By the end of next month I'll clean out my car, polish up my duty gear, clean and press my field uniforms and class A, then sometime around 0300 (depending on reports) on October 1st turn my car into motor pool and ride home with my wife and start life without being a cop.
I know I'm going to cry like a baby too.
Over the past 20 years I've put up with a lot of crap from a few deputies and administrators alike. I've patrolled and handled calls others avoided (grandma hasn't been seen since last month type, found person in the woods, DUI, etc.) in every weather our country can dish out and almost never collected a paycheck. I'm a reservist for our county sheriff's office.
In this county deputies are far and few between, sometimes as few as three for a shift, sometimes 7 for a county of almost 3,000 square miles. The show Cops really cracks me up. More backup for a verbal dispute than I get for a shooting!
I've run into cops who would not shake my hand once they realized I was just a reserve, and
others who went out of their way to because they appreciated the help and the need to serve. Likewise, we once had someone in the administration who actively gutted a once thriving reserve program down to just me because he did not want "weekend wannabees"; too much liability. He made it very hard to stay in the trade, but stay I did. I refused to let the likes of him run me off. He spent years going over my reports and interviewing other agency cops just looking for an excuse to close the whole thing down, but never could. I outlasted him too!
I'm not leaving out of having done my part and moving on. I still have a few years that I would have liked to give to the county; I'm 55 and wanted to go to 62. I'm leaving because a dangerous job is becoming even more so from inside the agency; at least from my point of view.
No more FN in 308 looks just too militaristic.
No more 12ga shotgun, too much liability. There goes my on foot pursuit swamp/woods gun.
No more Beretta, we're not the military you know.
No more scoped rifle of any kind, we don't want to be seen by the public as snipers.
No more bolt action rifles, we're not hunters.
And quite possibly the worst, no more cowboy boots! Ok, the boots I can live without, but dang!
I was hoping our newly adopted policy would have undone much of this, but that's just not going to happen here and now.
We all got issued rock river AR15, peep sights only and the Glock 22. Even the full time folks with years of service had to mothball their old guns and go all in. A few folks even went to other agencies rather than carry something they had little or confidence in. When it comes to weaponry, one size does not fit all, but the new folks in charge want us all looking like clones from head to toe, including our duty weapons. Nothing like having a Democrat as Sheriff! In the first year of our issued Glocks, we had several non injury UDs. A windbreaker cord in one case, bumped finger while holstering in another, etc. Swapping out holsters seems to have helped, but you can imagine what that does to the confidence of the deputy in their gun. "I don't trust this thing not to go off in a fight" is a common lament. My 2 hour Glock orientation doesn't undo 30 years of Beretta training and use at the range, let alone at 0200, tired and under stress. We should not have to choose between jobs and gear that doesn't fit, physically or mentally.
Well enough of the weapons rant. It's done and I'll just have to move on to a city agency or just be content with being a good citizen; and that just sucks. I'm a sheep dog, not a sheep. I lived to protect and serve. I'm the guy who attends the school board meetings, volunteers for coaching, chaperones at the school, helps at church, broke up fights in high school. I was not created to just stand back and watch; I am the dog in the fight. Were it not for a shattered ankle as a young man, I would have been full time years ago. This is how I served my community; Lord how I wish it could have never ended, let alone end in the name of visual Political Correctness.
To the many whom I've served with who said "thanks", you made it all worth while. If I ever see any of you in a fight, I'll always come in full force; even if that means pushing a walker!!!
To the Men and Women of the Law Enforcement Family of America, Thank you for your service yesterday, today and tomorrow. It's going to get worse out there before it gets better. How bad it gets is up to you. Don't let the Bastards Win! Stay strong and focused. Remember:
There's no such thing as a routine call.
Never trust a Drunk or Impaired.
In a fight, Never give up, Always cheat, Always Win!
Tap your tail lights three times = I Love You. That should always be the last thing said to your family.
I know I'm going to cry like a baby too.
Over the past 20 years I've put up with a lot of crap from a few deputies and administrators alike. I've patrolled and handled calls others avoided (grandma hasn't been seen since last month type, found person in the woods, DUI, etc.) in every weather our country can dish out and almost never collected a paycheck. I'm a reservist for our county sheriff's office.
In this county deputies are far and few between, sometimes as few as three for a shift, sometimes 7 for a county of almost 3,000 square miles. The show Cops really cracks me up. More backup for a verbal dispute than I get for a shooting!
I've run into cops who would not shake my hand once they realized I was just a reserve, and
others who went out of their way to because they appreciated the help and the need to serve. Likewise, we once had someone in the administration who actively gutted a once thriving reserve program down to just me because he did not want "weekend wannabees"; too much liability. He made it very hard to stay in the trade, but stay I did. I refused to let the likes of him run me off. He spent years going over my reports and interviewing other agency cops just looking for an excuse to close the whole thing down, but never could. I outlasted him too!
I'm not leaving out of having done my part and moving on. I still have a few years that I would have liked to give to the county; I'm 55 and wanted to go to 62. I'm leaving because a dangerous job is becoming even more so from inside the agency; at least from my point of view.
No more FN in 308 looks just too militaristic.
No more 12ga shotgun, too much liability. There goes my on foot pursuit swamp/woods gun.
No more Beretta, we're not the military you know.
No more scoped rifle of any kind, we don't want to be seen by the public as snipers.
No more bolt action rifles, we're not hunters.
And quite possibly the worst, no more cowboy boots! Ok, the boots I can live without, but dang!
I was hoping our newly adopted policy would have undone much of this, but that's just not going to happen here and now.
We all got issued rock river AR15, peep sights only and the Glock 22. Even the full time folks with years of service had to mothball their old guns and go all in. A few folks even went to other agencies rather than carry something they had little or confidence in. When it comes to weaponry, one size does not fit all, but the new folks in charge want us all looking like clones from head to toe, including our duty weapons. Nothing like having a Democrat as Sheriff! In the first year of our issued Glocks, we had several non injury UDs. A windbreaker cord in one case, bumped finger while holstering in another, etc. Swapping out holsters seems to have helped, but you can imagine what that does to the confidence of the deputy in their gun. "I don't trust this thing not to go off in a fight" is a common lament. My 2 hour Glock orientation doesn't undo 30 years of Beretta training and use at the range, let alone at 0200, tired and under stress. We should not have to choose between jobs and gear that doesn't fit, physically or mentally.
Well enough of the weapons rant. It's done and I'll just have to move on to a city agency or just be content with being a good citizen; and that just sucks. I'm a sheep dog, not a sheep. I lived to protect and serve. I'm the guy who attends the school board meetings, volunteers for coaching, chaperones at the school, helps at church, broke up fights in high school. I was not created to just stand back and watch; I am the dog in the fight. Were it not for a shattered ankle as a young man, I would have been full time years ago. This is how I served my community; Lord how I wish it could have never ended, let alone end in the name of visual Political Correctness.
To the many whom I've served with who said "thanks", you made it all worth while. If I ever see any of you in a fight, I'll always come in full force; even if that means pushing a walker!!!
To the Men and Women of the Law Enforcement Family of America, Thank you for your service yesterday, today and tomorrow. It's going to get worse out there before it gets better. How bad it gets is up to you. Don't let the Bastards Win! Stay strong and focused. Remember:
There's no such thing as a routine call.
Never trust a Drunk or Impaired.
In a fight, Never give up, Always cheat, Always Win!
Tap your tail lights three times = I Love You. That should always be the last thing said to your family.