After posting yesterday about what I am planning to do, I realized
that I failed to take a step back and tell you what I have already done. I had
a post on here last year when I first started this thing, but deleted
everything because I am dumb like that. So, let me take a second to tell you a
little more about me and what I have done with my life.
After high school I joined the Air Force, but didn’t fulfill
my complete contract because of an injury I sustained which ended in a
discharge. After that I kind of milled around a little, with no true direction,
just trying to stay out of trouble. After a few years I decided that it was
time to follow my childhood dream and become a police officer. So, with that
thought and determination I headed down to the local community college, the
place that offers the police academy in Ohio, and located the “Homeland
Security” building. The “Homeland Security” building here housed the Police
Academy, the EMS School, Corrections Academy, and private security
certification course. After finding the correct building on campus I walked in,
marched directly upstairs, walked into the office, and told the lady sitting at
the front desk that I wanted to become a police officer and I was here to sign
up for the police academy. She give me a little hint of a smile, turned in her
chair toward a group of office cubicles, and yelled “Hey Tom, it’s for you.”
Right then a tall gentleman walked out from behind his cubicle and introduced
his self and says, “Tell me son, why do you want to be a cop?” So I did, I
explained to him with all of the enthusiasm that I could possibly muster. He
kind of smiled and said, “Well that’s fantastic, you should probably go tell
that to the people downstairs in the police academy.” I was in the EMS office…
So we kind of laughed about that for a second, and then he helped me out. He
said that the police academy just started a new class and wouldn’t be accepting
applications for the next six months or so. He told me that the Basic EMT
course was only three months and that being certified as an EMT could give me a
huge leg up on other applicants when looking for a job because a lot of police
departments in the area require at least a “First Responder” certification.
Even though I walked into this building knowing what I wanted to do, determined
to become a police officer, I walked out signed up for the Basic EMT course, a
decision that would forever change my life.
I started the basic EMT course a few weeks later, and wouldn’t
you know, I loved it! I was learning things that I never thought I would and
started to take my life in a new direction. While in the class I became friends
with a few other students who had just finished their level 1 firefighter
academy. They enchanted me with stories of walking into burning buildings, torture
that they learned to love in the fire academy, and the strong bond and “brotherhood”
that firefighters hold dear to their hearts. On top of all of this, I also
learned that the level 1 firefighter academy was also only three months. Seeing
as I had another three months before I could apply to the police academy, I
decided to sign up. I started the firefighter academy, and completely fell in
love with the job! It was unlike anything that I had ever experienced before,
and believe it or not I was pretty good at it. So, after graduation from the
academy with an EMS and Firefighter certification in hand, I made a hard left
turn and became a firefighter for the next six years.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved being a firefighter. Even being
in the military and later becoming a police officer, I have never experienced a
brotherhood like bond like there is in the fire service. I was able to help my
community, serve in a very dynamic career field, and learn more about myself
that I ever thought possible. The fire service is where I believe that I grew
up as a person, matured, and what taught me about life. Even with that, I still
had this nagging feeling that I wanted more, like there was something missing
from my life, and that something was being a police officer. Not able to shake
the feeling, I was now more determined than ever to become a cop. So, I went
back to the local community college, walked into the correct office this time,
and signed up for the next session of the police academy. After graduating the
police academy, I was lucky enough to land a job as a cop with the same city
that I was working as a firefighter for, which was amazing. Being a police
officer was everything that I had always dreamed it was, and more. Even though
I still consider the fire service as where I grew up and matured, I also
believe that being a police officer has taught me more about myself and life
than I had ever known.
I guess that brings us up to my last post. I worked as a cop
for a few years, my wife transferred out of state, and here I am, going back
through the academy in another state so that I may once again follow my dream.
As the next few months progress, I will try to keep you as informed about my
progress, the differences in the academies, and what it’s like having a little
bit of experience and going back through the basics all over again (for those
of you who care ;-). Fingers are crossed that my old set in my ways self is
able to make it through without any issues and secure my future as a Deputy
Sheriff.
As always, feel free to comment, e-mail (behindthedashcam@gmail.com),
question, or whatever your little heart desires. And thanks for reading!
