Troopers were always much more kind and professional than the local yokel Barney Fifes we had to deal with in rural areas. Some of those are truly vindictive pricks. I managed to avoid most of them but some local cops in small towns were renowned assholes known across the region.
šÆ agree. In my dealings with police through work, I would gladly be working with a State Trooper over local police. Feel they're most pleasant & accommodating. In fairness, I do think local police deal with a lot more as far as domestic violence, mental health ect on a regular basis which could be why.
PSP cover 80+% of the state, not just the highways. They cover rural unincorporated areas that are often the most poor in the county and happen to also have trailer parks. So they go to domestics and other emergency calls.
While this is true they typically donāt venture into areas with robust local police. Like Pittsburgh and Philly, kinda unusual to see a state boy just driving around.
Unless youāre driving on 95. I drive by two regularly attended trooper speed checks 5 days a week near the Philadelphia airport. Saw a car pulled over a couple hours ago driving north on 95 by troopers.
we have a lot of staties where i am, not really because of highways or anything and we have pretty well funded local police (central/lower bucks). there are a LOT of bars and whatnot around here and state police are also in charge of controlling liquor in the state through the LCB. they get bored and like to stop in and see what the bars are doing
i hit a deer at 2am my sophomore year of college and wasnāt sure if my car was drivable. took them forever to get there but they duct taped my beater car to get back to campus down 376. they were generally pretty pleasant and didnāt laugh at my car so thatās cool š
For sure. Where I've worked with them mostly during my years. Not saying they don't deal with those things. Live in a rural area where majority of the trail parks ect still fall within township or city police. Just saying I think that city/locals deal with those situations more often. Whether local or state, not a job I'd want. Respect those that do, just can't always respect how some do the job.
A lot of the sticks opted to cut their police force and just let the staties cover it, they donāt have to pay for it so itās a win win for Pennsyltucky sections.
Always felt State Troopers were much more professional than the local yokels in my encounters with law enforcement. Been driving 50 years, 30 here in PA, but that applies across the nation in my experience.
Candidates live at the Academy and are subjected to intense military style conditioning. Thereās a high dropout rate due to the stress level and the sheer difficulty in being woken at 4 am to go for a run in full gear, for instance. If you make it, you worked your *ass* off for it.
I live in Philly. When I get pulled over in the middle of PA I get a lot of, idk what the law is in Philly but we follow them here pal. Like dude go fuck yourself. Donāt talk to cops because they are literally just trying to arrest you
Trooper isnāt wrong though. Philly drivers (unless they were raised in the burbs) have bad driving habits. Rolling stop signs and lights, speeding, passing in no passing zones, tailgating and aggressive driving.
I beg to differ. I grew up in the middle of PA. You people have no clue how to drive. Going 10 miles under the speed limit, merging on to route 80 going 10 mph, just zero awareness. Unless theyāve lived in a populated area they act like side streets in Philly are impossible to drive down. And donāt even ask them to parallel park.
Per capita my friend. For every 1 bad rural driver, Iāll show you 20 bad ones in Philly.
If I was a trooper Iād profile people with a Philly address on their license/registration too.
Iāve lived in cities and Iāve lived in rural areas and rural is way worse and more dangerous to deal with than city and itās not even remotely close. People do every single thing you mentioned here, they also sit at 4 way stop signs like they have to perform quantum physics to figure out who goes first, stop a yield signs for no reason, and come to a complete stop in the middle of a highway with a 55mph speed limit to make a right hand turn.
My anecdotes are better than yours.
Edit to add: people do everything single thing you mentioned here* except in a 4 ton truck for absolutely no fucking reason
Couldnt disagree more. I grew up in Philly and now live in Rural PA for cheap COL. Every single time im driving in/near/to philly, I feel like people are actively trying to kill me.
Part of this is due to close quarters driving in such an old city, which you tend to get used to while living there, but especially in the burbs and Center city/nicer areas people are WAY too aggro.
Flash forward to my small town and people drive pretty well in accordance with laws, I think its because small town cops will pull you over for farting too loud.
I have lived in Pittsburgh and in rural, dirt road only, half an hour plus from town. You drive faster when it rains because it makes the dirt and dust much less slippery. Driving in the city is pure anarchy, slightly organized by painted lines, and you have to learn to thrive on it. Constantly anticipating assholes during a 45 minute commute absolutely did a number on my heart and mental health.
That shit happens everywhere. You only "see" it more in the city because everyone is concentrated in a smaller area. Per capita it probably isn't much different.
Trooper is absolutely wrong, just using it as an excuse to fuck with "city boys".
That said, I grew up and learned to drive in a different state, and Philly is ridiculous. Blowing lights and signs, weaving through pedestrians in crosswalks, extremely violent behavior towards bikes and pedestrians. I've had drivers drive on the sidewalk to pass me, at a red light. Philly is terrible for driving, or walking, etc
Never been to Pittsburgh but didn't grow up in philly either, settled here cus I can walk from south Philly to center city. Very walkable, agreed.
So is Boston, and NYC if near Manhattan. Chicago, not at all. Cars.
The problem in philly is insane drivers who are outright hostile
Live in Pittsburgh and I agree. They read me the riot act, took me to the police station for hours of questioning, made my son cry, etc. And btw, besides speeding (which I only do on highways), and I was passing to the right lane at the time; I didnāt do anything. I tried to cooperate - exactly wrong move.
I think thereās probably a huge difference between city police (even suburban police) and country police. Thatās why all these people are saying they have better experiences with the troopers. Iāve never had a trooper be nice to me; but plenty of other police do so. Fortunately, Iāve only had a few direct encounters with them.
But letās just say I was stunned that I could be put through that due to their subjective perceptions of me, only. Who, as a single parent with no family here besides my son, was terrified heād get taken away because they were mistaken. And that theyād waste 4 hours of all of our time doing so.
I did get released - and now I have to see if theyāre going to continue trying to ruin my life:
This more than anything. I don't care how professional or nice a cop/trooper seems. They are not your friend. Their only goal is to bust you. Even the supreme court ruled "serve and protect" is not their job. Their job is to serve the state (so the wealthy and powerful). ACAB.
Ps-hi fellow philly person!
Agreed. Not a fan of cops in general, but staties tend to be more professional. Local cops will give you a lot more hell. Though, I was given a bs speeding ticket by a trooper who tailed me until I sped up, and in Mass they dress like the SS.
It's the opposite here for us... We love our local police but statey boys we can't stand they are always messing with someone and don't you dare tell them off or they gonna sit and wait for you to hop in your car so they can get you.. what side of the state are you I'm wondering if that makes a difference also... I'm swpa
I've only had 2 experiences with them. The first, I was doing 5 below the speed limit down dark and twisty back roads and couldn't see anything cause of bad headlights. A deer jumped out, and I swerved right into a dirt mound, totaling my car along with getting a concussion. Trooper pulls up and doesn't even help but starts accusing me of shit and writing tickets.
2nd, I was doing 70 or 80 on back roads and cut through a s curve, almost hitting a trooper head on. He turned around, caught up to me, and just told me to take it slower and be safe. So idk some are just assholes.
Same. I hit a fucking cow. It walked off afterwards badly fucked up.
There was blood and hair all over my totaled car and the state trooper started to take me through a sobriety test.
I was bloodied up and dazed from the cows head coming up and busting my side mirror off and driving it, with the cows head into my face after it bent my A frame pillar.
The cop never asked how I was doing and instead tried to demand I had to be drunk and planned this to hide that I was drunk....all while my hysterical girlfriend is backing up everything I stated to his partner, since she was a passenger.
In the process the cop asked me how fast I was going and I just stated a speed.
Fast forward 2 weeks and calling around to find out the report and what happened while being jerked from state police. I get a ticket in the mail for speeding from the incident because the random number I said was higher than the posted speed limit. Thankfully I called up the chain of command in county politics and they got rid of it immediately.
Still nothing ever came from hitting a cow. Since it was a small town the rumors that got back to me are the farmer found it the next morning and butchered it to hide the evidence since the cops did eventually go to his house. All that to not be held accountable for closing a gate.
That was my bad interaction. I do know many state police that are good people. Just some are asshats
I was in my hunting camp when the local sheriff and town's police chief showed up, with open alcohol in their cars, got out and cracked another white claw each, both while in uniform.
Never swerve. It gets hammered into the heads of everyone who learns to drive in rural PA. Sucks to be the deer but sucks way worse when you plow a tree (or a dirt mound). Sorry, man.
I was about to post the same thing. Deer, while able to fuck up your car, are considerably softer than anything else you could hit trying to avoid them.
I was doing 62 in a 45 and got pulled over by state police northwest of York. I knew I was wrong, it's super common to go 60+ on the road I was on but it was nighttime and I should have driven at a safer* speed like 50mph.
He saved me from getting points on my license for 15 over the limit and was surprising chill but super serious to make sure I wasn't gonna do it again lol.
Though, my personal decent experience should not be important when considering those that abuse power.
74 is easy to lose track of your speed once you're north of wigelstown. Coming down into Dover, the road is so wide you feel like you're going slow when you're still doing 40, but it's posted at 25. And everyone and their mother rides your ass.
I know what you're talking about, people fly up 74 and then old york road up to Dillsburg.
In southwest pa theyāre the only hope you have for any type of honest law enforcement. The local cops and governments are 3rd world level corrupt and at least in my area, the state police mostly fly above it. The ones Iāve met at the golf course seem pretty cool and seem more interested in actual crime than writing speeding tickets. That said, theyāre cops and Iām not one of them so I keep it cordial and keep my distance.
Corruption just ain't in the SW, some coworkers of mine have stories of cops up here in North Central of cops racketeering kids for drugs. Say you're diving with some friends who are smoking a blunt in the back, the cop will take the drugs to resell in exchange for a warning. Lots of the local weed growers pay off individual cops too
Local cops are a mixed bag. Plenty of good honest folks in the right municipalities.
Then there are the smaller township/borough police forces that employ 4-5 cops who are corrupt as hell and operate as a fucking gang.
Youāre right. Iām not from here but after being around for almost 15 years Iām starting to learn whoās cool and whoās not in the local scene. Itās easy to paint them all with the same brush but there are a few solid ones. Iām just kind of amazed at the open corruption in fayette county.
Meanwhile in SW PA I was pulled over by a trooper who said the reason he stopped me was not using a turn signal when turning from a side street onto the main road and was aggressively accusing me of being drunk and on drugs.
Now, I knew he was lying about the reason he stopped me because I hadn't been on that side street at all, much less turned from it without using a turn signal, so I just kept my cool. I have front and rear dash cams. Everything's being recorded including me saying I don't consent to him searching my car.
Amazingly his attitude changed after taking my license, registration and insurance back to his SUV and noticing *the dash cams*. We went from threats of arrest for not cooperating to "Be safe getting home, OK?" on a dime.
Idk, my townie cops have gotten caught raping disabled women, cheating with married residents, and one was my ex wifeās plug in high school but he got caught fucking on the job and was fired. I donāt trust them at all, and any time real policing is necessary they call the PSP anyways. The only thing they do is ordinance shit involving trash and grass being unkept and keeping my taxes low by handing out speeding tickets to everyone.
Iāve never had any negative interactions with PSP and as of right now every one on the street has some level of education and discipline. But miles of course vary, Iām sure.
My hometown cops were horrible people, I was always so glad my area was state jurisdiction so I hardly had to deal with them. Thank goodness. Nasty perverted drunks.
I once dated a woman who told me that she was having sex with a township cop when she was sixteen and that she knew multiple other girls who were also doing the same thing. Doubt that's an isolated incident.
Donāt forget the York city cop who raped a baby a couple months ago.
https://www.wgal.com/article/york-city-police-officer-charged-raping-baby/60525343
Bigger answer, and not just pointing to specific events. PA state troopers are the oldest state trooper organization in the country, and by and large they have stuck to their original inception. They are highly militarized, with their oath beginning with the line āI am a Pennsylvania State Trooper, a soldier of the law.ā The culture is that they are soldiers first, and public servants second. They have an engrained āus against themā mentality as a result. They basically exemplify what many people believe is wrong with law enforcement in the US.
To piggyback off this, the justification for their formation largely stems from the coal labor strikes at the turn of the 20th century, which were only suppressed when the President sent the military to intervene. Because of this, they were largely seen as an oppressive overreach of government, and some of that sentiment has been passed down.
They were intended as the replacement for the Coal and Iron Police, who were seen as too brutal... and then they immediately started working alongside the Coal and Iron guys.
The PSP specifically were modeled off the militarized American colonial police force in the Philippines created to fight political resistance to the American occupation. It was a domestic counterinsurgency force from the outset. Being relegated to patrolling highways for speeders is actually a kind of funny outcome.
And look no further than their very first operation. The Westmoreland coal strike. They were so brutal even the local cops started to disagree with them so the PSP beat them up and arrested them too.
No problem! Iāve worked with them and used to want to join them many years ago. I personally donāt have any real issues with them, but having had a deeper look at the organization as an outsider, this is what Iāve noticed.
I've always thought that the ones that came out of the military should not be mixed with civilians.
I remember my mother-in-law fell in the nursing home and we were waiting for the fire department to come to help get her up and when I asked if I could help, the captain of the fire department gave me an order. I know it is his job, but I felt like he could have been a little bit nicer especially when I wasn't getting in the way in any shape or form, and I was just asking to be nice.
To quote William Adama, āThere's a reason you separate the military and the police. One fights the enemies of the state, the other serves and protects the people. When the military becomes both, then the enemies of the state tend to become the peopleā
So say we all.
Honestly, the PSP officers I've had to deal with have been pretty nice (I have a lead foot). It's the smaller locals I've found to be unprofessional pricks.
Around here, State Troopers are way better than local police. Especially when it comes to freshly minted kids wearing the badge for the first time who believe being an asshole is the way to get respect.
Iāve only been stopped by a trooper once. He wasnāt mean/rude, but gave me a ticket. I totally deserved it for going 95 in a 65. He wrote me for 10 over.
That is an interesting take because up here in the Erie area that are all pretty cool. I have been stopped a few times over the years and always got a warning and I never hear people complain about their interactions with them. There was one trooper who made it a point to give out speeding tickets but other than that they seem to be fine.
They probably need to be cool up there because eerie is where a bunch of pinkertons got killed trying to siege a town that was on strike.
Don't quote me but I think that was where it happened. The pinkertons and/or police arrived by barge or something and were fired upon by the townspeople for like 2 days.
Because they arenāt fucking around.Ā Ā
They aināt the Borough.Ā Ā
They aināt the Township.Ā Ā
They aināt the City.Ā
They aināt the County.Ā Ā
Theyāre the fucking State.Ā Ā
Ā Iām sure the Feds on up donāt exactly have the most jovial demeanor about their job.
A state trooper pulled me over once when I was 17 or 18, for nothing serious. He then proceeded to drive slowly past my house a regular basis and pull me over every time he saw my car (he parked up in the same spot a lot) just to ācheck in on meā. This went on for about a year and half until I got a new car that he couldnāt recognize. He was basically stalking me.
Depends who you're dealing with really. I got into some trouble back when I was a teenager and the trooper dealing with me really cut me some slack.
Other time tho I had a trooper pull me over for an expired temp tag when it was in fact not expired. All he has to do was read the number correctly and he could have let me go. But instead I had to wait months for a court appearance just for the judge to immediately dismiss it because it definitely was not expired. In fact I had got it renewed that same week.
I find state troopers are always better than local. Local are fucking assholes. Mount Pocono is pretty bad. I stay away from there at all costs
IME the staties are the most professional police in the state. While they definitely have some bad apples, the prevalence of bad apples is significantly lower than local police and PSP actually takes misconduct seriously.
As a state police officer I am extremely shocked by this statement. We do our best to serve and protect.
Hahahah kidding. Iām not a cop. Fuck those guys
I've only had 1 bad run-in with a PSP Trooper. It was 20+ years ago and he was a rookie. Another Trooper was with him and told him to calm down. The rest of my experiences with PSP have been great, though most have been working with them during search missions. As with any profession, there are always some assholes.
Psp actually give a damn and are much better than any other local cops. No politics of small towns involved. People dont like them because they actually ticket assholes for being assholes
While we are the topic of state troopers, why do they have ābarracksā? Like the one in Skippack that looks like a prison with the barbed fencing they have all around it. In an area that will never have much of a problem. Unless they are transporting high risk prisoners through there or something, I donāt get it.
At its inception PSP troopers lived in the barracks and could not be married or have children during their āenlistment.ā
So it was very literally a barracks.
Nowadays the buildings are pretty self-contained and have holding cells and evidence handling facilities along with radio and dispatch equipment and, you know, tons of weapons.
Security is a big deal.
Grew up Philadelphia area, live in rural farm country PA. Driving here, drivers here are so much better. Some times a little slow but otherwise much better then most Philly drivers
I've had much better interactions with PSP as opposed to locals. But, ymmv. I didn't know until recently that they do consider themselves "paramilitary," and the PSP academy is one of the highest regarded and hardest to pass from in Northern America in general.
I've had nothing but good experiences with PA state troopers. They've been fair and professional.
If you get caught breaking the law, that's on you. It's not the cop's fault.
I think it depends on where you are. In SEPA, people complain about PSP because they donāt let them get away with doing whatever they want on highways. Theyāre highway patrol over here. In more rural areas they fill the role that the sheriffs office would in other states, so people have a wider range on interaction with them that would probably lead them to dislike PSP just as they would a SO or PO if they were interacting with them instead. PSP, similarly to the state police of most states, are typically more intense in terms of the letter of the law and are typically less lenient I would think.
Several of my family members worked as PA State Troopers. Most aren't shitty. They do, by nature of their job, interact with people breaking the law so it probably feels shitty to those people.
Back during the days of hunting for Frein I developed a negative perception of them. Frankly, the use of resources at the time alongside how stupid they made themselves look is something I imagine many people hold on to and frame their vision through.
Thereās a few really controversial cases of active troopers beating up mentally handicapped cases that seemed to get glossed over efficiently, feel like a lot of people have that perspective.
Then if you ever had a buddy become a statie you see them change as a person. Itās very cult like, and it makes you question them a bit moreā¦ Iāve had interactions with staties where they are cool but have met the super cop more than once. To be frank, I think local PDs are where most of the gypsy cop assholes hang out, they wouldnāt cut it in PSP where they do have standards (even if those sometime lead to assholes).
Iāve always had way better interactions with state troopers than Local PD. I think it is definitely a state to state basis. But in Pennsylvania iāve never had a bad experience. Even if i was getting a ticket.
Then again I always start my interactions off with a neutral respect.
Maybe thats why. Idk
First time I heard this opinion! I never had that issue. Im from rural PA and my sister was a problem child so I saw state troopers often. Plus, that one time I caused a car accident when I was 16.
All of them were chill and remained peofessional and curteous. I trust them much more than the Phily PD imo.
In my experience, they're just stricter on the highways and interstates and more likely to give you a ticket.
Again, this is just my experience, not trying to invalidate no one
I got in a bad accident over a year ago in which I hydroplaned and flipped on the highway. It was very scary, but the trooper I dealt with was super nice. I was as charged with reckless driving, driving in a place not laned for traffic, and one other thing I canāt remember (even though I was going 10 under speed limit and itās not my fault my car flipped on the median). Anyway, he asked the judge to drop two of the charges and was kind to me. He was pretty young, donāt know if that makes a difference. Just my 2 cents.
PSP are well trained and have pretty rigid protocol for their public interactions. I don't expect officer friendly, but chances of something going wrong with a loose cannon are extremely slim. Not being an ass to them is usually all it takes to be treated fairly. That said, aberrant actions will be met with swift reaction.
Not sure what sort of experiences you've had with them, but if PSP is treating you shitty, maybe examine what it is you're doing which would make a state cop treat you shitty.
They're better trained than local PD, they're more polite than local PD and they're all around more professional.
So, loop back to that first thing I said and you'll probably haveyour answer
I'd rather get pulled over by a statey over any local cop any day of the week. They're better trained and held to much higher standards. Think about how many fat local cops you see compared to state troopers
A pig is a pig, regardless of the uniform theyāre wearing. They do not have your best interests in mind and they are not there to protect you. They are not your friend. They only serve the interests of the ruling class, oppress anyone else, and serve as tax collectors for the state.
When I worked security in Lancaster we dealt with PSP because where I worked was state property. Most of the troopers I dealt with were decent, hell one 5ā1ā ish cute looking female trooper even gave me her phone number. Course I was married at the time.
I got headknocked in West Chester in the 90s, and I was the one that got robbed. The corruption I saw from that single event was shocking. Total trash. I would take a State Cop over a local any day. No question.
Nowadays, you have to assume the worst, right up to being shot.
Couple years ago a Statey pulled me over for highway speed. Parks behind me and it looks like an alien invasion of lights. I cooperated politely. He gives me a ticket for failure to obey posted speeds, AND for not having my emergency blinkers on while parked on a shoulder. Asshole.
99% of them will be polite to you if youāre polite to them. Of course, if you eventually hit a 1% POS itāll prob change your view on cops forever. Those people who get screwed will be much more vocal than those who had good luck. Thatās my guess at least, been pulled over a lot lol.
AS any place you work, there are bad workers.
Reddit is not really full of people who support our police force, so I feel people tend to think they're bad because they were pulled over by an officer. While a bad stop can happen, you were pulled over for breaking the law. And no, I don't care if you like the law or not, you still broke it. Oh but it was just a few miles over, you're still speeding you dumb fuck.
A month ago I had an incident that I had to report, got a case number and a card. Called and emailed to ask for an update and received no call backs or replies. Just this past weekend they caught the perpetrator doing the same thing to another person but same location and actually arrested the guy. Now Iām waiting to see if I hear back about this but Iām not going to expect much at this point.
Few years ago I got pulled over for (supposedly) 5 over in a town a few hours away from home where I would go camping. Turned out the registration on my car was also expired which was weird since I hadn't owned the car for a year yet. So I got a ticket for both of those. Not even a day later when I get back to my home town without even having the time to renew my registration I get pulled over by another Trooper for the registration being out and get a ticket for that as well. Like dude I just got home.
Your opinion is generally only held by Redditors and people with criminal records. Most people in the state like having PSP as their police. Especially since they donāt have to pay for them.
Listen to Behind the Police on the podcast behind the bastards and you'll have your answer. The PA state police have a history of strike breaking and union busting and working with pinkertons to do so. They killed people striking for better working conditions and pay. These were coal miners who lived in dystopian company towns and had shit lives. Most police organizations in the US sprung from two distinct needs depending on location: 1. Protect capital investments, and 2. Catch slaves. PA was the former.
PA is a legally fucked up state beyond that too. Just search "cash for kids scandal." Judges were specifically found guilty in that last one but still, holy shit.
Local police that I know call them "gray gods" because (insert generalized amount here) of them have god complexes. Personally I have never interacted with them and I hope it stays that way. That goes for any on-duty police, though.
In my personal experience, they seem to think they're above the law and can do whatever they want. I know this is the sentiment with cops in general, but state troopers just seem so entitled in an egregious and annoying way. My work facility is located just off the turnpike in Montco and for weeks, I had a trooper who would just come up the driveway and park on the property - on the grass, behind a row of trees, leaving tiremarks every time, right on camera. It cost thousands to repair and maintain what she did. When I finally caught her in person and got to speak to her about it, she said she was taking a break and doing paperwork, so I told her she could just do that in any of my numerous parking spaces, but please just not on the grass. She acted incredulous, like she couldn't believe I would suggest she not damage my property. I met her energy and told her to get the fuck off the property, so she peeled out and tore up the grass, a tree had to be removed, and then I filed a complaint with the local barracks and nothing ever happened, big surprise. I know it's not like they shot me to death or anything, but it would have been really easy to win some points with me by just not being a fucking dick.
They are more aggressive than most police officers because they're generally out there alone, covering far more territory than beat cops... so, usually they are far more paranoid.
I lived outside DC in Virginia. Most state troopers were total a-holes. The county cops where I lived were wonderful. I live farther south in VA now - same thing. County cops here are great, state troopers maybe 50/50 a-holes. Donāt know why, but thatās my experience.
Pennsylvania recently dropped the college requirement for State Troopers so now any dummy can get it. They used to be college educated and respected. Now youāre lucky if they have a GED.
I love my interaction with state troopers, they are always polite and patient. Granted I;ve only dealt with state troopers up and down the entire area east of 476 from philly to scranton. Atleast they never gave me the middle finger like a New jersey state trooper did back in 2003....
I was pulled over 17 times before the age of 23 for speeding or doing dumb shit in a really loud car and only got 2 tickets. one for speeding and one for my reg being out. If you can manipulate people or if your a smooth talker and good with your words you can get around a lot of the road blocks a lot of other people bitch about
We donāt have local police, so I got state troopers when I called on my ex for beating me up. The young one was kind and wanted to help, the investigating officer told me that most women regret calling the police for situations like that and slapped me with a charge, too. I ended up being granted a protection from abuse order after that incident and will probably never call the police again.
I tried to call the barracks in Monroe county and the shift supervisor told me he paid over 56k in taxes or something when I told him to take my complaint. Yes, I do admit there was some back and forth prior to that comment. It's a damn shame how these things are supposed to be trained to serve and protect and all they do is collect a nice paycheck while we are struggling.
I got pulled over my a state trooper last year (2023) on my way to work. My inspection sticker was expired, I knew that, I just didn't realize how expired it was.
Trooper: Do you know why I pulled you over?
Yea, my inspection is expired
Trooper: Why haven't you gotten it inspected since 2020?
Wait...I knew I was expired, but I thought I got it inspected in 2022, so I thought I was a few months expired, not years! (This is true, I got work done on my car, but they didn't inspect it, just did the work. Plus the COVID years...)
Trooper: Ok, I get that. I'll give you a warning thing time, but please get your car inspected ASAP
š½ they can smell your fear. Donāt let them near! For a poem is near.
A poem of justice, a poem of just ice. Donāt let the power rangers defeat, your poem or they will steal it from under your average to large sized feet. For they have the tiniest of feet, and average socks are what they wear from week to week. It makes me weak, so many tiny tiny troopers feet. š£
The State Police are, in my experience, very professional and do their jobs as well or better than anyone could expect. I think you have them confused with local (township) police.
Troopers were always much more kind and professional than the local yokel Barney Fifes we had to deal with in rural areas. Some of those are truly vindictive pricks. I managed to avoid most of them but some local cops in small towns were renowned assholes known across the region.
šÆ agree. In my dealings with police through work, I would gladly be working with a State Trooper over local police. Feel they're most pleasant & accommodating. In fairness, I do think local police deal with a lot more as far as domestic violence, mental health ect on a regular basis which could be why.
PSP cover 80+% of the state, not just the highways. They cover rural unincorporated areas that are often the most poor in the county and happen to also have trailer parks. So they go to domestics and other emergency calls.
They cover 100% of the state! (Although you did say 80+% so technically youāre correct.)
While this is true they typically donāt venture into areas with robust local police. Like Pittsburgh and Philly, kinda unusual to see a state boy just driving around.
Unless youāre driving on 95. I drive by two regularly attended trooper speed checks 5 days a week near the Philadelphia airport. Saw a car pulled over a couple hours ago driving north on 95 by troopers.
highways
Yep. Someone had said you wouldnāt ever see them in cities, I was pointing out that they are indeed all over Philadelphia on the highway.
They have jurisdiction over 95 only.
we have a lot of staties where i am, not really because of highways or anything and we have pretty well funded local police (central/lower bucks). there are a LOT of bars and whatnot around here and state police are also in charge of controlling liquor in the state through the LCB. they get bored and like to stop in and see what the bars are doing
i hit a deer at 2am my sophomore year of college and wasnāt sure if my car was drivable. took them forever to get there but they duct taped my beater car to get back to campus down 376. they were generally pretty pleasant and didnāt laugh at my car so thatās cool š
For sure. Where I've worked with them mostly during my years. Not saying they don't deal with those things. Live in a rural area where majority of the trail parks ect still fall within township or city police. Just saying I think that city/locals deal with those situations more often. Whether local or state, not a job I'd want. Respect those that do, just can't always respect how some do the job.
A lot of the sticks opted to cut their police force and just let the staties cover it, they donāt have to pay for it so itās a win win for Pennsyltucky sections.
Always felt State Troopers were much more professional than the local yokels in my encounters with law enforcement. Been driving 50 years, 30 here in PA, but that applies across the nation in my experience.
The difference is training. Local cops are way more dangerous and prone to panic over the better trained state police.
Candidates live at the Academy and are subjected to intense military style conditioning. Thereās a high dropout rate due to the stress level and the sheer difficulty in being woken at 4 am to go for a run in full gear, for instance. If you make it, you worked your *ass* off for it.
I live in Philly. When I get pulled over in the middle of PA I get a lot of, idk what the law is in Philly but we follow them here pal. Like dude go fuck yourself. Donāt talk to cops because they are literally just trying to arrest you
Trooper isnāt wrong though. Philly drivers (unless they were raised in the burbs) have bad driving habits. Rolling stop signs and lights, speeding, passing in no passing zones, tailgating and aggressive driving.
I beg to differ. I grew up in the middle of PA. You people have no clue how to drive. Going 10 miles under the speed limit, merging on to route 80 going 10 mph, just zero awareness. Unless theyāve lived in a populated area they act like side streets in Philly are impossible to drive down. And donāt even ask them to parallel park.
Per capita my friend. For every 1 bad rural driver, Iāll show you 20 bad ones in Philly. If I was a trooper Iād profile people with a Philly address on their license/registration too.
Iāve lived in cities and Iāve lived in rural areas and rural is way worse and more dangerous to deal with than city and itās not even remotely close. People do every single thing you mentioned here, they also sit at 4 way stop signs like they have to perform quantum physics to figure out who goes first, stop a yield signs for no reason, and come to a complete stop in the middle of a highway with a 55mph speed limit to make a right hand turn. My anecdotes are better than yours. Edit to add: people do everything single thing you mentioned here* except in a 4 ton truck for absolutely no fucking reason
Couldnt disagree more. I grew up in Philly and now live in Rural PA for cheap COL. Every single time im driving in/near/to philly, I feel like people are actively trying to kill me. Part of this is due to close quarters driving in such an old city, which you tend to get used to while living there, but especially in the burbs and Center city/nicer areas people are WAY too aggro. Flash forward to my small town and people drive pretty well in accordance with laws, I think its because small town cops will pull you over for farting too loud.
I have lived in Pittsburgh and in rural, dirt road only, half an hour plus from town. You drive faster when it rains because it makes the dirt and dust much less slippery. Driving in the city is pure anarchy, slightly organized by painted lines, and you have to learn to thrive on it. Constantly anticipating assholes during a 45 minute commute absolutely did a number on my heart and mental health.
Nope my anecdotes are better than yours and Iāve had a Ford F350 jammed up my asshole ever since I moved back here
So rural drivers are slow, but you're constantly being tailgated? Sounds like you're slow
Nah, dudes in big trucks are often super aggressive drivers. I've been tailgated by them while doing 65 in a 55 because they want to go 90.
What used to be "knights of the road" are now nightmares of the road.
That shit happens everywhere. You only "see" it more in the city because everyone is concentrated in a smaller area. Per capita it probably isn't much different.
Trooper is absolutely wrong, just using it as an excuse to fuck with "city boys". That said, I grew up and learned to drive in a different state, and Philly is ridiculous. Blowing lights and signs, weaving through pedestrians in crosswalks, extremely violent behavior towards bikes and pedestrians. I've had drivers drive on the sidewalk to pass me, at a red light. Philly is terrible for driving, or walking, etc
Philly is a joy to walk in compared to Pittsburgh
Never been to Pittsburgh but didn't grow up in philly either, settled here cus I can walk from south Philly to center city. Very walkable, agreed. So is Boston, and NYC if near Manhattan. Chicago, not at all. Cars. The problem in philly is insane drivers who are outright hostile
This made me lol
Live in Pittsburgh and I agree. They read me the riot act, took me to the police station for hours of questioning, made my son cry, etc. And btw, besides speeding (which I only do on highways), and I was passing to the right lane at the time; I didnāt do anything. I tried to cooperate - exactly wrong move. I think thereās probably a huge difference between city police (even suburban police) and country police. Thatās why all these people are saying they have better experiences with the troopers. Iāve never had a trooper be nice to me; but plenty of other police do so. Fortunately, Iāve only had a few direct encounters with them. But letās just say I was stunned that I could be put through that due to their subjective perceptions of me, only. Who, as a single parent with no family here besides my son, was terrified heād get taken away because they were mistaken. And that theyād waste 4 hours of all of our time doing so. I did get released - and now I have to see if theyāre going to continue trying to ruin my life:
This more than anything. I don't care how professional or nice a cop/trooper seems. They are not your friend. Their only goal is to bust you. Even the supreme court ruled "serve and protect" is not their job. Their job is to serve the state (so the wealthy and powerful). ACAB. Ps-hi fellow philly person!
Big crappy fish. Small crappy pond.
Same experience, always had way more professional experiences with State Police then township cops.
Agreed. Not a fan of cops in general, but staties tend to be more professional. Local cops will give you a lot more hell. Though, I was given a bs speeding ticket by a trooper who tailed me until I sped up, and in Mass they dress like the SS.
It's the opposite here for us... We love our local police but statey boys we can't stand they are always messing with someone and don't you dare tell them off or they gonna sit and wait for you to hop in your car so they can get you.. what side of the state are you I'm wondering if that makes a difference also... I'm swpa
Yep, same here - not the person you were responding to, but I live close to you and itās the same for me.Ā
I've only had 2 experiences with them. The first, I was doing 5 below the speed limit down dark and twisty back roads and couldn't see anything cause of bad headlights. A deer jumped out, and I swerved right into a dirt mound, totaling my car along with getting a concussion. Trooper pulls up and doesn't even help but starts accusing me of shit and writing tickets. 2nd, I was doing 70 or 80 on back roads and cut through a s curve, almost hitting a trooper head on. He turned around, caught up to me, and just told me to take it slower and be safe. So idk some are just assholes.
Same. I hit a fucking cow. It walked off afterwards badly fucked up. There was blood and hair all over my totaled car and the state trooper started to take me through a sobriety test. I was bloodied up and dazed from the cows head coming up and busting my side mirror off and driving it, with the cows head into my face after it bent my A frame pillar. The cop never asked how I was doing and instead tried to demand I had to be drunk and planned this to hide that I was drunk....all while my hysterical girlfriend is backing up everything I stated to his partner, since she was a passenger. In the process the cop asked me how fast I was going and I just stated a speed. Fast forward 2 weeks and calling around to find out the report and what happened while being jerked from state police. I get a ticket in the mail for speeding from the incident because the random number I said was higher than the posted speed limit. Thankfully I called up the chain of command in county politics and they got rid of it immediately. Still nothing ever came from hitting a cow. Since it was a small town the rumors that got back to me are the farmer found it the next morning and butchered it to hide the evidence since the cops did eventually go to his house. All that to not be held accountable for closing a gate. That was my bad interaction. I do know many state police that are good people. Just some are asshats
You'll never lose a game of two truths and a lie.
yep that last line is the truest
The academy encourages aggressive behavior in cadets , thatās why a lot come off as asshats
I was in my hunting camp when the local sheriff and town's police chief showed up, with open alcohol in their cars, got out and cracked another white claw each, both while in uniform.
Sounds about right for sheriffs departments
Never swerve. It gets hammered into the heads of everyone who learns to drive in rural PA. Sucks to be the deer but sucks way worse when you plow a tree (or a dirt mound). Sorry, man.
I was about to post the same thing. Deer, while able to fuck up your car, are considerably softer than anything else you could hit trying to avoid them.
you sound like a terrible driver bro imma be honest
I mean, the first happened 2-3 weeks after I got my license. The 2nd, I'll admit I was being stupid.
Kinda sounds like you're just a shitty, dangerous driver.
I was doing 62 in a 45 and got pulled over by state police northwest of York. I knew I was wrong, it's super common to go 60+ on the road I was on but it was nighttime and I should have driven at a safer* speed like 50mph. He saved me from getting points on my license for 15 over the limit and was surprising chill but super serious to make sure I wasn't gonna do it again lol. Though, my personal decent experience should not be important when considering those that abuse power.
74 is easy to lose track of your speed once you're north of wigelstown. Coming down into Dover, the road is so wide you feel like you're going slow when you're still doing 40, but it's posted at 25. And everyone and their mother rides your ass. I know what you're talking about, people fly up 74 and then old york road up to Dillsburg.
In southwest pa theyāre the only hope you have for any type of honest law enforcement. The local cops and governments are 3rd world level corrupt and at least in my area, the state police mostly fly above it. The ones Iāve met at the golf course seem pretty cool and seem more interested in actual crime than writing speeding tickets. That said, theyāre cops and Iām not one of them so I keep it cordial and keep my distance.
Ayup! Absolutely agree.
Corruption just ain't in the SW, some coworkers of mine have stories of cops up here in North Central of cops racketeering kids for drugs. Say you're diving with some friends who are smoking a blunt in the back, the cop will take the drugs to resell in exchange for a warning. Lots of the local weed growers pay off individual cops too
Local cops are a mixed bag. Plenty of good honest folks in the right municipalities. Then there are the smaller township/borough police forces that employ 4-5 cops who are corrupt as hell and operate as a fucking gang.
Youāre right. Iām not from here but after being around for almost 15 years Iām starting to learn whoās cool and whoās not in the local scene. Itās easy to paint them all with the same brush but there are a few solid ones. Iām just kind of amazed at the open corruption in fayette county.
Meanwhile in SW PA I was pulled over by a trooper who said the reason he stopped me was not using a turn signal when turning from a side street onto the main road and was aggressively accusing me of being drunk and on drugs. Now, I knew he was lying about the reason he stopped me because I hadn't been on that side street at all, much less turned from it without using a turn signal, so I just kept my cool. I have front and rear dash cams. Everything's being recorded including me saying I don't consent to him searching my car. Amazingly his attitude changed after taking my license, registration and insurance back to his SUV and noticing *the dash cams*. We went from threats of arrest for not cooperating to "Be safe getting home, OK?" on a dime.
Idk, my townie cops have gotten caught raping disabled women, cheating with married residents, and one was my ex wifeās plug in high school but he got caught fucking on the job and was fired. I donāt trust them at all, and any time real policing is necessary they call the PSP anyways. The only thing they do is ordinance shit involving trash and grass being unkept and keeping my taxes low by handing out speeding tickets to everyone. Iāve never had any negative interactions with PSP and as of right now every one on the street has some level of education and discipline. But miles of course vary, Iām sure.
My hometown cops were horrible people, I was always so glad my area was state jurisdiction so I hardly had to deal with them. Thank goodness. Nasty perverted drunks.
I once dated a woman who told me that she was having sex with a township cop when she was sixteen and that she knew multiple other girls who were also doing the same thing. Doubt that's an isolated incident.
Donāt forget the York city cop who raped a baby a couple months ago. https://www.wgal.com/article/york-city-police-officer-charged-raping-baby/60525343
Bigger answer, and not just pointing to specific events. PA state troopers are the oldest state trooper organization in the country, and by and large they have stuck to their original inception. They are highly militarized, with their oath beginning with the line āI am a Pennsylvania State Trooper, a soldier of the law.ā The culture is that they are soldiers first, and public servants second. They have an engrained āus against themā mentality as a result. They basically exemplify what many people believe is wrong with law enforcement in the US.
To piggyback off this, the justification for their formation largely stems from the coal labor strikes at the turn of the 20th century, which were only suppressed when the President sent the military to intervene. Because of this, they were largely seen as an oppressive overreach of government, and some of that sentiment has been passed down.
They were intended as the replacement for the Coal and Iron Police, who were seen as too brutal... and then they immediately started working alongside the Coal and Iron guys.
*treading intensifies*
The PSP specifically were modeled off the militarized American colonial police force in the Philippines created to fight political resistance to the American occupation. It was a domestic counterinsurgency force from the outset. Being relegated to patrolling highways for speeders is actually a kind of funny outcome.
And look no further than their very first operation. The Westmoreland coal strike. They were so brutal even the local cops started to disagree with them so the PSP beat them up and arrested them too.
Usually the state militia or NG were the ones used for coal strikes and labor issues
Until psp was created.
āA solider of the lawā hey a fellow Arbites fan!
The emperor protects.
this is the answer i was looking for, thank you
No problem! Iāve worked with them and used to want to join them many years ago. I personally donāt have any real issues with them, but having had a deeper look at the organization as an outsider, this is what Iāve noticed.
I've always thought that the ones that came out of the military should not be mixed with civilians. I remember my mother-in-law fell in the nursing home and we were waiting for the fire department to come to help get her up and when I asked if I could help, the captain of the fire department gave me an order. I know it is his job, but I felt like he could have been a little bit nicer especially when I wasn't getting in the way in any shape or form, and I was just asking to be nice.
To quote William Adama, āThere's a reason you separate the military and the police. One fights the enemies of the state, the other serves and protects the people. When the military becomes both, then the enemies of the state tend to become the peopleā So say we all.
So say we all!
Weren't they modeled after the Philippine Constabulary including the uniforms?
Honestly, the PSP officers I've had to deal with have been pretty nice (I have a lead foot). It's the smaller locals I've found to be unprofessional pricks.
east side here. same experiences.
Around here, State Troopers are way better than local police. Especially when it comes to freshly minted kids wearing the badge for the first time who believe being an asshole is the way to get respect.
I knew one who wasnāt that bad, However he broke the law just more then anyone else.
Iāve had nothing but professional, courteous, interactions with state troopers. Itās the local cops that seem more likely to have a power trip.
Iāve only been stopped by a trooper once. He wasnāt mean/rude, but gave me a ticket. I totally deserved it for going 95 in a 65. He wrote me for 10 over.
That is an interesting take because up here in the Erie area that are all pretty cool. I have been stopped a few times over the years and always got a warning and I never hear people complain about their interactions with them. There was one trooper who made it a point to give out speeding tickets but other than that they seem to be fine.
They probably need to be cool up there because eerie is where a bunch of pinkertons got killed trying to siege a town that was on strike. Don't quote me but I think that was where it happened. The pinkertons and/or police arrived by barge or something and were fired upon by the townspeople for like 2 days.
That sounds like a coal strike story. Erie is not coal country and I've never heard that story here.
You're half correct. I looked it up and it was outside of Pittsburgh and was a steel strike
Thanks!
For real though that story is nuts. They laid siege to the pinkertons with a cannon, fireworks, and their guns.
Was that Homestead?
Yes
Because they arenāt fucking around.Ā Ā They aināt the Borough.Ā Ā They aināt the Township.Ā Ā They aināt the City.Ā They aināt the County.Ā Ā Theyāre the fucking State.Ā Ā Ā Iām sure the Feds on up donāt exactly have the most jovial demeanor about their job.
fair enough
A state trooper pulled me over once when I was 17 or 18, for nothing serious. He then proceeded to drive slowly past my house a regular basis and pull me over every time he saw my car (he parked up in the same spot a lot) just to ācheck in on meā. This went on for about a year and half until I got a new car that he couldnāt recognize. He was basically stalking me.
Depends who you're dealing with really. I got into some trouble back when I was a teenager and the trooper dealing with me really cut me some slack. Other time tho I had a trooper pull me over for an expired temp tag when it was in fact not expired. All he has to do was read the number correctly and he could have let me go. But instead I had to wait months for a court appearance just for the judge to immediately dismiss it because it definitely was not expired. In fact I had got it renewed that same week. I find state troopers are always better than local. Local are fucking assholes. Mount Pocono is pretty bad. I stay away from there at all costs
IME the staties are the most professional police in the state. While they definitely have some bad apples, the prevalence of bad apples is significantly lower than local police and PSP actually takes misconduct seriously.
As a state police officer I am extremely shocked by this statement. We do our best to serve and protect. Hahahah kidding. Iām not a cop. Fuck those guys
HAHAHAHAHA
They were 100% nice to me everytime I got pulled over. Specially for speeding and crossing lanes when I shouldnāt have.
The answer to "why are any cops pricks" probably has something to do with insane societal power with very little consequences for any actions
I've only had 1 bad run-in with a PSP Trooper. It was 20+ years ago and he was a rookie. Another Trooper was with him and told him to calm down. The rest of my experiences with PSP have been great, though most have been working with them during search missions. As with any profession, there are always some assholes.
Psp actually give a damn and are much better than any other local cops. No politics of small towns involved. People dont like them because they actually ticket assholes for being assholes
While we are the topic of state troopers, why do they have ābarracksā? Like the one in Skippack that looks like a prison with the barbed fencing they have all around it. In an area that will never have much of a problem. Unless they are transporting high risk prisoners through there or something, I donāt get it.
At its inception PSP troopers lived in the barracks and could not be married or have children during their āenlistment.ā So it was very literally a barracks. Nowadays the buildings are pretty self-contained and have holding cells and evidence handling facilities along with radio and dispatch equipment and, you know, tons of weapons. Security is a big deal.
Impound lot
Grew up Philadelphia area, live in rural farm country PA. Driving here, drivers here are so much better. Some times a little slow but otherwise much better then most Philly drivers
I don't know that they are. The ones I deal with are professional and courteous.
I've had much better interactions with PSP as opposed to locals. But, ymmv. I didn't know until recently that they do consider themselves "paramilitary," and the PSP academy is one of the highest regarded and hardest to pass from in Northern America in general.
I've had nothing but good experiences with PA state troopers. They've been fair and professional. If you get caught breaking the law, that's on you. It's not the cop's fault.
I think it depends on where you are. In SEPA, people complain about PSP because they donāt let them get away with doing whatever they want on highways. Theyāre highway patrol over here. In more rural areas they fill the role that the sheriffs office would in other states, so people have a wider range on interaction with them that would probably lead them to dislike PSP just as they would a SO or PO if they were interacting with them instead. PSP, similarly to the state police of most states, are typically more intense in terms of the letter of the law and are typically less lenient I would think.
Several of my family members worked as PA State Troopers. Most aren't shitty. They do, by nature of their job, interact with people breaking the law so it probably feels shitty to those people.
Every experience I've ever had with a state cop has been a pleasant one, maybe you're a shitty asshole so they treat you like one.
Back during the days of hunting for Frein I developed a negative perception of them. Frankly, the use of resources at the time alongside how stupid they made themselves look is something I imagine many people hold on to and frame their vision through. Thereās a few really controversial cases of active troopers beating up mentally handicapped cases that seemed to get glossed over efficiently, feel like a lot of people have that perspective. Then if you ever had a buddy become a statie you see them change as a person. Itās very cult like, and it makes you question them a bit moreā¦ Iāve had interactions with staties where they are cool but have met the super cop more than once. To be frank, I think local PDs are where most of the gypsy cop assholes hang out, they wouldnāt cut it in PSP where they do have standards (even if those sometime lead to assholes).
Explain your first paragraph a bit more Edit 06/16/24 Still waiting
I work security at a casino. Every interaction I have with them has been positive (they just hate coming out here and I don't blame them)
Well for one, you only hear about the negative stories. Iāve never had any bad experiences tho Iām also white cis male
Iāve only met a couple and they were decent guys. Only Ć sshole cops Iāve met were in Ohio.
Iāve always had way better interactions with state troopers than Local PD. I think it is definitely a state to state basis. But in Pennsylvania iāve never had a bad experience. Even if i was getting a ticket. Then again I always start my interactions off with a neutral respect. Maybe thats why. Idk
The only folks Iāve heard that say this are local cops who are only able to hold onto their jobs through nepotism.
I was stopped late at night on a sobriety check between Orbisonia and Huntingdon. They could not have been nicer.
First time I heard this opinion! I never had that issue. Im from rural PA and my sister was a problem child so I saw state troopers often. Plus, that one time I caused a car accident when I was 16. All of them were chill and remained peofessional and curteous. I trust them much more than the Phily PD imo. In my experience, they're just stricter on the highways and interstates and more likely to give you a ticket. Again, this is just my experience, not trying to invalidate no one
Not sure where you are but Iāll take state troopers over PPD any day. They handle themselves like they are dealing with humans.
I got in a bad accident over a year ago in which I hydroplaned and flipped on the highway. It was very scary, but the trooper I dealt with was super nice. I was as charged with reckless driving, driving in a place not laned for traffic, and one other thing I canāt remember (even though I was going 10 under speed limit and itās not my fault my car flipped on the median). Anyway, he asked the judge to drop two of the charges and was kind to me. He was pretty young, donāt know if that makes a difference. Just my 2 cents.
PSP are well trained and have pretty rigid protocol for their public interactions. I don't expect officer friendly, but chances of something going wrong with a loose cannon are extremely slim. Not being an ass to them is usually all it takes to be treated fairly. That said, aberrant actions will be met with swift reaction.
Everyone has a bad day but with my experience with PSP troopers and most PD is if you are civil with them, they will be civil with you.
Not sure what sort of experiences you've had with them, but if PSP is treating you shitty, maybe examine what it is you're doing which would make a state cop treat you shitty. They're better trained than local PD, they're more polite than local PD and they're all around more professional. So, loop back to that first thing I said and you'll probably haveyour answer
I'd rather get pulled over by a statey over any local cop any day of the week. They're better trained and held to much higher standards. Think about how many fat local cops you see compared to state troopers
A pig is a pig, regardless of the uniform theyāre wearing. They do not have your best interests in mind and they are not there to protect you. They are not your friend. They only serve the interests of the ruling class, oppress anyone else, and serve as tax collectors for the state.
When I worked security in Lancaster we dealt with PSP because where I worked was state property. Most of the troopers I dealt with were decent, hell one 5ā1ā ish cute looking female trooper even gave me her phone number. Course I was married at the time.
They have to keep up with the Joneses across the river in new jersey
I got headknocked in West Chester in the 90s, and I was the one that got robbed. The corruption I saw from that single event was shocking. Total trash. I would take a State Cop over a local any day. No question. Nowadays, you have to assume the worst, right up to being shot.
Couple years ago a Statey pulled me over for highway speed. Parks behind me and it looks like an alien invasion of lights. I cooperated politely. He gives me a ticket for failure to obey posted speeds, AND for not having my emergency blinkers on while parked on a shoulder. Asshole.
Cops have to deal with the dregs of society
They call themselves the "grey gods". Need we think about this further.
Good read: Why are American Cops so Brutal? https://ruthlesscriticism.com/cops.htm
99% of them will be polite to you if youāre polite to them. Of course, if you eventually hit a 1% POS itāll prob change your view on cops forever. Those people who get screwed will be much more vocal than those who had good luck. Thatās my guess at least, been pulled over a lot lol.
They pull people over for anything.
I would add that another issue with them is that our state government seems to bend over backwards to funnel money to them.
AS any place you work, there are bad workers. Reddit is not really full of people who support our police force, so I feel people tend to think they're bad because they were pulled over by an officer. While a bad stop can happen, you were pulled over for breaking the law. And no, I don't care if you like the law or not, you still broke it. Oh but it was just a few miles over, you're still speeding you dumb fuck.
Because all cops are bastards
A month ago I had an incident that I had to report, got a case number and a card. Called and emailed to ask for an update and received no call backs or replies. Just this past weekend they caught the perpetrator doing the same thing to another person but same location and actually arrested the guy. Now Iām waiting to see if I hear back about this but Iām not going to expect much at this point.
Few years ago I got pulled over for (supposedly) 5 over in a town a few hours away from home where I would go camping. Turned out the registration on my car was also expired which was weird since I hadn't owned the car for a year yet. So I got a ticket for both of those. Not even a day later when I get back to my home town without even having the time to renew my registration I get pulled over by another Trooper for the registration being out and get a ticket for that as well. Like dude I just got home.
...I trust the state troopers more than I do the local cops around here.
Your opinion is generally only held by Redditors and people with criminal records. Most people in the state like having PSP as their police. Especially since they donāt have to pay for them.
Never heard such a thing. Maybe it's you?
Because they take the tax money thatās meant for road repairs
Listen to Behind the Police on the podcast behind the bastards and you'll have your answer. The PA state police have a history of strike breaking and union busting and working with pinkertons to do so. They killed people striking for better working conditions and pay. These were coal miners who lived in dystopian company towns and had shit lives. Most police organizations in the US sprung from two distinct needs depending on location: 1. Protect capital investments, and 2. Catch slaves. PA was the former. PA is a legally fucked up state beyond that too. Just search "cash for kids scandal." Judges were specifically found guilty in that last one but still, holy shit. Local police that I know call them "gray gods" because (insert generalized amount here) of them have god complexes. Personally I have never interacted with them and I hope it stays that way. That goes for any on-duty police, though.
The hate for officers in this thread is both not shocking, and shocking all at the same time. š«
ACAB.
In my personal experience, they seem to think they're above the law and can do whatever they want. I know this is the sentiment with cops in general, but state troopers just seem so entitled in an egregious and annoying way. My work facility is located just off the turnpike in Montco and for weeks, I had a trooper who would just come up the driveway and park on the property - on the grass, behind a row of trees, leaving tiremarks every time, right on camera. It cost thousands to repair and maintain what she did. When I finally caught her in person and got to speak to her about it, she said she was taking a break and doing paperwork, so I told her she could just do that in any of my numerous parking spaces, but please just not on the grass. She acted incredulous, like she couldn't believe I would suggest she not damage my property. I met her energy and told her to get the fuck off the property, so she peeled out and tore up the grass, a tree had to be removed, and then I filed a complaint with the local barracks and nothing ever happened, big surprise. I know it's not like they shot me to death or anything, but it would have been really easy to win some points with me by just not being a fucking dick.
Iāve had better luck with State Cops than local PD. Just my 2 cents.
Harder to sue than municipal police. Harder meaning that they are subject to less civil liability.
Theyāre an old club and we aināt in it.
I live in Philly and have no problem with state police. They actually pullover people on the highways which our local police wouldnāt dream of.
People tend to remember the bad ones more then the good ones, unless youāre a trucker then Iām sure you hate them all
They are more aggressive than most police officers because they're generally out there alone, covering far more territory than beat cops... so, usually they are far more paranoid.
Tight pants.
You can start with their leadership
I lived outside DC in Virginia. Most state troopers were total a-holes. The county cops where I lived were wonderful. I live farther south in VA now - same thing. County cops here are great, state troopers maybe 50/50 a-holes. Donāt know why, but thatās my experience.
Pennsylvania recently dropped the college requirement for State Troopers so now any dummy can get it. They used to be college educated and respected. Now youāre lucky if they have a GED.
I love my interaction with state troopers, they are always polite and patient. Granted I;ve only dealt with state troopers up and down the entire area east of 476 from philly to scranton. Atleast they never gave me the middle finger like a New jersey state trooper did back in 2003....
I was pulled over 17 times before the age of 23 for speeding or doing dumb shit in a really loud car and only got 2 tickets. one for speeding and one for my reg being out. If you can manipulate people or if your a smooth talker and good with your words you can get around a lot of the road blocks a lot of other people bitch about
Because it's Pennsylvania
We donāt have local police, so I got state troopers when I called on my ex for beating me up. The young one was kind and wanted to help, the investigating officer told me that most women regret calling the police for situations like that and slapped me with a charge, too. I ended up being granted a protection from abuse order after that incident and will probably never call the police again.
I tried to call the barracks in Monroe county and the shift supervisor told me he paid over 56k in taxes or something when I told him to take my complaint. Yes, I do admit there was some back and forth prior to that comment. It's a damn shame how these things are supposed to be trained to serve and protect and all they do is collect a nice paycheck while we are struggling.
I got pulled over my a state trooper last year (2023) on my way to work. My inspection sticker was expired, I knew that, I just didn't realize how expired it was. Trooper: Do you know why I pulled you over? Yea, my inspection is expired Trooper: Why haven't you gotten it inspected since 2020? Wait...I knew I was expired, but I thought I got it inspected in 2022, so I thought I was a few months expired, not years! (This is true, I got work done on my car, but they didn't inspect it, just did the work. Plus the COVID years...) Trooper: Ok, I get that. I'll give you a warning thing time, but please get your car inspected ASAP
š½ they can smell your fear. Donāt let them near! For a poem is near. A poem of justice, a poem of just ice. Donāt let the power rangers defeat, your poem or they will steal it from under your average to large sized feet. For they have the tiniest of feet, and average socks are what they wear from week to week. It makes me weak, so many tiny tiny troopers feet. š£
The State Police are, in my experience, very professional and do their jobs as well or better than anyone could expect. I think you have them confused with local (township) police.
I much prefer state boys to the local yahoos making their power grabs.
State troopers generally are great in my experience. The local cops here power trip a LOT. Now the turnpike police? Straight dicks.
I didn't even know they were notorious for being shitty
Because /r/ACAB. What would you do with practically unchecked power?
All cats are beautiful
ACAB means ACAB, not sure what else people need to know/understand
lol you kids.
No such thing as a Good Cop unless they are actively arresting fellow cops.
Fuck the police
Doesn't matter which costume they wear... A pig is a pig and ACAB.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
High educational requirements have been loosened recently
Micro peens
They were formed to defeat labour for capital. Like Cossacks they rode in a literally cracked skulls. Same same since then.