My Rookie Memoir

Police officers spin the best tales. We see the best, and the worst, society has to offer and we face it with grit and determination. Because of this, it changes who we are, how we live our lives and how we view the public in general. When the opportunity presented itself, we would sit around and share war stories with one another. As the laughter, and competition of who faced a more gruesome situation, died down the more tenured in the group always concluded with the same reflection: I always wished I had spent just a little time, each day, and written down even a sentence while these memories were fresh in my mind. Now, I'm sure I have forgotten more than I remember. Several experiences in my life, including the loss of a grandfather and the near death of my own father brought to light the fact that all of who I am, and what I have accomplished in my life, would be gone unless I took the initiative to leave a legacy for my children. In 2003, while working undercover, I did just that. I was on surveillance, sitting alone in my car, and decided to begin writing down the more extraordinary stories from my personal experiences. The journal quickly grew into a much bigger project. My initial intention was to keep my "journal" in a plain document format and print two copies, one for each child. But as the project grew I sought criticism from peers and friends who, after reading my stories, encouraged me to find a way to get published, making them available to a broader audience. Now, after seven years of "journaling" I have decided to conclude this project. It describes how I chose law enforcement, the steps I took to get there and the experiences I faced during the first eleven years in this noble profession. Every detail in this book is to the best of my recollection and presented in a way to give credit to the men and women who I've had the honor to serve with.