This Is the Most Important Quality in a Significant Other

I grew up in the hills of Los Gatos, California. It was an idyllic childhood of playing Tarzan in the woods, competitive tennis at school and goofing off on the weekends.

I was blessed to grow up with a loving family in a comfortable, safe home. I knew little about crime and the darkness in some people’s hearts.

I enjoyed watching police shows like Adam 12, The Streets of San Francisco and Hill Street Blues. In my senior year of high school, a sheriff deputy visited our government class and talked about police work. It was fascinating to me.

I went off to college and studied criminal justice administration, eventually earning a master’s degree. I entered the police academy, and before graduation, was hired by the Scott Valley Police Department.

I was in my early twenties and thought I knew a lot about people. Armed with a graduate degree and academy training, I figured I was well equipped to deal with people and enforce the law.

I was wrong.

It’s not what they say, it’s what they do

The police academy is designed to familiarize recruits with the basics of law enforcement. The equipment, skills and endless laws.

Recruits not only train physically every day, they take regular tests on the vehicle code, penal code and nuances of the law. They learn arrest control techniques, firearms, interview techniques and high speed pursuit driving.

Police recruits are taught about escalation and deescalation of force, report writing, mental illnesses, domestic violence and more. Many California recruits attend the museum of tolerance, and learn about the hidden biases we all have.

In short, the police academy is a rigorous, six months immersion in all things law enforcement. Following graduation, recruits embark on months of in-house, field training at their respective police departments.

Field training was where I discovered how little I knew about people, crime and the complexities of human nature.

My field training officers taught me to observe unusual patterns. They showed me cars parked at night, in residential neighborhoods…