@Bette -

"Our local cops, though our city is pretty violent, are known for being fat, slow, lazy, stupid, and scared. That night, they got their big asses in gear."

I can only hope you said that with affection. Cops are human and, therefore, they can have jerks and egomaniacs in their ranks. But, let's remember what they do:

They strap on a gun and a badge and twenty pounds of other equipment every morning. Oh, and a bullet-proof vest, too. Because, even though they're out there trying to keep the world manageable for the rest of us, there's the distinct possibility someone may shoot at them. So, they put on all this equipment and go out to do a job that has the description: You have to deal with every jerk in the city. And you're not going to get any thanks for it.

We make a big deal - and rightfully so - about our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. We call all of them heroes. But, out law enforcement professionals do that job everyday, sometimes for 20 years. And they're not in a place recognized as a war zone. Where they work, it can be an ordinary day for months on end and then, suddenly, turn into a battle zone. Let's remember the four Washington state officers who were gunned down while having coffee.

I don't like getting pulled over or reprimanded anymore than anyone else. But, when there was someone prowling around outside in the middle of the night, four cops showed up. They didn't know what they were walking into. But, they were prepared. And when it turned out to be nothing - the person was gone - they didn't object. "We'd rather come out five times for nothing, then not be here when it turns out to be something." I don't know where that kind of courage comes from. I'm just glad the cops have it.

This Christmas, send a card to your local station. Tell them thanks.

This happened to my husband and me. We came home late at night and caught a guy breaking into our shed. It was dark, and we could barely see him as he was struggling to squeeze back out of the shed window where he had broken in. I immediately called 911 and shouted, "Get over here now. There is a thief right in front of my face, and someone is about to get shot." This made the criminal struggle more, and even though he got loose and ran, the cops showed up within seconds and caught him. Did we have a gun on us? No, but this was the second time we'd been robbed, and the first guy got away. If we hadn't used the "we'll shoot someone" method, the cops would've never caught him. It turned out the guy was wanted on another $10,000 burglary. Our local cops, though our city is pretty violent, are known for being fat, slow, lazy, stupid, and scared. That night, they got their big asses in gear.

LOL @ cops. You have to realize that they are teople poo.

Pity the person would have been fined and possibly jailed for making a false report.

While it is true that all police suffer from a lack or resources and need to prioritise their efforts, it sucks when it is us that needs them now but they are busy somewhere else...

Owned. For both.