Posted where I work:
If you are a cop, were a cop, live with a cop, or
are close to a cop you will recognize alot of the
following:
FASCINATION STAGE - 1st thru 4th year of Law
Enforcement.
For most officers, this is their first time outside
of the middle class bubble. They have never seen a
dead body, never seen life-threatening injuries,
never dealt with a family disturbance, never
witnessed the squalor some people call "living
life", and never really understood the phrase "Man's
Inhumanity To Man" until now.
Everything is new to them. You can ID them by the
amount of fancy new equipment they carry...a ten
BILLION candlelight power flashlight,
"state-of-the-art" holster, pens that write in the
rain, a ballistic vest rated to stop Tomahawk
missiles, and an equipment bag large enough to house
a squad of Marines. They love it, showing up early
for their shift. They work way past the end of their
shift without even considering an OT slip. They
believe rank within the department is based only on
ability and those in the upper ranks got there by
knowledge and skill in police work only.
They believe the Department runs with the same
attention to detail and efficiency as Joe Friday's
Dragnet TV show....everyone is dedicated &
committed, everyone is competent, and everyone is on
the same page and working towards the same
high-minded goals. When they finally go home to
their spouse/significant other, they tell them
everything they did and saw; they are wired up. Some
of the more "eaten up" purchase a police scanner at
Radio Shack so they can hear the radio calls while
at home.
HOSTILITY STAGE - 4th thru 6th year
They now show up for work about 2 minutes before
their shift, and they are hiding out about 30
minutes before end of shift, writing reports
so they can just throw them in the sergeant's in-box
and leave ASAP. They have to get to their second job
to earn money to pay for the divorce that is
pending. Their spouse is no longer interested in
hearing about all the gore and heartache. They get
the "you spend more time with the cops than you do
with me" speech. They now know how the lieutenant
got those silver bars on his collar. They consider
the FOP, the city, and all brass to be as dangerous
as any viper. They gripe about everything, drink
excessively, chase women, and hate the public,
politicians, media, etc. They feel they have more in
common with the hookers, thieves, dopers, etc. but
hate them too.
Those pens that write in the rain are no longer
needed. Writing traffic citations can be a lot more
trouble than they are worth, even on a nice day To
write one, or to write anything while standing in
the rain, is a sure sign of an insane person.
SUPERIORITY STAGE - 7th thru 15th years
This is when cops are at their best. They have
survived changes in administration. They know how
the political game is played, both inside and
outside of the department. They know who they can
trust and who they can't. They have select friends
within the department, and stay away, as best they
can, from the nuts and boot-lickers. They know the
legal system, the judges, prosecutors, defense
attorneys, etc. They know how to testify and put a
good case together. They are usually the ones that
the brass turns to when there is some clandestine
request or sensitive operation that needs to be done
right.
These cops are still physically fit and can handle
themselves on the street. They will stay around the
station when needed, but have other commitments;
such as a second job, a second spouse, a second
boyfriend/girlfriend (sometimes both), etc. They
have most of their friends outside of Law
Enforcement now.
ACCEPTANCE STAGE - 15th to????
Now the cops have a single objective... retirement
and pension. Nothing is going to come between them
and their monthly check. The boss, the city (or
State, or county), the idiots around the station,
and the creeps on the street can all go to hell...
because they could come between them and "sitting on
the beach". There is no topic of discussion that
can't somehow lead back to retirement issues. These
guys are usually sergeants, detectives, crime scene
technicians, station duty, or some other post where
they will not be endangered.
They especially don't want some young stupid cop
getting them sued, fired, killed, or anything else
causing them to lose their "beach time". These guys
are usually hard to find when the "clusters" hit.
They spend a lot of time having coffee, hanging
around the station, and looking at brochures of
things they want to do in retirement. Then the
retired cop usually dies within the first five years
of retirement, saving the city (or State, or county)
a bunch of money.
Of course, nothing is ever 100% true...but if you
are a cop, were a cop, or know a cop...you will
certainly recognize some of the above statements
as fact, either in your own career or someone elses.
If you are a cop, were a cop, live with a cop, or
are close to a cop you will recognize alot of the
following:
FASCINATION STAGE - 1st thru 4th year of Law
Enforcement.
For most officers, this is their first time outside
of the middle class bubble. They have never seen a
dead body, never seen life-threatening injuries,
never dealt with a family disturbance, never
witnessed the squalor some people call "living
life", and never really understood the phrase "Man's
Inhumanity To Man" until now.
Everything is new to them. You can ID them by the
amount of fancy new equipment they carry...a ten
BILLION candlelight power flashlight,
"state-of-the-art" holster, pens that write in the
rain, a ballistic vest rated to stop Tomahawk
missiles, and an equipment bag large enough to house
a squad of Marines. They love it, showing up early
for their shift. They work way past the end of their
shift without even considering an OT slip. They
believe rank within the department is based only on
ability and those in the upper ranks got there by
knowledge and skill in police work only.
They believe the Department runs with the same
attention to detail and efficiency as Joe Friday's
Dragnet TV show....everyone is dedicated &
committed, everyone is competent, and everyone is on
the same page and working towards the same
high-minded goals. When they finally go home to
their spouse/significant other, they tell them
everything they did and saw; they are wired up. Some
of the more "eaten up" purchase a police scanner at
Radio Shack so they can hear the radio calls while
at home.
HOSTILITY STAGE - 4th thru 6th year
They now show up for work about 2 minutes before
their shift, and they are hiding out about 30
minutes before end of shift, writing reports
so they can just throw them in the sergeant's in-box
and leave ASAP. They have to get to their second job
to earn money to pay for the divorce that is
pending. Their spouse is no longer interested in
hearing about all the gore and heartache. They get
the "you spend more time with the cops than you do
with me" speech. They now know how the lieutenant
got those silver bars on his collar. They consider
the FOP, the city, and all brass to be as dangerous
as any viper. They gripe about everything, drink
excessively, chase women, and hate the public,
politicians, media, etc. They feel they have more in
common with the hookers, thieves, dopers, etc. but
hate them too.
Those pens that write in the rain are no longer
needed. Writing traffic citations can be a lot more
trouble than they are worth, even on a nice day To
write one, or to write anything while standing in
the rain, is a sure sign of an insane person.
SUPERIORITY STAGE - 7th thru 15th years
This is when cops are at their best. They have
survived changes in administration. They know how
the political game is played, both inside and
outside of the department. They know who they can
trust and who they can't. They have select friends
within the department, and stay away, as best they
can, from the nuts and boot-lickers. They know the
legal system, the judges, prosecutors, defense
attorneys, etc. They know how to testify and put a
good case together. They are usually the ones that
the brass turns to when there is some clandestine
request or sensitive operation that needs to be done
right.
These cops are still physically fit and can handle
themselves on the street. They will stay around the
station when needed, but have other commitments;
such as a second job, a second spouse, a second
boyfriend/girlfriend (sometimes both), etc. They
have most of their friends outside of Law
Enforcement now.
ACCEPTANCE STAGE - 15th to????
Now the cops have a single objective... retirement
and pension. Nothing is going to come between them
and their monthly check. The boss, the city (or
State, or county), the idiots around the station,
and the creeps on the street can all go to hell...
because they could come between them and "sitting on
the beach". There is no topic of discussion that
can't somehow lead back to retirement issues. These
guys are usually sergeants, detectives, crime scene
technicians, station duty, or some other post where
they will not be endangered.
They especially don't want some young stupid cop
getting them sued, fired, killed, or anything else
causing them to lose their "beach time". These guys
are usually hard to find when the "clusters" hit.
They spend a lot of time having coffee, hanging
around the station, and looking at brochures of
things they want to do in retirement. Then the
retired cop usually dies within the first five years
of retirement, saving the city (or State, or county)
a bunch of money.
Of course, nothing is ever 100% true...but if you
are a cop, were a cop, or know a cop...you will
certainly recognize some of the above statements
as fact, either in your own career or someone elses.
