Police life = the poor life?

I saw this online the other day and not only did it make me laugh, but I thought, "F'reals tho!" How many times have you been driving down the road and you see an entertainment center, a sofa, anything at all with a FREE sign on it, and you really do slow down and do a double take?! I admit, I've done that more than a few times. Not only because it's a hobby to repurpose and update furniture, but because we don't have the money for all of the things! 

If one things is true it is this: Police do not get into policing for the money. I repeat: They don't do it for the money! Many police officers have side hustles, cover shifts, do overtime, special events, etc. to make ends meet. If they are married, their spouse 99.9% of the time is working as well so that they can afford to get by, especially if kids are in the picture. It's just a fact. Money is always a conversation. Always a stress. Always something that requires a lot of maneuvering. 

So why choose to be a police officer? Good question. It varies between one officer and the next. For HF, he was a little older when he decided to become a cop. Late twenties. We got married young and started our family. We finished our degrees with little kids in tow and worked at the same time. When we finished school and were making decisions about our future, law enforcement had always been one of his interests. Now that we are a decade into this profession, it's complicated. I can't speak for other LEOs and their families, but for us, we talk often about if he should keep doing what he's doing. Many things go under consideration: Money (notice I said money first), safety, physical health, mental health, climbing the ranks, office politics, city politics, and much more. 

I think in this day and age, for not just financial reasons, a lot of cops are getting out before retirement. We've seen this among our brothers and sisters here. We just don't get paid enough to be shot at, spit at, blamed, hated, etc. Sometimes it's a work related injury that forces you out. There's as many reasons as there are officers. 

What about you? Are you "poor" too? How do you make it work? 👮