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The Job - Epilogue

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Deputy Bob Cooley

Deputy Bob Cooley has been serving in law enforcement for over 30 years, having served previously with the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, DC, and currently as a deputy for a sheriff’s office in northwestern Virginia.

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More articles from this author:

• Part 1 - So You Wanna Be a Cop...
• Part 2 - Starting the Process
• Part 3 - The Application

The Job

I thought long and hard before I decided to add this section to my article, but I feel that I must to protect future Law Enforcement Officers from the pain and anguish that so many men and women in this and other professions of high stress experience. The beast that can rear its ugly head is called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It can affect police officers, fire fighters, EMS, soldiers, sailors, marines any of us who work in high stress occupations where we literally see so much pain, suffering, death and experience sheer terror. As a police academy instructor I’ve spoken to new recruits not only about the dangers this job can bring, but the incredible stress that builds up over time. The stress of this job can boil to the point where suicide seems the only way out. I want each and every one of you who reads these lines to go to Tears of a Cop and read about this often hushed up problem not only for your own sake, but for your family and for the friends you may have or will have in law enforcement. It’s crucial that you recognize the signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder because I don’t want you to succumb to the stress that this job can bring.

My Thanks To You

To all of you who have decided to pursue a career in law enforcement I take my hat off to you. You are the men and women to whom I will pass the torch and I am confident that I am passing it to people who not only can do the job, but you’ll do the job better than I did. You are the next generation to wear the blue and I wish you the best of luck and may God be watching over you when you hit the streets.

Credits

Besides the Sixth Addition of Black’s Law Dictionary, the thoughts, ideas, experiences and suggestions are all my own. By posting this article I assume no liability for your personal experiences. I wrote this as a tool for you the reader to use in your quest to become a Law Enforcement Officer. The Webmaster of “PoliceLink.com” has not compensated me in any way nor did anyone connected with “PoliceLink.com” ask me to write this article so I absolve him or her of responsibility for the content.

Obviously I cannot anticipate every possible aspect of the hiring process as it will vary from agency to agency, but I believe I have at least given you a glimpse of what to expect and this was my goal. I experienced the disappointment of failure many times during those early years and I hope by my “penning” these lines you will find them useful and maybe avoid some of the mistakes I made. If nothing else maybe I’ve answered some of the questions you might have had on this topic and if it helps you then I’m gratified that my efforts were not in vain.