22 months on the job

image from here

It's been a while since I talked about what's going on with HF's job.

Patrol Update:
The usual: People feigning innocence, being jerks, lying, trying to ruin lives, etc. HF's department hired two new officers so he is no longer the lowest of the low. Ain't that somethin'. HF is testing a wireless microphone system that may be implemented for the entire patrol division. He is excited about that. I'll start sharing more patrol stories soon. They will include HF being asked out, people recording HF while he's interacting with others, being called a dirty cop, incredibly stupid people such as those riding skateboards and bikes and doing tricks on the police station's steps and rails and arguing with HF about it. "I didn't know that this was a police station", and other stupid quotes.

RAD Update:
HF is still a RAD instructor. He is not currently teaching any classes because of his new shift schedule, but assists when he can. A few weeks ago he gave an into class for a women's church group and that was a blast to see him in action as a teacher. He loves teaching and is good at it. He ended the class showing a couple of things that the women could do and they loved it. I think quite a few of them will end up signing up for RAD. That's the hardest thing for people to realize I think. They think that they can learn a couple of these techniques and call it good, but they don't realize that it's a lifetime endeavor and takes practice.

Besides HF getting the crap kicked out of him by a bunch of girls and coming home with bruises and welts, concussions and chipped teeth (yes, that's all with the red suit on), there is the ocassional happy story. One of the things that HF loves about teaching classes is that he gets to see transformations take place with these women. They start out weak and afraid, especially those who are survivors of rape or aggression. At the end of the class they are confident and strong. One of these girls, who is a rape survivor came back to class full of excitement. At the end of a date she was on, her date wouldn't take no for an answer (if you know what I mean), so she punched him in the nose, breaking his nose and screamed, "I SAID NO!" And she got out of there. I have never seen or met this girl and when HF told me about it, I was thrilled. That might sound strange to some of you to be thrilled that she broke somebody's nose, but for a woman, especially a rape survivor, to be able to do this is complete control over mind and body and it is a beautiful thing. It made my day to hear about this, and HF felt like what he's teaching them is worthwhile and important.

CJ Update:
It's true. She's back. Kind of. She has some kind of obsession with law enforcement and HF's agency specifically. Her current facebook status still says that she is a reserve detective for said department. Recently, she interviewed to become a dispatcher. Although we are still scratching out heads at how she landed the interview given her history with the department and her infamous FTO experience, she had an extensive interview. She brought elaborately decorated cupcakes for the entire center (which is nice) and HF's friend, who works in there said that she came in for a tour and said, "There sure is a lot of clicking going on in here!". Thankfully, her former FTO had sent a letter to the dispatch supervisor detailing some of her history. While this might seem cruel, if you kept up with her shenanigans while she was in the academy and on FTO, you would know that she needs to choose a career in modeling, hosting, interior design, or other social based enterprises. Seriously. Or there's news anchorwoman, air hostess, etc. You get the idea. Police work or dispatching  for her would put others in harm's way. For real. CJ Refresher course here.

SWAT Update:
I'll tell you all about it in March.

Personal Update:
If you've been reading this blog from the beginning, you know that HF has had a lot of success. He graduated top of his class, and while on the job has generally done everything right and has received a lot of praise. He is well-liked by his colleagues and even well-liked by some of his clients! He seems to have an amazing intuition about people and what to do in any given situation. Having said all that . . . lately, he has been really hard on himself and is showing a lack of confidence that is unusual.

Let me take you back 2 months. HF got in a minor car accident. He backed into a parked car. It didn't damage the police cruiser, but did cause some damage to the parked car. The result is that the department determined that he needed remedial drivers training. HF prides himself on his driving and it was a mistake he never thought he would make so early on in his career. He started wondering and really nit picking, "What else do I think I know but I don't really know?". It's like he is in the academy again. He is studying more and is being so hard on himself. Can you say perfectionist? The more he learns, the more he realizes he doesn't know anything. He is surrounded by a multitude of officers that have a decade (or two or three decades) experience on the job and he is trying to do as much as he possibly can now to offset what he lacks in experience. So anyways, what used to be your average game face getting ready for work each day, has turned into more intense focus and determination getting ready for work each day. I would love to hear your personal thoughts on this. For you more seasoned officers, is this something that happens periodically? For you newer officers, have you gone through this?