Help!!!!!

[chrisc]

I need some advice....maybe some one here can help me out.

As many of yall know im in Law Enforcement. I love my job more than anything in the world. I couldnt ask for a better job. Thats also my problem.

I am extremely paranoid about losing it.

I have had a incident or two. One involved me backing my patrol car into a van. My supervisor has broke his boot off in me a time or two and that has cured most of the issues. I dont repeat anymistake twice. However it seems I make a lot of mistakes. I was really paranoid for a while but I was able to calm down with the help of some co-workers.

Recently a couple people were cut loose due to their conduct on and off duty. One guy was a Sgt. w/ 12 years on the force. This has got me worked up again because if they will cut him loose then they wont blink an eye to cut a junior officer loose for messing up.

Any advice?

[Bel-Cam Jos]

Continue to do what you do well. Be calm, as being nervous and anxious makes people careless or overly careful. Be positive; it sounds cheesy and New Age-y, but a good frame of mind is helpful.

Or, lock the door. And hope they don't have blasters. (that isn't very reassuring, sorry ).

[TeeEye7]

First, I have to relate a story to Chris before I go on:

When one of our deputies was brand-spanking new, on probation and in Field Training (new kids usually spent time working corrections before hitting the streets back in those days), he wrecked three, count 'em three patrol vehicles in one shift! Not only is he still employed but he's now a Commander (third highest rank in the department....just below Chief Deputy and the Undersheriff)!

Back to business. Are you still on probation? Are any of your faux pas truly grounds for termination? Do you have an Officer's Association or Union? (They can be a huge resource when it comes to personnel matters for representation, advice, etc. on serious matters. I'd check in with them especially if you're paying dues....that's why you pay into them. They're there to help you!).

Is this just some dill weed supervisor trying to make you a "project" for whatever reason? If so, document all of his actions.

The officers recently terminated on your department must have really screwed up to lose their jobs it sounds to me. Being a cop, you're held to a higher standard both on and off the job. Hopefully, you've been made aware of the police officer (in New Jersey, I think) who had his posted views on MySpace entered into court on a case and it ended up working in favor of the defendant (why does the name Mark Furman come to mind right now?). The job of a police officer holds tremendous powers and responsibilities that must not be taken lightly. In my almost 24 years with working with deputies, I've seen plenty of people fall by the wayside because of arrogance and/or misjudgment of their mission: to serve the public (like it or not, you're a role model!). I don't know the specifics of their cases, but what I just described has been the downfall I've seen happen through the years.

BCJ is right with his advice, in my opinion. Just put your head down and concentrate on being the best officer you know you are and prove any distractors wrong! Trust your training (past and current), seek counsel from you colleagues, and I'll bet things will look up!

[dr_evazan22]

Besides saying I agree with BCJ's and TI7's advice, I would say BREATHE. Inhale deeply, hold it for a beat, and exhale. Repeat a couple of times. It will help to loosen you up some.

Ultimately, the only thing you can control is yourself, so use your training to be the best cop you can be. As far as mistakes go, everyone makes them. Especially newer hires. You'll learn a lot more from your mistakes then from your success', and you said your not making the same ones twice.

[Tycho]

Do not arrest any friends of Barack Obama's. If you see a Harvard Alumni window sticker on a car, for example, they're probably a friend of the President's.

So call for backup even if it's a cat-in-the-tree type of thing, (because you might be accused of species profiling) and when you make out your report, say you saw nothing - you were just covering the other officer.