From running and/or owning businesses, I like having cops as regular customers and I tell ya why.
My campground was the best example. Often the cops family would come and set up on Saturday morning, and when the cop got off duty at 10pm he'd come by and stay with the family. Just a local family camping for the weekend. I had a nice park with a pretty 8 acre lake.
They always..always..asked if it was ok to park the patrol car at the site.
Ab-so-freakin-lutely. Having a patrol car on site had an amazing influence on quelling idiot behavior, and I knew I could get a good night sleep.
The local cops, especially the Sheriff's Dept., loved my campground and often held events there.
One time the Gypsy's rolled in. Yes, Gypsy's. About 50 of them in 11 campers. They still exist, but use campers and trucks now instead of wagons and horses. They get set-up and swarm the local community with phony rip-off house repairs, mostly targeting the elderly, then hook-up and bail before they can get caught. I called the Sheriff's office and said I gotta run these people outta here and could a patrol car come by when I do? It'd be nice to have a badge in the background.
In about 15, 20 minutes..six patrol cars come rolling in my driveway.
Six. lol. I talk to the guys and they've seen this Gypsy stuff before..and got no problem running them out. They know what they do.
One deputy, gawd..had to be at least six foot eight..goes to the leaders door and bangs on it so hard I thought he was gonna knock it down. They guy answers the door half asleep, but quickly woke up when he saw that towering deputy.
"Management wants you out! You have 30 minutes."
You never saw people move so fast. I didn't know you could hook up a camper that quick.
I just wanted one patrol car there when I ran these people out, but my local Sheriff liked me and this is what they did for me in appreciation. Regardless of how you feel about lawmen or whatever, dissing your local cops is a terrible business decision at minimum. From a personal stand, cops have always been great customers no matter what I was doing. Why in the hell would I alienate some of my best customers? These guys aren't klansmen by night and cops by day. They're just regular people too.
Lighten up Francis.