The Pain Behind the Badge

More than the Job

The horrors of the job can take many forms. However, the scariest form is when it comes from a fellow officer.

I was promoted to the training division. In the past, I trained countless recruits and helped develop the future of the program. So, when I was given a new recruit, I wasn't fazed.

He was twice my age and twice my size. He came from a different agency, so his style of work was going to be a little different from mine. The first day he was with me, I could tell that he was not interested in learning things my way. True, it is annoying, but as long as the job gets done, I don't care about the process.

For his safety day one, we stayed in the office. I used that time to teach him how to use the radio and how to use police codes and signals. He seemed uninterested.

The following day, I decided to take him on the road. The first call we went to, I took the lead. I talked to the victims and completed the paperwork. The call was routine in nature. No fear, no threat, just routine.

When we were dispatched to the second call, I was excited to let him take the lead. It was another routine call, a theft. I decided to let him drive so he could have the full experience.

"We aren't going to the theft," my trainee told me.

Without warning, the trainee started to drive at a high rated speed.

"What's going on?" I asked.

Though my trainee was talking, he was not answering my question. He was ranting about being treated unfairly. How a kid was his supervisor. His rants turned into yells as the speed of the car surpassed the legal limit, driving to nowhere.

I tried to text for help. However, he yelled at me to put my phone down. He gave off a menacing laugh as I obeyed the order. I tried to convince him to pull over several times so we could talk about what triggered the rage, or at least to let me out.

He refused.

He ran through many red lights and stopped signs. He made it clear that he didn't care about the well-being of others.

Normally, I would fight. However, with the speed of the vehicle, any slight jerk would kill us both. I was at his mercy. It didn't take long before Dispatch noticed I was heading away from the call. They began to ask if I was okay in codes. I can tell by trainee's face that he had no idea what was being said.

We were coming up to a busy intersection. The high rated speed, with the addition of new drivers, would endanger more lives than just mine. I wouldn't die a hero, but I would die alone, and that was all that matters to me.

"You have two options." I told him. "You can either kill us both, or you can cooperate with me, and maybe I can keep you out of jail. Either way, after today, you won't be my problem." My words were cold, though I knew I had to make a move.

"Would you really die for this job?" 

"It's more than just the job." I answered. "But yes, we will."

As he began to slow the vehicle, I felt the tension leave my body. On my order, he drove us to the office, where I kept my part of the deal. In exchange for his badge, he got his freedom. In exchange for my life, he kept his.

It's more than just a job. I saved many lives that day, and no one will ever know it.