French Stereotypes and French Policemen

Now, I grew up being taught that policemen are good people, working to help and protect us. I don't know if that is still what children are taught in the US. Here in France however, they have a bad reputation: lazy, take bribes, and so on.
I just had an interesting visit. Well, barely a visit. I was on our driveway, pruning the rosebushes, when a policeman stopped by. He wanted to let me know he had clocked me over the speed limit (in town)  a few days ago, and that I should be careful, because someone else might give me a ticket! He said, "I clocked you going too fast, and then I said to myself, that is the American!"

Maybe I should explain that I know this policeman. I had to go the police station and declare that our garbage can had been stolen (city issue, so I had to have the declaration so the city would give me a new one). The policeman that helped me was very kind, curious about my birthplace (wow, an American in northern France!) and left a good impression. He has since met more of the family as he and his colleagues are regularly in front of our house stopping cars to verify papers. He may have even been present when the kids took out coffee and cookies. (This is totally an unFrench thing to do, I am sure, but the kids think it is a blast!)
I also had my papers checked twice last week (not in front of my house), by two different policemen. (This is legal in France) Both times the officers were very nice, and noticed (again) my foreign place of birth. Wesley was even asked if he was a little cowboy! (talk about stereotypes!!)

Funny, these incidents don't confirm the stereotype that French people have about policemen, and it certainly doesn't confirm the idea that the French don't like Americans! (While this seems to be true when the French talk about American politics and government, I have never found it to be true on a one on one basis! The French find it very cool that I am a real, live American.

(The picture is the whole family, being really silly, in front of our house. I am still looking for a good picture of the house!)