(prefer police to answer this please) What is it like being a police officer?

Question

What about S.W.A.T. and would militery experience be good?

Answer 1

I have been in law enforcement for 27 years, and can honestly say that for the most part, it is dull tedious paperwork, occasionally accented with sheer adrenalin rush.

Working day shift (Sheriff's Dept) is serving summons' and subpoenas all day.  Night shift is building checks, driving around a lot, and the occasional detail. When an emergency call comes in, the adrenalin rush hits, and all the tedium goes away.

Answer 2

Kind of a mix of herding chickens (if you can get them going in more or less the same direction, you're doing good), playground monitor (if no one loses an eye that day, it went pretty good), and Writing to Influence 101. Only, with body armor, you sweat more.

Like any job you like doing. Fun sometimes. Sucks occasionally.

Military is good. Some places, you get some hiring points or exemption from the college requirement. Don't worry about S.W.A.T, yet. That will be a few years, if at all.

Seriously. It's good, if you can be professional, as in not take it all personal. (Okay. When they want to kick your butt, it's kind of personal.)

Answer 3

I spent twenty years in the military police and another fifteen years...thus far...with a civilian police department.

Specializing in counter-narcotics means there are more times than not where you make things happen such as executing search warrants.

The job is rewarding in the fact that you know you're making your community a better and safer place to live and raise a family. Additionally, going home after a long day feels good inside when you know you've helped someone else who was having a problem that you made easier to handle!

Law enforcement isn't always like what you see sensationalized on television. Crimes aren't solved in a hour minus commercial time. We don't drive around in  brand new sports cars telling the boss he's an idiot!

There are times when things just don't go the way they need to or someone gets hurt or killed and you have to be the one bearing the bad news.

The job has a lot of stress in addition to the stigma placed on all cops being overweight, donut eating, overpaid, and undereducated.

Todays law enforcement officer is better trained and educated. No....I've never known any officer that was "bullied" in school.

Those officers I know genuinely care about themselves, others, and their communities striving to make this a better place for those who wish to live in a crime free neighborhood.