Entering Law Enforcement
I wasn’t going to be a policeman when I grew up. As you can tell from my stories about my days in radio, I wanted to be the worlds greatest disk jockey. Life never quite works out that way does it?
My second love was flying. So I went to the Air Force and asked to be a pilot. At that time the Air Force was over staffed and they were doing what is called ‘Draw downs’ or force reductions. They said they didn’t need me. Rats.
Since I had a car, one of my friends from high school asked me if I would give him a ride to a job fair they were having downtown the next day. I told him I would, and we went. While I was waiting for him I saw a guy who had graduated a year before me standing at the booth for the Sheriff’s Department. We started talking about what we had been doing since school. He asked me if I would put my name and address on the sign up sheet for information about being a deputy since nobody was stopping and signing up. He said I could just throw away the stuff that would come in the mail, but it would help him look good to his boss.
So, I did. And sure enough a few days later a packet of material on how to become a deputy sheriff showed up. Instead of tossing it I took a few minutes and read through the different pamphlets on being a detention officer, patrol, and support staff. It actually didn’t look that bad and the pay wasn’t as bad as I had heard either.
I was raised that you did something for your country, and since the military wasn’t hiring this ticked that box and it paid better than radio announcer. I had gotten married and the bills were pilling up, so I needed to do something.
The year was 1981 and when I signed up I was immediately put through a one week academy. That’s right, just one 40 hour course and they gave me a badge, a gun and turned me loose. What were they thinking?
I showed up for my first shift and the captain wasn’t expecting me. No one from the academy told them I was coming. He took a car key down from a board, tossed it to me and said “stay out of trouble”.
I went out to the parking lot and found the patrol car. Started it up and drove out. I had no idea where I was supposed to go. I heard other units radio in for the start of shift. I followed suit and then waited for a call. One never came. They didn’t realize I was actually out there, nor was I assigned to any district, so they didn’t give me any calls.
As end of shift neared I came across another deputy who had checked out for a quick bite to eat and I asked him what I should do for end of shift. He laughed and said to go ahead and head in, fuel up the car, run it through the car wash and put it back where I found it. Then give the keys to the captain. And that is just what I did.
The captain, who was different than the one who was on duty when I started, asked me where my paperwork was. I told him I didn’t have any. He looked at me and asked how many calls I had gone to. I told him none. He then asked me what in the hell I had done all shift and I told him. I also told him what the other captain had said. I thought he was going to have a stroke. I had literally fallen through the cracks for an entire shift.
He told me that tomorrow night I would be assigned to a Field Training Officer (FTO). And I was NOT to do anything until that happened. I assured him I would heed his instructions.
Sure enough, the next night I was assigned to an FTO and things were much different. We went on calls, I learned how to write citations and arrest people. All the things a ‘real’ policeman was supposed to do during a shift.