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Lee's Summit
Police Officer's Association
Debate Room Thread
Posted by Joe Friday on September 2, 2009, 4:10 pm
Copied this from another police web site. It was in response to a young officer who was having issues with his/her current department(very similar issues that we see and hear here at LSPD). Thought the advice held alot of meaning and wanted to share:
There have been times in my life where I have felt like the first mate on the RMS Titanic, and while the ice water was climbing quickly to my knees, some ass hat was ordering me to rearrange the deck chairs and dance with a livelier step to the music from the Ragtime band.
As some wise souls (et Dieu Bénissent la Confrérie; God bless the Brotherhood) advised you, now is the time when you step back, take a breath, and get a little perspective. It can be a soul-crushing, soul-sucking job, no arguments. But never forget, you are the Cavalry. The only guys who don’t like the Cavalry are the bad guys. Everyone else is thrilled to hear those sirens and see you riding to the rescue. You won’t get a cape, but it’s the closest you can come to being a Superhero. You are one of the Brotherhood of Everyday Heroes, the guys that rush into trouble, as everyone else is running away.
Those are the things you have to keep in mind, the moments that make it all worth it, when you are what’s standing between the grateful (if sometimes all too silent) populace and the predators which infest it. Without you, there would be chaos and anarchy. You have made a choice to serve and protect in a world, in a society, where everything has become about the individual – me-me-me. You have chosen one of the toughest, most stressful and often thankless jobs there is, and it usually entails seeing people on the absolute worst days of their lives, at the worst moments of their lives.
The hours are long, the pay is substandard, and the world is full of ass hats trying to rob you of your pension. But that’s them and we’re talking about you. Don’t let the ass hats grind you down, mon frère. The world is filled with them, and no matter where you go, or what profession you have, there is no such thing as an asshole-free zone. Because it takes absolutely no talent or skill you will find the asinine everywhere, and usually making life hard for those who simply want to do their jobs, do them right and do them to the best of their ability.
What you are experiencing is not uncommon. It is time for you to take that step back, take the wife to a completely mindless, funny movie (take her to a chick-flick, you can earn some major points there), rediscover your kids, throw a ball around the park, take that fat ass dog for a walk, BBQ in your own backyard and reflect that, in the majority, life is good.
And then remember, you are the Cavalry.
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