Well, I wrote up a good, AJ-style response and deleted it before I posted it, mainly because I got busy at work, but Eric said what I was thinking in a much more diplomatic manner. However, just to add on, I will say this:
The, "If you don't like it, just quit" idea is exactly what separates cops from the people we protect. Oh, I know, you're a big man and can protect yourself, but think what would happen if there were no cops around. Hell, even I have to sleep sometimes. I can let my wife and kids go to the store because there's other cops working, keeping the **** heads sort of in check.
The, "Quit if you don't like it" response is chickenshit to say the least. If we quit every time we got scared, we wouldn't exist. I've been scared plenty of times, but never chicken. A cop who is never scared will get himself and his pals killed. Scared is ok, being a coward is not.
So, if I do quit, what would you suggest I do? Sitting around in an office all day won't work, I'm plenty smart and could go back to school, but it would take a long time to get my current pay back. You see, not being quitters is what makes cops cops. It's also what makes soldiers soldiers, and firefighters firefighters. I don't give a **** how tough someone thinks they are, I will not stop until I've won.
Bad men with guns don't scare me. Why? because I'm a Type-A ******* and I train harder than they do. Fights don't scare me because I've never met anyone yet that I've been afraid of. I'm not stupid, and I know I'm not invincible, but I won't give up, as most cops won't. I mentioned firefighters...we tease each other all the time. They won't enter a scene until we ensure there's no bad guys. Not because they're scared, but because they don't have the tools and training. Same reason I don't go into a burning building. **** that, I'll fight the 4 guys outside and the fire guys can go play with fire, but if they got scared and quit, **** would go downhill fast.
Eric made a very good point. I don't do this for the pay; although, I couldn't do it without it. I do it because I love it and it fits my personality. Will someone shoot me? Maybe, but they better kill me instantly because if I'm still breathing, I'm going to go to work eliminating the threat. Will someone hit me in the face? Yup. It's happened before. Too bad for them they hit like *******, because I don't, and if someone hits me, it's game on.
So, IDFC, do any of us need you to kiss our ***? Nope. Honestly, I don't give a **** what you think. It has only been the last couple of years that people have started saying, "Thank you," on a regular basis. It's actually nice to hear, but even if we don't hear it, it doesn't matter. We've had way more people threaten to kill us, but we still show up for work every day.
If everyone could do it, maybe they would, but most can't. My worst calls don't involve guys trying to hurt us. They involve people hurting kids...as in raping and beating 18 month old girls to death. It takes patience and a very strong sense of right and wrong to be face to face with that guy and know I have the means to eliminate him immediately, but instead, make sure he doesn't get hurt getting onto my car so he doesn't have a way to change the focus when we go to court. We scare cadets and new officers off all the time. Not because it's funny, but because it not only saves our lives, it saves theirs. If they don't have the mentality or the ability, they have to go do something else.
Now...back to work.
