Apprehension about being a cop

[camaroman18]

I'm very interested in becoming a police officer and have done three ride alongs in two diff. areas thus far. The first two were great and i really enjoyed everything. This last time was the first time that i really got bothered, mentally shaken. The officer was disbatched to a domestic violence and the man had a knife, just the look in his eyes and the way he responded to the police, his attitude showed that he could care less about stabbing his wife, and he was ready to take on anyone in his way including the police. I've been in a couple fist fights but never anything with a hardened criminal like this guy. Anyway it really spooked me, it was a situation i had never been in before and i was glad i was not the one who had to deal with the guy. It made me question if i want to deal with people like that on a daily basis. My question is does this apprhension get better as you deal more with these situations, and how well does the training help wih feeling comfortable with these situations.

Thanks for any replys

[txinvestigator1]

I'm very interested in becoming a police officer and have done three ride alongs in two diff. areas thus far. The first two were great and i really enjoyed everything. This last time was the first time that i really got bothered, mentally shaken. The officer was disbatched to a domestic violence and the man had a knife, just the look in his eyes and the way he responded to the police, his attitude showed that he could care less about stabbing his wife, and he was ready to take on anyone in his way including the police. I've been in a couple fist fights but never anything with a hardened criminal like this guy. Anyway it really spooked me, it was a situation i had never been in before and i was glad i was not the one who had to deal with the guy. It made me question if i want to deal with people like that on a daily basis. My question is does this apprhension get better as you deal more with these situations, and how well does the training help wih feeling comfortable with these situations.

Thanks for any replys

How old are you?

You should always listen to what your mind tells you. You seem to have good introspection. I suggest you actuall speak to a LEO in person about this. That dialog will be better in person.

[Group9]

Talk to the officers you ride with about it. But, I will add that it is amazing what you can get used to.

[camaroman18]

i'm 22 i have a bachelors degree in accounting and im getting my masters in finance right now, i really want to head towards the FBI but i need something to do for a couple of years untill i apply. I know i can handle the stress i was just wondering how some of you guys felt when you first started.

[DeltaV]

You will get the training and the tools that help you deal with those situations. Just tonight we had to arrest a combative, intoxicated transient who had stumbled into a classy restaurant in a nice part of town. He was kicking and screaming all the way to the car, cussing, spitting, etc. After searching him, we found that he was armed with a screwdriver. Luckily, he didn't try to use it. Once we got him in the car, I happened to glance over at the restaurant and saw pretty much all the diners who were eating on the patio with a stunned look on their face. I'm sure they were wondering how and why we want to deal with people like this. I didn't really think much of the whole ordeal.

Yes, you get used to it. You will learn defensive tactics and street tactics in training. You'll also be trained to use a variety of intermediate weapons, in addition to your firearm. You'll develop the confidence in yourself that you'll be able to deal with stressful situations. You shouldn't develop the "tombstone courage" mentality, but you also can't be meek out there. Both are equally as dangerous.

[camaroman18]

thanks for your reply's