I want to be able to trust cops, but I just can't trust someone in a job that can kill someone and not face any consequences when it was unjustified. Too many innocent lives taken for no good reason.

As retired cop I just read through a whole bunch of your comments and the majority of you admit to doing something wrong, but still feel the need to bitch and whine about the police.
I can assure you that "driving while black" or any other color is in your imagination, we stop those who break the law. If you had any clue as to how much pressure we get on a daily basis from the press, the ACLU, and every attorney looking to get his client off you would realize we have a very strict policy to adhere to. Much of what you read can be directly attributed to the media trying to sell the story. I always laughed when I read news articles on my cases and thought, huh, thats not right at all.
I was fortunate in 30 years I never had to pull the trigger. I was only shot at once, but could not return fire due to hazards behind the suspect. How many of you bitching about a fucking traffic stop for your plate expired have ever been shot at? It isn't fun. I put on 22 pounds of equipment every day to go to work. In 90 degree heat, its about 120 degrees inside a bullet proof vest. We see more shit, more dead bodies, more abused kids, and deal with more drunken assholes that any of you can imagine. If you get stopped, its for a reason, suck it up and accept you did it to yourself.

I drive while white so I have no worries.

I used to just be annoyed. I mean, I probably was speeding or turning illegally, so they're within the law to pull me over, but no victim, no crime, so fuck outta here with your money making racket. Then, about 7 years ago I got pulled over with my nephew in the car (he's a tall, thin, handsome, well dressed, articulate AF, young, 20 at the time, mixed kid). I was taking him to a medical appointment, I had two infants screaming their fool heads off in the back seat, we were late and I was soaking my shirt with milk for the screaming babies. So, I turned on red. The cop was very efficient and not unkind. I was a straight dick. I even said at one point "can we hurry this up, I don't have time for the city's revenue boosting." ( or something much to that effect, honestly my nephew tells the story better than I do) So, eventually i have my tickets, plural, and she sends us on our way, I turn to my nephew to apologize for making him later and I see that he's literally shaking, and gone quite pale. So, I naively say "it's ok, sugar, your doctor will still see you, we aren't that late." And he responds , through tears, "I thought she was going to shoot you, or at least make you get out so she could hit you. If I talked to her the way you just did, I'd be dead or in the hospital. It must be nice to be a white lady." And, I'm so furious with this cop for making my baby upset, that what he's saying doesn't even register until I was feeding the babies in the waiting room at his appointment. When we got back in the car i asked him how often he gets pulled over and how many times he's been asked to exit the vehicle and if a cop had ever hit him. His answers were blood boiling. The worst part, he thought his experience was normal. He has no idea that I has a completely different relationship with the police. So, now, I mostly feel enraged when i see the flashing lights, because how fucking dare they.

Warren v. District of Columbia
The Supreme Court ruled on Monday that the police did not have a constitutional duty to protect a person from harm...
[nytimes.com]
How's that for 'Serve and Protect'.

Cops are bullies with a badge who love to let you know who is in charge.

We were pulled over yesterday. I didn’t have any issues, but I wasn’t driving, either. I usually have a “fuck!” moment. I usually know what I did to get pulled over. I don’t usually fear the cop, but, I’m not black, either.

To make a long story short, I've seen good cops and bad cops (more than I should have had to) and have done my share of minor shit, so admittedly there's anxiety when I see the lights.

Well the couple of times I have been pulled over - I knew why (darn lead foot) but I was still nervous. Not really sure why other than I am a toe-the-line, never get in trouble type of person so I guess actually doing something wrong made me nervous not necessarily the flashing lights.
Now, that time my mom got pulled over - I think it was my 11th birthday - let's just say I should have been arrested for laughing so hard I almost pee'd my pants. My poor mom was horrified.

I did discover during Harvey how racist my police officer neighbor is... he works for HPD and they had to do security at the convention center. The disgusting things he said about people that had just lost everything. I called him on his behavior which he denied of course like all coward cops. He’s also a reserve JAG.

For me, it’s no problem. I’ve had many tickets and have been given many “warnings”, and I’ve yet to experience an uncomfortable interaction with an officer.

That’s not to say there isn’t a systemic problem with policing in the USA. From home raids over marijuana to civil asset forfeiture to the ever common citizen execution, there clearly needs reform.

Every time I've been pulled over in a car, it's been that sinking "this sucks" feeling mixed with just a little nervousness. I'd done something I knew was wrong every time I got stopped, so I never felt targeted. I knew my complexion could make for an increased chance of needless escalation, so I was particularly courteous, though I'm pretty courteous as a rule anyway.
Over this summer however, I've been followed once, stopped three times, patted down once, and ticketed once... on my way to work... on my BIKE... ON MY BLOCK! Every single time, I was pissed and I had zero qualms about showing it. I knew that my anger could easily be interpreted as aggression and I didn't care. I was being profiled every time, something I'd never experienced on such a blatant level before, and I wanted to make it clear that I knew it was bullshit.

My immediate thought would be "Shit - I'm in deep trouble!" due to the fact I've never earned a driving licence

One thing that I have found out about policemen or women is that they are human just like you and I. I would recommend going out of your way to meet them and talk to them. There are bicycle cops here in Chattanooga and I always make a point to talk to them. Some you can't. They aren't interested in being 'human' and I believe they are scared. Others are very friendly and love to feel human. They are always good people to know. You never know when you might need them as well.

I stay pretty relaxed. Every time I’ve seen the flashing lights, I know what it’s for. I’m polite and respectful. If it’s on the highway and an exit is not too far, I give a wave to the officer and pull over on the offramo. When asked if I know why I’m being pulled over, I own up to it. It doesn’t always work out, but I’ve been cut loose with a warning many, many time with this strategy.

What is even a more bizarre feeling when you're going down the freeway and the sheriff calls your cell phone and ask you to pull over that they need to talk to you. You are at first how the F..k did they get your cell number. This happened to me in California.

I live in Washington state where weed is legal. So I invested in a weed grow and became the boss by default. One day I was delivering an order to a store about 2 hours away so I could personally thank the store owners, and I got stopped for speeding. 85 in a 65 zone. The cop asked where I was going, and I said "I'm delivering weed. Want to see it?" Yes the cop wanted to see it so I popped the trunk and it was full of boxes of jars of weed. About $5000 worth. The cop said close the trunk. "You are going to get cash?" Yep. He said "Keep that trunk closed till you get there and drive the speed limit. Have a good day". So, you can skip fearing the siren and lights if you have a trunk full of weed. Don't leave home without it.

As a Caucasian woman ''of an age,'' I don't have to worry about these contacts the way I would if I were another gender/color...and that's just awful!

No--if I'm pulled over, it's usually that "OHHHHHHSHITTTTTT" feeling....

I'm a law abiding citizen so have not had many dealings with the police except one occasion, which I won't go into detail about, so my opinion is based primarily on this experience and I found them arrogant, condescending, ignorant, duplicitous and generally untrustworthy.
I'm still a law abiding citizen but wouldn't trust the police further than I could spit.

I am fucked again

It’s always been gut-wrenching for me.

Story time: I used to build emergency vehicles in the South. Because of the heat in the summer, I would work overnight whenever I could. The local sheriff's department used to constantly harass me in the shop because they had somehow decided I shouldn't be working at night... More than 40 run-ins with them one summer. One night, one of them followed me out of the complex as I was leaving & lit me up. I used language at that asshole that would shock a drunk sailor, basically daring him to arrest me. That was the last time I've been pulled over. Other than that, I'm generally polite to them, although I'm a really boring driver with a really low key car, so they generally don't notice me in the first place.

Those cars are designed to look intimidating. It works, at least for me.

Moreover, I've had a lot of bad traffic stop experiences, but they weren't the cops' fault. When I lived with my parents I knew if I was pulled over for any reason I'd face a lot of abuse at home. Seeing those lights gave me panic attacks.

Later, I was having a lot of trouble keeping up with car insurance and tabs and all that other expensive shit, not to mention car maintenance. I had a shitty job that I still had to drive to because public transit would never have gotten me there on time. The inevitable happened and I pretty much had to forfeit the vehicle and thus lose the job.

Nowadays when I see the lights I'm happy to say all I have to do is get out of the way. But I still have a little twinge of panic every time.

Guilt certainly makes a difference, although if I know I was speeding or else cheated at the light, it's like "oh bummer" whereas if I'm unaware that I did anything, I can feel a flash of dread over waht's going on, and relief when they blow by me.

Side story: on the freeway, I was once nailed in a trap, my alarm went off, I saw a few cops up ahead flagging cars down. I was fortunate to be just catching up to an 18 wheeler, so I sped up a bit just to be "masked" as I passed by, figuring I could feign ignorance to being flagged down should they come after me. But they didn't.

I don't stress out too easily, and whatever I'm being pulled over for it's too late to correct or conceal at that point. Everything from that point on can only be worse if I'm nervous or stressed.

However from my experience when the officer asks you if you know why he pulled you over don't guess. It would really suck if you tell him about the body in the trunk, the briefcase full of cocaine, your illegal handgun under the seat, and that you're on your way to pick up a bag full of ransom money, and he was only going to give you a warning for a burnt out taillight.