why do you like being a police offier

Hi Sean,

I retired after 25 years of being a police officer. What did I like? I never had to figure out what I was going to wear, each day was different, and I got to make my own decisions (mostly).

Cop-work isn't usually glorious or glamorous. You are not going to rid the world of the bad guys. But, you can make a difference in peoples' lives on a more individual level. You might encourage a store clerk to leave her abusive boyfriend, or a teenager to stay in school. You will make some big arrests, and a whole lot of not-so-big arrests. . . bar fights, etc. It's a job that has to be done. The bonds that you will form with your fellow officers contribute to making the job feel rewarding. I always knew, without a doubt, that no matter where I was and what I got myself into, backup would be there within three minutes.

One of my favorite arrests? I was on midnight shift. Found a car pulled off the road. Turned out the driver had hit a curb and blown a tire. He was going to change it. He was sober. The passenger was female, very intoxicated. They were boyfriend/girlfriend (or, so he said). I was unable to reach the girl's parents. I arrested her for public intoxication and let him go. At first she was obnoxious. But, when she sobered up a little, she actually thanked me for arresting her, because she did not want to be going home with him!

One of my least favorite arrests? Non-payment of child support. The husband and wife were actually back together, but, it was a good warrant, so, I was required to make the arrest. I also had to arrest a guy who was on his way to his mom's funeral. That was hard.

Biggest arrest? Trafficking methamphetamine. Also had a guy who threatened the President.

Saddest part of the job? The prevalence of mental illness in the community.

Police work is challenging, and you are always learning something new. There are also many opportunities to promote and to specialized - bike patrol, K-9, Investigation, narcotics, school police, computer crimes, accident investigation, etc. So, it really has something to offer for everyone, although, you do have to start at the bottom and pay your dues, so to speak. You might get shift assignments you don't like, horrible days off, etc. You have to work in all kinds of weather, and on the holidays. But that will change over time!