Welcome to spring and our latest issue of OFFICER Magazine. A few months ago, I retired from law enforcement for the second and final time. It’s been an interesting transition and making the change requires an attitude adjustment. When you’ve been in law enforcement all your adult life, or even a big enough piece of it, the behaviors are a lifestyle. Setting them aside isn’t as easy as you might think. Yes, I know retired officers and deputies who set aside the profession with seeming ease. As long as they keep themselves busy they don’t think about carrying a gun, backing up other officers they see on traffic, or even sitting without their back to the door. I also know a much larger number of officers who have had a harder time moving on from the lifestyle. Some don’t want to and some, as much as they’d like to, stress themselves by trying to and suffering through the impact on their bodies and minds.
Consider this: If you’ve spent 20-plus years making sure your back is always in a corner, you know where the entrances and exits are, and you’ve identified every person in the room that causes you the slightest concern, not doing all those things can make you feel... threatened. If not threatened, then very nervous. After you’ve spent all those years making sure you minimized every potential risk, simply ignoring that risk—which may only exist in your imagination now—can be nerve wracking. Only you can decide what is right or wrong for you to do, but I would encourage you to at least discuss the changes and challenges with your significant other. My wife has not only been tolerant and supportive throughout my career, but she’s maintained that supportive outlook since my retirement. She sees me embracing the same old behaviors and knows what kind of stress is caused when I try not to. Her outlook is, “Why try?” Nothing is hurt by maintaining the alert and aware attitude. Nothing is hurt by making sure I can see all the entrances and exits. She DOES remind me that I can no longer stop to backup officers I see alone on traffic stops.
I knew, months ahead of time, when my planned final retirement date was. I tried to make the necessary adjustments gradually, but I found it challenging to do so. Officer Survival and risk awareness never really go away, and you only hurt yourself if you attempt to force it. So, plan your retirement, retire happy, but don’t add unnecessary stress to your retirement by trying to be someone you haven’t been for decades.
There’s your unsolicited advice from a guy who retired after 40 years (to the day) in uniform. Stay safe. Stay alert. Go home every day at the end of your shift—whole in body, heart and mind. Live to enjoy your retirement and then adjust your thinking so you can.
