PO Potatoes- The thoughts and musings of a crime fighting Potato

  When my star was pinned on my chest during the ceremony at the academy I had a great sense of pride and relief.  Relief that the academy was over and I had made it, and pride because I had joined what I felt to be the greatest department this profession has to offer.  Every kid at some point wants to be a cop…along with a firefighter, astronaut, soldier, racecar driver, and so on.  I just wanted to be a cop more than most; my closest friend, also a cop, was the one who pinned my star on my chest and a huge reason I even joined the profession.  The idea to become a cop was solidified at the funeral for 1st Deputy John Thomas as then Superintendent Terry Hillard talked about his friend.  I could see the respect and admiration in how he spoke of his friend and colleague and I wanted to desperately be a part of that fraternal feeling. I knew the job would be hard, not just physically but mentally.  I filled my head with as much knowledge on the human reaction to stress, violence, opposit

Like most cops I'm pretty guarded.  I was like that before getting on the job and it isn't about to change now, and if anything I'm even more so.  Working as a cop we see a bit more of the sadness, despair, and destruction that people cause to each other.  Our fellow first responders on the fire and EMS side also do and can relate. So why is it a bad idea to ask a cop "How ya feeling?" or even "How ya doing?"? It's a pretty normal thing to ask someone right?  I mean we all ask each at the station when processing an arrest or during the few minute lull before the bosses walk in at roll call.  But why is it a bad question? Because every cop has an answer. "Fine." Now, outside of law enforcement it's a standard, and probably correct, answer.  But to a cop it can carry a different meaning.  A "fine" can mean "eh, I'm tired but it's my Friday" or "my wife and kids are pissing me off" or "I jus