I think somebody here on the Forum said, 'I miss the Circus but don't miss the Clowns'

Thats how I feel after my 30 years.

Those that haven't retired yet, please be very SAFE! Your time for retirement will be upon you sooner than you think.

When my five-term Sheriff retired and a newbie to the county got elected I pulled the plug and am damn glad I did so. My Sheriff was a for-sure cop and the new guy is pretty lackluster and now so is the agency.

With rank I could pretty much self-assign and so was able to divide time between admin for my division and patrol, so I was eager to go in every day.

Too much emphasis now on armed social work and law suit avoidance. In my day it was ask-tell-make and now it's all de-escalation.

I visit with the guys every now and again, but avoid anything that could sound like disparaging comment about their new boss. I don't want it to come across like sour grapes and I had a good run and plenty enough war stories to bore everyone with.

I work as contract rural mail carrier now so I'm all over the county every day, and pretty surprised at how differently I view it without a hard-wired suspicious mind.

OTHER- I was medically retired.....it’s different when you can see retirement approaching, mine was an overnight decision.

So I still miss it. But I know the stress played a part in my day to day living...as examples after surviving the stroke and going back to work- the stress made me have several seizure type of “spells” and I attribute it directly to the stress of trying to stay alive, not get hemmed up by the bosses and not get hemmed up by having too many citizen complaints, daily-even hourly trying not to call some dummy a dummy to his face( after my stroke my filter was gone)

But it was the right thing to do. In hindsight I should have retired after the first stroke and it may have helped me avoid all the other seizures and other stroke.....

I left in the middle of 2017 with 18years....my pension makes my house payment-so there’s that.

I miss hunting bad guys....drug dealers, drunks, any of them....there is nothing like it.

I retired after 25 years in 2016. I had a great run, but it was time to go. I took six months off. I’ve been working as a part time, sworn investigator for the last three years. No nights, weekends or holidays. It’s just enough in the game so that I don’t miss it. The current job doesn’t interfere with the rest of my life.

I loved my job, but it never defined me. That makes a big difference. My uncle has retired twice and has about 46 years on. He is about to go back as a part time deputy. He hated retirement.

quote:

Originally posted by Bytes:

quote:

Originally posted by gw3971:
Timely thread. I have been in law enforcement for 26 years. Just turned 50. I have my retirement paperwork filled out. Just having a bit of trouble turning it in...

When you do finally turn the paperwork in you will be missed. No Utah LEOs are fantastic and you are one of them.

Thanks! I do appreciate your comment.

Bump for any additional votes or comments.

Sorry to be late to the party. I retired once, went back with another agency for a few years, and re-retired. I was talking to another retired copper today, and we were talking about how we still see things as cops. Drug deals, scrapes on concrete lane dividers, plastic trim on road shoulders, people where they shouldn't oughta be at night. She was laughing at a story we remembered about a 700 pound fat guy, wondering how he could find his tallywhacker.
All in all, I am well-retired now, except for cop-o-vision, don't talk about it here much any more, either.

I did not vote because my specific situation is not really covered.

I retired very young from a position as a State Trooper. I knew if I stayed for thirty years I would be too old to continue in my profession. Retiring young and leaving the agency that I loved was very hard but I knew I would have to start over at the bottom somewhere else. I decided to go.

I subsequently did another 20 in the Federal System. I didn't want to go but my age forced me out as I had been "grandfathered" into the upgraded 6C system. Within a week of getting my twenty I was gone. I miss it but knew I was getting a old even for a supervisory position.

All in all I have no regrets and would have liked to put in even more time than I did.

Retired in 2013 after 23 years. Fortunately the Sheriff’s Office lets me work part time. That has really helped as I can keep my hand in it.

I retired at the end of 2013 with 25+ years (state agency). At the time, I was in the clutches of PTSD. One day, walking into the office from the patrol parking lot, I just stopped and couldn't go in -- standing there for about 20 minutes -- watching the clouds. I knew I was done then and left about four months later when my paperwork was complete/approved.

I miss some of the folks...not the job or the assholes in admin. I took several months off, then got a low key job to double-ding my retirement.

life is good!