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The Boogie Man Is My Friend #3
The Boogie Man Is My Friend: Behind The Shield
Many people have asked me over the years if being a police officer was difficult. I guess at times it was, but I didn't think of it that way. It became a part of me, who I had become.
During my career in law enforcement I think my response may have evolved over the years to a description of "police work is automatic." The latter answer made me pause and think once it spewed of arrogance which was not the meaning I intended. The old man who had asked me the familiar question was puzzled. I guess I had been doing it for so many years that the work had become automatic, but not as a negative connotation. The man was the last person to hear that explanation. That was my last day of work.
To me, automatic meant it was a part of me- it was who I was (in true Popeye speak). Once something is a part of you, you don't have to analyze everything or evaluate each step of the challenges you faced as an officer. You reacted in a natural way with ease and you gave quick responses and intelligent solutions. After I finished police work, I was still posed that question. People are curious by nature of the profession. I began to answer those questions with, "It was perfect for me. I like to help people." It was a somewhat indirect answer to a direct question.
As the years wore on, the more deviant a person was in a case, the more he or she fascinated me. The more bizarre, the more I wanted to be on scene. Extraordinary became the new ordinary. Police work truly is the front row seat to pure entertainment and I bathed in it. I wrote down all those events-some ordinary, some not so. What does that mean since my definition of ordinary might not be the norm? In fact, your extraordinary may be my ordinary. I guess you will have to read the book to find out.
During my career in law enforcement I think my response may have evolved over the years to a description of "police work is automatic." The latter answer made me pause and think once it spewed of arrogance which was not the meaning I intended. The old man who had asked me the familiar question was puzzled. I guess I had been doing it for so many years that the work had become automatic, but not as a negative connotation. The man was the last person to hear that explanation. That was my last day of work.
To me, automatic meant it was a part of me- it was who I was (in true Popeye speak). Once something is a part of you, you don't have to analyze everything or evaluate each step of the challenges you faced as an officer. You reacted in a natural way with ease and you gave quick responses and intelligent solutions. After I finished police work, I was still posed that question. People are curious by nature of the profession. I began to answer those questions with, "It was perfect for me. I like to help people." It was a somewhat indirect answer to a direct question.
As the years wore on, the more deviant a person was in a case, the more he or she fascinated me. The more bizarre, the more I wanted to be on scene. Extraordinary became the new ordinary. Police work truly is the front row seat to pure entertainment and I bathed in it. I wrote down all those events-some ordinary, some not so. What does that mean since my definition of ordinary might not be the norm? In fact, your extraordinary may be my ordinary. I guess you will have to read the book to find out.
443 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 30, 2014
158 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 17, 2015
I received this book as a first read. If you took a bunch of episodes of Cops and put it in a book it would end up like this. It's a fascinating group of stories about the life of a female cop and the cases responded to. Who knew Wyoming was so weird? The book was well written. It had the feel of a friend hanging out at your house drinking some beers and telling you about their day. It was written in normal, everyday speech the way people actually speak and included references to pop culture making it easy to picture the characters and events. This is a great overview of the work cops do and the ridiculousness of criminals.
January 2, 2015
Being a police officer for over 20 years in Wyoming I enjoyed the book. I think that it is a must read for those that spent time in Law Enforcement and the first responder world.
I would recommend this book to those wondering about the day to day life of an officer. I liked the fact that she wrote in " Cop Lingo". This may be offensive in some of her stories but it is the way it was. The way cops communicated with each other, including off colored jokes, setting each other up, and stepping in when your fellow officer needed it.
I would recommend this book to those wondering about the day to day life of an officer. I liked the fact that she wrote in " Cop Lingo". This may be offensive in some of her stories but it is the way it was. The way cops communicated with each other, including off colored jokes, setting each other up, and stepping in when your fellow officer needed it.
October 7, 2014
I love Ms. Loving's stories. They're the kind of stories you'd expect to hear while sitting around, drinking beer with the Po-po. Her signature humor shines through, especially in the second half of the book when she really hits her stride.
I'd love to read a collection of stories from working with her wonderful dog, Otis. (hint, hint)
I'd love to read a collection of stories from working with her wonderful dog, Otis. (hint, hint)
January 26, 2015
very thought inspiring in the mind of a former officer
free-e-bk
December 30, 201412/29/14.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews