Cops and bagpipes

In NY, it is an Irish/Scottish thing.

Long history of them in the force in New York City.

A lot of American Irish people identify with them. Cops like them because nobody else does

OP, could you tell us which is the all-bagpipes channel? I could listen to that shit all day and night.

The pipes, the pipes are blowing...

It's sexual gratification for Andrew Cuomo.

I think the Chicago PD has a pipe and drum corps. When I worked at Holy Name Cathedral it was always poignant for police or fire funerals. I kind of miss that where I am.

Historically Irish immigrants in urban areas used their numerical advantages to gain political office and then appoint people from the Irish community to city jobs, especially Police officer.

R6 I resent that. While my brother may be a police officer and I work in prisons, we got our jobs by competence and ability. It does make me proud when my father tells people one of his sons arrests them and the other keeps them in prison.

Oh and while we have an Irish last name, we’re mostly Polish. Jokes on everyone else!

So they had to then play bagpipes r6 ?

FDNY is worse. The Forty Thieves.

R7, you're Irish and Polish? Quick, somebody dig up Don Rickles!

... ok, I'll try. I told R7 we could get a drink at some bars and he ended up drunk on the playground.

It's just a NYC/Boston thing

R10 I love Saint Patrick’s Day… I’ve also tried to claim the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows as a holiday with nominal success.

I like the pipes but please play anything but that goddawful Amazing Grace.

[quote] It's just a NYC/Boston thing

My city deliberately encourages the police to recruit Irishmen in the 1850s-80s because until then the bulk of police were Scots and the bulk of criminals were Irish.

And the Irish have an eternal HATRED of any kind of authority.

But Irish does not equal Scottish. They are distinctly different immigrant groups with their own culture. They don't share a common language of origin or a common religion. Are the Scottish heavily represented in urban police forces like the Irish are in America?

I associate bagpipes primarily with Scotland.

For R15. We're also bad at geography and world cultures over here.

R11 - definitely not just NY and Boston. As stated above, they're used in Chicago and in many cities and for fire departments as well.

It maybe a NORTHERN thing, but it's definitely not NY and Boston only.

R6 as I mentioned “Historically” I take it you skipped that part. Bagpipes are now part of British culture and are played just about everywhere these days. Police departments in some cases shifted from Drum and bugle corps to bagpipes.

BAGPIPES BELONG TO SCOTLAND!

Boston has those and that whole thing, too. I've never been able to get into the whole bagpipes music and kilts-fetish thing, although I respect the music and uniforms' importance to the police forces culture and history.