Are you prepared for life after law enforcement? Before you say yes, take some time to finish reading the next few paragraphs—they just might change your life.
The time to start thinking about what you want to do when you retire is not near the end of your career, but while your career is in full stride. The good news about this job is you can retire at an earlier age compared to people in the private sector. God willing, you can have an additional 20–30 years to enjoy your life and do things you missed out on during your career.
The bad news is some law enforcement jobs do not set well with good health and longevity. This is mainly due to shift work, stress, poor eating habits and, for some, too much alcohol intake.
When I was a young officer, I didn’t think about retirement—I was busy living in the moment. About halfway through my 30-year career, I started to think about the second part of my life, and possibly a second career. The first 15 years on the job flew by and I assumed the last 15 years would as well. Boy, was I right.
I started talking to some of my mentors and senior officers at my department who were going to retire soon and noticed three very common themes start to emerge. Even though everyone had their ups and downs during their career, they all said their time in law enforcement went by faster than they could have ever imagined. The second theme they all agreed upon was that “they would miss the clowns, but not the circus.” I’ll let you ponder what that means.
What shocked me the most was that many of these senior officers had no plans for retirement. Most said they were just going to “relax and enjoy life.” That’s fine for the first month or two, but then what?
I was taught a very strong work ethic by my father and the FTOs and mentors I worked with throughout my career. I realized early on that I was not the type of person to just sit around and relax. I had to be doing something. Retiring only to go back to my department, “doing backgrounds,” working the 960/Drop program or becoming a greeter at Walmart just wasn’t going to cut it.
From time to time, retired officers would return to the department to visit or I would see them at department functions. In talking to them, I quickly realized the retired officers who had a purpose in life, a plan and an active lifestyle were the ones who looked and acted younger and, most importantly, lived longer.
It is only natural—if you spend a lot of time working in a certain field, you will become a subject matter expert in that field. Why not share all your knowledge and experience with others? Whether during or after your career, a lot of subject matter experts turn to teaching. This can be done at the academy, community colleges or hands-on tactical schools with private companies or department sponsored events. Others find it very rewarding to share their knowledge and expertise through public speaking or seminars, by writing articles for magazines and some even take it a step further by writing and publishing books.
If you’re smart, you will actually start your second career before you retire so you can see if this is something you truly love and wish to continue. You may find out what you thought you wanted to do isn’t actually for you; in time to switch gears and try something else.
As a law enforcement officer, once you have worn the badge or the star with pride and dignity, it truly never comes off. There is a fellowship that lasts long after the uniform is hung in the back of the closet. Once you retire, don’t forget we are still members of the greatest fraternity the world has ever known. Retirement truly is great. Take care and be safe.
