Police Officers

Loved it at first, Like it now that the novelty has worn off. Pros are the relationships b/w your coworkers and truely getting to help someone who needs it. Cons are the politics at the top and those few who make all of us look bad.

Couldn't have said it better myself

I'm not police officer but my dad, uncle, cousins, and ex-husband are/were police officers.

Pros: I should have had several tickets in my life but haven't.

Cons: My father knew what I had done before I ever got home. People were always beating on the door asking us to help them out of tickets/dui's. Strangers in the grocery store would stare us down. One guy even assaulted me at the bar because my ex had given him a dui. LOTS of job baggage that most of them don't want to discuss with their families. Oh yeah...and the divorce rate isn't the best. I think the odds are probably better if you meet and marry them AFTER they are already a cop because all the ones I know change quite a bit from the job.

It's a crap job that someone has to do and I'm glad they do it but I don't want my kids doing it!

I hate my job, I thought it was gonna be awsome when i was a kid and i was gonna help people and give back to the community, but none of that happend, so I'm making a career change to teaching, that might be better.

I'm not a cop but I do supply them with equipment and such. Its a hard thankless job and I admire them for what they do. I've noticed a lot of my guys lose their idealism as the years go by. There is a lot of douchebaggery that comes down from the gold badges at the top and on top of that, the community either criticizes cuz they do "too much" or they b itch cuz they "don't do enough". You should all take the time to thank them for what they do.

pros: a cop who ACTUALLY cares about doing a good job.

cons: a cop who spends his time being a doucher and harassing the local bums or giving me a ticket because i didnt put my seat belt on at the pump as i drove off. apparently you cant buckle up at the stop sign. sigh. oh and the cop who gave me a ticket bc i thought i had a month to change my dl address when i moved and apparently it was only 10 days.

there was the nice cop who actually helped me out though when the drunk guy at the bar tried to follow me home.

QFT

I've been in trouble and I deserved it. Cops have a thankless job. Show respect and it will be shown to you.

no idea what qft is, but i actually don't have a lack of respect for cops. like i said, cops who care. where i am from they dont seem to care much and they are very mean and never want to help! just speaking for real! i was very upset when i asked a cop to help me in the parking lot at publix at 9pm when i got locked out of my car with a 2 year old and he said he couldn't help me. there was also the cop in my neighborhood who smoked weed and the cop i knew who drank at the bar with us and underage girls and then liked to sleep with them.

i swear im not making it up, i just haven't really had any good experiences. then again, i am from south florida. maybe its different in other parts?

QFT - quit f'n trolling

Your post came off as an attempt to bash cops. This thread wasn't started for that purpose.

no, not my intention. i did say pros were cops who care. and i did say there was a cop who helped me once! i do have faith in them, i just wish the majority were that way!

i've never been an offender or anything, never been arrested or done anything "bad" really. that's why i just don't get it!

Cherish my Job can't think of doing anything else, yes it's quite political, but once I go 10-41 and its just me and the public I put all that behind me for a bit, and enjoy The Greatest Show on Earth......

I'm not a cop, but my father was one. He was both uniform and undercover narcotics. From a family perspective, it was hard because when he was undercover you sometimes didn't know where he was or when he was coming home (and as a kid, you worried that it was "if" he was coming home.) The hours--my dad worked every holiday he could for the extra pay. People who are cops have talked about the friendships--I can second that. Our neighborhood was full of cops, we bbq'd at each others' homes, we children grew up together. And when someone who obviously was unfamiliar with our neighborhood broke into our house, we had a squad of cops who collected evidence and caught the guy. As a teenager, my dad knew the driving record and history of every date I ever had. And, when my dad died, some of his old police buddies came for the funeral--we live 1,500 miles away. Those friendships can be life long.

My husb is law enforcement (not local PD) but works with local PD a lot.

Theirs is a thankless, sometimes heartbreaking job.

Thank you to all of you who try to keep your communities safe and put yourselves in harms way for strangers.

I am a Firefighter/Medic and I think it's the same for everyone in public service... We love serving the public but hate the politics. Love helping people but some people make the job old. It makes you appreciate what you have and hate it when it's the job that keeps you awake at night.

Thank you to all my brothers and sisters in the service, no matter what color your uniform is we are all in this together.

Oh police officers.... how they just hate me. lol. I always get the cops who've had a bad day sadly. If anyone is going to get a ticket, it will be me! (even got a ticket for using my cell on the side of the road).

But that being said, we need police officers and most of what they do goes completely unrecognized and unthanked and they do a great job!

.... and here's another point in support of Police Officers and their perceived lack of belief when your offering an "excuse". A co-workers MIL was pulled over by a Trooper for going 75 in a 40 zone. Besides speeding, she also was not properly buckled up and had an expired license. She and her husband were just finishing up a trip from S. Cal to Washington state and here's what she said in regards to each violation:

- My husband is the one who always drives but he's sick. I rarely drive so I had no idea how fast I was going.

- I have some medical related breast issues so I can't wear the seat belt across my chest, it hurts to much.

- We were in California when my license expired.

The Trooper had to be in a good mood because he let her off with a warning on all three counts but made sure they didn't "get away" without any $$$ pain.


He ticketed the husband for improper use of his seat belt as his seat had been inclined (he was feeling sick, remember?).

Oh I wish I could have been in the back seat after the Trooper left to listen in on the ensuing conversation!!!! :laugh:

thankful to them for saving me 3 times within a span of 5 years... although i know off some who are just not worth thanking ... i know of a cop who was punching her 7 year old son... i so wish i was there and i would have called her fellow cops on her... unfortunately they are humans too so lets not beat down on them... let us thank them for keeping our street safe ...

I have to agree with almost everyone here. First couple years were awesome, then novelty does kind of wear off...The mundane and routine are occasionally broken up by the ridiculous and dangerous. I'd say about 90% routine 10% exciting (I only give the 10% rating because I'm on swat or it would be more 98-2).

All in all it is a rewarding career. You do genuinely get to help people who need it and also those who think they don't and those who have no idea you are helping them by busting your hump at 3:30 in the morning.

It does suck that we are always second guessed and in the Bay Area we are generally hated.

If you can get over the hatred of people as well as the dwindling pay and benefits, this is the job for you!

I wouldn't want to do anything else.