So what was it like for you after gradation from the academy? Specifically what were some of the situations that caught you off gaurd fresh out of the academy for the noob?

Graveyard shift. For 22 years of my life I had slept during the night and awake during the day. Switching that long-used sleep schedule really caught me off guard. I remember being so tired sometimes that I would suddenly realize I had driven like 30 minutes and could not tell you where I had went in that 30 minutes. Scared the shit outa me a few times.

The other thing that caught me off-guard was the hundreds of people per year who would try their damndest to get their ex-spouse arrested for anything and everything. It suprised me that so many people would spend every waking moment trying to figure out a way to fuck their ex-spouse so bad, when a few weeks/months earlier they had loved each other enought to get married.

Theres a bunch more that caught me off-guard, but I'd need 50 pages.

Take care.

Jess    

Hey Jess that' sthe kind of stuff I am looking for. I am not even a rookie. As a matter of fact I am going through orientation on monday and I am in need of a tension reliever to put things in perspective. Sometimes I think that I may not have known what I have done. But I know that this is what I want to do. I just want to hear everyone else's take on things. I know that I have been  training myself for  very long time to do this, but I need some encouragement here. I have been doing the same job for nearly 17 years that is not LEO, so feeling a little out of my league.

I have been doing the same job for nearly 17 years that is not LEO, so feeling a little out of my league.



I wouldn't stress it, we have hired guys in their 40's and early 50's that were rookie's and they did fine. If you KNOW this is what you want to do, you'll be fine.

No two days will ever be the same. You'll get to see and do things you never could have imigined and get to work with great people. There will be hard times, shifts, calls etc... that will get to you pretty bad. Just keep a few good hobbies to do in off time with family and enjoy your new career.

I cannot imagine doing anything else.

Stay safe.

Quoted: So what was it like for you after gradation from the academy? Specifically what were some of the situations that caught you off gaurd fresh out of the academy for the noob?

Fresh out of academy, my first week into FTO, was making corner contacts.  My FTO spots a car with a bolo on it.  Flag it down, make contact with the occupants.  Everything is going hunky-dory till I hear shots.  That was my first wake-up call that this shit is for real.

First time I got to drive and turned on the joy-lights to shag some mope down for an investigative stop.  He actually pulled over!  I thought...hey, not bad, this stuff works.  Then of course, soon as the car hit the curb, driver was out and rabbiting.  I was sure I heard my FTO say he was staying with the car as I bailed after the driver.  Ended-up losing the suspect....felt like crap.  Walked back to the sqaud....sitting there still with lights/siren on and doors open and the car I had stopped....gone.  Felt pretty stupid.  My FTO shows up about 5 minutes later with the passenger in bracelets.  


Sheep

I graduated 4th in my class and left there thinking I knew how to do police work.  About 15 minutes into my first shift, I realized I didn't know crap.  It really worried me.  Luckily I had a buddy that graduated the class before me and was just coming off the FTO program as I started it.  He told me that he felt the exact same way his first couple weeks.  Just keep in mind that the only thing the academy is good for is that certificate "suitable for framing."  You don't really start learning to be a policeman until the first time you go 10-41 with your FTO.

My first call on my own after FTO phases was a gang fight in progress with shots fired.

That brought the job to reality.

That, and my first 'fight' with a subject that "wasn't going to jail" kinda opened up my eyes a little more.

Good stuff, all. I've been doing this since 1991 and it never fails to amaze me the crap we can get into. I felt the same as most, that I didn't know anything right out of the Academy. The bad thing was, we don't have FTOs in out small Dept so I rode with the Chief for a week of midnights then got turned loose by myself. What an eye-opener that was!

One of the most important things to have in Law Enforcement is common sense. If you have a good dose of that, you should do OK.

Another important thing is the ability to deal with people, even if you want to kill those people. For instance, we recently had a domestic where the boyfriend beat the girlfriend with a long-handled shovel. He was one of those that wasn't going to jail, either. I managed to keep him talking until my back-up arrived, chased him after he ran from us, fought with him when he resisted (rather spiritedly, I might add!), dealt with thim when he trashed and flooded the jail cell then had to deal with him after he came down from whatever he was on and calmed down on the way to the hospital for medical evaluation before being taken to jail. When he came down, he actually wasn't that bad but you need to be able to set all the stuff that happened before aside when things like this happen. I wanted nothing more than to put my G23 up to his head and pull the trigger but, as you know, we can't do things like this.

Probably THE most important thing is to be able to leave work at work and not take it home with you. I only live about a mile from the Station but routinely drive my POV to work. This lets me go drive around for a little while after work and "decompress" before I get home. Makes the home life with the wife and kids a lot better this way.

Good luck on your career. Just look on it like the old Marine Corps recruiting slogan- "It's not just a job, it's an adventure!"

Bub

Quoted: Graveyard shift. For 22 years of my life I had slept during the night and awake during the day. Switching that long-used sleep schedule really caught me off guard. I remember being so tired sometimes that I would suddenly realize I had driven like 30 minutes and could not tell you where I had went in that 30 minutes. Scared the shit outa me a few times. The other thing that caught me off-guard was the hundreds of people per year who would try their damndest to get their ex-spouse arrested for anything and everything. It suprised me that so many people would spend every waking moment trying to figure out a way to fuck their ex-spouse so bad, when a few weeks/months earlier they had loved each other enought to get married. Theres a bunch more that caught me off-guard, but I'd need 50 pages. Take care. Jess

I would add to this...a week later they want every thing dropped as they are back together for a while. People who use their kids as pawns against the ex-spouce is also an eye opener.

I remember my first traffic stop after I was let loose from FTO.  The stop went fine, but I really felt alone out there without a FTO standing by.  Thats when I realized....wow I am the police.  

Quoted: Quoted: Graveyard shift. For 22 years of my life I had slept during the night and awake during the day. Switching that long-used sleep schedule really caught me off guard. I remember being so tired sometimes that I would suddenly realize I had driven like 30 minutes and could not tell you where I had went in that 30 minutes. Scared the shit outa me a few times. The other thing that caught me off-guard was the hundreds of people per year who would try their damndest to get their ex-spouse arrested for anything and everything. It suprised me that so many people would spend every waking moment trying to figure out a way to fuck their ex-spouse so bad, when a few weeks/months earlier they had loved each other enought to get married. Theres a bunch more that caught me off-guard, but I'd need 50 pages. Take care. Jess     I would add to this...a week later they want every thing dropped as they are back together for a while. People who use their kids as pawns against the ex-spouce is also an eye opener.

Good point, can't believe I forgot to mention that.

Your first suicide. Your first fatal accident. Your first, well you get the picture.

First days or week old doa wasnt all that fun.

One of the best things I ever had told to me by a senior Officer kinda went like this:

"You're not the police. You're the F***ing POLICE. You want to get things done in this career, you need to go out there and BE the police. That uniform represents everyone of us, world wide and when you go out there know that you have a million brothers ready to back you up not matter what crap you get into. So get out there and kick some a**, we're right there with you brother."

That is similar to the conversation, and I can't tell you how much that did wonders for me just getting off of FTO phases.

Quoted: One of the best things I ever had told to me by a senior Officer kinda went like this: "You're not the police. You're the F***ing POLICE. You want to get things done in this career, you need to go out there and BE the police. That uniform represents everyone of us, world wide and when you go out there know that you have a million brothers ready to back you up not matter what crap you get into. So get out there and kick some a**, we're right there with you brother." That is similar to the conversation, and I can't tell you how much that did wonders for me just getting off of FTO phases.

Damn...that's a good speech.  I'm gonna steal that.



Sheep