Questions for current and ex-LEOs...

[mcurrier]

I didn't become a police officer to get rich.

I hear ya. As Barney Fife says, "you get investigated if you do."

[Guest Matchguy]

You're right. A friend of mine was a lieutenant in my outfit and was also a dynamite part time real estate salesman in a very high dollar touristy market along with his wife. They were good and their bank accounts showed it.

One day a neighbor filed a formal complaint with the department demanding a formal investigation into my friend's finances. It seems my friend had too nice a car and home for a mere police lieutenant. Soon an Assistant Chief showed up and ordered my friend to submit a complete report of his finances to the department. He refused, saying he would only do so when the department could show reasonable evidence of improper conduct. He won, the department backed off, and the neighbor was told the same thing. The good guys do win one occasionally.

[Guest canynracer]

Deerslayer,

When your friends decide, lemme know...I may join them!

[res308]

Pretty much everything I was gonna say has been said here. I have about 14 years in, and I can already tell a marked difference in my health. It does affect you.

If you think everyone that stays in turns corrupt you're wrong. You can stand alone in that regard, but it does make it hard on you. Meaning standing up for what is right. Unfortunately, I do see a great many cases in which that statement is correct, just keep in mind it's not 100% correct. If I were to sit down and try to think of all the officers in my county and surrounding counties I know, and pick the ones I would trust completely, I could probably count them on one finger. Not a good ratio. So I can see why you would think that way, and I don't blame you.

It is a very thankless job. I do love the work I do most of the time, but it does get old. Heck, I've even stopped eating donuts because of this job! You do deal with the dregs of society, put your life on the line on a daily basis, and have to deal with a whole lot of stress. But, sometimes there comes along that one case where you can really help someone in need and maybe actually make a difference in someone's life and see good results from it, and at that point it just kinda all seems worth it.