I've never had a good experience with front-line/receptionist cops at the police stations. Years ago my father abused me, and I can remember the eyes rolling when I tried to tell them. My parents got divorced, and my father has been harassing mum on and off since then. Every time something happens we go to the police to have it recorded and get the same eye-rolling attitude. I've had them tell me I should 'forgive' my father for sexually assaulting me and my mother and 'accept him back' because its 'natural for a family to have a man,' ect. Generally just horrible dealings there, but I guess like 90% of other people they hate their jobs.

But on the other hand, beyond that, only good experiences. The officers assigned to our case were incredibly friendly, supportive, and helpful and I remember having a huge crush on one of them as I was growing up.

About 7 or 8 years ago I tried to commit suicide due to the aforementioned abuse. I took 'like father, like son' a little to heart and figured it was some deterministic law that since I was abused, I would grow up to sexually abuse my kids. Obviously the best way to avoid this is to kill myself. So, I Overdosed on mums sleeping pills (I later learned what 'homeopathic' meant) and lay in bed waiting to die. When I realised mum would be home soon, I ran away. I walked from around Payneham, through the city, all the way to Croydon before I gave up and walked into a servo asking to use the phone. Since I couldn't face my mum I called the police assistance to report myself missing. The last on the phone flat out didn't believe anything I was saying and was extremely rude, so I gave them mums number and hung up. I was about to continue my walk when the guy working at the servo offered to buy me subway, and I was hungry. A little later the police showed up and one of them sat down to chat with me. I told him what happened with my father and why I thought I needed to kill myself, and he was very attentive and supportive. True or not, he told me he was abused and became a cop because of that and helped me believe I didn't 'have' to grow up to be a child-rapist. He could have been making it up to help me, I don't really know. After that I wanted to be a cop for a few years, before science grabbed me.

Cops are just people. I know it's obvious, but people forget it.