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Thread: Do You Remember When You Couldn't Wait to Go to Work?

  1. #1
    banana republican blues's Avatar
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    Do You Remember When You Couldn't Wait to Go to Work?

    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.
    There's nothing civil about this war.

    Read: Harrison Bergeron

  2. #2
    “You’ll get over it.” I use to hear that almost every night I came into work. I hated my days off. I loved being proactive. I loved making stops. I loved making arrests. I even loved the calls for service! When I started most everyone on my shift had at least 18 years on the job. I was the newest guy on the shift and in the Patrol Division. They treated me like the eager young pup I was and never failed to help me when I got in over my head. Once in awhile someone would tell me to slow down because my activity was causing problems for them. I ignored those guys though. After each shift though when I was still all jacked up on adrenaline and enthusiasm one of the old rats would look at me and say “You’ll get over it.”

    I don’t know that I really got over it, but I certainly learned how to enjoy the job with more moderation.

  3. #3
    Site Supporter Trooper224's Avatar
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    Jan 2014
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    An old troop once told me, "You may love the job, but it won't love you back." Damn straight.
    We may lose and we may win, but we will never be here again.......

  4. #4
    Modding this sack of shit BehindBlueI's's Avatar
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    Mar 2015
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    Midwest
    I've had some high highs and some low lows, but it seems like every time I get stuck in a trough some change comes along. 13 years on the job now, the first 12 pretty evenly split between invest and the street, now a bit over a year as a field sergeant. I think I'm pretty balanced these days. I (mostly) enjoy my time at work and (mostly) enjoy my time off.
    Sorta around sometimes for some of your shitty mod needs.

  5. #5
    Member
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    The Gunshine State
    It may be simply due to having some life experience prior to getting into LE work...but I've never felt like my job defined me as a person. I'm at that point in my LE career (3-5 years) where I'm supposed to be totally enamored with the job. But to be honest, I've never really thought about work on my days off. I've never had that feeling like I "can't wait" to get back to work.

    At the same time, I don't mean to say I dislike my job. I genuinely enjoy doing the work and being around the guys in my unit. I have a chief that I can trust NOT to throw me under the bus for some political expediency. And despite the minor gripes here and there, I can legitimately say I've only had one truly sh*tty day in this profession.

    Granted my perspective may change after a few more years. But right now, I couldn't see myself happy doing anything else.

  6. #6
    Site Supporter Trooper224's Avatar
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    Jan 2014
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    Today, all of us old blue coats were discussing the number of coworkers we'd had that made it to the rubber gun squad, committed suicide, or simply went bat shit crazy because of the job. It was a depressingly high number.
    We may lose and we may win, but we will never be here again.......

  7. #7
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    Maryland
    I loved the job. I looked forward to going back to work after days off. Then I fired a shotgun round high during qualification and cut the cable.

    They decided a needed a fitness for duty examination. I had undiagnosed diabetes. It could be controlled, but I couldn't go the heel-to-toe test or the ten second one-leg stand. I got the city's clinic to test me walking on uneven ground. No issues there, but I was gone. I followed the appeal process the city told me existed, but the city decided it had done nothing wrong and wouldn't accept the appeal. To punish me, the chiefdenied me retirement credentials.

    I hate my former department and the city I worked for. That said, I loved the job the entire time.

  8. #8
    Member SoCalDep's Avatar
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    Mar 2016
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    The Secret City in Tennessee
    It’s been over 17 years, and I do remember being excited to go to work in custody, patrol training, patrol, as an FTO, and certainly as a full time firearm instructor... In a couple days it will have been eight years at this unit... my longest assignment.

    So much has changed since I left patrol I’m not sure how I’d deal... even as a supervisor. I still love my job but it’s a bit specialized, and if not for a lot of active enthusiasm (and probable reduction in lifespan) I’d be well out of the “current times”. I feel for the guys and girls going 10-8, because it is a time of vagueness... what is right, legal, moral, ethical... all words we use and used to describe what made it OK to use force... even lethal force... isn’t clear. It’s not, and right now really can’t be spelled out by anyone including courts and lawyers... at least definitively or honestly.

    The only thing I can say with conviction is that the more skill one has, the better decisions they make. The less skill, the more they focus on equipment vs the problem and bad things happen. So I do feel I’m at least a little relevant. I feel I at least do a bit of good for the deputies and the public, and being a week and a half into a two week vacation...

    ... I can’t wait to get back to work.

  9. #9
    I'm 23 years in with about 3 to go....assuming my health holds up and I don't get any injuries.

    Even though I do my share of whining about things admin related and the decisions (or lack of) made......I still love coming to work. It probably helps that I am the senior guy on an excellent 10 man/woman squad, full of hard charging, brave souls. We also have the pick of the litter for a Sergeant who still gets out and handles calls when we get busy and understaffed.

    We are a close knit bunch and MOST of us are seasoned enough to know not to sweat the small stuff and stick with the business of hunting down felons and dangerous dudes when we need to. Our chain of command in-house is also strong and leaves us alone while having our backs on the rare occasion that we need it.

    It's been this way for a couple of years now and I can truly say that it's been a heck of a good time......dare I say too good as I was hoping I would be good and disgruntled when I reached retirement days. I was headed to a hot call last week and just for a moment....reflected on how it was going to really suck to not be part of all of this in just 3 short years. It hit me out of nowhere.....and I had to clear my head and get back in the game for the dangerous call I was headed to.

    Headed to danger, handling business, in a pd car full of guns.......yeah......that's good good stuff. And as much as I can't wait to get away from some aspects of the job, I'm really going to miss the cool parts like hunting dangerous dudes and responding to chaos.

    But I'm almost 50, my hands hurt all the time, my knees aren't what they used to be, my up close vision has tanked.......and after tussling with kids half my age.......I hurt and ache for weeks instead of days.

    It's a young man's/woman's game and I know the days are numbered where I am going to be able to suit up 38 pounds of gear and run after folks trying their best to escape the hands of justice. Just yesterday, I ran hot to a parole officer fighting with a guy in a parking lot and got there real quick. He just needed help cuffing the guy and controlling the crowd yelling at him as he took his guy into custody so I didn't have to go hands on. Part of me was sad for that....then the grown up in me was glad that no OTC pain relief was going to be needed for the next two weeks.

    So yeah, I remember when I couldn't wait to go to work. I've had just a handful of bad days on the job and those were related to either standing over brother officers gunned down in the line of duty, watching their loved ones say goodbye, and at their respective funerals. Those days were awful and filled with pain and sorrow. Seeing dead children on calls.....those days weren't great either.

    It's part of it. It always will be.

    But most all other days at work have been a great ride and a front row seat to a wide range of crazy stuff. While I wouldn't wish this job on anyone with the current climate I am glad I chose it. I realize that makes no sense at all.....and it doesn't have to.

    Cops will know what I mean.

    Regards.

  10. #10
    Site Supporter Trooper224's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by lwt16 View Post
    I'm 23 years in with about 3 to go....assuming my health holds up and I don't get any injuries.

    Even though I do my share of whining about things admin related and the decisions (or lack of) made......I still love coming to work. It probably helps that I am the senior guy on an excellent 10 man/woman squad, full of hard charging, brave souls. We also have the pick of the litter for a Sergeant who still gets out and handles calls when we get busy and understaffed.

    We are a close knit bunch and MOST of us are seasoned enough to know not to sweat the small stuff and stick with the business of hunting down felons and dangerous dudes when we need to. Our chain of command in-house is also strong and leaves us alone while having our backs on the rare occasion that we need it.

    It's been this way for a couple of years now and I can truly say that it's been a heck of a good time......dare I say too good as I was hoping I would be good and disgruntled when I reached retirement days. I was headed to a hot call last week and just for a moment....reflected on how it was going to really suck to not be part of all of this in just 3 short years. It hit me out of nowhere.....and I had to clear my head and get back in the game for the dangerous call I was headed to.

    Headed to danger, handling business, in a pd car full of guns.......yeah......that's good good stuff. And as much as I can't wait to get away from some aspects of the job, I'm really going to miss the cool parts like hunting dangerous dudes and responding to chaos.

    But I'm almost 50, my hands hurt all the time, my knees aren't what they used to be, my up close vision has tanked.......and after tussling with kids half my age.......I hurt and ache for weeks instead of days.

    It's a young man's/woman's game and I know the days are numbered where I am going to be able to suit up 38 pounds of gear and run after folks trying their best to escape the hands of justice. Just yesterday, I ran hot to a parole officer fighting with a guy in a parking lot and got there real quick. He just needed help cuffing the guy and controlling the crowd yelling at him as he took his guy into custody so I didn't have to go hands on. Part of me was sad for that....then the grown up in me was glad that no OTC pain relief was going to be needed for the next two weeks.

    So yeah, I remember when I couldn't wait to go to work. I've had just a handful of bad days on the job and those were related to either standing over brother officers gunned down in the line of duty, watching their loved ones say goodbye, and at their respective funerals. Those days were awful and filled with pain and sorrow. Seeing dead children on calls.....those days weren't great either.

    It's part of it. It always will be.

    But most all other days at work have been a great ride and a front row seat to a wide range of crazy stuff. While I wouldn't wish this job on anyone with the current climate I am glad I chose it. I realize that makes no sense at all.....and it doesn't have to.

    Cops will know what I mean.

    Regards.
    You've pretty well summed up my feelings when I retired and why I did it. I wasn't burned out or disgruntled. I was the senior man on a great crew with good supervision. The job was fine, but it was time to go. At 53, I could feel my edge starting to dull. The last thing I wanted to be was one of those guys everyone looks at and thinks, "Why is he still here?" You have to be self aware enough to know when it's time to hang it up and I was there. I was proud to do it, but I don't miss it a bit.
    We may lose and we may win, but we will never be here again.......

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