with your head UNDER either your car or the police cruiser.

The unethical inciters include using racial epithets or simply calling you names. It’s done in way that makes it difficult for others to hear.

The illegal inciters they use might include slamming their flashlight into your solar plexus or groin. They generally try to do this in a way that others won’t see it being done. This also explains why they don’t like it when people video-tape them. They use inciters to ramp up situations so they can arrest you and earn points. If you don’t play their game, they can’t arrest you.

Carson also deals with video-taping cops. You might disagree with his conclusions, but you should at least consider them.

Again, why do cops do what they do and say what they say? To ARREST you and earn POINTS.

When dealing with cops, any form of resistance you put up will be used against you in the form of an arrest. Carson notes that the police are agents of the state and because of that, they have the full backing of the city and/or state. This is why they don’t care if you scream that you will sue them. It doesn’t come out of their pocket personally. They will laugh at your threats. They don’t care because of the laws (and union) that protects them. What they hate more than anything is having to deal with Internal Affairs. To a cop, that is scary.

These books explain how NOT to become a set of points for law enforcement. If you feel your rights have been violated by a cop, then the BEST way to deal with that is in the court system, not with the cop at the time who is doing his best to get you to do something that will allow him to arrest you…and earn POINTS.

What it means is are you willing to show the officer some respect (whether he deserves it or not) in order to NOT be arrested? That is a question every person needs to answer for themselves.

Both of these books have opened my eyes. Essentially, any way that a cop can find to arrest you, he will do just that. Is it worth it to you to BE arrested?

The one point that Carson makes repeatedly is that if a cop cannot see you, he cannot arrest you. Even though I have friends and family in law enforcement, when I’m out in public, I would much prefer to stay well away from law enforcement. It’s not because I have something to hide. It’s because I value my freedom way too much.

Entry filed under: Life in America, Religious - Christian - Theology.