Originally Posted by spasm3
Originally Posted by jeepman3071
Originally Posted by Ws6
It's really odd. Almost like a Stockholm syndrome of sorts. I see that in people a lot in my field, as well. I think it's a misplaced sense of duty. Noone cares about you, and your job doesn't care about you, and if you drop dead tomorrow, someone is going to step right into your shoes at work most likely. So stop sacrificing yourself an ounce more than necessary to properly do your job, and when you can stop---STOP!
Yup, he was off work for a few weeks due to shoulder surgery. Ended up working from home during his time off to "make things easier" and went back earlier than the doctor said. I'll never understand it. I have a great work ethic and go above and beyond while I'm at work, but when I'm not, that is my time to enjoy life.
Some people need a sense of purpose, the job gives them that. Even if it's a stressful job, for some it's the sense of being needed or having a purpose in life.
I have wondered if this loss of purpose is behind some leo suicides after they retire.
Maybe some, but I bet a lot of it is because they realize just how pointless it all was (People can't be fixed, they are destructive and evil by nature, as a species), coupled with being treated like trash by the people they constantly put their life on the line for $25/hr for, coupled with the constant barrage of social media telling them how horrible they are. Many officers get into LE because they want to "fix" wrongs. They get all excited. They arrest their first dirtbag. They watch that dirtbag walk with a fraction of what SHOULD happen to them, or nothing at all. They then log onto their facebook to see a co-worker being torn apart on social media for "abuse of power" with a few still shots of said-coworker taking a baton to a guy...who the story conveniently left out had tried to stab the officer just seconds prior...
Man, it's maybe "loss of purpose", in some cases, but in far more, I'd wager it's "realization and disillusionment" that $25/hr wasn't enough to deal with that mess, and you never were going to have a prayer of "fixing" anything, anyway, in the broad scheme, and now people hate you.
I know some good people who are cops, and some good people who were cops. They are much happier after moving on from the long hours and constant abuses and relatively low pay in most areas.