Question for all LEO's

[bsar170]

Originally Posted by street cruiser

Now that I am in law enforcement I feel less stress and I actually enjoy getting out of bed in the morning

You get out of bed in the morning?? Either you've been a cop for a while or you really lucked out on the shift rotation. Most places, expect to be working at night for the first few years at least!

I'm new enough I still dig the night shift -- I absolutely agree that you should only do it if you really have a calling for it. People who get into it for the wrong reasons all end up the same -- old, fat, angry and jaded.

When you find a job that you can stop for a second and think how you lucky you are to score this job, that's the one to make into a career.

[The Tengu]

One more thing...

During the academy, everyone always talked about how high the divorce rate is amongst police. I thought, "Hey that'll never happen to me!" because my wife was so supportive during the academy. She understood what I was getting into and understood why I wanted to be a cop so badly. She would listen to me go on about my stories from the academy, and she understood the nights I didn't get any sleep because I was writing essays as punishment for someone else's mistakes during class. She knew I was a gun nut before and was very accepting of my "Batman belt" back before I was the po-po. She was very proud of me when I graduated.

About a month after I graduated the academy, my wife told me she wanted a divorce. We had been married eight years, and we have 2 kids.

[PWB]

I've been a cop for 30 years,...worked on patrol for 10 years, worked narcotics, general assignment investigations and other stuff,...divorced once and sued four times,...the last one was in federal court a civil rights beef that occurred during a drug arrest, douche-bag was a fugitive for three years, arrested, indited then plead guilty, filed suit while in prison,...I spent four days in court and won,....passed said douche-bag in the john after court and told him that it looks like he got beat again!

[The Tengu]

Oh yeah, at the very least you will get formal complaints filed against you with Internal Affairs.

It's standard operating procedure for gang members to complain to Internal Affairs. And it's standard operating procedure for Internal Affairs to investigate, interrogate, and fire police officers.

Those guys in IA have comfy Mon-Fri 9-5 jobs and they don't want to give them up. They have to show productivity just like everyone else, so when it's your turn to get suspended to save some desk jockey's performance review... guess what!

My first year as a police officer I was interrogated twice by Internal Affairs.

Let me put it this way:
Every arrest you make is another chance for you to get fired or sued.

[street cruiser]

Originally Posted by bsar170

You get out of bed in the morning?? Either you've been a cop for a while or you really lucked out on the shift rotation. Most places, expect to be working at night for the first few years at least!

I'm new enough I still dig the night shift -- I absolutely agree that you should only do it if you really have a calling for it. People who get into it for the wrong reasons all end up the same -- old, fat, angry and jaded.

When you find a job that you can stop for a second and think how you lucky you are to score this job, that's the one to make into a career.

I actually work evenings but I have kids that wake up at the crack of dawn, consequently I'm up in the morning.

BTW- I just made year number 5 but I'm still new though. If I ever get to the point I'm not new it'll be time to move on.