The Life of a Servant

One of the reasons I became an Officer was to be a voice for those who didn't have one. To be the protector of the innocent, or the sheepdog as some say.

There are days you feel so weighed down by the negativity, and evil in the world. You get up and you put on you vest and strap on your weapon and you walk out your door saying a silent prayer that you get to walk back in that door one more time. 

Then you get a call, domestic disturbance. The parents are dead, murder suicide. In a filthy vermin infested back room is a small toddler, sobbing, frightened, emaciated and in a filthy diaper and bedding. I speak softly, and pick the child up and wrap my coat around him and I sing. Ever so softly as I sway, tears running down my cheeks. He quiets and falls asleep in my arms. I zip my coat with him inside and walk thru the horror to my patrol car where it's warm. DPS and an ambulance will take to long so my partner drives us the short distance to the ER. I'm hesitant to let him go. I know that he needs medical care and he doesn't belong to me but.........

I insist I hold him while they checked his vitals, I helped change him, wrapped him in clean blankets and a bottle was given. He drifted off quickly and I eased him into the big metal baby jail looking crib. I was soaked with urine and God knows what else but I didn't care. This was my best day. Thank you God in heaven for letting me find and help this precious little one.

If you do it the right way, you really do contribute to a greater good. You will have experiences at work that put everything about life into perspective.

The worst part of this job, the human animal. You see the worst in people. You will be asked to do what other people are too unskilled, unwilling, or afraid to do themselves. They will be happy to judge how you do it, or criticize your decision though.

The constant judgment. Don’t get me wrong, there certainly are some officers that do wrong. They are a lot more that don’t though. Once you put that uniform on people associate you with their past experiences and assumptions. Just take a moment and thank someone who does a job that you won’t do. Thank the police officers, nurses, social workers etc. There are a lot of good people who do tough jobs. It’s nice to hear that (some) people appreciate it.

Wendy Hightower Waeghe and Brett & Kate McKay