You want to be a WHAT?!

The same week that Jimmy and I got married, he accepted a job at the City of Rocky Mount. In the several months before our wedding, he had been working as a real estate agent. We both knew that the real estate market was in the process of taking a nose dive and we also knew that it was not a reliable career to start a marriage on. So....he took the job until he could find something else in the equally pitiful job market. After working there for several months, he came home one night and told me that the City was about to open their next Police Academy. I think my response to that was something like, "And.......?" He explained that after a lot of thought, he had decided to apply to the Academy. I can't even begin to tell you the barrage of thoughts that went through my mind. All of the obvious questions came to the surface, but at that point, neither one of us knew what to expect. All we knew is that we would have to learn as we went along. As much as I didn't agree with the decision, I supported him and told him that if becoming a Police Officer is what he wanted to do, then ok. He started the Academy in January of 2008 and worked harder than I have ever seen anyone work before. By the time he graduated in May 2008, he had lost 30 pounds, had become more outgoing, outspoken and self assured than ever before. It was amazing to watch the transformation that took place and when he walked into the City Council Chambers in full uniform for graduation, I was taken aback. I realized that he would no longer be the Jimmy that I had met a few years before. He was in a position of authority and therefore a target in more ways than one. As the ceremony began, I could not have been more proud of him when I went up to pin his badge. As I watched he and his fellow officers graduate, I realized that the real danger was about to begin. He would no longer be in the safety of a classroom or under constant supervision. Eventually he would be working alone.

After graduation, he hit the streets with his field training officer for 12 weeks. Within his first 2 weeks on the job, he and his FTO were the first responders to a murder-suicide at a local nursing home. It's impossible for me to verbalize how I felt when he called me that night to let me know he would be late getting home. When he finally did, I must have asked a million questions and he didn't hold back with any details. I worried about his psychological state after witnessing the aftermath of such a terrible event, but his training had prepared him for this very situation and he seemed to be ok. By the time Jimmy left the Police Department in December of 2009, he had "seen it all" and had become almost unaffected by most of the calls he responded to, no matter how severe. His tolerance for the general public had all but disappeared and he had become very aware of his surroundings, no matter where we were.

Jimmy is now with another Police Department and most of the people that read my blog will know which department. For general safety, I will not post that information here. Unfortunately, one of the many outcomes of being a police officer's wife is paranoia (for good reason.)

I have a lot to say when in regard to the effects of being married to a Police Officer and I will be sharing my thoughts in a later post. I promise I will be very honest!!

Here are a few photos from his Rocky Mount graduation:


I love this picture because he had maintained a serious look for the entire graduation and after several minutes of trying to get his badge on, I finally had to have some help from the Chief. I was so embarassed.