Any crime a cop commits should come with an extra penalty for being a cop

r/

If police are supposed to be upholding the law, logically it should be extra illegal for cops to break the law. Domestic violence? Extra jail time, you have more authority than others and you are abusing it. Ran a red light? More expensive ticket, you should be following the rules you enforce.

edit: typo

Comments

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  2. FatFarter69 Avatar

    I agree. The people who are supposed to be upholding the law should be held to a higher standard. Here in the UK, police officers who commit crimes are sometimes shown leniency by judges. It should be the other way around.

    If you’re a cop and you commit a crime, you’re abusing your power as law enforcement and should face a harsher penalty.

  3. DrSkoff Avatar

    There should be sentence multiplyer for civil servant. Anyone who abuses power and responsibility should face increasing sentences scaling with position and responsibility. Lawyer has a higher multiplyer than police, judge higher than lawyer, politician higher than judge.

  4. Dr-Assbeard Avatar

    Lets start with getting the cops charged and convicted for the crimes they do first, that in itself would be a huuuuge win

  5. Friendly_Driver8737 Avatar

    I think the offense should be moved up one classification if a cop commits it; tickets become B misdemeanors, B misdemeanors become A misdemeanors, A misdemeanors become C felonies, C felonies become B felonies, and B felonies become A felonies. How’s that sound?

  6. KasanHiker Avatar

    I also believe when it’s a ‘what you said vs what a cop said’ situation, without evidence they should always take the word of the person over the cop – chances are they are way more honest. Cops haven’t been honest….ever.

  7. DPJazzy91 Avatar

    Public servants are to be held to a higher standard! Constitutional violations should be WILDLY serious for them.

  8. Enough_Worry4104 Avatar

    I’ve thought this for years. Judges should be treated even harsher. Stripped of status and severely penalized.

  9. SenAtsu011 Avatar

    Those who have power over others should be held to a higher standard. Debate over. This cannot possibly be considered an unpopular opinion.

  10. Far_Section3715 Avatar

    Not unpopular at all. You enforce the law, you must be held to a higher standard

  11. Lucas902902 Avatar

    This is a thing in France, where some offenses have harsher penalties for cops. It’s not for all offenses, and only when they are on duty, but if I had to give a few examples : rape, corruption, discrimination (and some others)

  12. not_a_cat_i_swear Avatar

    You mean a paid month off isn’t a punishment? /s

  13. 100Dampf Avatar

    Unless they misuse their position to do it, then no.
    Everyone should be the same before the law. 

    Considering the comments this seems to be the actual unpopular opinion

  14. bcbfalcon Avatar

    Agreed but it will never happen. Cops are upheld to the same laws as those they serve, which is not the people but the corporate elite, and that’s why they never face justice.

  15. Hold-Professional Avatar

    The only people this is unpopular among are cops

  16. igloojoe Avatar

    I would also like to see if there would be a snitch phone line implemented. Give cops $$ incentive for snitching on their fellow cops.

  17. sourcreamcokeegg Avatar

    That’s true, and this line of thought exposes one of the oldest problems with law: who keeps those who uphold the systems of power in check?

    Our current way is usually something like distribution, be it tri-partition of powers: legislative, executive and judicial, where there is some kind of balance and also multiple officials in each. That doesn’t prevent wide corruption which can spread across all of these. Still better that having power concentrated in one person for example.

    We are still to invent more resilient system which would emphasize controlling those who control.

  18. Eisenhorn87 Avatar

    This is exactly how i thought the world worked when i was a kid, then I got older and realized that in the real world authority and accountability have an inverse relationship.

  19. nyafff Avatar

    How is this unpopular? How do I vote? Aaaah

  20. terryjuicelawson Avatar

    Pretty sure it does, here anyway.

  21. Rorill Avatar

    I agree.
    Had a friend who was a cop (he left for obvious reasons), his captain told everybody on the first day.
    “You are representing the law, as such you are held up to a higher standard than the average citizen” (grossly translated)

  22. SpeedyHAM79 Avatar

    Absolutely YES! This should also be applied to politicians. They are responsible for upholding and making the laws, they should be held to a higher standard if they break those laws.

  23. Current_Run9540 Avatar

    I agree. I have a CDL amongst various other certifications I’m required to hold for my career as an electrical lineman. If I get pulled over for a moving violation, I am automatically punished to the maximum extent possible for that infraction because I am considered a “professional driver”. Cops, as professionals in law enforcement, should be no different.

  24. Templarofsteel Avatar

    I agree with this, really a big part of the problem is that police aren’t expected to know the law and even when they do violate it often are given far more leniency than a regular civilian. It just breeds contempt for citizens and also makes it harder for people to trust law enforcement

  25. ComputerSoup Avatar

    definitely, there should be a separate penalty applied to every case involving a public servant, punishing them for failing to respect their position of responsibility. if the charges are for something less serious like theft then this penalty can have a minimal impact, but for police officers committing violent or sexual crimes, it should give a judge power to add many years to their sentence.

  26. eyeguy21 Avatar

    Yep, because if you commit a crime against a police officer you get a harsher punishment. It has to work both ways

  27. OkIndependent1667 Avatar

    I agree however a cop going to prison is going to have a worse time in there for the same crime a regular person commits

  28. tibastiff Avatar

    I do think that if the whole thing wasn’t already corrupt top to bottom then yeah, some leniency for reasonable mistakes made in active situations. But only in good faith not obvious straight up crimes and then yes extra penalty for abusing the power. Probably like a flat charge with a specific penalty of like a minimum year of prison time or something.

  29. Nerevarine91 Avatar

    If this is unpopular, it certainly shouldn’t be. It makes sense

  30. Same-Photograph1926 Avatar

    This opinion is only unpopular for cops.

  31. Nexar-X7 Avatar

    In Germany a rule like that exists for firefighters and paramedics (professional and voluntary). Every citizen is required by law to help anyone in need of first aid to the best of their abilities, and refusing to do so for no good reason (like self preservation, e.g. not running into a burning building) is a crime. The punishment for this crime is harsher for firefighters and paramedics, because it is generally understood that they have been trained for this sort of thing and have more knowledge, skill, and experience with it than average citizens. No clue if something similar exists for police

  32. HeatInternal8850 Avatar

    Not really unpopular

  33. Eyespop4866 Avatar

    And the ladder of law has no top and no bottom. Equal justice for all.

    Silly notion, but likely not unpopular.

  34. Dambo_Unchained Avatar

    I think people involve in policing should be held to a higher standard but that should be in terms of standard of “being convicted” not standards of punishment

  35. Longjumping-Diet-570 Avatar

    They don’t get paid enough for all that tbh but I feel you

  36. Sofa-king-high Avatar

    100% extra authority should come with extra responsibility

  37. ChronicPronatorbator Avatar

    only an asshole likes cops. this is a wildly popular opinion.

  38. VoltexRB Avatar

    It doesnt where you live?

  39. Sekreid Avatar

    The same should go for anyone in the position of authority like politicians, teachers, the clergy, judges. The list goes on.

  40. Aware-Surprise-8047 Avatar

    Yup, I’d say automatically 2x standard sentence.

  41. w3st3f3r Avatar

    Fine you want to make it simple make it its own crime to break the law as a police officer. Make it like dui. First offense they get leniency second and onward you cant have the union represent you. All restitution if any comes from the cops pension. Suspension without pay while investigation is ongoing.

  42. SirDalavar Avatar

    With great power comes great responsibility and greater accountability

  43. Blacktxz Avatar

    Yep, as uncle Ben said, “With great power comes great responsability”

  44. ReddtitsACesspool Avatar

    They run red lights and stop signs all of the time lol.. Speed too. Usually always on their phones and computers whilst doing so.

  45. DreadPirateGriswold Avatar

    They say that every person, because of the complexity of the law, commits like three misdemeanors a day without even knowing it.

    I would agree with OP’s idea. But if it’s found that the cop did it intentionally, then yes an extra penalty should be applied.

  46. ImagenaryJay Avatar

    Obly thing they getvis extra safety

  47. drjunkie Avatar

    Wait…this opinion is unpopular?

  48. Witty-Table-8556 Avatar

    In most countries it is.

  49. nighthawk_something Avatar

    I agree. Cops are given a monopoly on violence and therefore should be held to a high standard of behavior.

  50. CalvinTheBold2 Avatar

    Agreed. I mean, when you’re in the military and you do something illegal off base, you deal with local authorities AND the UCMJ. Why shouldn’t law enforcement

  51. captainofpizza Avatar

    And any corruption politicians make should have higher penalties too.

    Good luck getting those laws passed and upheld!

  52. Ok_Question4968 Avatar

    Absolutely. A speeding ticket, an assault, a murder etc, the punishment for all should be double what a civilian gets. If I get harsher punishment for killing a cop it should work both ways.

  53. FarmerFrance Avatar

    The only place this is an unpopular opinion is in a police station. We will never fully trust police until they’re held accountable.

  54. b17pineapple Avatar

    Individual charges should not necessarily have increased or decreased penalties based solely on occupation, but I do feel that there could be a charge in the nature of “Use of official position to commit or conceal a criminal act.”

  55. CMDR_Lina_Inv Avatar

    Well, in my country, it does (in theory).

  56. Corum6a Avatar

    Cops aren’t there to protect you, they are there to protect property for people with money.

  57. parkz88 Avatar

    I just think you should get standard time but unable to work in security or law enforcement of any kind. They shouldn’t be allowed to even be a mall cop.

  58. Lazy_Toe4340 Avatar

    The penalty for an enforcer of the law breaking the law should be death….

  59. ZoiddenBergen Avatar
    1. Not unpopular
    2. How is this allowed in this sub when they don’t allow “political” topics?
  60. bruingrad84 Avatar

    Agree… it should be considered treason because you undermine the fabric of the system. Same with politicians or judge who get bribes or benefit in any way.

  61. doodlejargon Avatar

    Yeah, insane. Like a corrupted referee making one basketball team win over the other. When they find out, they bench them for 2 minutes and let them return. Uh, no it’s ejection, you literally screwed up the game.

  62. chuckles65 Avatar

    I have some good news for you. Police who commit crimes while doing their job do face penalties that other citizens don’t. Deprivation of rights under color of law is a federal crime that police can be charged with that other people cannot.

  63. Total-Tonight1245 Avatar

    The federal sentencing guidelines in the U.S. provide a sentencing enhancement for criminals who “abused a position of public or private trust” while committing or concealing a crime. 

  64. Excellent_Set_232 Avatar

    Many felonies do have an “under color of authority” modifier in my state

  65. justplaydead Avatar

    It’s a nice idea, but too easily abused when bad cops want to get rid of their whistle-blower partners.

  66. patrickco123 Avatar

    The cops don’t make the rules, we pay them to enforce the rules our representatives make.

    Othering our security forces like this will only lead to more conflict.

    Look up, policing by consent

  67. Pm_me_your_tits_85 Avatar

    I wish this were more popular. My buddy who was a cop for a while had this idea in his head that cops should be given extra leeway because they’re just people. But they have so much power and can so easily abuse it and they’re protected so much from punishment. Abusing their authority should absolutely be met with severe punishment because we entrust them to protect us. Betraying that trust should come with severe consequences.

  68. pm_me_plothooks Avatar

    Wait, isn’t this already true?

  69. mrgrassdestroyer Avatar

    Cops lie and do whatever they want FTP

  70. EliteProdigyX Avatar

    if the people in the military gets extra punishment for our crimes, and things that aren’t even real crimes outside of the military, then why do people who should know the law like the back of their hands not get extra punishment, and often times get off scot free because of their positions?

  71. sdclams Avatar

    I get it, but that’s not how law works.

  72. Z_Clipped Avatar

    They’re supposed to be in theory, and there are specific penalties for stuff like this written into law. One example is Section 242 of Title 18.

    They’re just almost never charged or applied, because the legal system is set up to incentivize corruption, not justice.

  73. DGNT_AI Avatar

    this is a popular take

  74. Sarge230 Avatar

    I have a similar thought for a “trusted citizen” license. The license would give the holder social acknowledgment that they are true to their word and would be seen as such in times such like car accidents, bank/home robberies, etc.

    Though, if they are ever caught lying or skewing pertinent information. They would then be punished more than if they were not licensed.

    The idea still needs work, but It’s a thought.

  75. Creative_Garbage_121 Avatar

    Of course it should be treated a lot harsher but also police should be trained and paid well at the same time for such career to be tempting to best people out there and not losers that likes power, but of course this can happen only in dreams because by design people that enforce law are there not to serve people and be nice but to have mindset that let them do their job efficiently, too nice, too inteligent, too independent people are not desirable in police

  76. viaticchart Avatar

    Just make them bound by the military laws, UCMJ they are far stricter and carry harsher sentences than civilian laws. Plus a lot of cops are veterans so they already are used to it. It is also a code that already exists so no issues trying to change it.

  77. TyrantLightning Avatar

    Not only extra penalty, but a lower standard of proof. Cops get away with so much because people can’t prove it to ‘beyond reasonable doubt”. At the very least, anything less than complete acquittal should be a permanent ban from law enforcement.

  78. hulk13 Avatar

    I agree. They are someone who should set an example, so a crime from a police officer should be punished more than regular

  79. 1958showtime Avatar

    Upvote because I 100% agree, downvote because this isn’t really an unpopular opinion.

  80. -I-Like-Turtles- Avatar

    Wholeheartedly agree.  I think in the US, if you are a semi-truck driver, the rules over drinking and driving are much more strict, though not the legal penalties as op is expressing should be the case, but at least the working penalties are super strict.  Similarly, at the very least, a police officers job should be on the line anytime he commits a crime on or off duty.  And I understand the bs idea of qualified immunity such that pretty much anything  they do on the job isn’t illegal, but one can wish.

  81. YaMomsCooch Avatar

    Yes!

    If your entire duty is to uphold the law, and do absolutely anything to break the law, the book and the entire prison should be thrown at you.

    Finally, some sense.

  82. Oddly_Ennui Avatar

    Former military here. We get the book thrown at us if we mess up.

  83. jerdle_reddit Avatar

    Yeah, I think cops should have the following:

    • A more severe default sentence within the range that exists (for example, let’s take stealing a TV from a shop. This would default to a low-level community order, but for a cop, it should default to a medium-level one or even 12 weeks in jail, treating being a cop as an increase in culpability).
    • Qualified immunity, but done sanely. That is, the test shouldn’t be as strict as “there must have been another case with the exact same facts”.
    • Maybe also an increase in sentencing for crimes against them.

    Judges get absolute immunity instead of qualified, but mostly have the same sentencing upgrade.

    Thinking about it a bit more, it might just be as simple as making being a cop or a judge automatic high culpability.

  84. htownballa1 Avatar

    All misconduct by police that results in monetary payout or court costs should come directly from the police pension fund. Watch how quickly the learn how to behave when it costs them
    Money and not to tax payer.

  85. OathOfFeanor Avatar

    IMO this should only be true for abuse of their position/authority. but people should not be punished just for being police.

    Policing should be a community thing, people who are part of the community helping each other out.

    Think of you and a group of people on an island. You see Bob try to steal Sarah’s coconut so you stop him. Now you are the cop. Do you deserve negative consequences for that? No you do not.

  86. Speak4yurself Avatar

    How would that be enticing to the scumbags that usually fill the ranks of police? The immunity is a job perk that is essential to maintain staffing. There just aren’t enough ” good cops” to go around.

  87. Bootmacher Avatar

    For things in the scope of their duties, or where they used their position to break the law, there already are additional penalties. My state has a separate charge called “official oppression.” Federally, you can get hit with a similar criminal charge for deprivation of rights under color of law.

  88. LV3000N Avatar

    People who have a CDL get an extra penalty why shouldn’t a cop?

  89. cycloneDM Avatar

    Many laws contain clauses to this effect generally in language under the negligence portion its just in the US at least judges dont actually enforce the guideline on cops even if they do other licensed professionals for the same charges.

  90. i8noodles Avatar

    we talking as a private citizen. then definitely not. no favourites in the legal system. it is surpose to be fair to all and the moment u add exceptions then ita pointless and might as well add more exceptions.

    while on duty, thats harder because some laws need to be broken to enforce them. aspects like detainment are technically illegal, but thoese are thrown away when other things over ride them like public safety. they do not have hours to pour over the legal ramifications of such detainments. when the issue of safety of potentially hundreds are at stake, the decider must be free to act in good faith. this is why police officers are useally not punished for acts they do in the line of duty.

    either way, i disagree in its entirety thay they should be treated different

  91. Weltall8000 Avatar

    Yes. And there should be mandatory always-on body cams. If the camera isn’t recording (and there isn’t a damn good, demonstrable reason for why) the cop is automatically legally/criminally responsible for whatever crimes they reasonably are accused of (“this cop punched me and broke my jaw while I was cuffed in the back of the cruiser”, “they shot my dog that was on a leash in my fenced yard.” Etc).

    “Undue burden on police?” Get fucked. They should be held to a higher standard because of all the power they are allowed to wield. Abuse that? Then pay a steep price.

  92. dlampach Avatar

    Any crime committed where the offender was acting in a position of public trust should have an accentuating penalty. However, solving the police problem is simple even without that. You just need to require them to get insurance. That will completely change the dynamic. Anyone who is uninsurable simply cannot remain a police officer. Insurance companies will quickly become expert at sussing out the bad apples.

  93. SecretSanta416 Avatar

    Tbh, I think there absolutely should be a higher standard for cops, but only while on duty, or while in uniform, or when they identify themselves as a police.

  94. icooknakedAMA Avatar

    This opinion will only be unpopular with cops and assholes lol. Our society fuckin sucks.

  95. superlibster Avatar

    If they do it while on duty it usually does.

  96. emptyfish127 Avatar

    Higher level of trust and authority in our society should come with more punishment when you break that trust.

  97. PsychoGrad Avatar

    For the US, the first step in getting to this ideal is rejecting the idea that the police can (or should) police themselves. If corrupt cops are investigating corrupt cops, then nothing will change.

  98. D33peSTi18 Avatar

    I know locksmiths do basically 2x time if they rob a bank.

  99. LordFUHard Avatar

    Yes!

    Double time in prison AND a random close relative or friend will also be liable.

  100. Greedy-Molasses1688 Avatar

    I dont think this is an unpopular opinion. It is unpopular for cops maybe. I would add the same for anyone working in goverment.

  101. JungleZac Avatar

    Cops should be made to hold their own personal liability insurance. Police payouts should not be on the taxpayers.

  102. PrestigiousCrab6345 Avatar

    Like losing their job?

  103. SordidDreams Avatar

    Not just cops, status/power in general. Cops, politicians, rich people, etc. The higher someone’s status, the higher the standards they should be held to.

  104. Aceholeas Avatar

    Yeah I had an idea of an “abuse of power” modifier charge. Then I got older and found out not only that it is not and will not ever be a thing. But we do the opposite and grant cops immunity.

  105. Deranged_Kitsune Avatar

    Not sure how this is unpopular. Only shoe leather connoisseurs would feel otherwise.

  106. Silent_Computer_2050 Avatar

    Yes, it should be

    Cops and Lawyers: 1.5X

    Judges: 2X

    Law makers: 3X

  107. TheLuminary Avatar

    We do this for the military.. I don’t understand why we don’t do it for the Police.

    The Police should be held to a higher standard than the average citizen. But in reality we hold them to a lower standard. Which makes no sense!?!

  108. kinglouie493 Avatar

    Just because I have a cdl my dui threshold is lower, no matter what or when I’m driving.

  109. Svartrbrisingr Avatar

    It does. You just dont see it because that’d go against the media’s anti-police agenda.

  110. roysmallz Avatar

    I generally agree, but not as a universal penalty for any and all crimes. Like for example if a cop has a side hustle and does some white collar shit, I don’t think the fact that they’re a cop should increase any penalties/punishments.

    Like if Officer Donut Lord has a donut food truck and homeboy skimps on his taxes, in that scenario, I don’t see how he’s abusing his power as a cop.

  111. slyaxis Avatar

    The whole “ignorance of the law” line really makes me believe this sentiment as well… If ignorance of the law is not an excuse, blatant disregard for it should be a determining factor for punishment

  112. BitOBear Avatar

    And the criminal activity of cops should be investigated and prosecuted by a special Federal court system or something. Just as no man should be able to be jury or judge of himself, no police and prosecutorial system should be policing itself or prosecuting its own wrongdoers.

    Prosecutors are loath to prosecute the police that work with because win or lose they’ve been potentially cannot rely on the other police or the acquitted police officer to work with them in matters matters of law enforcement.

    Like once you prosecute a particular cop can you rely on that cop or his friends to not sabotage any future case you prosecute just to make you look bad and get you fired.

    People are that petty, and cops are particularly Petty people.

    I mean look at how much they hate the idea of internal affairs and how much they propagate this thin Blue line that tells cops that they have to stand behind the crooked cops within their organization rather than being “a snitch.” Etc.

    Self-regulating corporations, self-let regulating police forces, self-regulation is a bunch of bullshit. And we’re living through the aftermath of that idea gone to its natural conclusions.

  113. HotdogCarbonara Avatar

    I agree, and they should immediately be drummed out of the force and banned from ever doing police work again.

    If you cannot uphold the law, you cannot enforce it

  114. zestypov Avatar

    I’d love to hear the Police Union’s response to this.

  115. Wuddntme Avatar

    This does exist to some extent. Certain crimes are punished more harshly when committed “under color of law”. But the list of crimes this applies to is way too short and it’s often only applied at sentencing. In other words, they don’t consider that it was a police officer during the trial itself so it doesn’t prejudice the verdict, at least that’s the theory.

  116. gamesquid Avatar

    Yeah dude, make it harder for cops, not like they have a vital role in society. Imagine if they could never shoot anyone for the fear that it might be a mistake and then the criminals rule the streets.

  117. True-Being5084 Avatar

    Committing a crime while in the possession of a firearm

  118. e2mtt Avatar

    I agree completely, my take was that it should be counted equivalent to a regular person‘s second offense, because they’re supposed to know the law and be slightly better than a regular person when it comes to matters of law, crime, & justice.

    I got argued & downvoted hard a few places.

  119. KemikalKoktail Avatar

    So many cops don’t deal with consequences

  120. LSTmyLife Avatar

    Truckers (professional drivers) are subjected to higher fines for traffic infringements for exactly that reason. Even in their personal vehicles. I’ve always wondered why it wasn’t the same for law enforcement.

    Doesn’t make any sense to already have a system like that in place and not apply it.

  121. SailBeneficialicly Avatar

    Instead it comes with extra abilities to cover it up

    Because if they aren’t investigating themselves, it’s their co-worker

  122. StoneSoap-47 Avatar

    All animals are equal…

  123. Plane_Pea5434 Avatar

    Yup, if your job is to make sure others abide by the law you should be the prime example of it

  124. _content_soup_ Avatar

    This seems like a pretty popular opinion after 10 seconds in the comments. I agree with it, too.

  125. bloodguard Avatar

    Same should apply with the politicians that write the laws. Let’s throw judges onto the pile as well.

  126. SkyeGuy8108 Avatar

    I’ve always believed that settlements from lawsuits involving law enforcement should come from their pensions. If their entire future livelihood was at stake, then they might think a little harder before making decisions.

  127. doctorhlecter Avatar

    Nah, you right. Even as someone who supports the police, they absolutely should face steeper punishments than normal if they’re to be the once enforcing the law

  128. Mikko420 Avatar

    100%. Judges too. Anyone in a lawful position of authority should have much harsher consequences for breaking the law than regular citizens.

  129. CerebralHawks Avatar

    Popular opinion; OP is just soapboxing.

    But not wrong.

    Truckers get stiffer penalties for traffic violations. Why? Because they are said to be “experts” and “professionals” when it comes to driving. (I think it’s actually anybody with a commercial license.) It’s so bad that cops will ignore normal cars most of the time, if they’re trying to get a quota, because one semi is worth 4-5 regular cars.

    The real suggestion is a sliding scale where your financial ability and other factors (such as authority and responsibility) come into play. Most rich people/companies break the law because the penalties for doing so are so small compared with what they make, it barely affects them, and/or their profits are greater (see Apple’s recent legal issues). Put it on a sliding scale, to where poor people have a little less burden but rich people have to pay millions for a speeding ticket instead of $500? They will stop, or at least they will do it far less.

  130. B0udr3aux Avatar

    Fo’ sho’!!!

    Or politicians getting caught doing the opposite of what they preach (looking at you David Vitter). Should be consequences.

  131. Charitable-Cruelty Avatar

    I support this including all elected officials and in addition all elected officials should be treated as if they under oath with everything they say as if in court, making lying or purposely misleading the public a crime.

  132. mjcanfly Avatar

    /r/lostredditors

  133. land-league-inspo Avatar

    This seems like a very popular opinion to me

  134. forensic454 Avatar

    Unpopular opinion but this is a direct result of the power given to their union. It’s so powerful it lobbies for legal exemptions and immunity from prosecution.

  135. Head-Impress1818 Avatar

    100% agree. I’ve always thought that any cop that abuses their power at all should instantly get lengthy prison time

  136. Taste_of_Natatouille Avatar

    Hard agree. Many other public service jobs face extreme consequences to at least their jobs if not sentences

    Impersonating a cop is a crime on its own since you are taking advantage of people’s trust and using a uniform meant to uphold law and order (the mentioned “trust” in police obviously varies for people).

    So if that’s a crime, isn’t abusing your actual public service job worse?

  137. JaimanV2 Avatar

    Hard to do when you are asking the police to police the police.

  138. Capital_Shelter8189 Avatar

    Sure. Just pay them significantly more for it since they have to carry the burden of their profession into their personal life. Illegal is illegal. There is no “extra illegal.” Law enforcement already has laws against abuse under the color of authority. EVERYONE knows domestic abuse and running red lights is wrong. So I guess you should deal with the “extra illegal” consequences too.

  139. DiceNinja Avatar

    The penalty for falsifying evidence or otherwise deliberately convicting or attempting to convict an innocent person should be the same as for the crime they were accused of.

  140. Only-Detective-146 Avatar

    Do you guys not have disciplinary penalties accumulated to the (already higher) penalties coming with “abuse of statepower”(not sure if that is the correct legal term, but i think it conveys the meanimg) and corruption?

  141. Yah_Mule Avatar

    Should we tell OP how it really works?

  142. TaterBuckets Avatar

    Should be. Military does.

    You do something and get trouble/charged in civilian court, you also get charged by military under UCMJ.

    Double whammy

  143. TheHipsterBandit Avatar

    Down voting solely because this isn’t unpopular.

  144. theartistfnaSDF1 Avatar

    They cannot even get charges to be filed let alone a guilty verdict and a TOUGHER sentence.

  145. ja-p Avatar

    🔥🔥🔥

  146. StJimmy_815 Avatar

    This is an extremely popular opinion. Downvoted

  147. Correct_Stay_6948 Avatar

    This is only unpopular with cops and their bootlickers. Realistically your post should be wildly in the negative with how popular it is, especially here on Reddit.

  148. Fit_Importance_5738 Avatar

    Pretty sure places have extra charges for this but unions fight tooth and nail to defend a lot of them so it’s best to just fire their asses and move on or just cover it up, of course I noticed that they tied to do the latter more often than not.

  149. yobaby123 Avatar

    I gotta agree. Not just because they be held to a higher standard, but because they can be way more dangerous than an average criminal thanks to the resources they have access to.

  150. ZCT808 Avatar

    I imagine if the average cop does prison time, it’s gonna be a lot less fun than a regular criminal. So I guess in a way extra punishment is baked into the system. Even if it isn’t officially so.

  151. robi2106 Avatar

    Not an unpopular opinion, unless you are a cop or are married to one. If they want to be above the law then when they break the law they should be treated harsher

  152. Upnatom617 Avatar

    This is a popular opinion.

  153. Williams_Custom_Wood Avatar

    Do I downvote if I agree with this? This should not be unpopular.

  154. theLuminescentlion Avatar

    I agree, I call it a violation of public trust and should double any penalty received and bar the recipient from any unelected future position of public trust AKA any government job that deals with the public (most of them).