Lighten up Buckwheat, I think your missing the point. The rub is this: Cops and Firefighters creating a traffic hazard "panhandling" and getting away with it by virtue of their profession. Raising money for a good cause is ALWAYS a good idea, but to abuse a job description and create a traffic hazard to boot is BS.

Do you think a Nurse, Airline Pilot, Chef, et. al. would be allowed by local law enforcement to stand IN the street or busy intersection and beg for donations? Yeah, I doubt it too.

As for calling the police, seems like everytime I need a cop "there are no units available" anyway. I can't bring myself to vote for local budget increases for law enforcement when just about every cop I've met lately seems to be a selfserving jerk.

You have nice life too!

 

I've seen this done in Austin, TX a few times. Those guys wouldn't stick to the cars on the sides of the road either, they'd walk in and out of (stopped) traffic! And this was at a light before the freeway onramp! I agree completeley, this method of raising $$ is stupid. There are other, safer ways to do it. It's ironic that police and EMS are doing this, eh?

 

I'm impartial to them... They get out with their hats and parade around in the streets here.

Firemen are cool... cause they'll stop my house from burning down, but i won't donate to the sheriff's department or the police station because they have never helped me when I really needed them

I.E. i was kicking roommates out and they were trying to take my stuff, and the cops said I had to take them to civil court to retrieve MY stuff.
or
I broke my back and just moved into my house, my husband (at the time) got deployed to one of the "Stan" countries and I had some car stuff in the front yard. Mind you i couldn't really walk, yet the office wouldn't help me move it, and gave me a fine for not moving it.

 

I contibute by check to the local police, fire department and ambulance services. I have never seen any of them standing in the street soliciting donations. I think that is unsafe and they should know better. My son-in-law is a county police officer and has never solicited in the street. However, I dont think calling people an asshole just because they express their opinions is very nice. The police and fire departments constantly put their lives on the line and that is why I contribute reguarly.

 

Okay, maybe the post was misunderstood by a few people. The topic was very off, I do not hate Police officers, or EMS officers, i respect them greatly they put their lives at risk every day to help others and their paycheck isn't exactly anything to brag about in most cases. What I am saying is that it is bullshit to go out there and put MY life at risk because they are collecting money, in methods that if anyone else would attempt they would be arrested. I guess it just irriatates me that these are the people who are supposed to be protecting not causing hazards and such and they deal with deaths from accidents and they are aware of the laws it just seems so careless to me and It should'nt be allowed no matter what the cause...

No disrespect intended to our EMS or Police officers just seems like bad practice...