What It Takes To Be A Police Officer.

One of the biggest things that have been increasingly worrying is the safety of police officers. In today’s day in age, nothing can’t be as private as it once was, however it can often become a safety issue for some. Police officers, especially those who operate in a big city often come across many dangerous situations where at the end of shift they reflect on them more times than they can count.

Officer Martinez (not their real name, preferred to remain anonymous) is a police officer with the Albuquerque police department, taking care of the city and making it a safer place for everyone including their families is something that has always been at the top of their priority list. “Having to encounter so many crimes on a daily basis it is often hard to not bring work back home”. It is often hard to stop reflecting on what could have been done differently. Especially when the adrenaline from trying to contain a dangerous situation runs so high. “Most of the stuff we deal with is in the “war zone “, a neighborhood that contains most of the criminal activity, as well as with everyday tasks that need to be taken care of” Martinez stated.

Having to deal with the daily struggles that comes with such a high risk job can often develop mental health problems for anyone involved. Officer Martinez often takes an extra minute or two before heading inside his residence in order to forget about the day and pick back up the next day, however, sometimes it has been tough, especially in recent weeks when the war on drugs has been getting closer to those residents who have  been trying to stay away from that situation. 

Being a police officer in any part of town, being a small town or a big city has its own risks, this could be having a partner being involved in some type of shooting or simply coming into contact with a dangerous suspect who could have a vendetta against those who put them behind bars. Officer Martinez often tries to keep the family as far away from his chosen career in order for them to not be a target of anyone and putting their life in danger. Having officers like Officer Martinez in the city helps the residents gain that sense of being secured even when something happens from one second to the next. It is because of officers like Martinez that make an impact on people’s lives and in the hopes that they could choose this career in the future.