RateMyCop.com: A new website has police furious

**Rincewind** · 03-11-2008, 01:11 PM

Link:

http://cbs13.com/local/rate.a.cop.2.673410.html

Quote:

Originally Posted by CBS

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS) ― Police agencies from coast to coast are furious with a new website on the internet. RateMyCop.com has the names of thousands of officers, and many believe it is putting them in danger.

Officer Hector Basurto, the vice president of the Latino Police Officers Association, recently learned about the site. "I'd like to see it gone," he said.

"Having a website like this out there puts a lot of law enforcement in danger," he said. "It exposes us out there."

Kevin Martin, the vice president of the San Francisco Police Officers Association, agrees. "Will they be able to access our home addresses, home phone numbers, marital status, whether or not we have children? That's always a big concern for us," he said.

Creators of the site say no personal information will be on the site. They gathered officers' names, which are public information, from more than 450 police agencies nationwide. Some listings also have badge numbers along with the officer's names.

Rebecca Costell says, in a statement, that the site helps people rate more than 130,000 officers by rating them on authority, fairness and satisfaction.

She adds, "Our website's purpose is to break the stereotype that people have that cops are all bad by having officers become responsible for their actions."

The site is so new that many Bay Area police agencies are not aware of it. San Francisco police say they have no connection with the site and would not take any of its comments seriously.

Police associations that represent more than 100,000 police and sheriffs in California are now seeking legislation to see if they can eliminate the site altogether. They say that officers who are rated face unfair maligning without any opportunity to defend themselves.

The CPCA will work with other law enforcement associations to pursue legislation to stop the website. Constitutional attorney and former San Francisco Police Commissioner Peter Keane said eliminating the site is difficult.

"Any kind of publication is protected as long as it's not publishing privileged information," he said.

The First Amendment would be the site's protection.

What do you guys think? I'm actually intrigued. I think it's a good idea

**El_Gringo_Grande** · 03-11-2008, 01:30 PM

I think the police would be suprised on how often people appreciate them. The bad ones would be pointed out but that can only be good.

I like the idea also.

Elwenil · 03-11-2008, 01:46 PM

I think it's a great idea. I can't find it now but there is a similar site out there where cops rate each other. It goes like this, "Cop A" is traveling and goes through the jurisdiction of "Cop B". "Cop A" is speeding and gets pulled over by "Cop B". "Cop A" shows his LEO ID and expects a break but "Cop B" doesn't play ball and tickets the speeder. "Cop A" then gets on said website and gives the name and location of "Cop B" and tells how big of an ass he is and he doesn't respect other LEOs and so on.

Ahh nevermind, I found the link:
http://www.copswritingcops.com/

I think that sort of thing is despicable and I totally despise dirty cops or cops who take advantage of their position. They are here to "Protect and Serve" their community, not the other way around.

**sc1ence** · 03-11-2008, 01:50 PM

I think it does more harm than good. The same type of system exists for professors teaching at schools. It is inherently biased due to the data collection method. The same would be true here.

**USN_Squid** · 03-11-2008, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sc1ence

I think it does more harm than good. The same type of system exists for professors teaching at schools. It is inherently biased due to the data collection method. The same would be true here.

Big difference there. Although most opinions on the net are rarely positive and encouraging, the cop site is likely just complainers posting gripes because they think they were treated unfairly. The teachers site is used by many students to decide if they want to take a particular class or not. The one I used also has separate parent and student modes, so you can blow past most of the childish ranting. It's particularly helpful when moving to a new area I think.

There are two I've seen: ratemyteacher.com for k-12 and ratemyprofessor.com for college level.

**MagnaCentipede** · 03-11-2008, 07:52 PM

I think it's a bad thing in that it will be used to rant on legitimate cops that Jock Mudflap and his drinkin' buddies have a beef with. However, I think it is important that American Citizens are able to talk to each other, so I support the existence of the website and leave any problems with it to human nature and America's cultural values on the parts of the users and the authority figures critiqued.

**El_Gringo_Grande** · 03-11-2008, 08:00 PM

I don't know. I have taken time to call the local police station to express my gratitude for particular cops. I would defiantly take time to use the site if it was available locally.

Yea, some complaints would just be whining about being caught. Most would recognize them for what they are.

Elwenil · 03-11-2008, 10:21 PM

Honestly, it's Democracy and Freedom of Speech in action. Just like a vote, our opinions don't have to be just or right for us to cast them out there and try to make a difference. I think there are enough bad cops out there who take advantage of their position that something like this needs to exist. I am from a small town and know just about all of the City and County LEOs around here and some are close friends. A few recommended that I get involved and become a cop. I told them it would be a bad idea because the first thing I would do is go after the cops who were dirty and get run out of the town like several others have had happen to them. We should have some public way to call them out without risking our own jobs and livelihoods.

**Rincewind** · 03-12-2008, 09:29 AM

Ouch, looks like GoDaddy.com didn't like the idea.

**Augustus Gloop** · 03-12-2008, 10:39 AM

Police: BLAH BLAH BAD BLAH BLAH DANGER
*Hurries home to look up his rating*

aeroripper · 03-12-2008, 06:12 PM

I like the general idea of the site. Although it sounds like they're going to create a section where the cops can post rebuttals to any claims brought up about them.

The gray area is going to be in who is right, since we likely won't have all the facts about the particular situation (dash cam, previous encounter histories, and witness testimonies) that would come up in a real trial where it would have to be proven who was in the wrong.

A site like that would be able to display a general pattern of which officers seem to get the most complaints and why, adding some legitimacy to the posters claims.

**TheFeniX** · 03-12-2008, 06:50 PM

Quote:

Chief Jerry Dyer, president of the California Police Chiefs Association, voices what sounds like a more honest concern: that officers will face "unfair maligning" by the citizens they serve.

Officers serve citizens? Since when? Law Enforcement is not a Customer Service industry. And even if it was, this is no different than posting to a site concerned with rating General Contractors or Doctors. What makes cops so damn special that people can't get together and voice opinions in a public format?

And since when is posting names and badge numbers sooooo under-handed? Since it's not a government agency doing it?

Right now, a "concerned" citizen could look up information about my CHL or even run a background check on me if they're willing to pay the money. Getting my full name and where I work (don't really have a badge) would be nothing. Yet cops think having that information publicly available (when any idiot who reads their citation could figure it out) is some kind of invasion of privacy. "The average citizen knows my hail color! OH GOD!"

I'm absolutely weeping for the Justice Department right now..... Maybe if the cops actually embraced this concept and put some effort into showing a professional front, they'd be surprised how people would react. I would kill to get first hand knowledge to see how people perceive me when I'm working.

Remember that thread here where the officers got a chance to see how people perceived them? I got a lot of good info from that thread even though people think it was a bust. You can go on and on about "you don't get it" or "you don't understand X," but getting a direct look into how you are perceived externally should be something that you put your ego aside for and take something from: even if you think it's completely off-base.

Oh and if this site ever gets back online, I still have my first speeding citation and the business card of the officer who handled the wreck I was in (read ended FTW). Both those guys are getting high marks for making the experiences as pleasant as they could. Not all people who get tickets dislike the cops who give them.

On a sidenote: Maybe they should register another site as well. "GoDaddysucks.com."

ScratchMonkey · 03-13-2008, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rincewind

Ouch, looks like GoDaddy.com didn't like the idea.

Time to move the site offshore. And perhaps make it an international resource, rating cops all over the world.

03-11-2008, 01:30 PM	#2 (permalink)
El_Gringo_Grande Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: OKIE HOMY Age: 39 Posts: 2,125	Re: RateMyCop.com: A new website has police furious I think the police would be suprised on how often people appreciate them. The bad ones would be pointed out but that can only be good. I like the idea also. __________________ Sen. John McCain (AZ) For President '08 --- I’m not racists, I have republican friends. Radio show host. - "The essence of tyranny is the denial of complexity". -Jacob Burkhardt - "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds" - Emerson - "People should not be afraid of it's government, government should be afraid of it's People." - Line from V for Vendetta - If software were as unreliable as economic theory, there wouldn't be a plane made of anything other than paper that could get off the ground. Jim Fawcette

03-11-2008, 01:46 PM	#3 (permalink)
Elwenil Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Covington, VA USA Age: 34 Posts: 1,226	Re: RateMyCop.com: A new website has police furious I think it's a great idea. I can't find it now but there is a similar site out there where cops rate each other. It goes like this, "Cop A" is traveling and goes through the jurisdiction of "Cop B". "Cop A" is speeding and gets pulled over by "Cop B". "Cop A" shows his LEO ID and expects a break but "Cop B" doesn't play ball and tickets the speeder. "Cop A" then gets on said website and gives the name and location of "Cop B" and tells how big of an ass he is and he doesn't respect other LEOs and so on. Ahh nevermind, I found the link: http://www.copswritingcops.com/ I think that sort of thing is despicable and I totally despise dirty cops or cops who take advantage of their position. They are here to "Protect and Serve" their community, not the other way around. __________________ \|TG\|Elwenil A vote for Obama is change we can believe in? So was the last ice age, but that don't make it good.

03-11-2008, 01:50 PM	#4 (permalink)
sc1ence Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Schenectady NY Age: 36 Posts: 4,201	Re: RateMyCop.com: A new website has police furious I think it does more harm than good. The same type of system exists for professors teaching at schools. It is inherently biased due to the data collection method. The same would be true here. __________________ \|TG-8th Mercs\|*\|New to TG? Start here\|*\|Become a Supporting Member\|*\|Addme to Xfire\|

03-11-2008, 07:52 PM	#6 (permalink)
MagnaCentipede Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 1,615	Re: RateMyCop.com: A new website has police furious I think it's a bad thing in that it will be used to rant on legitimate cops that Jock Mudflap and his drinkin' buddies have a beef with. However, I think it is important that American Citizens are able to talk to each other, so I support the existence of the website and leave any problems with it to human nature and America's cultural values on the parts of the users and the authority figures critiqued. __________________

03-11-2008, 08:00 PM	#7 (permalink)
El_Gringo_Grande Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: OKIE HOMY Age: 39 Posts: 2,125	Re: RateMyCop.com: A new website has police furious I don't know. I have taken time to call the local police station to express my gratitude for particular cops. I would defiantly take time to use the site if it was available locally. Yea, some complaints would just be whining about being caught. Most would recognize them for what they are. __________________ Sen. John McCain (AZ) For President '08 --- I’m not racists, I have republican friends. Radio show host. - "The essence of tyranny is the denial of complexity". -Jacob Burkhardt - "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds" - Emerson - "People should not be afraid of it's government, government should be afraid of it's People." - Line from V for Vendetta - If software were as unreliable as economic theory, there wouldn't be a plane made of anything other than paper that could get off the ground. Jim Fawcette

03-11-2008, 10:21 PM	#8 (permalink)
Elwenil Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Covington, VA USA Age: 34 Posts: 1,226	Re: RateMyCop.com: A new website has police furious Honestly, it's Democracy and Freedom of Speech in action. Just like a vote, our opinions don't have to be just or right for us to cast them out there and try to make a difference. I think there are enough bad cops out there who take advantage of their position that something like this needs to exist. I am from a small town and know just about all of the City and County LEOs around here and some are close friends. A few recommended that I get involved and become a cop. I told them it would be a bad idea because the first thing I would do is go after the cops who were dirty and get run out of the town like several others have had happen to them. We should have some public way to call them out without risking our own jobs and livelihoods. __________________ \|TG\|Elwenil A vote for Obama is change we can believe in? So was the last ice age, but that don't make it good.

03-12-2008, 09:29 AM	#9 (permalink)
Rincewind Join Date: May 2005 Location: Casting useless spells in Oklahoma. Age: 27 Posts: 2,663	Re: RateMyCop.com: A new website has police furious Ouch, looks like GoDaddy.com didn't like the idea. __________________ ~~ Veritas simplex oratio est ~~ No matter how far a wizard goes, he will always come back for his hat. --T. Pratchett <---- You know you're getting old when you rely on your forum meta-data to remind you how old you are. Required Reading for all TG sandboxers

03-12-2008, 10:39 AM	#10 (permalink)
Augustus Gloop Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Gone for the weekend folks! Age: 32 Posts: 2,588	Re: RateMyCop.com: A new website has police furious Police: BLAH BLAH BAD BLAH BLAH DANGER Hurries home to look up his rating __________________

03-12-2008, 06:12 PM	#11 (permalink)
aeroripper Join Date: Dec 2005 Age: 25 Posts: 2,278	Re: RateMyCop.com: A new website has police furious I like the general idea of the site. Although it sounds like they're going to create a section where the cops can post rebuttals to any claims brought up about them. The gray area is going to be in who is right, since we likely won't have all the facts about the particular situation (dash cam, previous encounter histories, and witness testimonies) that would come up in a real trial where it would have to be proven who was in the wrong. A site like that would be able to display a general pattern of which officers seem to get the most complaints and why, adding some legitimacy to the posters claims. __________________ Former TGNS admin NS Forum Moderator NS Playtester

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