Life as a Police Officer, is this the career for you?

When I made the decision that I wanted to become a police officer i was in my late teens, however, in Illinois you can not test with a law enforcement agency until you are twenty and a half. Some agencies would not even let you take their testing process until you were actually twenty-one, because they expected you to be available for immediate hire. What I didn't know at the time was that it would take me until I was twenty-six to finally get hired.

So why did it take so long, well first I felt my education was important, but I also had thoughts of entering a federal law enforcement career, so that meant a college degree. So over a period of three years I was going to college taking criminal justice courses at the University of Chicago, Circle Campus. But I didn't take head to the things that were important at the time, and as a result I ended up leaving school. After about a year of working in the hotel security industry I finally decided to really work at testing for police departments to make their eligibility lists.

Now before I complete me story, lets explore some things that everyone who is interested in becoming a police officer. Each and every one of you should be asking yourself the following question, "Why do I want to become a police officer?" It should be followed up by, "Is being a Police Officer the career for me?" These questions might sound similar, but they are entirely two different questions. So lets explore what each of these questions implies.

"Why do I want to Become a Police Officer"

The question of "Why" comes up for everyone in any career choice, but I will preface this first by being very blunt, being a police officer is not for everyone. First, it is a extremely stressful career, both physically and emotionally. As a police officer you are exposed to the most degrading, retched underbelly of society. Not all the time, but you will be exposed to death, at all ages. Death that is violent, lonely, emotionally draining and at times, extremely senseless, with no rhyme or reason. 

The stress associated with working in law enforcement is cumulative. Which means it develops over time, and can slowly build up to a tragic end. In the United States, law enforcement officers face the highest rates of suicide at rates far higher than in other professions. Now there are hundreds, if not thousands of police officers all over the United States who deal with the stress of being a Police Officer on a daily basis, so being an officer is not necessarily a dire event.

There are some factors that can help people cope with the stresses associated with being an officer, they include peer support programs, family, physical exercise, breathing techniques as well as numerous other techniques to overcome the impact of the stresses related to being a police officer.

What also helps having the personality to not take things personally, Many police officers are competitive by nature, as a result when the "bad guy" wins or when something goes against what the Officer believes is right or just can be difficult if you take it personally.  This is important for all to ask themselves, "Can I let it go?"  If you can't let things go, what happens is that thought can fester, it can sit in the back of your mind and reappear during other situations. This can result in officers potentially using excessive force, planting of evidence, altering reports or testimony. Potential applicants should be asking that question, "Can I let it go?" This is not a profession and we must at all times remain professional and honest. Once you step down that path to lying, planting of evidence or altering reports, you are no different than the very criminal you are trying to arrest. You are just doing it under the color of your office and that is criminal and unacceptable in modern law enforcement.

So asking yourself that question of "Why"  is extremely important. When asked potential officers say they want to be a Police Officer because they want to make a difference, they want to help people.  These are all very noble reasons, they are also equally important to have a firm understanding of "Why" you want to become a police officer. Does making a difference, does it really happen. Some officers who have been "on the job" will say "No, way!"  Many more will say "absolutely", but and their is always a but, you have to take it in realistic doses. 

"Is being a Police Officer the Career for me?"

Many people look to public service as a career that has stable pay, benefits and a pension. Yes it may indeed have those, but along with that comes the stress, risk and impacts to you, your family and your entire life. So I wanted to explore that concept of making a difference, as a way to identify if this is the career for you.

Making a difference happens on a daily basis, it's those positive interactions with the public, with young people, each positive interaction makes an impact. Now this is one many officers do not wish to hear, but I will say it. This also means those positive interactions with those that you arrest or who have committed a crime. I have always believed that regardless of what they were arrested for everyone and I mean everyone has good in them. Simply, put circumstances came into play to make that person commit a crime, drugs, abuse, loss of a family member, environment they grew up in. This means that the potential positive interactions can occur even with a criminal.  Now I am not saying that you should be a pushover, but treating them with respect, explaining how something will occur will go a long way to providing dignity to that person, which will result in positive interactions. If they disrespect you, again not taking it personal, you address that disrespect appropriately within what you are allowed to legally.  You can make a difference in people beyond what you know.

Let me tell you a story, I worked as a School Resource Officer for six years in a middle school that had some very trouble young people. In the morning I would be in the hallways and everyday I would see this young lady walk down the hallway and not say anything to anyone. She would just walk with her head down. I asked a teacher her name, lets call her "Samantha". So I decided I would say "Hello Samantha, Good Morning and have a great day!"  Now I said that to Samantha for two years, through her entire 7th grade and 8th grade career at the school. She would occasionally look at me but most of the time I would get absolutely no reaction from her. So the last day of school, her last day at the school, as she was moving on to high school, Samantha walked up to me and said "Hello, Officer Bob."  My jaw almost hit the floor, two years and not one interaction and now she is finally saying hello. She asked to talk to me, so we went to my office. Samantha, or "Sam" I learned is what she preferred to be called, tells me she just wanted to say "thank you."  I was confused, she went on to tell me that she was going through a very depressed time through most of her seventh and eight grade years. She had thoughts of committing suicide, She had an entire plan, which she was going to carry out over Christmas break. But she said she was at home thinking about it, and her thoughts went to me saying "Hello Samantha, Good Morning and have great day!"  She explained as she thought about she would not be at school to hear me say those words, and how I would feel when I found out what happened to her. She said she realized that day, she needed help. She told her parents, and she was able to begin therapy that week. Little did I know that had happened. She continued to tell me how I changed her life, how I had saved her life. I said, "No Samantha, you saved your life, you just realized that your life was just as valuable as anyone else!" She gave me a hug and said good luck.

I had a long cry in my office that morning, a longer discussion with a friend who was a social worker and I gave my kids very long hugs that night. You can never judge the impact of making a difference, how you can impact someone and truly improve someones life. I learned that the power of "Hello" can have an incredible impact. Let me finish up by saying, "Samantha" is doing great, she went through high school and college, she is now a police officer in Illinois, working in a school, doing what I used to do. I was given the honor of pinning her badge on her when she graduated the academy. Do not discount, the power of your impact to make a difference, it can only take one word "Hello", you may never know, until you try it.

I have been a police officer for twenty-six years, working two police department's, held positions as an Officer, School Resource Officer, Patrol Sergeant, Administrative Sergeant Commander, and finally Bureau Chief. I am currently the Public Information Officer for my department and I daily work, interact with the public to impact them in positive ways, promoting positive police community interactions. That is how I make a difference every day, I later found out in life that I didn't chose this career, it chose me. I also learned that being a police officer is a calling, it is truly a profession.