Staying On Guard as a Police Officer

If you're planning on becoming a police officer, you have to realize that once you get hired, everything changes. You're now in the public eye, you're some people's best friend while you're instantly an enemy to some just because you wear the uniform. And because of that, you have to look at things a bit differently. You must always be on guard when it comes to your safety.

Now I'm not saying walk around in a panic as a police officer. I'm only suggesting that you do things a bit differently and start thinking differently. Make it a habit. Below are some suggestions that I'm always doing now as an officer.

When Eating At A Restraint

On Duty as a Police Officer

When you choose a seat to sit in, you need to choose a spot that doesn't put your back to the door. Some police officers have been killed while eating with their backs to the door as suspects simply walked in and shot them in the back. The officers never seen it coming and therefore never had a chance to defend themselves. The only time I sit with my back to the door is if I'm working with a partner, and that partner is someone I trust to be alert to these types of things.

Off Duty as a Police Officer

Even though you are off duty, you still need to understand that other people know who you are. Having your back to the front door still creates a bad situation if someone that knows you're a police officer and decides to do something bad to you. Again, you wouldn't see it coming. In addition, if something else were to happen, like a robbery, a fight, anything, you would still be at a disadvantage based on your position.

Don't Let People Know You Are A Police Officer In Public

One of the biggest mistakes I made when I first became a police officer was making it known that I was a police officer while at bars, out with friends, etc. It wasn't that I was trying to show off or anything like that, it was simply that I was proud of the fact. A lot of times it wasn't me that made it known to others, it would be a friend that would tell them "My friend is a police officer." The mistake I made however was not asking my friends friends before hand to not do it. Your friends are proud of you too, so they're only doing it in good intentions. The problem is, not everyone likes the police and you could put yourself in a trick back once these people know. Below are some perfect examples of bad situations that could happen.

A Fight occurs in the bar and now people are looking at you

A bar fight in any way shape or form is one of the last things you want to be associated with when you first become a police officer. It carries a certain degree of doubt among supervisors as to your conduct while off duty, even if you did absolutely nothing wrong. Even experienced police officers should do everything possible to avoid getting involved in bar fights off duty, unless a threat to life exists.

I can remember one time being at a bar with a friend and a fight broke out in the parking lot. I had already a few beers in me, and my friend told me "Hey, there's a fight, let's go break it up." I immediately told him "Not me, unless they've got a gun to his head I'm not getting involved." My friend whom is not a police officer was shocked. He said to me "Are you serious?" I said "Dead." I explained to him that I don't get involved in bar fights unless there's a chance of death, or unless I'm working. The bar has security and that's their job. The main problem is you can find yourself in a trick bag with your department which can bleed over to the media. And the bottom line is you have more to lose then the guys fighting do.

Now don't get me wrong, if I see someone beating the tar out of someone, I'm certainly going to get involved. I'm just never going to get involved in a typical bar fight.

Staying On Guard On Duty As You Gain More Experience as a Police Officer

Even to this day I have to remind myself to "stay on guard" while working the streets. Having been here almost 17 years, it's natural to feel like you've seen it all, or no one is going to turn on you. The truth is it only takes that one person to end your life, whether it be 2 years into your career or 23 years into your career. As people, we naturally want to trust people. But as police officers, we simply cannot trust everybody, especially people whom we've just met.

One of the problems that I see with a lot of police officers is (usually the veteran ones), once they've talked with the person they're dealing with for a bit and have established a rapport with them, the police officers tend to let their guard down. I've even seen officers turn their back to suspects that were not handcuffed, or handcuffing them in front as opposed to in back. This happens a lot when the officer believes the person may have been wronged in the situation and is getting a "bum rap" for instance. This is no reason to let your guard down. If I was a cop killer, one of the first things I would try to do is get you to like me so that you would trust me. Then I would attack. I'm certainly not going to fight with you up front or tell you how much I hated you.

Conclusion

These are just a handful of things you should remember as a police officer. Again, you don't have to walk around paranoid, but you do to remember that not all people like the police and therefore you could be a target. Think smart while you're working, and think smart when doing things off duty.

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