Why are you a cop?

[hornadylnl]

If you are a law enforcement officer, I would like to know why you chose that profession.

I am not using this thread to abuse you or deride your chosen profession. I honestly want to know because I do not understand that choice. I will give some background before I open it up for replies. (If no one replies, then so be it).

My assumption is that most fall into it because they can't do anything else. They were not good in school, or they wanted to be authority figures for whatever reason. I base this on a couple of things. One, I watch COPS. They usually ask officers why they became cops, and they almost always answer that they floated around from job to job after high school, not really finding a home, and then they did a ride-along or something and then they knew what they wanted to do.

There are also some older cops who got into it by way of the military because a judge gave them a choice of joining the Army or going to prison, but I am not including them. That's "my" generation. I don't think they can do that any more.

Then I have my kids' generation. I have a step-son who was a fast-n-furious scofflaw. Frequently in trouble with the law or creditors. He's now a Marine Staff Sergeant. Been to the sandbox twice. (I think being given an order to annihilate a group of "something" with his M249 woke him up). The reason I bring this up is because his mom always said he would make a good cop. WTF? What she saw cop-wise about his character is what I saw bad about his character.

I could go on, not sure where to stop. So to jump around I grew up in NW IN/Chicago. Cops were corrupt. That's all I'll say about that here.

I also know people who are or have worked at the NSA and DHS. In fact, one of my close friends (hm) is a GS15 making $150K at DHS, and I am not happy about what she tells me. Well, that may not be accurate. For all I know she may be SES now. I stopped conversation with her a while back. I spent two weeks in VA with her.

For my part, I wanted to be an engineer. I took advanced math, chemistry, physics, English, etc. in high school, but I didn't get to do that right away. I got married and had three kids first. In the mean time I was an industrial electrician. I used to repair radios, stereos, and TVs in high school (this was back in the early 70's when repair technicians actually figured out which components were bad, unsoldered them, and soldered in new ones). I worked my way through school, first at Purdue W. Lafayette, then finishing at Michigan State University. Zero student loans, a wife and three kids.

So I have to assume that people choose the course in life they take. So why did you choose a career in law enforcement?

I am going to give myself homework. I know a guy who is Lansing, MI SWAT. I have never talked to him about it (because I don't talk to cops) but I am going to ask him why he became a cop and I will post it here.

Given your opinion of cops, I'd love to hear your opinion of almost 30 year old Neighborhood Watch Captains who want to be cops.

 

[Constructionist]

You'd only make about two cents. Probably not worth your trouble.

Every post - and pic - of yours in this entire thread completely contradicts this statement.

 

[griffin]

Given your opinion of cops, I'd love to hear your opinion of almost 30 year old Neighborhood Watch Captains who want to be cops.

Zimmerman behaved stupidly. Had I been him (in the same mindset, which is hard to do) I would have trailed Trayvon between houses in my car/SUV/truck. Chasing Trayvon on foot when he ran was stupid. I don't chase people. I don't fight people. If necessary, I will shoot people. Otherwise, leave me alone.

Now, back to original thread?

 

[griffin]

Every post - and pic - of yours in this entire thread completely contradicts this statement.

Are you a LEO?

 

[PKendall317]

I'm not an LEO, but I am a senior at IUPUI majoring in Criminal Justice and law enforcement is the career that I would like to pursue. In the course of my studies, I've had the opportunity to meet several LEO's, including police chiefs and the current Superintendent of ISP briefly came to class one day and gave a little talk. Some of my good friends even managed to get onto IUPD, and that being said, I can safely say based on my experience that your statement about LEO's only being LEO's because they can't do anything else, is complete and utter horse !

Here's a question for you OP, if the people who go into law enforcement are failures at school or can't get a job anywhere else, than what in the hell makes you think they can pass all the standards to get hired on by a department? Also, once they've been hired assuming they're the type of people you assume them to be, than how the hell are they going to maintain the standards set by ILEA when they're in the academy?

Maybe you should stop watching Cops and start talking to the LEO's in your neighborhood like they're actual human beings, which for you must be hard to believe, and ask them why they chose that career.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

My assumption is that most fall into it because they can't do anything else. They were not good in school, or they wanted to be authority figures for whatever reason. I base this on a couple of things. One, I watch COPS. They usually ask officers why they became cops, and they almost always answer that they floated around from job to job after high school, not really finding a home, and then they did a ride-along or something and then they knew what they wanted to do.

Griffin, to put this into another perspective that I think you may be able to appreciate:

I know a couple of guys that sort of did something like this but wound up going into engineering school. If I'm not mistaken, one flunked out of GMI before getting his act back together and graduating from another engineering school. The other guy spent several years after high school trying different things, partying, etc. before he decided to go to engineering or metalurgy school (It's been awhile since I've discussed this with both).

Fast forward a few years and they both wound up as department superintendants at GM plants (One of them retired a couple of years ago and the other may be unclassified now, but I'm not sure). Not everybody knows what they want to do, has a plan, and implements it right out of high school.

 

[Birds Away]

You'd only make about two cents. Probably not worth your trouble.

On the contrary, we're talking WINDFALL PROFITS.

 

[griffin]

Here's a question for you OP, if the people who go into law enforcement are failures at school or can't get a job anywhere else, than what in the hell makes you think they can pass all the standards to get hired on by a department?

Fair question, and the best one asked yet (despite your atrocious grammar).

I'll let that pass for now. I hadn't intended it to go this way, I just wanted to know why people chose law enforcement as a career, and maybe why they chose local law enforcement over FBI/CIA/DHS? That's all.

But because you asked that, I will address it later. Thanks for replying.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

I'll bite. I got into LE later in life than many, at 28 years old.

School: Honor grad from high school, 3.83 GPA at college, starting at community college and ending up at University of Louisville. About 120 credits total. Degrees in emergency medical technology (more on that later) and computer science, plus a bunch of business classes and criminal justice classes. I will also point out that my GPA was while managing a family and working full time.

Work history: US Army followed by 3 years of IT work in the civilian world, followed by going back to the military as a security contractor, followed by LE.

I left the military primarily because of a nasty knee injury that left me demotivated because I didn't feel like a soldier any more. I felt useless. I was on a walker than crutches than a cane for better than a year. I couldn't be with my unit, and it was just a pretty depressing time for me. I was offered a chance to become an officer through green to gold if I stayed in until I healed, but I needed a break to get healthy physically and in the head, so I left.

When I first left the military I wanted to be an EMT. I had an associate's degree, I had the certifications, I had experience from volunteering with EMS services in Kansas...and the best offer I could get was $10/hr and that was at a casino being a security guard with EMT quals. I wanted to help people, to save lives, not deal with drunks who stumbled on the stairs. I wanted to be on an ambulance. Actually being on an ambulance and doing what I wanted to do was $8/hr, tops. That's not enough money to live the lifestyle I want (life living indoors and eating three times a day).

So, I went back to school for computer science, got my Microsoft certifications, Cisco certs, etc. I lived on the GI Bill and a help desk job until I got into networking as a junior network administrator and business process analyst. Now I had the opposite problem as being an EMT. I had the money I wanted, but I felt unfulfilled. I felt like nothing I did at work mattered. I was a cog in a corporation that administered warranties and managed logisitics for other companies. I failed to see how I was making society any better there.

So, I left and became a security contractor. That was awesome. I had the money I wanted, I was making a difference by keeping military personnel safe while they were inside the wire, I had proof I was frustrating Al-Queda because they took a bounty out on me and the guys I worked with. I would probably still be doing that...but family happened. I'm not trying to raise a son while traveling all over the globe, so back to the US for me. I turned down a $120k/yr job doing port security so I could raise my family in the US.

So, I needed enough income to raise a family comfortably but I didn't want to feel like I made no difference in the world and I wanted to be stable and stop moving all over the world. LE seemed like a natural choice, although I also seriously considered Nursing. I looked at my transcripts, class schedules, etc and CJ classes were easier to work with while working and managing a family, so that's the route I took. I used the rest of my GI Bill while working as a 911 dispatcher and started applying. I got offers from a couple of departments, chose one, and I'm still there.

I've stayed in because despite the crap, despite the terrors and the terrible, every now and then you get to make a difference. When you get a thank you card from a woman for finding her child shortly after she was abducted by a non-custodial parent who had previously thrown the child through a glass door, that makes it worth all the crap you take. I liked the streets, but now that I'm a detective I think I'll be here until I retire. Its challenging, your decisions matter in a way that few outside of first response and medical professionals will every understand. Its always interesting, always more chances to learn and experience, all while locking up some of the worst our society has to offer.

TLDR: It pays wells enough for me to live like I want while is also fulfilling and gives me the feeling I'm making society a better place as opposed to just being a cog in the corporate world making someone else rich.

 

[Birds Away]

Bravo to you, Sir.

Thank you for your service.

 

[PKendall317]

Fair question, and the best one asked yet (despite your atrocious grammar).

i'll let that pass for now. I hadn't intended it to go this way, I just wanted to know why people chose law enforcement as a career, and maybe why they chose local law enforcement over FBI/CIA/DHS? That's all.

But because you asked that, I will address it later. Thanks for replying.

I think I can partially answer your question, but I can't speak for everyone who chose/didn't chose Federal law enforcement over state or local. From my understanding, the Feds hold their applicants to a much higher standard than your local pd, and as such, it's much harder to get in. I'm not saying that your average LEO can't do it, but this is part of why I'm not interested in going Federal. The other reason for me is that there aren't very many Federal agencies I'd be interested in, and lastly, I don't want to leave Indiana.

P.S., I'm holding you to that by the way. Eventually you'll have to answer my question, and it better be a good answer.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

why they chose local law enforcement over FBI/CIA/DHS? That's all.

For me, primarily the stability. If I work for a local PD, I'm not going to have to more to a new city in 5 years and uproot my family. I'm not going to be sent overseas for a few months at a time. Yes, even FBI gets sent overseas, I saw them routinely.

I didn't even want state police because they can be reassigned to a new county or detailed to another area during a disaster and spend weeks away from their families.

Feds was attractive in that my military years would count toward retirement, but the moving wasn't worth it to me. I want my family to grow up in one house with one school system, etc.

 

[NSA 308]

If I were Ken Shamrock I would not be a LEO. Just a personal preference. But I sincerely appreciate the responses here so far.

I don't know that this matters, but here are some fairly recent pics of me.

Just in case someone might think this matters.

Thanks for the pics. I'll have fun with those on the internet.

I'm not sure exactly where your arrogance and condescending attitude come from. A good, honorable man or woman that chooses a career in law enforcement has the opportunity to do more good for his or her fellow citizens in a lifetime than a dozen engineers working for a failing company that sells shoddily built, second rate automobiles. Given the fact that you owe your current livelihood to a bailout from the American taxpayer, you'd think a bit more humility would be in order.

 

[PKendall317]

I'm not sure exactly where your arrogance and condescending attitude come from

Probably from watching Cops he thinks he knows everything to know about LEOs.

 

[UncleMike]

Thanks for the pics. I'll have fun with those on the internet.

Don't forget to provide links to your fun places.....

 

[Hoosier8]

Why didn't you become Army? Or Marines? Just asking.

Why do you think I troll LEOs? I ask a serious question and you accuse me of trolling?

If LEOs choose not to answer, so be it. The only people being antagonistic in this thread is you and people like you. I am serious.

You started off by making a very condescending assumption. Anything after that is not serious.

 

[NSA 308]

Don't forget to provide links to your fun places.....

The first fun place that his pictures (and accompanying screenshots) are going are General Motors headquarters. I am curious as to whether the position that most law enforcement officers choose their careers because they cannot do anything else is an official General Motors position. Since Dan Griffin publicly identifies himself as a senior engineer for GM in the Lansing, Michigan area while sharing this denigrating assessment of our nation's law enforcement officers, I think this is a legitimate question for his superiors.

 

[mainjet]

Why would someone become a LEO? Well, let me make an observation from a civilians side of things - I have a septic field at my house and occasionally the tank needs to be pumped out or the field needs some work. I call someone who comes out and takes the lid off of a tank that holds everything that has gone down the toilet or sink for the last several years. They then put a hose down in there and suck it out and then pull the house out.

I often wonder, sometimes out loud to my wife, why the hell would anyone want to deal with other peoples shi* for a living. Then I come to a conclusion - I don't care what their reason is. I am just damn glad they chose it. Because, sure, I am smart enough to empty a septic tank BUT I DON'T EVER WANT TO.

So you see, understanding why someone does the job they do is, and I mean this respectfully, really none of your concern. It is their job and we do need them to do it just like we need you to fix things electrical so we don't have to stick a butter knife into a receptacle to see if the power is still on.

One final story if you are still awake after my long post... In my first house we had some roots brake into the sewer line going out of the house and it backed up the toilet (I have a theme going here). So I called a rotor rooter guy who came out to work on it. We went into the basement where the cleanout was positioned horizontally at just about head level on the basement wall (oh yes). The guy said "go upstairs and flush the toilet". I said it's clogged and it won't go down. He said it was okay just go ahead and do it, so I did.

I went upstairs flushed the toilet and came back down. Then he decide he is going to take the cleanout cap off and look in there. I said - The water didn't go down. But he kept taking the cap off so I moved back and just a little around the corner. When the cap came off that guy got a fire hose of water in the freaking FACE! He was soaked from head to toe within 5 minutes of getting to my house. All I could say was OOOOOHHHH man! do you want a towel?

That guy (nice fella), got his equipment and finished the job. All while telling me that one time he did that under a house and he had corn in his ear after that. his wife will not even let him in the house when he gets home. He has to take his clothes off at the door before going through the house.

So you see? Who cares Just be darn glad you don't have to do it.

 

[UncleMike]

The first fun place that his pictures (and accompanying screenshots) are going are General Motors headquarters. I am curious as to whether the position that most law enforcement officers choose their careers because they cannot do anything else is an official General Motors position. Since Dan Griffin publicly identifies himself as a senior engineer for GM in the Lansing, Michigan area while sharing this denigrating assessment of our nation's law enforcement officers, I think this is a legitimate question for his superiors.

Cool!!

 

[steveh_131]

Cool!!

I don't think it's cool. I think it's petty. I don't agree with much of the OP, but I think it's inappropriate to invade his personal life over it, even if he did expose way too much of his personal information on this forum.

This forum is for discussion and debating. If you don't like the debate, stay out. Contacting his employer just reeks of butthurt.