GUEST COMENTARYBe More Than a CopDave SmithI am of the age where the vastmajority of my peers are now retired,and many of my friends havepassed on. Those of us who are left,sit and reminisce about life and ourcareers, and there are some commonthreads in our reflections. AsI enter the last quarter of my life, Irealize there are some things I wantyou younger folks to think about andact on.All my friends who have retiredand living their best lives didn’t just“retire.” A law enforcement life is alife of adventure, service, and purpose.Having a mission in life is a keycomponent of truly living and notjust existing.In the early ‘80s, studies showedthe average police officer diedwithin five years of retirement. Holysmokes! Living a life of service andthen dying shortly thereafter seemedpretty unreasonable. Smoking, obesity,poor nutrition, inactivity, andstress were all culprits leading toshortened lifespans of the averagecrime fighter.But there was another component,a sense of loss and meaninglessness.What had been a life of truemeaning, true service, with a senseof mission, was suddenly gone. Ifyour whole identity is “I’m A Cop”and suddenly you aren’t, but ratherare cut away from the camaraderieand identity of policing, imagine thesense of loss and loneliness. Oftendivorced, with no hobbies or goals,with no “mission,” these folks reporteda sense of feeling adrift.During my career I saw efforts toreinforce the concept of becoming awhole person begin to take hold, ledby the likes of Kevin Gilmartin whosehistoric book, “Emotional Survivalfor Law Enforcement,” gained favor.You are not just “a cop.” You are ahusband, wife, father, mother, son,daughter, fisherman, skier, soccercoach, football coach, softballcoach, and on and on.This mindset shouldn’t start asyou get ready to retire, but rather itneeds to start today, whether youhave 20 in or are in your rookie year.Trust me, I know of what I speak.We used to kid about how every newcop would suddenly find themselveswith a house, a spouse and a newcar, and debt up to their ears. Soon,their hobby was an off-duty job.They could relate only to other copsand, like me, had been divorced acouple of times. At one point, I wasstressed, divorced, overweight, hadhigh blood pressure, was in debt,and wondered where I went wrong.Don’t get me wrong, I believe thisprofession is fantastic, honorable,and a wonderful way to use the lifegiven to you, but become a wholeperson now. There will come a daywhen you will no longer serve,maybe through regular retirement,or medical retirement, or someother life circumstances beyond yourcontrol. You need another mission,another reason to get up in themorning, another identity to giveyou resilience and strength. Often,my friends have continued to serveas court officers, school officers,private security, substitute teachers,ministers, and one even earned adoctorate.The goal is to have a long andhappy life, and this includes stoppingdestructive habits like smokingor lack of exercise. Easier said thandone, right? Don’t I know it, dippingsnuff since I was seventeen, I foundmyself extremely addicted to thestuff. When my youngest daughterwas born, I had a talk with myself. Iwas working out like a madman, butstill had this very dangerous habit. Icold turkeyed my way out of it, butI must confess, when we are out onthe range shooting, I will still havea powerful urge for what I used tocall, “my group tightener.”What I’m trying to say is, be opento new adventures, new hobbies,new ideas. One of my good friendshas become quite the brew masterat a local brewery. He talks hopsand malts, and sterilizing this andthat and generally is quite the beerexpert. Another has become the RVking of the road, traveling all over,exploring, learning, socializing,fishing, and generally living large. Iguess that is the idea: live large andlong.Policing seduces you with the adventureand excitement and purpose,but your career is limited by timeand age. Keep growing, learning,living, doing, and always reflect onthe future you. The goal is not thatyou won’t have setbacks and suffering,but that you will be resilient andrecover or adapt quickly, reboundingto your best self. Take it fromsomeone who has made just aboutas many mistakes as you can; I haveto say my life has been a wonderfuladventure. Just ask my wife, theSarge. It continues to be so even atmy age because I learned the lessonsI’m trying to teach you. Stay safe.Dave Smith is an internationallyrecognized law enforcement trainerand is the creator of “JD Buck Savage.”You can follow Buck on Twitterat @thebucksavage.20 The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25
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