Message #467012

[DSmith]

18 years working the streets on the east side of San Antonio and an FTO the last 6 years, I think I know what I'm talking about. 
I'm not barely scrappin' by, don't work many extra jobs anymore, base pays about $70K plus the benefits.  Guys that that do work a lot of extra jobs are making 6 figures.  I've got about 6 months total time built up with comp time, holidays, bonus days, sick days, vacation days, and fitness days.  I could literally take off for six months, paid.  I'm maxed out on every column except vacation and I'll have that maxed by the time I hit 20, then I HAVE TO TAKE OFF 2 months a year or I'll lose it.  Yeah, let me complain about that.
My wife, my first and only wife, and I just celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary on the 18th.   We just moved my oldest daughter, who was born the week before I went in the academy up to A&M at College Station.  We had her college tuition paid for by the time she was 10, same with my youngest, the 12 year old.  Been putting the money aside for both since they were born. 
Do I get tired of the "baby momma drama?"  Sure, there are times when enough is enough.  But life is good, the job is great, and I have never, ever in my 18 years dreaded going into work or found myself saying "thank God it's Friday."  I still jump on every call that I can take, whether it's for me or another officer that's already been assigned.  If I can get there first, I take it and cancel them. 
If I honestly thought people suck and found my job to be something I dreaded doing everyday, I  wouldn't keep doing it.  I actually love my job, love dealing with the people, yes, all of them, and highly recommend the job to those that can do it.   
And they don't call the eastside of San Antonio "crack ally" for nothing.  There's a hardly a day/night that goes by without a shots fired call and we average around 3 murders a month.  We joke that no one there has a drivers license but they all know their jail ID number by heart, so that's what we ask for.  When people ask us, 'aren't you guys afraid working the eastside and I always reply, "no, you know everyone is armed, so it takes the guess work out."  70% precent of the people that I 'serve' don't have jobs, vote democrat so they can keep getting SSI, are in a gang, don't own a car legally, and can't tell the truth to save their life.  But I don't have the attitude that people suck.  I just do my job, treat people with respect, and every once in a while, I come across one of those people that actually appreciates us and the job that we do and that's all you can ask for.
The job is what you make it.  People ask me all the time about how do we deal with the stress of the job.  We all laugh at that, "we ask in return WHAT STRESS?"  If I was stressed everyday being a cop, then that means I'm in the wrong job.  If a doctor is stressed because he's about to go into surgery and operate on some guys heart, then he's in the wrong job and I'd hate to be the guy on the table. 
And we got a union, yeah, I'm stressed out about that too.  Thanks to them we are getting another pay raise come October 1st, should I tell the wife?