Being in law enforcement we use the term partners a lot,
sometimes very loosely and sometimes very directly. Some departments have assignments where
officers work with each other all 40hrs a week for years at a time and others
may just refer to their shift coworkers as partners. Officers will tell you that these partners
out in the field are essential to their work and also for life balance. They are closest person to help in an emergency,
the person who will help you process things that are tough to handle, and serve
as a buffer to general life. There are
jokes, disagreements, achievements, successes, disappointments, and bonds that
occur as a result of being with your partners all the time and there is not one
person I have worked with that hasn’t helped me with some little piece of
knowledge or advice that have helped make me better.
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| Post GVSU Football Game |
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| The youngsters together at the 2009 MADD Awards |
Similarly, and the central topic of this post, is how
important domestic partners are to police officers as well. And for me there is no person more critical
to my everyday balance and growth then my partner, my wife. Being a law enforcement partner is the worst;
we work terrible, inconsistent hours, ruin weekends, sleep weird hours, mess up
family time, and more. We don’t exactly
bring home a ton of positive work stories, although some are funny. Instead you find our 3 year old son knows
what a Taser is and asks if I took any bad guys to jail. At most we go to bed together 45% of the
time. But the toughest part will always
be that little doubt when I’m late or if you hear a lot of sirens going by the
house. I am in the fortunate position of
knowing the situation while my wife may have to call in to check and make sure
I am okay. It has only happened a couple
times but those phone calls are not fun to make for anyone.
Fortunately my wife is the best and she deals with all of
these challenges I create and shoulders the load like a champion. This was easier back before she was a mom and
was given a bunch of solo free time but now with the two boys it’s a little
trickier. She willingly listens to my
stories and frustrations and provides endless support to my needs, my goals,
and career. I trust her to say “hey
dummy that’s a terrible idea” and sometimes (the less common) “Awesome
suggestion, you should do that”. She has
without question helped me steer clear of some pitfalls as an officer and a
supervisor with the insight and the viewpoint I do not possess.
This dynamic lifestyle is not without little victories. Hugs with a bulletproof vest on are a little bit tighter even though it can be awkward to avoid touching any weapons. Random middle of the week days off are fun to run errands and have dates. And consistently one of my most favorite moments is when you crawl into bed in the late late night after a 10, 12, or 15hr shift after a big incident, arrest, or accident. And there is that moment as you get settled in that my wife sometimes rolls over for a hug, or maybe just a hand squeeze or maybe just a little leg move to say, without any words, “Hey hubby, glad you’re home”, and then it’s back to sleep.
I am thankful for my partners at work, and I love my partner
at home!!
Happy Valentines Day to all the partners out there
supporting all the officers, hope you get to go on a date sometime this week,
you know, when the schedule works out.
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