As a police officer I think that it is very important for everyone to understand their rights. When COVID first struck my little city brass began issuing new policies. As COVID continued to spread and get worse in the country states began to issue “State of Emergency” which opens up a whole new book of special laws and abilities for the government to use. Shortly after the issuance of a “stay at home” order was issued. I will get into how COVID created a moral dilemma for me as a police officer. Who am I? After all of these new policies and laws were placed, other officers and myself began hea ..read more

It was around 0200 hrs, a fellow officer and myself were outside of our vehicles just talking when I noticed a male walking towards us. This individual gets within a few feet of me and I recognize him from many, many, MANY past experiences. For the story, this mans name will be “Bob”. He walks up to me and gives me a hug, begins explaining that he was grateful for our past experiences and it helped him change his life. Last time I encountered Bob it was just before he went to prison for nearly killing his wife, for the 5th time. Bob is a very violent offender, who can switch without a moment’s ..read more

It all started when I received a call from a concerned mother. The mother told dispatch that her son was caught with a knife, and when asked why he had this knife, he said that he was being bullied at school. For the sake of the story his name will be “John”. Upon arrival to his apartment I met with him. I sat down with him and introduced myself. I asked him what his name was, and he didn’t answer he just looked at the floor. We sat in silence for a few minutes, eventually he looked at me told me his name was “John”. Now that we were introduced to each other I asked him what was going on. He t ..read more

It is with a great privilege to announce that “Life of a Popo” has been listed on the “Top 30 Cop Blogs of 2020”! I hope to bring content that not only First Responders will enjoy, but also anyone who is interested in the career path. I would encourage everyone to stop by their page and check out the list! Click here The post Top 30 “Cop Blogs of 2020” appeared first on Life of a PoPo ..read more

Below are the three things that are important to know before entering Police Academy. Number 1 Physically fit- When I was in the hiring process I did not think much of this aspect, I figured that it could not be any worse than many of the training camps I attended for sports. I am not sure about other Departments but for mine, all recruits must pass the National Lawfit Test. This test includes a 1.5-mile run, sit-ups, sit and reach, bench press, and pull-ups. Now depending on your age the requirements will vary to pass. Of all of these tests the sit and reach obviously is of least priority. To ..read more

It was a slow winter night at approx 0300 hrs, I was sitting cozy under a bridge expecting to be writing my last report. Mid-way through typing my narrative my computer makes the noise… a trespassing call at a known narcotic hotel. I made my way to scene and spoke with the subject in question, this person told me that they were at the hotel to visit a friend. It is important to note that when I walked up to this individual they were eating turtle food from the area where the turtles were. At this point I already knew that this was going to be an interesting encounter. I began speaking with the ..read more

This post is brought to you by my experience tonight. ​Time to get real… scenario time ladies and gentlemen. You’re 11 hours into your 12-hour shift, you are pumping gas into your shop and moments away from hitting that sign off button. “blooop blooop blooop” (the noise at least MY computer makes when a call is sent” the first thing you say in your head is “WHAT THE F*#K” you look down, and see that same address that you have been too at least 100 times. At this point you have already said every cuss word in the English language, and have now created your own language and words ..read more

The sun was just coming up, rays of orange and red blasting through the mountains of the valley. After working 11 hours I was ready to get my shop back to the PD and get home. While I was pumping gas and clearing out my car dispatch aired a shots fired call near an industrial complex. Which was not out of the ordinary due to the facility making loud noises, calls always came in. Little did I know, I was about to respond to my first active shooter. After a few units answered up and began making their way to scene I continued on towards the PD. On my way through home stretch the distinct sound o ..read more

The title says it all, I got hired. The next step once being hired as an officer IS, yes you guessed it ACADEMY. I will start by saying this, there is no way to really prepare yourself for this experience. I’ve been there, searching the web for ways to get a step up and be prepared. But I promise there is no way to actually be ready for this. Hopefully reading my police academy experience will at least give you an idea of what its like. DAY 1. Which actually for our academy, is called Day ZERO. I had no idea what I had actually gotten myself into. As I entered the grounds of the academy I noti ..read more

Wow this is new….. I guess before I even begin to share stories and experiences it would only make sense to start from the very beginning. My name is Nick, I am 24 years old and I am a Police Officer in a small city of a little under 100,000 people located in a Commonwealth. I am here to tell my story of becoming a police officer, and to share my experiences with all. When people would ask me as a child what I wanted to do when I got older I would tell them that I was going to be a cop. For some reason, I never wanted to be a professional football player like every single one of my friends. W ..read more