> This is corruption. I've never understood how things like this can happen in the US - why is this tolerated?
I think it shows that a sizable portion of the citizenry considers this acceptable. I.e., they're enamored with the idea of getting preferential treatment for themselves or their friends, with little regard for the implications. It makes me figuratively (and a bit literally) want to vomit.
> I think it shows that a sizable portion of the citizenry considers this acceptable.
That only makes sense if you assume a sizable portion of the citizenry knows about it.
I think people assume that cops are imperfect and let people off if they know them, or feel like it (the average hetero male cop probably lets disproportionately more pretty girls off with a warning), but that as a judgement call it's hard to alter (and there are good reasons to allow judgement calls). That it's often formalized and systematized into cards that are given out is another thing entirely, and I think you need to prove the average person knows it's happening before you can use it as evidence as to how average people feel.
> That only makes sense if you assume a sizable portion of the citizenry knows about it.
Are you kidding? At least growing up in the 90s every teenager knew about PBA cards and any kid with cops in their family would eagerly whip out their collection of PBA cards for bragging rights. There were even different levels of cards, associated with different levels of officer you had connections too.
I was honestly surprise to see this as 'news' since at least where I grew up this was widely known.
> Are you kidding? At least growing up in the 90s every teenager knew about PBA cards and any kid with cops in their family would eagerly whip out their collection of PBA cards for bragging rights.
Have you considered that it might be affected by locale, and be more prevalent in some areas than others? I grew up in the 80's and 90's, and I never heard of this and have never seen a card.
What makes you think your experiences with this when you were a teenager scale to everyone in the United States?
And growing up in the 90's, this just entirely wasn't a thing in my area. Instead of a codified system of cards, our local PD just had a car sticker they gave out to families of officers.
I think it shows that a sizable portion of the citizenry considers this acceptable. I.e., they're enamored with the idea of getting preferential treatment for themselves or their friends, with little regard for the implications. It makes me figuratively (and a bit literally) want to vomit.