To fully understand the point I want to make, imagine yourself as one of many Denver area police officers. You have been hired at the Denver Police Department to enforce laws, hence the term “law enforcement officer.” If you catch a bad guy before he talks to a criminal defense lawyer, you get a high five from other officers for enforcing the law. If you let a bad guy go, you get some heckling. If enough bad guys get away, you get fired. No one in your department rewards you for doing a “complete” investigation and finding the truth. Particularly in nonphysical evidence cases (like pushing [ Harassment ], hitting [ Assault ], or sexual touch [ Sexual Assault ]), you are taught only to support your “victim”. The victim is the person who accuses another of a crime – they call the police first. Without victims, the police would all lose their jobs. Police love victims. The more the better. Read more on Why Police Are Not Neutral.
The Three Types of Police Officers in Aurora and Lakewood
1. The Lazy Police Officer
There are a lot of these cops. They want to do the least amount of work required. They like to stop and relax throughout their day, go to restaurants during their shift, and even watch Netflix in their police car on duty. When a call comes in, they are bothered. They will slowly travel to the alleged victim’s house and go make an arrest or give someone a summons. They never ask tough questions of a “victim”. That would be too much work and expose them to criticism.
2. The Really Busy Cop
This cop has so much to do he could not find the time to investigate a case in Jefferson or Adams County if he wanted to. His job, he is told, is to arrest the accused, try and get a statement, then move on. Let the district attorney and the court do their investigation. He is told to let someone else find out what really happened. He runs from case to case, and just wants to go home at night and collect a paycheck.
3. The Sheriff’s Deputy Who Wants to Find the Truth
This type of police officer is rare in Arapahoe and Douglas County. You see, this type of cop must do much more work than the other two types. He is sometimes criticized by victims for not getting on board with their story. He asks tough questions of victims and they resent that. They criticize him for not supporting them. His bosses will put up with his investigation a little, but not a lot. They will tell him it is the detective’s job to investigate, and that he should close the case ASAP. He gets home late and is teased by other officers for doing the job the hard way.
A Police Officers’ Bent is an Unknown
When contacted by police, you never know what kind of cop you are talking to. Police officers are not like they are on TV. Plus, many people have learned to use police as pawns to help get revenge against an ex-boyfriend or ex-husband. If a woman is cute enough, the cops will support her no matter what she says.
It is never a good idea to answer questions of a police officer. Don’t think you can talk them out of arresting you. Police will lie, misrepresent what you’ve told them, or ignore much of what you say to make their case stick. They are not your friend. Take the safe route: exercise your right to remain silent and call the best criminal defense lawyers at 303-830-0719. We have been practicing criminal law in Denver and across Colorado for over twenty-five years. Together, we can protect your future.