I've seen quite a few blogs from the wives of law enforcement officers (this is a male dominated field, I will admit that). I've read just out of curiousity and I find that there is definitley a gulf between my own existence and their experiences.
First thing I don't really have any fear of like my police officer or whoever else I know getting hurt. I have the philosophy that a)death is a much of part of life as anything else and b)you can get hurt or injured at any time. It is true that in this line of work it's worse but that's an assumpting of risk. I want to be a federal prosecutor who deals with local gangs in my community who have drug and gun issues. Needless to say I could be on a list myself at some point. Just an assumption of risk.
I also do not understand the divide between normalcy and experiences in the criminal justice field. Human drama is nothing new to me. I grew up in a dysfunctional family so I'm used to the extreme reactions people have over dumbass stuff. Not that big of a deal. Police work is insane but it is also fun and exciting (least from my perspective). I just view myself as the next stop down the line after all of these criminal (accused crimianls, excuse me) get arrested.
I also do not understand the longing or alone time some of these women fear. I mean people work. My philosophy is if you want to work weekends, please do. I can get legal stuff done and you can watch children during the week when I'm in court. I usually stay busy so I have no idea about this. My parents have been working different shifts since I was a kid. They spend time together on the weekend. It worked.
I spend most of my own free time dealing with the serial offender case. I have finally, after six months, behavioraly linked those crimes. Now I have to go and find ACTUAL EVIDENCE so when it does get tried there can be a conviction. I don't think normal people do that.
I guess I'm ending this blog by saying that I'm cool with myself :). Nothing wrong with wanting to be a federal prosecutor and working in the criminal justice field. I also have nothing against these "police spouses." It's stressful to deal and understand with that pressure if you aren't used to it.
I think its interesting to bring another female prespective to the mix.
Christmas
1 day ago
2 comments:
We deal with things that aren't "normal." We see and do things that are so completely out of the realm of normalcy that talking about them, most of the time, creates discomfort around non-law enforcement. I have found that I really can't talk about my day with the vast majority of my friends or acquaintances that are not on the job.
I think this applies to spouses. I can't speak to that because I'm not married. But I know that there are plenty of things I don't tell my girlfriend.
Also, I think most guys don't really feel the need to talk about their day with their significant others, where a lot of female officers I know DO need to talk about their day (which, as a side note, is why so many female cops hook up with cops).
This applies to the discussion at hand, I think, because not knowing adds more fear. Again, I'm only speculating, because I'm not married, and I don't talk about married life with any of my married partners (the topic is mildly interesting to me).
But then again, I think a lot of women are worry warts. Present company excluded, of course. ;-)
I tend to find a huge difference between women who work in the system and women who don't. Easier associating and dealing with women in the system.
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