Cheating death and fighting communism: that is how a fellow officer once described our job. It was meant to be funny, but as time went on it seemed all too true.
I spent more than ten years in law enforcement, all of it on the street in uniform patrol. I've been a patrol officer, instructor, sergeant and lieutenant.
Do not report crimes here. Nothing here should be considered legal advice. All opinions are my own.
If you are unable to work things out inside the family, you might want to contact a family law attorney.
The desire to help people - to make a difference. All of those things I mentioned above suck the life out of you. But with good friends, family and faith in God supporting you, the job can be done.
There were many times that I was going to a call that I would have preferred avoid, but I knew I had the skills and disposition to handle it. Who wants to go to the call where a man just committed suicide in front of his wife by sticking a gun in his mouth and pulling the trigger? No one. But, as I often questioned myself, "if not me, then who?"
There are upsides to the job, though they are rarely visible to, or understood by, anyone outside of law enforcement.
At one department, there were three patrol zones and only a single station. A sergeant plus three or four officers were on duty at any given time. (Not including any specialty units.)
At a larger agency, there were six patrol zones with multiple officers assigned to each zone. There were three "sector offices" plus the main station. There were up to 24 patrol officers on the road. Generally there were 2-3 sergeants on duty at any given time plus a lieutenant and possibly a captain depending on time of day/day of week. Those staffing numbers did not include specialty units that might have also been working. For example, three traffic units plus a sergeant, a gang unit plus sergeant, etc.
I'd say about 1/4 to 1/3 of the officers I have worked with are former military. Of those about 90% were enlisted/NCOs.
Antiques Dealer
What do real antiques dealers think of the Antiques Roadshow reality show?
Stand-Up Comedian
Did your career blow up after you performed on the Tonight Show / Conan?
Sr. Software Engineer
Is it basically impossible for a skilled programmer to be out of work these days?
When I did the job for 8-12 hours a day, I had no interest in watching more of it on the tv.
Besides, the way the editors cut the reality shows like Cops up to make them fit between commercials is not realistic. You only see a fraction of a case, say 10 minutes of something that took the officers hourse to resolve. It might be exciting, but it builds a very unrealistic expecation in the public.
Oh, and about 95% of what you see in CSI is b.s. I can't tell you how many times I had someone tell me to do something impossible that they saw in that show.
Yes. It is called theft.
I have no idea what a PND is.
Generally, if you have ever been charged with a crime, then it is part of your official criminal history.
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