Why Police Officers Are Different

A police officer’s world is populated by unsavory characters, regulated by laws, regulations and policies, and powered by spikes of adrenalin. A police officer’s life is a balance between work and home, like every working person, but an officer’s work is more than just their job—it is also who they are.

The uniform, badge and gear may come off when an officer reaches home, but the authority, sense of duty and commitment to community can never be laid aside. The training and dedication every officer carries with them is, and must be, ready to be put into action at a moment’s notice—whether the officer is on duty or at home sipping a cool drink and grilling steaks.

Police officers operate in black and white, good and bad parameters—a necessary environment for their exacting duties. Enforcing laws and abiding by regulations leaves no room for errors, yet every officer is asked to find the pinpoint balance of judgment that enforces exactly, but also addresses the greatest good. Officers’ mental and physical resources are finite, but their desire to achieve is infinite. This desire transforms stressors that would disable many into opportunities to excel.

Quick-thinking, tremendously controlled and highly adaptable, police officers see their work as an on-going professional and personal challenge, to be met with gusto and initiative. This life approach integrates deeply, making them keen competitors, able teammates and steadfast friends.

Innovative and insightful, police officers develop uniquely personalized coping techniques to manage the rigors of police work, keeping goals attainable and rewards self-defined. Establishing a solid personal identity that translates smoothly from ‘on their beat ‘to’ in their home is all-important to an officer—enabling the core of their personality to remain strong for the demands of their duties and for the needs of their loved ones.

Punishing, brutal and raw, the events officers are required to control and resolve define a human reality whose existence is not lessened because an officer goes off duty. Knowing that their daily battle is but one step in a continuing war, officers believe that their battle is just and honorable—and worth returning to.

Perils abound in the life of a police officer, yet those that make the choice to enforce the law accept those perils and perceive them as an opportunity for courage; and an opportunity for courage defines life behind a badge.