What are the best and worst parts about being a LEO?

[Retmilleo909]

Other than preventing someone from being injured or killed or saving a life, what do you think are the best and worst parts of being a LEO?
I use to enjoy watching some dirtbag, who had set fire to an occupied house at 2 AM, sweat and squirm when the jury came out with a guilty verdict.
The worst part was stake-outs and working all hours of the days and nights.

[gozling]

best parts:
Having a close feeling of family with my brothers. I was an only child and was not close with family... so having a squad that is like a family really meant a lot to me. The action was great too... every day waking up not knowing what stupidity I would walk into next and then laughing about it later.

worst parts:
Being hung up in court to have it hold over another day, when I just want to be out and active. Sitting on a perimeter for hours and hours and hours with out my emergency cooler stocked in the car . Having to use the bathroom something fierce and the dispatcher gives you an emergency call while you are trying to wipe....
Not being able to just sit and eat a meal in peace without that wierd hiding feeling in the car.

[Resident Smart Ass]

Best part:

The Camaraderie, especially when you go to other states

The worst part:

Lawyers

[Bob Loblaw]

When I was living in Toledo and waiting for the results of the Civil Service test, I met a TPD detective in a bar one night. Not knowing then that it wasn't kosher to nerd a cop with stupid questions that he's heard a million times, I bought him a drink and hammered away. I will borrow from him to answer this question, which is one of the same I asked him. "The best and worst parts of the job? The people, and the people."

[ex401mp]

The best part- legally kicking the shit out of the bad guy who desperately deserves it, then watch them get a good long sentence in court later.

Worse part- listening to non certified wannabes telling everyone they will ticket a cop if they stop in "their" town if they ever get hired.

[Retmilleo909]

Before going with the state and working as a street Cop there wasn't a best part only the worst.
Hassling with cursing, sweaty, puking and wild swinging drunk and disorderlies and trying to hold them on their feet till the paddy wagon arrived are nightmares that still flash back in my wildest dreams.
Also, having to appear in court as the arrestng officer on these dirtbags the following morning, after working the graveyard shift, was like hell on wheels. Back then, the judge held city court every day but Saturdays and Sundays.
Unless things have drastically changed, I feel for and can sympathize with and salute all you fine city Cops if you have to go through with this on a daily basis.

[armsmaster270]

Best: Rescuing a 56 year old lady who was being raped and sodomized by a 18 year old, high on glue sniffing, then dumping the ass hat when he tried to stab me. Worse, same incident forced me to retire due to a herniated disk recieved avoiding the knife.

[jcsdscott]

Best: waking up every time and thanking God that I am doing what I am meant to do

Worst: watching people's loved ones hurt because they crashed and killed themselves and/or someone else, and not be able to do something about it

[gozling]

Before going with the state and working as a street Cop there wasn't a best part only the worst.
Hassling with cursing, sweaty, puking and wild swinging drunk and disorderlies and trying to hold them on their feet till the paddy wagon arrived are nightmares that still flash back in my wildest dreams.
Also, having to appear in court as the arrestng officer on these dirtbags the following morning, after working the graveyard shift, was like hell on wheels. Back then, the judge held city court every day but Saturdays and Sundays.
Unless things have drastically changed, I feel for and can sympathize with and salute all you fine city Cops if you have to go through with this on a daily basis.

yeah.. it would really suck doing this job via the stage coach days.. (thats a joke)

[baumshoe]

Best- Working with my partners. Worse-Dealing with members of management that dont know nothing.

[CT209]

Best thing- End-of-Shift.

Worst thing- Getting up to go to work.

What can I say- I'm in a slump!

[jmur5074]

"The best and worst parts of the job? The people, and the people."

I'm just going to steal that line.

I can't stand the majority of the people we deal with. And that's not just including the drunks and addicts. That includes attorneys, judges, victims who protect their abusers, liars in general, etc.

But in the same token, I love my coworkers and am willing to die for them. And even though you don't hear it often, hearing a "thank you" or something similar from someone that you honestly, truly, really did help is an unbelievable high that I can't even explain. Especially when it's something significant like a sex assault, robbery, domestic abuse, etc.

[Wolven]

Best: Comraderie. The Brotherhoood. Whatever you want to call it. Absolutely the best in the worst of times even if sometimes on a daily basis you want to poke the eyes out of a co-worker. Working like hell to prove a case and then seeing that person go to prison. And I agree with JMur..sometimes a simple thank you can mean so damn much.

Worst: Watching the same people commit the same crimes year after year without receiving just punishment. Watching someone you know is guilty of a heinous crime get off because of some damn techinicality that has nothing to do with the case itself ("So Sgt So and So..you didn't cross your "t"s so we will let Johnny Shitbag rapist out of jail"). The juvenile court system. Worthless...completely worthless.

[Retmilleo909]

yeah.. it would really suck doing this job via the stage coach days.. (thats a joke)

Ahh!!.. to be holding those reins and to be in control of that old stage coach again, when Miranda was just another Italian pizza spinner and the ACLU was just a few meaningless letters.

[jmur5074]

and the ACLU was just a few meaningless letters.

In my opinion it still is.