Got a call from my old partner down in Miami this afternoon and we were just shooting the breeze for a while.
I started thinking about how when I started my career in LE up in NYC, first doing an undercover op for nine months, and then being assigned to a group, every day was another chance to get out there and have some excitement. Whether it was surveillance, arrest, investigations...it was all new and exciting. The thrill of the chase was intoxicating.
I can still vividly recall a couple of the senior guys sitting around the office one day, having coffee and discussing their future pensions.
I looked at another agent who came on at the same time as I did and said, "Retire? Hell, I'd do this job for free!"
That feeling lasted probably longer than one could rightfully expect but eventually gave way to cynicism about the way LE agencies are run by the brass and the administrators above them in D.C. Gone was the naive assumption that we were all on the same page and pulling for the same goal.
Nowadays, I wonder how many of the seasoned guys still love getting up and putting on the uniform or plain clothes to work the job...and how long the new guys can keep that proud feeling that the badge bestowed upon those of us fortunate enough to have been selected to carry one on our person.
From the sound of things hereabouts, things are certainly not getting any easier...and the work which once made us so proud is no longer shown the respect it once commanded and rightfully deserved.
Be careful out there ladies and gents. Some of us still value your work and contributions...and your lives.