Dear Bullethead:
I m an auxiliary deputy sheriff in Ohio. The point of our auxiliary program is to help augment the deputies with their regular duties. I regularly ride cruiser duty on the night shift.
I ve been accepted by deputies on the night shift, but other deputies frown on auxiliaries and tell us to go become firemen and not police officers. Many think I ll be a good officer. When I ask them why they think that, they tell me I know the job. The frowners tell us the job isn't worth it.
I think the auxiliary program is a good way to get my foot in the door, and I ve gained much knowledge. I get involved. I take part in foot chases by myself even though I m not armed. I think I ve proven myself to everyone, so why do others frown on what I do? To them I'm just a body.
Dear Auxiliary:
Before you do anything, go take a few classes in English. Check that: Go take a bunch! Your writing is good for exactly two things: jack and crap. It took me a team of editors, a dictionary and a lifetime of creative writing to get your question magazine-ready. Every cop must be able to communicate in spoken and written English, and you aren t even close. If you worked anywhere near me, I would assign you to a high-school English class until you developed your skills a bit.
Let s talk tactics. You don t know this job. I ve been doing it for years, and I m still learning. I guarantee you can t give me one good reason why you would chase someone unarmed and by yourself. There s no good reason to do something that stupid, you jackass.
Cops learn things at different times in their careers. Ol Bullethead had to relearn all the stuff I was taught in the academy about foot pursuits after I just about had my head turned into a canoe by a guy who was thinking about his next gunfight while I was thinking about my next arrest. Believe me, that s a bad time to learn a lesson. Like most young cops, I was under the impression that bad things hardly ever happen and certainly wouldn t happen to me that night. Pure luck is about the only reason I m still around to discuss that bad decision and hopefully never make another decision anywhere near as bad.
If you re trying to prove yourself or impress someone by chasing some crook by yourself and unarmed, stand down and grow up. If this actually impresses some cops, immediately erase them from your list of role models because they re idiots. Bullethead has some friends out in Ohio, and if I hear about any unarmed auxiliary deputies engaging in solo foot pursuits, I ll personally come out there and shove my boot at least three feet into your fourth point of contact.
As much fun as it was to sucker punch the tar out of you with English and tactical issues, let s move on and work on your question. It s just another lesson, and you re lucky to have learned it early. The frowners, as you call them, exist at every level of police work and will do everything in their power to add to their numbers. I cringe every time some young cop gets assigned to work anywhere near these bozos. Some youngsters will make it through and turn into real cops as soon as they get a chance, but others are doomed and will turn into the same thing as their mentors: useless bags of bad attitude filling a uniform. Usually filling it poorly.
These chumps spend their time talking about how horrible police work is and how their department is by far the worst place in the world to work. The funny thing is, none of these morons have the balls to get out of police work and go do something else. They give us all a bad name because they bring that attitude to every contact they have with the public. They talk down to people constantly and have completely forgotten that we re all here to help people. These are the idiots who tell people they re too busy to help them deal with their problem. I love that one helping people is exactly what they re paid to do.
No need to drop down to their level and get in arguments. Let them say their piece, smile and move on. For them, the job is just a paycheck, and they can t imagine anyone doing it for less or for free. Truth is, who cares what they or anyone else thinks? You have reasons for working there, and they sound like good reasons.
Your part in this is real simple: Ignore these morons and keep doing your thing.
Got a question or complaint?
Let Bullethead hear about it. He ll give you his opinion with both barrels.
E-mail him at [email protected] or fax him at 619/699-6246.
