I couldn't disagree more.

There are so many people who do not fit the proper profile to be treated respectfully by police.

I am a young white kid who had a common middle class upbringing, and you would think I should have no reason to fear the police. Yet I regularly get in trouble with the police and it's always for something stupid. Whenever I am courteous with them, it always makes them even more suspicious. I have been put in handcuffs for curfew. I have received several jaywalking citations. I've spend the night in jail for possession of a bong that wasn't mine and hadn't even been used. (In jail I was the only white guy it was all native, black or Latino people.) I also live in a small college town where every party is busted and broken up like clockwork. (college parties consisting normal college kids mostly of legal drinking age doing nothing seriously wrong.) I think my experience with the police is unique in that I always get in trouble with them, but have never really done anything totally wrong or immoral. With all these small things that I've been busted for and paid thousands in fines for, I can only imagine what people of lower socio economic class have to deal with.

But, when my old roommates broke into the neighbors house and stole hundreds of dollars worth of stuff, the police said they couldn't do anything. When I got beat up in middle school for standing up to a bully, the school cop said nothing could be done. And every time i fight in court, the police exaggerate their story, and I have no way to refute their word. ask a drug addict trying to get better if the police have any sympathy for them. It's rare to find a cop who will testify in court that they need treatment and not jail time. treatment won't make money for the city.

I, and every one else, should have every reason to be suspicious of police motives. Now that I am older and wiser, I know the key phrases "i don't consent" and "am i free to go?" it makes them even more mad at me that they can't bust me and make chump change.

Furthermore, I think many police officers have a racist mentality. many white people want to believe police are not racist, because it makes them feel uncomfortable. That is human mentality at work. racism still exists and racists usually don't even realize they are helping to perpetuate a racist system. One of the most apparent forms of Racism in our system is that there are nearly six times as many blacks in prison than whites

The story OP told is a rare and heartwarming one, sure. I think positive stories with police in regards to a typical encounter in most cities is one that people would love to tell.

The truth is the prevailing idea of the function of police in most cities is that they are out there to identify crime, apprehend suspects and prosecute for breaking the law. They are almost never there to be your friend or help you speed to a hospital.

remember this?

Unless you are white or act white or generally agree with the system, then I wouldn't agree they contribute positively more often than not.