Question about police in the US

[Thoreau]

Hi im only 18 but I have already done some traveling. I live in Portugal and ive been to other europeans countries aswell and very rarely I saw the police, well more police in bigger cities anyway.
I never got questioned or anything by the cops and ive been in some weird situations and places I was not suposed to.
Now heres the thing, the speculation on the US by some europeans is that there are alot of cops everywhere, unlike europe and not trying to imply anything but I am a bit scared of some of your laws and worst, the penalties, they are preety spooky for someone who lives in a country that has low crimes and penalties.
So my question is: how often do you see the police, traveling or not, and do they like...ask things? I was wondering becouse I would like to visit the united states, see whats all the fuzz about

 

[Pheonix]

The cops here are dicks! but they are also going bankrupt and have real criminals to deal with, not to mention they are all tied up dealing with protesters right now.

If your a drug addict, your going to have problems with the cops.
If your a protester, your going to have problems with the cops.
If you are a thief, your going to have problems with the cops.
If you get an attitude with the cops when they stop you then you with have problems with the cops.

For the most part the cops have lost to much funding to deal with homeless travelers that don't go around causing trouble.

If your coming from a place with a low crime rate then when you come over here you might become more scared of our criminals.

 

[bryanpaul]

yup........ cops here are an army against it's citizens..........travelling around the US you can expect to talk to the police allll the time.......whether your hitchhiking, panhandling, campin in some secluded trees, sitting on the sidewalk, walking down the street, etc etc etc.........seriously... in some towns police will pull over and "run your name" (check your ID and see if you have a warrant for your arrest anywhere) just for walking around with a big backpack on your back and looking dirty......it's fuckin terrible that this is an acceptable way to exist in a so-called "free country"....i'm not feeling like typing too much, so hopefully others will chime in with descriptions of the police state we live in here in the US

 

[outskirts]

Overall the police and park rangers are generally a headache for travelers in the U.S.
In my opinion the older cops tend to be more relaxed than the younger ones. The younger ones who where trained in post
9-11 America seem far more militarized in their attitudes. With the older officers a "yes sir" and "no sir" goes a long way.
There really is no point in ever being rude to an officer no matter how much of an asshole he/she is being. It can only make
a bad situation worse.
You'll probably have far less trouble with them than any of us do on a regular basis, so long as your passport and visa is in
order. You'll probably be able to get away with more shit than those of us who are American citizens, unless you push your
luck too far and get deported, so just don't get to cocky while wielding that foreign passport and you'll probably be fine.
Also there's a lot of truth in what both bryanpaul and pheonix had to say. For the most part you'll probably just get stopped
and questioned a lot, but they'll probably just warn you about how dangerous they think it is for you and let you on your way.

If I were you I would be very careful with the "occupy camps". They may seem tempting, but despite local cops not bothering
you as much... The Department of Homeland "Insecurity" are people you don't want approaching you, not unless your ready
to go home and actually want to get deported!

The independent wandering that founded this country is now frowned on more than ever. But don't let that stop you from
coming here and seeing America. In fact, you're better off doing it sooner than latter, before this place eventually turns
into an even bigger police state than it already is.