New Adventures

Tonight is my last day of work at the Louisville Metro Police Department. I am writing from my MDT while waiting for time to pass. I cannot believe how fast 4 years has gone by. It is amazing to think of the friends, stories, experiences, excitements, and craziness that I have seen in the short time I rode the street. I would like to think I am the same person, however I know this to be untrue. From changing my mentality and outlook on society in the academy, to change related to the real life that most of us (including myself)will, or would, never see.

I am still amazed at how some people live their lives. It is sad, angering, and unbelievable how people will treat each other, especially those that they are supposed to love and care for most. Life, from what I have learned with this "life style" (what a cop calls their career), is a precious gift that can be taken at any time. It amazes me that people feel they have no life or way out. It amazes me that people are so small minded and selfish. And it amazes me that people are really as stupid as they are. Police have become the scape goats for parents with their children. They have become social workers, parents, and crutches for people who, because of one reason or another, never learned to be an adult and are raising children who will never be adults. I do not know where society is going, and am not sure I would want to live in this society if the small percentage I deal with becomes bigger or more prominent.

That it is more negative than I expected. Though I have a skewed view on a portion of society, my experience has been great. I would not change the past 4 years of my life for anything. I would love to stay a cop for my whole 20 year career. My friends and peers are like family that I would do anything for. There is nothing that can compare to the excitement, fear, and experiences one shares as a police officer with another officer. The camaraderie of a platoon is second to none. You learn to trust your partner with your life. Both parties can tell what the other is thinking without saying a word. One look, or nothing at all, and both of you know what needs to be done. The jokes, the laughter, the humor at the expense of some citizens cannot be explained, and sometimes should not be explained. As negative as I made the profession sound in the last paragraph, words cannot explain the positive experience, fun, and enjoyment that I have had.

There is no other experience, or profession, that can claim to relate or give experience to what being a police officer is. It is more than a job, it is a "life style." Hoping for excitement and a chance to have some fun, all while hoping it is not going to cost you your life or safety. It is an extension of a family. Once you are a cop, you are always a cop. You stop being a regular individual in society. One acts and becomes a completely different. It is a necessity to deal, and survive, with the horrors and atrocities that are seen. It truly is a brotherhood that cannot be explained.

I will miss my fellow officers that I have come to respect and admire. I will miss the red and blue mixed with the sirens. Cussing people out as they become deers in headlights when I am trying to get to an emergency run. The thrill of hammering the throttle and driving the crap out of an "old man" car. Nothing I do will ever be the same as a police officer riding the street. I am looking forward, and cannot wait, for my new career to start. But a piece of me will always remember and yearn for the excitement of a first responder.

I know none of them will read this, but; To all the officers I have worked with I wish you health and luck. Thank you for letting me share in a part of the most wonderful experience and profession of being a police officer. I hope that I have made your lives easier and little bit more enjoyable. Be safe, and remember the most important thing is to go home safe and in one piece every night. It truly was an honor to know and work with all of you.