It's hard for me to believe it's been 9 years 9 months since I was last on the job, but I did it for 15 years and to this day, I still miss it.

Congrats bro! Keep your nose clean, do a good job, be proactive, remain emotionally detached (especially during vehicle or foot pursuits) and make sure some of your close friends aren't cops too.

Stewart

 

Congrats on your new endeavor, Ray. You'll do great and be in that cruiser in no time.

 

If someone causes me to get into a foot pursuit, it may take me a lil while to catch them, but when i do there will be hell to pay(after i catch my breath!!!!)
But your last comment has me curious, why wouldnt i want some of my close friends to be cops?

 

I didn't say you wouldn't want some of your close friends to be cops. I said make sure some of them aren't cops.

A lot of times, when a person is in law enforcement, it becomes a microcosm of life, and you surround yourself with everything LEO related.

After you've graduated from the academy and have your Basic certificate, and you become a fully sworn officer, you will eat, drink, sleep, and live everything LEO, because the learning curve is great, and the welfare of others can depend on how you respond and handle things.

Cops see the underbelly of society for most of their waking moments. It jades them. It has to, otherwise it's difficult for us to cope with the calls.

Anytime you contact someone, they're lying to you.

Anytime you respond to any call, there's always three sides to what happened. Person A see's it one way, person B see's it another, and then there's what really happened.

You'll learn to recognize the smell of a decomposing body before you even reach the front porch of a house, and it will remind you that you need to grab your "7" (meal break) before it gets too late.

You'll learn to be professional at all calls you respond to, then at the end of the shift, stroke and joke and make fun of some of the people you've contacted that day, during choir practice.

It's all related to decompression, destressing.

Surrounding yourself with only friends who are cops will eventually cause you to be myopic, and only see the world through "cop glasses", and that's a very depressing world. Unfortunately it's a very common thing for LEO's to do. Think about it, lawyers, doctors, nurses, store managers, waiters, construction workers, electricians, plumbers, mechanics....they don't only hang around with others who do exactly the same job as they do. They have friends outside their world.

Cops are different. Because of the nature of law enforcement, it's very easy to only surround yourself with other police officers because they understand you. You don't have to explain why you and your partner were laughing at the guy who tried to commit suicide by shooting himself, changed his mind as he pulled the trigger, survived, but blew off half his face, yet still answered the door when you responded to check on him because his girlfriend was worried about him.

People usually look at you like you have a serious problem if you were laughing as you retold the story.

Other cops would be laughing with you.

Very few people comprehend the dark humor born from police work. The medical field is one that actually does, that's why cops and nurses get along so great.

Cops gravitate to each other.

Making sure some of your closest friends aren't cops helps you remember to see life like a "regular" person. It keeps you from hardening your heart too much. It helps you to remember the female drunk driver who just collided with the light pole might be someones mother...someones wife...and not just another DB drunk driver who could have killed someone.

It's not a hard job, but it's not easy either. It just takes the right person because it's definitely not for everyone.

Stewart

 

Well said Stewart.

 

Ditto................. x2

 

Congrats Ray!

wow..

Wait, is this how the field mouse thing got started?

x3. He's a wise one, Mr.

 

Very interesting read their Stewart..

 

Stewart, I completely understand what you meant now, and agree 100%
Thank you for the excellent advice, and the elaboration.

 

Just remember, "three from the ring, five from the sky"...that's all old school and has no place in today's police work.

Stewart

 

Just a bit of an update my first 4 days are done and i absolutely love it. There is alot for me to learn, and i kinda felt a lil bit overwelmed at first, but having an altercation with a known murderer on you first night really opens a mans eyes to alot of things!!!!

 

You will be challenged every day, or at least evaluated by scum. How you respond determines what they think they can get away with. Make sure they don't think they can get the upper hand or your career will be short lived.

That was a good post Stewart. I treat everyone cordially and have a plan to kill every single one of them if necessary. How is life on your job? That is life on my job. Things happen fast in this work and you better have a plan, or you will be a headline in the news.

 

A couple of the first things i was taught my first night was 1.) Always have a plan and know your surroundings. 2.) Never put your hands in your pockets! I never even thought about it until my FTO had me on my back and i didnt even know how i got there!!!

 

Kind of amusing, but I'm sure completely serious. Just how it's gotta' be for you guys.

Sure glad I can pay someone else to do your work, 'cause I couldn't do it.

Pop

 

When I raced desert, I was in a club that had a lot of movie stunt men in it. There were quite a few "illegal smiles" around the campfires at night.

One day, we got a request for membership from a soft-spoken South Bay city cop.

Our first thought was, "Ever heard of the Badgers, MC, and why not join them?"

His response was exactly what you wrote, Stewart.

He was voted in on the first ballot, and except for a little more discretion, very little changed around the fires.

He was always one of those people you could depend upon, and he ultimately became the club's V.P.

Pop