Why I became a cop
I grew up in the seventies and it seemed every show on TV was about cops. Re-runs of ‘Dragnet’, ‘Adam-12’, ‘The Rookies’ and all the current programs like ‘Kojack’, ‘Police Woman’, ‘Police Story’, ’Columbo’, “Barney Miller’, ’Starsky and Hutch’ and my favorite ‘SWAT’. Not to mention all the private investigator shows. The eighties brought ‘Hill Street Blues’ which brought a grittier version of Adam-12 to the small screen.
Police work looked cool. You got to drive fast and carry guns. You got to protect the innocent and catch bad guys. Plus when you’re little these uniformed men and women looked larger than life. I grew up in a middle class neighborhood and had police officers for neighbors. Nice family guys that helped coach little league and youth hockey.
I started liking the idea of being a cop. Then in fifth grade Officer Moore of the Framingham PD spoke at career day at school. He explained all of the different calls he responded to and how the job was fun but scary at times. That sounded a hell of a lot more interesting than sitting in an office wearing a suit.
Plus I fit the uniform. I was tall in middle and high school with broad shoulders. When friends’ parents asked what I wanted to be I told them a cop. They would say, “You look like a cop.” Studied Criminal Justice at Northeastern University and even in my Deadhead phase I wanted to be a cop. (The Deadhead phase is still very present in my life. I wouldn’t be able to cope without some Jerry every once in a while)
Now I’ve been doing police work for 17 years and I still love it. I enjoy helping people and catching the occasional bad guy.
