A Young Member Of Your Family Is Thinking Of Joining A Police Force......Your Advice?

fmdog44

Well-known Member
Location
Houston, Texas
Say one of your grandchildren is thinking about joining a big city police force and they ask you for your opinion. What would you say to them?
 

I would ask them if they have considered joining the fire department instead?

IMO it's actually safer just as helpful much more appreciated and much more respected in today's world than the police force.
 

My brother retired last year after working all his life in law enforcement. He started working undercover drugs in college. Then working his way through local police force, Sheriffs department etc. Any family members know to ask Uncle Jim as he knows it inside out.
 
well both at uni at the moment -but if they did' it takes guts to join the force in the usa -and uk. always danger in that job
as in any -but it would please me to know he has a good career ………..
 
Our oldest grandson considered it when he was in high school. We have a friend on the police force and he adored our grandson (wanted him to marry his daughter lol) So he took Aaron under his wing and tried to encourage him to go into law enforcement. Would take him out on ridealongs and just hang at the station some nights. Well,we live in a very boring town-and it was even more boring ten years ago. Aaron just couldn`t see himself doing that for the rest of his life. So he climbs power poles instead lol. Money is much better too. I wouldn`t mind one of the kids going into L.E.,but not in a big city. Too dangerous nowadays.
 
I would say please reconsider. Way to dangerous. I had a great uncle who was a police officer in NYC and was shot and killed. That was years ago. I can only imagine what it is like now. If I thought my family member could handle medical emergencies I would suggest being an EMT.
 
I would say follow your dream. They're usually going to do what they please anyway. :D
Wholeheartedly agree. If it's what they're called to do, they should. I don't now and never have thought that it was up to us to approve of our adult children's/grandchildren's choices. It is merely up to us to accept their decisions. We lived our lives. They need to be allowed to live theirs.
 
I'd tell them to consider all the pros and cons before getting into that job. I doubt I'd have to tell them anything, they already likely know that it can be dangerous so nothing I would say would be news to them.
 
I would tell them the decision is theirs to make,but that I wish they would change their minds. I lost a very good friend that was a Fireman,Lost a neighbor that was a Police Officer and another friend in Viet Nam. They are all very important jobs but to me they are extremely dangerous.
 
I was supposed to start Academy, in Chicago, a month after I proposed to my first wife. She read me the riot act, and got a great job, in Austin, so we moved.
Being a cop is far safer than being in the trees. My profession is #1 to #4 in fatality rate. Cops are way down the chart at around #14 to #16, depending on what study you're reading.
If someone wants to be a cop, good on them. It's their choice to make.
 
I’d assume that anyone who applies to be a fire fighter, become a police officer or serves in the military knows they have a dangerous job and may risk their life.

All people I’ve ever known who apply for roles like this apply knowing full well it’s a dangerous but important job and I’d say most ARE willing to die for it but isn’t this the thing that distinguishes them apart from the rest?

Courageous. Not everyone is willing to risk their life for their job but I’m very grateful to the ones who are.
 
Our oldest grandson considered it when he was in high school. We have a friend on the police force and he adored our grandson (wanted him to marry his daughter lol) So he took Aaron under his wing and tried to encourage him to go into law enforcement. Would take him out on ridealongs and just hang at the station some nights. Well,we live in a very boring town-and it was even more boring ten years ago. Aaron just couldn`t see himself doing that for the rest of his life. So he climbs power poles instead lol. Money is much better too. I wouldn`t mind one of the kids going into L.E.,but not in a big city. Too dangerous nowadays.

Funny that I would worry about the grandson being a police officer. That is #18 on the list of dangerous jobs. What he actually does,an electrical lineman,is #10.....

https://www.usatoday.com/story/mone...re-fatal-injuries-happen-most-often/38832907/
 
Funny that I would worry about the grandson being a police officer. That is #18 on the list of dangerous jobs. What he actually does,an electrical lineman,is #10.....

https://www.usatoday.com/story/mone...re-fatal-injuries-happen-most-often/38832907/

^^^ Exactly. People are conditioned to believe something that isn't true. It's partly because of the "Hero Complex" and the heavy publicizing of every officer's injury or death, to make it seem like it's a common occurrence.
An example: Several years ago, an officer was shot in the chest by a suspect. The officer was (of course) wearing a ballistic vest as most do. At a press conference, his supervisor said, "The officer was seriously injured & was taken by ambulance to the hospital, where it was determined that he suffered a significant injury."
How do I know that was a overdramatized lie to increase the "hero worship?"
The supervisor should have done some research before thinking everyone is ignorant & making a fool out of himself. The manufacturers of ballistic vests frequently demonstrate their product by shooting themselves repeatedly with a 44 Magnum then they remove the vest & show that there is not even a bruise where the bullet hit. They also dispel the myth that when someone is shot while wearing a ballistic vest, the impact of the bullet will knock someone off their feet. They'll shoot themselves while standing on one foot, off balance. They do this demonstration with all calibers of firearms.
 
I would tell them the decision is theirs to make,but that I wish they would change their minds. I lost a very good friend that was a Fireman,Lost a neighbor that was a Police Officer and another friend in Viet Nam. They are all very important jobs but to me they are extremely dangerous.
And how many non officers, non soldiers & non fireman lost their lives? Multiply those three by several hundred during that time.
I'm not saying cops, marines & fireman don't have risky jobs; I'm saying they're statistically far less risky than other jobs.
 
It's not up to me to influence them. They have to decide by themselves. I suppose the reason you posted this thread was the question of violence and danger associated with law enforcement. Again, it's not up to me to influence them. What I consider as deterrents may be stimulating to them. By the way, I noticed you used the gender neutral "grandchildren" in your thread.:)
 
If I new a youngster who was planning to become a police officer, I would tell them to make Sure that they have a working Body Camera on at all times when trying to stop a suspect....even if doing a routine traffic stop. With all the animosity towards the police in many places, today, a cop would be well advised to document any/all actions he/she might be forced to take.
 
I have an uncle who retired from a Chicago police force. It caused a lot of marital problems between him and my aunt the whole time. Seeing so much of the "bad" side of humanity made him suspicious and pessimistic, even today, 20 years after retirement from the force.
Their son also became a police officer, who is a detective in a suburb of Chicago.
Since I don't have grandchildren, it's hard to know what I would tell one who wanted to be an officer.
 


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