Why Addicts Hate Cops

I'm not a hateful person and logically I know they're just doing their job, but my instincts tell me to avoid cops like the plague. This dislike has to be a common thing among addicts, right? Whether it be buying or selling drugs, stealing or making bad decisions while under the influence, we often break the law when we're addicted. We don't even trust them enough to call them when we need them because we believe we'll be treated like a criminal.

For me, my dislike of police officers continued even after I got clean over 6 ago. I never felt like I could trust cops. My past experiences and the bad publicity they get in the media certainly doesn't help. There's always a new story about cops doing something wrong lately. Just last week I heard a police station worker in my town was fired for having child porn on his work computer. Fucked up, right and that's just one example out of hundreds, if not thousands.

The fact that I grew up being told that the cops were the "bad guys" probably doesn't help my opinion of them. My father hated the cops and told us all these stories of times when cops had treated him badly. Again this was probably because he did drugs, and whatever else addicts get into when they're struggling with addiction (like getting into physical altercations).

There was even this game type thing me and my brother did when my dad saw a cop car while driving. We would duck and hide from the cops whenever my dad yelled bad guys. It might sound weird, but it made sense at the time. I had this fear that the cops would take me away from my parents.

I started getting in trouble with the police pretty young. One of the first times was when I was around 7 years old. The cops got called because I was throwing rocks at the cars that were driving past my driveway. Stupid idea, especially with my 4-year-old brother right there beside me, mimicking me.

When I was 8 the cops were called again when a neighbor saw me playing on the roof of my house with my younger brother. I guess I really was a bad influence. Where I got these stupid ideas, I'll never know but things only got worst after my parents split up. I was angry and resentful with the breakup and I ended up doing more stupid stuff, like running away or kicking my mom's car. Despite all the stupid shit, I don't have a criminal record.

Needless to say, I never liked cops. It's not necessarily because I was an addict but more the way I was raised and the experiences I had. I don't trust them and I want to avoid them at all cost. They are often useless and cause more problems than they fix. For example, my mom called them when my ex got aggressive and they treated me like I was lying. They demanded to see my phone so they could read my text and wouldn't believe me when I told them my ex was high on benzos.

I've also seen a loved one get arrested for the stupidest thing. The concept of innocent until proven guilty and justice is often lost on our criminal justice system. The reason they got arrested was so stupid, but thankfully they were able to get out on bail. Having to fight bogus charges in court is unfair and a complete waste of time and money. I know there are good cops out there, they're just few and far inbetween.  Having a fucked up criminal justice system doesn't help the good ones do a fair job either.

There's this big protest going on right now in my community against police brutality because of certain cops. I know this dislike for cops is pretty common. I just wish this wasn't the case. I wish when someone overdosed addicts felt safe enough to call for help. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to rely on law enforcement instead of fearing them. I think we can start to fix this problem if cops were trained a bit differently and if communities could evaluate the service of the police they come into contact with. The people  need a voice and a say in who we trust to protect us.

Oh and t-shirts like this really help the situation. NOT!

My opinion is certainly bias but that doesn't mean it isn't true. Let me know your experiences and opinions in the comments.

Here's another post about why addicts in prison

Yours truly,
Charmed