I know it has been a while since I last wrote anything but there are a few good explanations. First and foremost, I've had so much on my mind I was not exactly sure how or what to put down into words. Sure, I could always write about "the one that got away" or heartache or any other sappy lost love story and keep you guys entertained, amused, or damn frustrated but that gets way too over done. I could also write about joys and other high points (or even the low points) of my life not involving love any any fashion of it but that too can get quite dull.
Another reason why I have yet to write is time constraints. With attending the police academy I find myself eating, sleeping, breathing, and dreaming anything and everything law enforcement. Here is where this new post begins (and I hope you enjoy).
Too many times I've found myself looking at police officers riding around in the patrol units, talking on the cell phones and appearing to be doing absolutely nothing (as I'm sure many of you have as well). I've also been guilty of letting my anger get to me when I see that police are needed the most and nowhere to be found (thinking maybe there are on a "coffee break" or something).
In going through this academy, however, I find that while those things may occur, there are few things that others (myself included) fail to realize. From the moment an officer puts on his belt, secures his weapon, double checks his gear, and walks out the door saying "good-bye" to his family, he may be silently wondering if he'll be able to go home to his family after his shift. He gets into his patrol car to begin his tour of duty thinking about everything and anything that could possibly go wrong while writing a ticket, entering a business, or talking to someone on the side of a road.
Let me ask you this, have you ever seen someone die? Have you ever heard someone die? Well I unfortunately have had the misfortune of doing both. Granted neither was in person but regardless, those instances left a lasting impression on my most recent career choice.
As part of our academy, the prep us for what it is going to be like out there on the "streets" patroling the "beat" on a regular basis. They tell us to expect the unexpected and deal with it. They explain we must always be on guard and be ever vigilant. Never have I realized how much those "simple" things can mean the difference between kissing your wife, children, mother or other family member another day.
In one instance, a trooper failed to realize that a person was armed when they were talking on the side of the road and was shot several times to include a bullet in the neck. The shocking part was not the fact that he was shot, it was hearing his breathing on the mic after he'd been shot several times. To hear the deep shallows breaths of a dying officer and then silence will make the hair on your neck stand up (and I kid you not because it happened to me).
A second scenario was another traffic stop where a person came out jumping up and down charging and backing off the officer all without a weapon. Next thing you know, the man jumps into his truck and in two seconds open fire on the officer fatally shooting him. As soon as the shots ring out, you can hear a bone chilling shreak coming from the officer as well as the call of "officer down" followed by more horrifying screams.
The last that I will share with you is one of two officers who are responding to a burglary call at a jewelry store. Unbenounced to the officers, a separate individual has a weapon on his and opens fire at point blank range on both officers. Each officer is shot in the head at least once and then several more shots are pumped into their bodies "just to make sure" with the body twitching in response to each shot.
My dear (few) readers, I would just like to share with you these experiences because they made me question my CHOICE in becoming a police officer and really got me thinking if I was in the wrong profession. Despite seing and hearing all of that I can say that if it means that I must lay down my life so that another father, mother, daughter, son can see their loved ones again I will be able to rest in my grave knowing that someone made it home safe because I did my duty and paid the highest price. So next time you see an officer out there stop and think that just maybe he might be the reason you get to go home even if he does not get the opportunity.
