Lunar Scorpion said:
I am not disagreeing with you outright, but I have friends who have been in prison but no police officer friends (unless you count my ex, but I don't know what's going on there) - I hope that answers you question.
In my experience police officers tend to detach themselves from civilians, for want of a better word. Two old friends of mine have gone into the police force and have since disappeared from the social radar, probably due to the fact that their friends are involved in all sorts of illegal activity. I'd still class them as people, just uninteresting people.
I dislike the police as an organisation, however the officers at 'ground level' are the least to blame, they have a really difficult job not helped by the socialist tossers who control them. I'd wager most officers can see how best to tackle a situation but have to follow ridiculous rules set for them by people who haven't got a clue and are more interesting in protecting Shaz and Daz and their three 'pay cheque' children from justice than the decent people who inevitably become the victims.
Like you I cannot think of a single situation where the police have helped me out however I cannot think of a situation where I have not been able to deal with a problem myself without involving the police. I have however had several dealings with the police, vairous stop searches, random vehicle checks, or so they say, and have always found them to be amenable and friendly, and also courtious especially when finding nothing of value to them on my person or in my vehicle.
I think it boils down to a difference in lifestyle, with fewer common factors than 'usual'. It is difficult to word what I mean without commanding a definition of 'normal', but lets assume that normal means you and I and the police are not normal. We all do things which would be considered acceptable in society but maybe not in the eyes of the law, downloading pirate material, using recreational drugs, parking where we shouldn't for five minutes while we pop into the Post Office etc. and think nothing of it. Police officers cannot do this.
Also I guess the police have to maintain a certain lifestyle when off duty too in order not to compromise their position within the force,
for example.
In summary, I think declassifying them as people is a little harsh, regard them more as god botherers - people who's lives are boring and ultimately unfufilled