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

  1. #11
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    Apr 2015
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    Miami, FL
    I love the job, and the sense of nobility it gives...but as my old mentor Pat Rogers would say: "this job is a fickle prostitute..you may love her, but she will NEVER love you back". The longer I'm in this job, the more I dislike it, and the laziness of other cops pisses me off. They blame the job for the fact they shoot like shit, or overweight, etc. And they're the first ones to fuck you, to get where they wanna go. I don't roll like that, never have. Not to mention, in my 15th year of doing it; it feels like groundhog day. And i'm in a busy city! The fact that the line of morality is constantly moving these days, has propelled me to leave before my 25, and seek other employment outside of policing. I'm pretty sure I'll miss the circus, but I surely won't miss the clowns. I've worked with true blue street warriors, and got to accomplish a lot of what I thought at the time was important..which was collaring really bad dudes..but these days, that counts for nothing. I didn't go to coffee with a cop, so I guess I'll get passed over for that gig I wanted..ce la vie..

  2. #12
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    Dec 2011
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    Florida
    I don't know if the job ever loved me back, but it sure has fucked me a few times....
    Be Aware-Stay Safe. Gunfighting Is A Thinking Man's Game. So We Might Want To Bring Thinking Back Into It.

  3. #13
    Member JDD's Avatar
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    Mar 2016
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    You can't get theyah from heeyah...
    Quote Originally Posted by blues View Post
    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.
    I never say that I will do my job for free, because the second I do someone might try to take my paycheck away.

    That said, even on the worst days, I am paid (well) to maintain and exercise core skills that other people have as expensive hobbies.

    There is crappy paperwork, and long hours, and work-life balance issues. That said, I can't think of any other job with meaning ('cause I am still an idealist) and remuneration that does not have that BS associated with it somewhere.

    That said, my job will take everything I offer it gladly, but it will only ever give me so much back.

  4. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by MDFA View Post
    I don't know if the job ever loved me back, but it sure has fucked me a few times....
    No truer words have ever been spoken.

    It seems the ones who give the most of themselves to this gig, get fucked the hardest. I've seen it time and time again and had it happen to myself a time or two. I'm fifteen years in and am looking forward to the day when I can walk away. I don't like the direction I'm seeing things go and I feel like the values that drew me to this career are no longer values encouraged by our leadership. I use the term 'leadership' loosely, btw. I love the job but the internal bullshit is enough to drive away our best and brightest who leave for greener pastures if not leaving the career all together. The apathy the nonsense breeds is pervasive. I remember looking at the guys who had ten, twelve, fifteen years on and wondering why they were so salty. Now that I'm in their shoes, I totally get it.
    Last edited by Mac; 10-21-2019 at 08:58 PM.

  5. #15
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    Feb 2012
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    Madison, Wisconsin
    It all depends on who you are working WITH and who you are working FOR

  6. #16
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    Feb 2016
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    SF Bay Ahea
    It's a struggle everyday. I can deal with the calls for service and the antics/adventures of the newbies that work for me, but I'm convinced that LE leadership is a little bit like a unicorn: I know what it is, but I damned sure haven't seen it.

  7. #17
    Site Supporter psalms144.1's Avatar
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    Jun 2012
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    Bloomington, IN
    I've had this discussion with several friends and co-workers in the last year. I have a great paying job with great benefits. And I can't WAIT to work harder for someone else for much less money - because after 32 years working for Uncle Sugar in a variety of roles, I just don't want to do this anymore.

    Yes, I can remember being super motivated. When I was a young Infantry officer, I LOVED going to work every day. As I progressed away from direct leadership of combat troops, military service got less and less "exciting" for me, even though I had some uber-cool jobs towards the end. When I first started my civilian LE job, I was super moto as well, damn near belt-fed coptard.

    What I've found is that my level of wanting to go to work is DIRECTLY linked to the quality of supervisor I work for. I've been blessed to work for some great supervisors, and suffered under the yoke of some not so great ones. My current supervisor is middle of the road, and typical - doesn't try to micromanage me, but gets all worked up about administrative BS that has no bearing on whether I'm putting bad guys in jail or recovering money for the government. That's hard to deal with, when updates about sentencing receive no response (not even a "good job"), but not having completed my boiler-plate means nothing "self assessment" two weeks before it's due results in multiple "reminder" e-mails per day.

    128 days until eligibility...

  8. #18
    banana republican blues's Avatar
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    Aug 2016
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    Blue Ridge Mtns
    I completely agree on the role supervisors play. I had one supervisor from DEA in Vice President Bush's narcotics task force, (which was made up equally of agents and supervisors from Customs and DEA), that I'd have gone through walls for, (and did), and that enthusiasm was matched by some great cases, awards and promotion. While he was the best of the lot during my career, I've had a few others that were pretty good or at least "do no harm".

    On the other hand I've had some terrible supervisors from a few agencies that were like a wet blanket on a freezing night. They were not leaders, were not in command of the laws, and gave little concern to the mission but for keeping their bosses happy. They were only too happy to find something to nitpick, even if it had to be made up. Their lack of leadership was evident in the morale of the groups they were assigned to.

    It seems to me that the guys participating here that are supervisors at the local, state and federal level are the kinds of leaders that most LEOs would thrive under (assuming their administrations allow them to go out and get the job done).
    There's nothing civil about this war.

    Read: Harrison Bergeron

  9. #19
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    May 2015
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    East Coast
    A few years back I stopped referring to our supervisors as leadership and began using the term 'administration' as the catch all for those wearing stripes, bars, and stars. Appeasing the upper management is what the mid level management seems most concerned with. Our current chief came to us from Chicago PD and prior to that the NYPD. He is a CompStat disciple and watching numbers get cooked in the name of this man furthering his career is infuriating. Crime is not down, there are less cops on the street, and response times are longer.... but that's not what the numbers say. And heaven forbid someone speak the truth about that, if you're not onboard with the BS he is shoveling then you can expect a tough road ahead.

    Our department has never been known for developing leaders, but during my first decade on the job our bosses would never jam you up for doing police work. You might have to take some punishment for a mess up, but at the end of the day if what you were doing was police work, then it would not be held against you in the long run. Now I can't seem to decide what is the defining line between right and wrong in terms of what our expectations are, what we will be held accountable for, and what will be forgiven even if it is done in the name of 'police work'.

    Things were much simpler when I had not peeked behind the curtain. I miss coming to work to chase bad guys, drive fast, talk shit, and hang out with my boys.

  10. #20
    Site Supporter Trooper224's Avatar
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    Jan 2014
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    Wichita
    Law enforcement no longer seeks leaders, but rather managers. Their job isn't to lead cops in crime fighting, but rather to mitigate risk and manage liability. You might as well be working for Wal-Mart.
    We may lose and we may win, but we will never be here again.......

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