Personal Narrative: A Career As A Police Officer

As a trained police officer, I run towards the fight while everyone else retreats. This sometimes means putting my personal safety second to someone in need. There are inherent dangers that come with my profession. In fact; if I take the time to actually reflect on my 23-year career, it is terrifying to comprehend the situations that could have ended a number of different ways. Every call I answered potentially could have been the last. Not knowing what to expect, the day filled simultaneously with nerves and excitement when I started my career as a police officer in the summer of 1992. Looking back now, I was a mere naive twenty-one year old kid who looked even younger. Being small in stature, the gun belt resembled an inner tube

During an investigation of a known drug house the unit prepared to conduct a search warrant. Because of the late hour when we arrived, most people had already gone to bed. Knowing this, we loudly announced “Police, open the door!” as we knocked. Standing on the front porch, waiting to enter, a series of gunshots rang out from inside the residence in our direction. Instinctively, to take cover, I dove off the porch into a row of hedges. Fortunately, no one got shot by gunfire in the incident. After further commands given to the resident, he surrendered enabling us to resolve the situation peacefully. After a three-year stint in narcotics, I returned to a precinct to work uniform patrol. As a patrolled during my shift on a Tuesday morning around 10:00 a.m., I passed two men in an older model Mustang who were not wearing their seat belts. In addition to the known violation, my instincts told me there was something different about the occupants. As the hair on the back of my neck stood up it furthered my suspicions. This would later prove to be anything but a routine traffic