Christian Faith & Law Enforcement

[Roger Dat]

don't listen to the guy (troll) who said "don't listen to the guy (phantasm) who said being a leo is a 24/7 job". Troll didn't understand what phantasm was saying.

+1......

[retdetsgt]

You are generally on call, more or less 24-7. That never choked me up too much. There were a few times I was called up for duty when I'd rather have stayed at home, e.g. the Rodney King riots....

And some people do think of themselves as on duty 24-7. That's cool if they like it, but like Troll, when I got home I did my best to be in the role of husband, Dad, etc. and leave the police work at the office. Of course I couldn't do that completely, especially as a detective where I carried cases for months, even years sometimes. But after the first several years I tried my best to quit getting my primary identity as a cop.

The power you have as a police officer can be seductive. And some people have problems dropping that persona and the power that goes with it when they take off the uniform. I don't think it's a good idea to look at the job that way for several reasons. I've seen cops try to run their families like they run their district or sector. For them, it wasn't uncommon to see their own kids get arrested down the line and they may have serial marriages. And like I said, once you leave the job for good, you better have some self worth based on more than what you did for a living.

[phantasm]

by 24-7 I mean that its an around the clock job. If you expect sundays off, don't, if you expect to be off on Easter or Christmas, don't. If you expect that just because you have a Sunday or holiday as your regular scheduled day off, remember you may be ordered in for overtime. If you don't want a 24-7 job, become a banker. THAT was my point, that not you have to always act like a cop.

[Group9]

by 24-7 I mean that its an around the clock job. If you expect sundays off, don't, if you expect to be off on Easter or Christmas, don't. If you expect that just because you have a Sunday or holiday as your regular scheduled day off, remember you may be ordered in for overtime. If you don't want a 24-7 job, become a banker. THAT was my point, that not you have to always act like a cop.

+1. No matter how hard you try to keep LE from interfering in your normal life, it will. I was stuck two states away, working all Christmas Day, on what was my last chance to have Christmas dinner with my father. And, I volunteered, because I didn't have any kids at the time, and thought guys with kids should have that day (and Christmas Eve) off instead of me.

Another friend of mine, missed what would have been his last Thanksgiving, to help me out on a case that I got stuck in the position of having to do that day. He was shot and killed in the line of duty a short time later, and I never stop thinking about what I deprived him and his family of by causing him to miss that last Thanksgiving.

It is a 24/7 job sometimes, and that makes it even more important to not take it home with you when you are off.

But, back to the whole Christian in law enforcement thing. You do see things that make you wonder what in the world God's big plan could possibly be. But, I always figure it's like a one year old trying to figure out where his parents are taking him in a stroller ride. Just because the one year old doesn't see or understand exactly what is happening or going on, doesn't mean his parents don't have a plan that will make sense in the end. :D

In God's eyes, and from his perspective, we are one year old's, I would imagine.

[ShadowWarrior]

I too like you am a Christian. You may want to look up this group, The Fellowship of Christain Police Officers:

http://www.fcpo.org/links.html

This is from their website:
The Fellowship of Christian Peace Officers (FCPO) is a national ministry comprised of Christian men and women from all areas of the criminal justice system.

Individually and through our chapters we have joined together for three purposes:

To provide support and accountability to Christian officers in various agencies;
To become more effective witnesses for Christ to those around us;
To learn how to disciple and train others to carry out the Great Commission.


Being a police officer is one of the best ways you can serve your fellow man and accomplish a life long ideal of being one of Gods tools for good.

Just a few times biblical enteries for a LEO or prospective LEO to look at:
Old Testament

Genesis 3:24 - Police of Eden – Cherubim – Awesome police with weapons (better than a “Glock”).

Genesis 37:36, 39; 40:3,7; 41:9 – Potiphar – Top Cop – captain of the Guard – Prison Warden; Chief Executioner

Genesis 40 – Cupbearer – Secret Service – Test the food and provide security

Genesis 42:17, 24 – House arrest

Exodus 6:8 – Raise your right hand in court

Numbers 13 – Undercover work – Joshua & Caleb

Joshua 2:1 – Undercover work – Spies to search out Jericho

1 Samuel 22:14 – David – Special protection – bodyguard to Saul

1 Samuel 26:15 – Abner as a personal bodyguard

1 Samuel 28:2 – bodyguard to Philistine King Achish – David

1 Kings 10:5 – Secret Service – Cupbearers to Solomon

2 Kings 1:9 – Leadership Management – Police sent to take Elijah into custody

2 Kings 11:4-12 – Security force, Secret Service, White House Division – Temple police, bodyguards – guarding the Temple – Religious police

1 Chronicles 18:17 – Benaiah – David’s bodyguard

Nehemiah 1:11 – Secret Service – Leadership Management

Nehemiah 4:9 – Shift work

Nehemiah 7:1-3 – Police protections for a city – Gates, gatekeepers, duty, citadel, Police Chief Hananiah

Job 24:1-4, 13-17 – Criminals

Psalms 44: 6-8 – Protection not in weapons
Psalms 101 – A Police Officers Prayer

Proverbs 29:2 – Results of righteousness among police (authority)

Isaiah 9:7 – Justice and righteousness belong to together

Isaiah 33:15-16 – Godly police Motto

Isaiah 56:10-12 – Lazy and blind police

Isaiah 62:6 – Watchmen on your walls

Jeremiah 40 – Good officer – Nebuzaradan

Ezekiel 9:1 – Heavenly Police – Spiritual realm – guardian angels over cities, nations & individual people

Ezekiel 10:12 – Cherubim – Heavenly police

Ezekiel 28:14-19 – Satan was a heavenly guardian Cherub but was fired for being a bad cop

Ezekiel 33:2 – Watchman – Police guarding a city

Daniel 2:17 – Arioch – commander of the Kings guard – good officer

Daniel 3:2 – Sheriffs

Amos 2:6-8 – Corruption and criminal activity

Amos 5:7, 10, 12 – Those opposed to justice and righteousness, perjury, bribes

Amos 5:15 - Justice and the court system – (hate evil, love good)

Amos 6:12 – Justice into poison, righteousness into bitterness

Micah 6:8 – good Police Motto – (Justice, Mercy, Godliness)

Zechariah 9:11 – Jail (waterless pit – cisterns)

New Testament
Matthew 8:5-13; Luke 7:1-10 – Centurion of Capernaum – Jesus healed servant

Matthew 27:54; Luke 23:47 – Centurion at the cross

Matthew 27:65 – Police at tomb

Mark 15:16 – Military police from the Palace

Luke 3:14 – Honest Police

Luke 22:52 – Temple Police

John 7:45 – Temple Police

John 18:12 – Military Police

Acts 4:1 – Military Police over the temple – (Captain)

Acts 9:2 – Special Deputy – Saul

Acts 10 – Chief of Police – Cornelius

Acts 16:22-30 – Jailer, (corrections) – The jailer, a cop, asks the most important question in the Bible

Acts 16:35 – Court officers

Acts 17:9 – Bonding practice

Acts 17:31 – Jesus as the Supreme Judge

Acts 21:31 – Riot Police – Military Police

Acts 24:1 – Lawyer – Tertullus – bought and paid for

Acts 24:22 – Claudius Lysias – Police Commander in charge of Jerusalem

Acts 25:3 – Festus in charge of the police – both civilian and military

Acts 27:1-3 – Julius the Marshall – Imperial Regiment

Acts 28:16 – Paul’s house arrest

2 Corinthians 10:4 – Heavenly weapons available to Christian police

Ephesians 6:10-20 – Protective gear

Philippians 1:12 – Corrections Officer guarding Paul – Palace Police

Philippians 4:21 – Palace personnel, Palace police among them

Revelation 20:1 – Angelic Police arrest Satan and detain

I have seen the worst that man can do to another man, I have seen the belly of the Beast. I fear no man or evil.. but have a healthy respect for them... for I know I am just and right. Thats my own little mantra I use when I speak at church groups.

Be Well...

[kels]

Going to your place of worship has other benifits also.
It allows you to interact with "nice" people.
Not just the trash at work.

It allows you to have interaction in a non LEO enviroment
and it allows others to see you as a person, not just the
LEO in the patrol car.


As others have said, leave the job at work.
When you come home, be there for the family.

The same applys at work.
If someone wants to hear about your place of worship,
they will ask.
Trying to convert everyone else isnt going to work.
Up to the point it can cost you your job if there are
enough complaints.
Been there, done that, seen the crestfallen face when
the LT told someone to leave their Bible at home.

[Cru5ader]

I want to thank you all for your responses. I honestly did not expect such hard-hitting and meaningful feedback from a forum, but I am more than pleasantly surprised.

I also want to give a special thanks to retdetsgt for his testimony. You spoke directly to most of the matters on my mind about this issue, and raised some that I had not thought of but am very glad that you brought to my attention. Thank you, brother.

I have one more question. It's pretty general, but I am curious what the veterans (and all, for that matter) have to say about this...

Do/did you look at being a Law Enforcement Officer as just any other "job", or was the selfless aspect of the job (devoting much of your time, and putting yourself in harms way, to uphold the law and protect the rights of your fellow citizens, and keep and promote order and peace in the community that you served) what kept you on above all? Was it more about it being a fun job that stayed interesting and gave you a paycheck, or about the fact that each day you affecting lives in a positive way and made a different in the community that you served? What aspect of the job was most responsible for leading you in, and then keeping you on?

[SnapShawt]

Idealism led me into it, but reality keeps me in it.

I worked last night and am really tired, so maybe I'll log back on and explain that later.