Even after my second twenty year stint, I was not yet ready to hang up the badge. I realized I was becoming a bit long in the tooth to keep up with most of the younger people but the desire was still there. I was forced out by age. Intellectually I knew it was time but there was little correlation for me between age and desire when it came to police jobs. After a couple of years the feeling waned especially when I found a position on the periphery of my old career. I still think about it, but only in the context of non-physical endeavors.

Yeah, foot pursuits, hopping fences, and knock-down drag-out fights are a young man's game.

I'm not anywhere near "old", and still have over a decade until retirement, but my knees and shoulder have degraded to the point where I realized it was time to transition to a "house mouse" position.

You reach a certain point in your career where "Oh boy! A fight!" turns into "Aw, dammit... a fight." (Both for the physical aspect, as well as the extra paperwork. )

Enjoyed the work when I was in it, but I'm glad I'm now retired. I don't think I'd choose being a cop in this day and age.

Yeah after 25 years of law enforcement I have had enough. I'm planning on retiring on June 1st. No more court on my days off. No more flesh eating lawyers and no more silly administrators. Sounds like heaven...

I loved law enforcement and never wanted to do anything else. Still, I knew when it was time to let it go. I retired while I still had my edge and was respected.

I just retired January 1 with 30 years - and yeah I was ready to go. I’m still getting used to it. But it was nice to be able to sleep without the phone ringing or trying to figure out how early I would have to leave on a snow day to get to work on time. I do miss the people I worked with. I found out I was more of a people person than I thought (to a point). This is whole social distance thing feels like house arrest. I would hate to be working now - God Bless those still doing the job.

It will be nice when when I can on an actual vacation.

My sincerest thanks to all of you who have served and are still serving your communities. My wish is that ALL of you reach retirement age and get a chance to unwind a bit! The job is stressful enough, even when nothing serious is happening!

quote:

Originally posted by gw3971:
No more court on my days off. No more flesh eating lawyers and no more silly administrators. Sounds like heaven...

I had a hard time after my stroke and retirement...but those listed above sure reduced my stress and I have slipped into bliss without having to deal with the shit from the street and the shit from the staff...at least I could take the street to jail!

I still find myself watching hands, I still automatically blade my gun side away from people and I still constantly watch people, but now it’s more of a game to amuse myself....
I do it with my little kid- we try and spot the guy with the concealed gun when we go out.

You guys were/are lucky , I sold ladie's shoe's for Six years, all I got to do was look at legs and butts all day. Oh well, I guess the grass is always greener. . . . . . . . .

After thirty one years, today they "offered," read ordered, to move me from active investigations to SRO: that's it, I'm pulling the pin.

I was in the crimes against kids and DV unit, so it's probably time anyway. I've seen my share.

quote:

Originally posted by kidcop:
After thirty one years, today they "offered," read ordered, to move me from active investigations to SRO: that's it, I'm pulling the pin.

I was in the crimes against kids and DV unit, so it's probably time anyway. I've seen my share.

I assist our unit from time to time when they need bodies. I could not do your job bro. VCTF is much, much easier.

Wait...
Hold on...
You mean to tell me that when I "pull the pin", I don't have to put up with-
Court
Lawyers
Bad guys
Stupidity from the "lovely citizens" in the inner city
Stupidly from the idiotic politicians
Stupidly from the idiotic bosses
I can move out of the beautiful City of Chicago
I can say what I want
I can do what I want
Someone "motherfucks" me, I get to knock them out
Never wear polyester pants again


Hell, where do I sign up?

I know after its all over (I'll be in my 26th year in Sept), that I'll probably never look at another human in the same way again. I guess you can't after you see the inside of someone's head. Or know what someone looks and smells like after a few days, or weeks after they die. That stuff I'm not going to miss.

It's probably going to be nice to spend the actual holiday/ birthday with the family & friends instead of celebrating it on the next day off.

I can't wait!

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
You guys were/are lucky , I sold ladie's shoe's for Six years, all I got to do was look at legs and butts all day. Oh well, I guess the grass is always greener. . . . . . . . .

Al Bundy, is that you...

quote:

Originally posted by kidcop:
After thirty one years, today they "offered," read ordered, to move me from active investigations to SRO: that's it, I'm pulling the pin.

I was in the crimes against kids and DV unit, so it's probably time anyway. I've seen my share.

If you're not totally ready to hang it up, you might give SRO a shot... That's been my favorite gig so far. I'd go back in a heartbeat.

Might be good for you. I know it was for me. When I was offered a SRO spot the first go around, it was rather early in my career and I was starting to get jaded from dealing with all the negative crap constantly. Interacting with "my" kids in a positive way every day as an SRO really helped me with that.

My problem: I still cant break the habit of driving like a cop.
And I buy a new car every other year!

I’ve known a few who have retired and couldn’t take it so they went back. One went back as an investigator for the prosecutors office, one went back as a firearms instructor/manager of the gun locker for large inner city department, and one who went back to the courthouse. As police officer is that if you start in your early 20’s you can retire relatively young. The problem is that often it’s too young.

I'll be in my early 50s when I retire, so I can see myself coming back in some semi-related job for another decade or so, as a property manager, or school security advisor, or something along those lines.

Or I may be so totally done with it at that point that all I want to do is bag groceries part time.

I had to retire twice to get it right. I still have the watchfulness, and my spidey sense has almost completely disappeared. I don't talk about it or think about it as much as I used to,; I think I bored a lot of people here for a couple years. Now, I'm just another 70 year old guy who hangs out with the other 70 year old guys.

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
My problem: I still cant break the habit of driving like a cop.

Like 15mph thru the hood, eyeballing everyone and everything?

Or just absolutely cussing all the slow people in front of you, “fuck lady I’m just trying to go home!!!! Get outta the left lane”

Hahaha