Why did you become an officer?

[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.

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.

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.