One year I found a kiddy tool kit under the Christmas tree, in it was a hacksaw (mistake). I set to work that day and eventually cut the back fence in half, we lived in a large property so my parents didn't realise. The same night there was a big police chase that ended in our street, I believed that the ten police cars were coming for me due to the fence shenanigans and not the armed robbers who had shot a cop. I quickly fessed up to my parents since I didn't want to go to jail, I escaped a criminal record but had my new hacksaw confiscated.

Steve

I used to think it was a coincidence that judges all had the first name "Justice".

Katz

Once when I was about seven, I took a peppermint from the Brach's pick and mix display at the supermarket. I hid it in my closet because I was terrified that the police would come and arrest me for it. I found the peppermint a couple of years ago when I was cleaning out my closet at my parents' house...it was still there!

Anon

I grew up in Texas and when I heard someone was "sentenced to death" I thought that they'd been forced to write the same sentence over and over again until they died, since one of my teachers at school made us write sentences on the blackboard when we were bad.

anonymous

I used to think whenever I heard the phrase "A man is helping police with their inquiries" on the news. That there was this really nice man driving around with the police helping them solve the case and find the criminals.

Alan Stewart

I had real trouble believing that the Police were human beings. They wore those pointy helmets, so it followed they had pointy heads. And they had Godlike powers, like being able to tell grownups what to do.

St Sauverais

When I used to fly with my parents, I would always tell the security guards "No guns or bullets!", thinking that telling them this would speed up the process. My mom told me to hush, and they always searched us extra hard, even my cabbage patch kid purse. My parents say they're just grateful that their asses went unsearched.

L

When I was about 5 or 6, I thought that when the police told you to put your hands up, that they were going to shoot you in the armpits. I often thought about how much that would hurt. I was about 11 or 12 when I realized it was so that they could make sure you weren't going to pull a gun or something on them.

Stephanie

When I was a kid I'd always enjoy watching television with my dad. One day we watched "Cops." That was probably a bad decision on my dad's part since I was about 5. On the show that day the police officers shoved a man on a couch and tried to get cuffs on him. I was wondering why they were doing this. My dad said they were arresting him. I heard that they were "resting" him. I pictured my mom putting me down for a nap like that. I was just shocked that these policemen were trying to get this man to rest in such a violent way. I don't think I trusted police officers for a few years of my childhood.

Officer Friendly

A girl in my neighborhood used to believe (we were 8 or so) that if you called the police their job was to come over and kill whomever you asked them to.

Matthew Conely