I don't 'regret' being an LEO, but looking back on 30+ years, I kinda wish I woulda done something else for a living.
Police work has taught me a helluva lot about people and society in general. It's taught me how NOT to be. It's taught me to stop drinking. It's made me a better man and a better husband to my wife and a better father to my kids.
However...
This is NOW that this has happened. 15 years ago, I was a bastard to my wife and a horse's ass to my kids. I had a girlfriend on the side, I missed ballgames and birthday parties and worked every single holiday. I had become what I most despised. Luckily, I left that toxic environment and went to work as a college campus police officer. Wow! Was that different. Instead of kicking in doors and shoving bad guys face first to the ground, here I was, helping poor, ignorant college students with simple tasks like unlocking their dorm room doors or changing a flat tire. We still do police work too, just not as intense as the street guys do.
Would I work the streets again? Probably not. Especially by today's standards. Things were different when I started. Not today. Every kid out there has a video camera in their pocket and a lawyer on speed dial.
Police work has taught me a helluva lot about people and society in general. It's taught me how NOT to be. It's taught me to stop drinking. It's made me a better man and a better husband to my wife and a better father to my kids.
However...
This is NOW that this has happened. 15 years ago, I was a bastard to my wife and a horse's ass to my kids. I had a girlfriend on the side, I missed ballgames and birthday parties and worked every single holiday. I had become what I most despised. Luckily, I left that toxic environment and went to work as a college campus police officer. Wow! Was that different. Instead of kicking in doors and shoving bad guys face first to the ground, here I was, helping poor, ignorant college students with simple tasks like unlocking their dorm room doors or changing a flat tire. We still do police work too, just not as intense as the street guys do.
Would I work the streets again? Probably not. Especially by today's standards. Things were different when I started. Not today. Every kid out there has a video camera in their pocket and a lawyer on speed dial.