Why did you become an officer?

[rojocorsa]

I just want to read what you have to say if you don't mind sharing.

Thank you in advance.

[Gray222]

For the asset forfeiture, obviously.

/s

(real answer tomorrow when I have a minute...)

[Willard]

I just want to read what you have to say if you don't mind sharing.

Thank you in advance.

Confused OP. Does this mean police officer or commissioned officer in armed forces? Assume former?

[txdpd]

I got out of the Marines and found that being an asshole, using "fuck" as every third word in a sentence and running a floor buffer with one hand were not marketable job skills. Worked a couple dead end jobs: drove a dump truck, then an end dump hauling sand out to the oil fields, worked in an AT&T call center and then for BoA doing data entry. On a whim I applied for a couple police jobs and got hired.

It's a fun job for me, but it's just a job.

[txdpd]

For the asset forfeiture, obviously.

/s

(real answer tomorrow when I have a minute...)


I'm pretty sure it's because you wanted to stomp on kittens and make little girls cry.

[KeeFus]

Because in the 80's and 90's it was still a noble profession. I wanted to make a difference but mainly I just wanted to arrest dope dealers and drunks. That lasted all of about 4-5 years when I finally figured out that you cant help those that do NOT want to help themselves...that the judicial system is the biggest joke ever portrayed on the American people...and LE administrations really dont give a flying fuck about their employees. No, seriously...they dont. nyeti has mentioned it before and its true...we are just a hanger for a uniform...a number that is easily replaced. They (citizens, administrators, court, etc) want too much out of you for the return you get.

My current position is bringing back a little fun because I can pretty much make my schedule and as long as I'm being productive I'm left alone. I go to motor school in a few months...with 5 years left til retirement...im actually looking forward to it. However, when those 5 years are up I hope no one is standing between me and the door.

[xray 99]

I read The Onion Field by Joseph Wambaugh in high school. It triggered a deep interest in the legal system, police work, etc.

[BehindBlueI's]

I got out of the Army and got into IT. I did not adjust well. I ended up contracting for the military to get some of the stuff I liked about the military without having to do a lot of the dumb shit that goes along with being in the military. Being a contractor was actually kind of a sweet deal. It paid well, you were not stuck like the soldiers were, could break contract and go home (and just the freedom to know you COULD, even if you never DO, is a huge), you never had to pick up cigarette butts, and you could choose which contracts you took.

Then I got married and had a kid. I needed something quasi-military but didn't require moving around, leaving the family behind, etc.

Law enforcement was a natural fit. I like looking at a collar and seeing who's in charge. I like working with people who bitch and moan but follow orders and give orders, as appropriate. I like the sense of purpose and knowing that what you do actually makes a difference sometimes. I like my department, I like my community, and I like the way we interact for the most part. I like the adversarial aspect of solving crime, when I was younger the more physical sense of that but these days more the interview/interrogation angle. I like knowing what happened, and being able to use that knowledge to make things better. I like that you actually do get to help people sometimes.

I like a lot of things about being a cop, and I like a lot of things about being a detective. Even if I didn't, I'm stuck now. I don't know how to do anything else that's useful and pays anything.

I know you're looking to become an LEO, and trust me when I say it's the best worst job ever. It can break your mind and your spirit, and it will break your body. But you'll get some real nuggets of satisfaction, and the pride that you did what needed to be done. Do the right thing for the right reason, and let the chips fall where they may from there.

[jnc36rcpd]

I wanted a job that was interesting. I wanted a job that was challenging. Quite frankly, I wanted a job that was dangerous. I wanted a job that made a difference in the world.

A smoking hot bartender half my age chatted with me about the job long after last call tonight. Granted, if the job or I were perfect, I would be elsewhere and wouldn't be on PF right now, but after thirty-six years on the job, I guess that will do.

For some reason, I look forward to kitting up and going to work in eleven hours.

[Gray222]

I'm pretty sure it's because you wanted to stomp on kittens and make little girls cry.

I love kittens, and kids cry for no reason other than to cry...

[Greenie]

Not me, but a buddy of mine:


https://vimeo.com/148300455

[11B10]

Not me, but a buddy of mine:


https://vimeo.com/148300455


Well, there's "squared away," and then there's THIS level ^^^^ of "squared away!" What a great example - thanks, Greenie!

[TGS]

I get to do things and go places that nobody else have the opportunity to ever do. Even out of the gate, we get treated with an awesome amount of autonomy. I get to continue feeling like I serve society in some capacity. The money is extraordinairy, and I we have an actionable plan to semi-retire at age 50 unless we leave my current gig and settle down into something more tame.

It was really the only job in LE I truly wanted. Everything else I applied for would have been a stepping stone or something for a more stable family life.

[stinx]

Cause I wasnt smart enough to take the fire test. Fire fighters in my town make roughly 20% more than us and with their current 24 hour schedule work 8 days a month.

[PearTree]

So I could drive fast and shoot guns of course.
On a serious note, the idea of being able to make a positive difference, no matter how small, is what drew me to law enforcement.
I'm not naive enough to believe me doing my job makes an actual difference in society. But helping the girl whose boyfriend beat her to a pulp, at least for a night by taking him to jail, or taking the drunk driver to jail instead of him plowing into a innocent driver, is what keeps me coming back each day.

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[HCountyGuy]

I'm not fully in yet, but here's my reasoning:

I grew up watching COPS any time it was on the TV, and figured it looked like fun. I want a job that's not your mundane 9-5 where I'm making some company rich while sitting at a desk mindlessly clacking away on a keyboard. I want something where I can get out and be active, an unpredictable day without routine and a job with a sense of purpose. I was fortunate enough to participate in the local Explorers program which gave me some insight into the field, but not a whole lot because our program was/is treated like a redheaded step-child at the department.

Add to that I've been steadily watching the community I grew up in start heading to the shitter and I figured I wanted to be part of the solution. I've been de-romanticized from the job in some ways by the older guys I've had the pleasure of hanging around, who are all retiring out lately. I'm sure I still have some illusions, so we'll see how they last. But it's about the only thing I can ever remember wanting to do, minus that one year I wanted to be an actor.

[HCM]

8878

More later.

[KPD]

Because I had already been a Reserve Deputy for a few years while I was in nursing and paramedic school. I got offered a Patrol Deputy job and decided I would be a better Deputy than a Nurse and Paramedic.

[Gray222]

I do the job because it's in line with my moral and ethical position.

I want to help, I want to do the right thing and being on the job gives me the ability to do so without issue. It's almost expected.

[rojocorsa]

Thank you for the responses thus far. As some of you know, this is something I am seriously considering and learning about every single day as well.

I am also thinking of what to say when someone finally asks me in some interview why I want to be there. Thus far, I have a bunch of loose answers in my head.

While the topics within LE definitely have my attention (shooting, driving fast, etc etc), I do like the idea of helping the innocent and doing the right thing. Moreover, I keep hearing how LE needs good people these days, and maybe I can do something about that. Instead of bitching about the cops like everyone else/us vs them/ etc, maybe I can do my part to improve this.

[Kyle Reese]

I am also thinking of what to say when someone finally asks me in some interview why I want to be there. Thus far, I have a bunch of loose answers in my head.



Predicate your answers towards the respective agencies' mission, and do some research on its charter, mission, history, etc. Just walking into an oral board with a few pre-canned, generic answers won't really set you apart from your fellow applicants.

I became an LEO after serving in the military, and after contracting in Iraq / Afghanistan for several years. I like the para-military structure, being a part of something bigger than myself and continuing to serve.

You'll be fine, dude.

[AMC]

I had zero interest in LE growing up. When I was 19, a guy I was in a jujutsu class with asked my best friend and I if we'd like to go on a ride-along. Friday night in downtown San Francisco (The old Co. 'A' for locals...when it included the TL). We thought it'd be fun for a couple of hours, and made plans to bail at 7pm and go see a movie. We never made the movie. It was so totally unlike what I had expected.....the windows into peoples private lives and troubles, the fact that in one shift we interacted with every socioeconomic level of society, that every call was different and a new challenge. We met hookers and druggies, attorneys and the wealthy who lived near Coit Tower. And I realized my buddy and his coworkers had something the rest of society lacked. We might call it "situational awareness" now. But they had an awareness of their surroundings and the people in it, at all times, that my martial arts friends liked to talk about but didn't have and didn't really understand. Their calm under pressure, their ability to control their emotions, and that awareness, coupled with streetwise knowledge you just couldn't get anywhere else, was what I wanted. A couple of years into the job I was driving through the Tenderloin in SF with my brother and best friend, and was pointing things out to them, steering them away from trouble they didn't see coming, mentioning the illegal activity I was seeing around us, and they were just bewildered. Eventually, you start taking that knowledge and training for granted, and have to remind yourself that most people don't know what you know, and frankly don't want to.

[Coyotesfan97]

I had zero interest in LE growing up. When I was 19, a guy I was in a jujutsu class with asked my best friend and I if we'd like to go on a ride-along. Friday night in downtown San Francisco (The old Co. 'A' for locals...when it included the TL). We thought it'd be fun for a couple of hours, and made plans to bail at 7pm and go see a movie. We never made the movie. It was so totally unlike what I had expected.....the windows into peoples private lives and troubles, the fact that in one shift we interacted with every socioeconomic level of society, that every call was different and a new challenge. We met hookers and druggies, attorneys and the wealthy who lived near Coit Tower. And I realized my buddy and his coworkers had something the rest of society lacked. We might call it "situational awareness" now. But they had an awareness of their surroundings and the people in it, at all times, that my martial arts friends liked to talk about but didn't have and didn't really understand. Their calm under pressure, their ability to control their emotions, and that awareness, coupled with streetwise knowledge you just couldn't get anywhere else, was what I wanted. A couple of years into the job I was driving through the Tenderloin in SF with my brother and best friend, and was pointing things out to them, steering them away from trouble they didn't see coming, mentioning the illegal activity I was seeing around us, and they were just bewildered. Eventually, you start taking that knowledge and training for granted, and have to remind yourself that most people don't know what you know, and frankly don't want to.

It's like deciding whether to take the red or blue pill. Great story.


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[Gadfly]

Drive fast, eat do nuts, shoot bad guys...

What's not to like?

[serialsolver]

I liked driving fast. I liked guns. I liked cops an robbers stuff. I hated factory and construction work. I knew I wasn't gonna change the world but I wanted to do my part to help instead of being part of the problem. Ya know stand in the path of evil. I wanted good benefits, vacations, holidays, sick leave. Now that I'm retired the best of all. On the last business day of the month they put money in my bank account for the rest of my life.


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[rojocorsa]

Drive fast, eat do nuts, shoot bad guys...

What's not to like?


you had me at donuts. :cool:

In all seriousness, my first ride-along is one week from today in the evening here at my local PD.

[Gadfly]

In all seriousness, I did not grow up wanting to be a cop. I thought I may do some time in the military. I went to a military boarding school and was in ROTC in college for a while. Then, I went on a ride along one night. My older brother had a friend that was with Houston PD, and he always had great stories. So when he offered to take me out one night, I went. I saw my first dead body that night (a guy tried to jump on a moving freight train. He did not quite make it onto the train...) We drove at over 100mph jumping curbs and blowing red lights when an "officer needs assistance" call dropped. We sat at a dinner at 3am with other cops and had our "lunch", and great stories were told and good times were had.

I was hooked. No more ROTC. I changed from a business major to a CJ major. Just like the military, there was structure, there was benefits, there was retirement pay. And I would not have to drag my future family around the world when I had to move every 3 years.

17 years in, the shine has worn off considerably. But I still cant see doing anything else. Its too political, its stressful, its working weekends and late nights some times, its asshole bosses, its too much paperwork, its no respect from the press or public... and yet, I still like this better than the corporate gig I had before.

[JCS]

Thank you all for your service!


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[AMC]

you had me at donuts. :cool:

In all seriousness, my first ride-along is one week from today in the evening here at my local PD.

Johnny Donuts in San Rafael. Gonna be opening a spot on Fulton in SF soon, too. And their truck hits the "Off The Grid" food truck events around the bay. Fantastic.

On topic, a veteran Inspector who taught us in the academy used to say, "What other job gives you a badge, a gun, and a fast car with a red light and siren and tells you 'Be back in 10 hours'." He also liked to remind us that the nice thing about our job was that the customer was always wrong.

[Chance]

He also liked to remind us that the nice thing about our job was that the customer was always wrong.

I've never thought of that, and that is hilarious.

I know two different UC guys that, if they hadn't become cops, probably would have become criminals. I guess that aspect of their character was useful in that line of work.

At any rate, I'm glad all y'all took the job. Lets average folk like me live uneventful lives.

[BehindBlueI's]

I know two different UC guys that, if they hadn't become cops, probably would have become criminals. I guess that aspect of their character was useful in that line of work.

I think the outsider would be surprised at how close in general personality the cop and the the criminal often are. The difference is the motivation, such as the desire to protect vs harm, the good of society vs the selfish...but in other regards the line is pretty thin.

[Paul Sharp]

My grandfather Alexis Butler, and great uncle George Sharp, were Sheriff's in the county I grew up, (http://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/36loc/qa/jud/sheriffs/former/html/00list.html). Both continued to serve after their terms as Sheriff. Watching them interact with the community was a huge influence on me. When I was 7 years old my brother had a seizure, and stopped breathing. My mother grabbed him, ran to the car, her friend drove, trying to get to the Easton, MD general hospital. I have no idea how fast we were going, but my mom's car was a '65 Galaxy 500 powered by a 427 with dual carbs, I can remember her popping the front wheels off the ground so that car would move. Of course we were stopped after blasting through a speed trap. The officer figured out what was up, put my mom, brother and me in his squad, then ran code to the hospital. He carried my brother into the hospital yelling for a doctor. The staff took my mom back with my brother, and that officer stayed with me in the waiting area until my mom's friend got there. He stayed a little longer, bought me a coke, and kept telling me everything would be okay, then he had to go.

Right then, right there I knew what I wanted to do.

[rojocorsa]

...live uneventful lives.

There are no guarantees in life, and I accept that we can die at any time for any reason, but that right there, that scares me.