Can Someone Please Tell Me...

... why we pay cops to do nothing. Before I get into this rant I would first like to state that our law enforcement officers do have a tough job. Often this goes unappreciated. Most officers do an out-standing job and should be commended for doing a thankless job for little money.

Yet, the other day I was driving home from a dinner and what I saw made me think of this question. On my two hour drive back home I took highways 95, 3, 495, and 290. On all of these highways there was construction occurring. At each construction site there were at least two and in some cases four police cars. Each car was idling with their flashy lights illuminating the night. I would drive by each squad car and look at the officer. In one, the officer was sleeping; in another, one was on his cell phone, and yet another, one was watching a DVD. Now, I understand that we need to warn people about possible construction ahead, but, don't those big flashy arrows and miles of fluorescent orange cones give it away?

The issue is that we are paying for these officers to sit there and do nothing. We are paying for the gas in those cars and eventually, the replacement alternators for keeping those lights on. What do we get in return? I honestly can't answer that because I have no clue. Wouldn't it be better if these officers were ummm... deterring crime? If you argue that they are there to stop speeders and dangerous drivers in order to protect workers. Then I would ask why do we need three or four officers. Why not just one? In the end, this is one issue in which the only way to make a change would be to write your local government.