Careers in Public Service

[Daz]

I graduate from university in the next few weeks, and am facing the big wide world (well, England anyway). I have a few different ideas as to what I might want to do, but the ones I am most enthusiastic about are policing and teaching. I have what my fiancee kindly describes as a “hero-complex”, basically a strong desire to serve my community, and that is what motivates me more than anything.

I am concerned that if I were to enter either of these careers then my Catholic morality would be sorely tested, and would not be tolerated. I have looked into the Catholic Education Service, but there is no guarantee that I could find a teaching position there, and similarly I know there is a Christian Police Association and a Catholic Police Guild, but you hear such horror stories in the press about the oppression of Christians in these roles that I do wonder what I would be letting myself in for. Does anyone have any thoughts or experience they coud share?

 

[Felicity_in_TX]

Well, I have some insight to this as my boyfriend has been a cop for 6 years. I do know that being a cop in England is much different than it is here (I understand that most of the police force doesn’t even carry firearms over there?), so not sure how applicable my opinion is…

I think that in terms of having your faith tested, yes it most likely will be. I guess there are always places where you could work as a cop where there would be a lot less “action”, but you’re still eventually going to see things that could eat away at you over time. Cops go TO situations that most people run away from. And often (at least in my experience) they are the first to arrive at scenes of horrific violence and trauma and have to put aside any emotions they’re feeling in the moment to deal with the situation at hand. If that emotion isn’t eventually dealt with in a healthy manner, it can build up and result in a lot of problems.

My boyfriend has definitely experienced a crisis of faith since becoming a cop. He works in a particularly dangerous part of a major city and so he sees and deals with some really awful things on an almost daily basis. I think it’s somewhat natural to begin to question where/who/if God is when day in and day out all you see is the worst side if humanity. I think that it’s easy for people who are sheltered from these things to sit back and say, “well I’d continue to have faith no matter what” but the reality is that you don’t know if that’s the case until you’re there. My boyfriend agonizes sometimes over his wavering faith. I pray for him and remind him to pray for himself everyday that his faith will be strengthened. It’s an ongoing battle though, between the deep desire to have faith in God and the human urge to say, “a truly loving God would never let XYZ happen.”

As far as your faith not being tolerated, I don’t think that’s too much of a concern. Most of the cops I know are religious in one way or another, and many of them are actually Catholic. One thing you should be aware of though is that cops as a whole are naturally pretty irreverent about anything and everything. Nothing is off-limits to “locker-room” type banter, including one’s family background, race or religion. Mocking eachother mercilessly is cops’ primary passtime. After getting offended the first several times I spent time with my boyfriend’s cop friends, I quickly learned that it truly is “nothing personal” - it’s really just an outlet for them to relieve stress. You just have to be prepared that if you are going to openly be a faithful and practicing Catholic, you’ll probably take some good-natured ribbing for it. The only time I’ve witnessed cops be truly malicious towards one another is when some one is very much out of line - cheating on his wife, violent with his girlfriend, etc.

I hope that all that doesn’t scare you off. I would never want to discourage some one who has a passion for helping others from being a cop. It truly is a tightly knit brotherhood and a wonderful family to be a part of. Even with all the bad things that he has experienced, my boyfriend still LOVES his job. It’s a rare thing to have a job where you go to work for 12 hours every single day and come home at the end KNOWING that you’ve made a positive difference in some one’s life.

Best of luck to you, whatever career you choose to pursue!

 

[PrairieMom]

I would like to share my experiences as a former public servant…

I worked for the government for over 7 years administering a financial support program, targeting primarily low-to-middle income families, immigrants, and aboriginal peoples. The last four years of my career there I worked in the audit section.

Now, I must point out that I wasn’t a practical Catholic for a significant portion of my career; I only started living my faith for the last 2 years or so. I know my attitude changed significantly the last couple of years.

When I worked in the general eligibility section (the first three years), I generally doled out cash, so everything was good. I rarely had confrontations with clients, and often sent them large sums of money. I felt good about it. When I moved over the audit, I found myself in the difficult position of requiring these same clients to prove the eligibility for these programs, and often send large bills to already economically-disadvantaged people (sometimes to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars). Often their eligibility meant that they needed to validate their marital status (which generally means that they had to prove that they were, in fact, separated from the other parent).

This bothered me tremendously the first few months, but eventually I got used to it. I got jaded, and started having the attitude that these clients of mine were all cheats, liars, and got what they deserved.

But somewhere along the line, God opened my eyes. I started to see these people with a new attitude and with more compassion than my coworkers thought was necessary. I kept a sticky on my computer screen to remind me, “The Lord hears the cry of the poor”. There were times where I still needed to send bills to these poor souls, but only after I exhausted every possibility. Even then, I generally tried to help them navigate the appeal process, which yielded greater discrestionary powers and would often undo my work (thankfully!). I argued with my superiors about case files, and several times refused to make a change on a client account (I was disciplined).

That may seem like I became a not very good employee, but not so. I received no less than five client commendations for excellent service in those last two years, when I had received none in the previous five years. I consistently received outstanding performance reviews from my supervisor, despite our disagreements. I was asked to train staff, and did the bulk of our internal quality-assurance reviews to make sure everyone was following departmental standards. I was invited to speak to Members of Parliment about our program and advise their staff about our audit criteria so they could better serve their constituents.

I eventually left my career to be a stay-at-home parent, but I learned invaluable lessons. I learned to could be compassionate and still be effective at my job. I learned that I could stick to my morals and principals and still make a significant contribution to an otherwise secular workplace.

There is a place for Catholics in secular public service. In fact, there’s a desperate need for compassionate, hard-working souls with a strong desire to serve their government, their country and their people. Even if you only ever make a difference to one person.

I pray that you find your place.

 

[jaredling]

Daz,

I am a police officer in a tougher outlying area of a major US city. I have been in police work for 5 years, and in the military for 10 years (Active, and now Reserves). I was led to the Catholic Church while still active in the military. My job at that time was very closely involved with combat. During my journey home to the Church, I discovered my child hood dream of being a police officer like my grandfather had been. I eventually transitioned to the reserve military in order to pursue my career as a cop.

During the time I have been a peace officer, I have seen a lot of tragic sights. I have seen the aftermath of murder, child molestation, rape, neglect, drugs and countless other forms of violence. At times I have wondered why our God would allow something to happen, However, despite all of this, I find that (with tremendous help from my wife and parish) I am able to focus even more on Christ and His love.

One translation of the Bible states that “Blessed are the peacemakers.” You’ll notice that I referred to myself as a peace officer. That is purposely phrased as such. In the instances that I find most challenging, I have been used by the Holy Spirit to bring peace to many people. Whether giving a child a teddy bear (I always keep one in the trunk of my patrol car) after they have been in a wreck and seen their mother die (true story), giving advice to a fello cop going through marital problems or witnessing to an inmate in our jail, I have had many more oppurtunities to shine for our Lord than if I was almost anywhere else. Just since January 2009, there have been 3 inmates ask how to become saved in our jail. That may seem like a small number, but I see it as three more souls saved from damnation. You will also have oppurtunities like these, though they may be few and far between, or every day occurances.

My fellow officers are often curious of my faith. I went through the actual RCIA and conversion process while a cop, and most remember me as a lukewarm protestant. I live and work in the southeast US, and the protestant church is much stronger here than the Catholic. I am an oddity, and I do take some ribbing. As was mentioned by a previous post, this is rarely serious. Cops will always have a macbre sense of humor. This is a steam release valve necessary for survival in such harsh environments. Two days ago I witnessed a motorcylce rider die in the middle of a heavily traveled road. He had been hit by a large sedan. The man was crumpled and bleeding. My first thought was to pray for him, and I did as such. He died shortly thereafter. I still remained faithful to our doctrine and its belief in the sanctity and value of life. But, during the course of the investigation and “clean up” at the scene, my fellows and I slipped into our dark senses of humor as a way to avoid thinking about the death just yards away from us. None of us were flippant in remarks about the deceased’s fate, but it was necessary to allow the situation to melt away from the forefront of our minds. You too will face this situation as a cop, and should be prepared for such events. Some people cannot handle it. That is of no discredit to them or their hearts. Each person is made for something. I was made to be a cop. I cannot imagine myself doing any other job, and I have looked forward to nearly every day (except court appearance days!) that I have worked. You have to WANT to be a cop. You have to desire it, because it is a lifestyle as much as it is a career.

If you do decide to become a cop, keep grounded and active in your church and in your family. Always try to avoid having ONLY police friends and ONLY police recreational activities. That is the only way you will stay emotionally healthy. I attend mass on the first day of my shift and on the last. This helps to remind me that I am not there for myself, but instead I am there to be a tool in Christ’s hand. If you do decide to pursue a career in law enforcement, please feel free to private message me for my email address and contact information. I would love to have another Christian friend in the cop’s world.

In short, it can be done. You can remain a devout Catholic and be a good cop. While my friends may joke about my faith, I am usually the first one they come to for advice. In my personal time, I split time between my wife, children and worship. The beautiful thing is that the three areas intertwine so well! Be encouraged, my friend!

Peace be with you,

J.O. Ling

 

[Felicity_in_TX]

Jared,

Your entire post was incredibly thoughtful. This:

I was made to be a cop. I cannot imagine myself doing any other job, and I have looked forward to nearly every day (except court appearance days!) that I have worked. You have to WANT to be a cop. You have to desire it, because it is a lifestyle as much as it is a career.

touched me more than anything though. It’s just so profoundly true. Almost every cop I know feels this way. Yes, there are always people who are miserable, but by and large it seems like they all have a strong passion for what they do. I consider myself blessed to be friends with such an upstanding and dedicated group of people.

God bless you, and keep you safe!

 

[jaredling]

Felicity,

Thank you for such kind words! I just hope that anything I said can help Daz figure out his dilemma.

Its true, most cops do feel like I stated, although by about year 15 or so on the job, they begin to get crusty and try to hide their true feelings. These old guys may have a rough and tough exterior, but on the inside they are mostly big hearted mushy guys (and women!).

At the scene of one very bad interstate highway motor vehicle accident, a child of 8 witnessed his parents, sister and aunt perish. The child escape unscathed from the wreckage. I saw a cop of some 30+ years, also a Vietnam veteran, hold this child in his arms and sing to him. Tears ran down his cheeks in sympathy and shared anguish for this poor child. On any other day that same cop is a rural city cop with a rough mouth and harsh demeanor. The inside rarely ever changes. The outside just hardens to protect that soft spirit.

Cops have an emblem that they place on their personal vehicles from time to time. It is a thin blue line crossing a field of jet black. The “Thin Blue Line” is a symbol of our career because we consider ourselves the line of defense between society and those who would prey on the innocent. I have always liked this emblem because my personality identifies with that position of desperate toil in hopes of saving / protecting the unprotected. As Christians, we are the only line of seperation between the gates of hell and the unsaved. We are tools to be wielded in the hands of the Holy Spirit. Our witness for the Savior, whether at work, home, or any other random place, is what will protect the unprotected from the ultimate enemy.

As a cop, we wear badges over our hearts as a symbol of our position and authority. It is generally in the shape of a shield, which is symbolic of the defensive posture we hold for society. It is also symbolic of the defensive posture we have AGAINST society. We are often attacked (verbally or in other more passive ways) or distrusted by those we are sworn to protect.

Similarly, as Christians we will be criticized and even persecuted for the faith we try to share. However, we have a greater shield than any piece of man made tin worn on a uniform shirt. I hope other police officers will read this and be encouraged in both their faith and their career. You are protected, by our Lord, St. Michael, and the blessed Mother. Though this career makes it harder at times to maintain the visibility of your faith, stay FAITHFUL! Your service is more of a reward than you realize!

Thanks, again for your extremely nice words, Felicity, and blessings to everyone here!

Peace be with you,

J.O.Ling

 

[ProDeoEtPatria]

Hey y’all,

I just wanted to let everyone in this thread know that I had changed my username from “jaredling” to “ProDeoEtPatria”. I didnt really know id I wanted my real name floating around out there, especially if conversations ventured into the confidential or sensitive.

Talk to y’all soon!

Peace be with you,

J.O. Ling

 

[Frances_Clark]

Daz -

I am a female, one of the first in law enforcement in my area and retired after 26 years of serving the public. I remained strong in my Catholic faith by being active in my parish even when working shift work. I believe God had a plan for me to be in this career because I had two young individuals I worked with approach me to become Catholic and I sponsored them through the RCIA. While cops can be crude, I always seemed to have the respect of those I worked with and they didn’t curse or use foul language in my presence. I retired at the rank of lieutenant and in the words of my peers and others in the agency, I never let the job sully me. I went to work for my Church after retirement and just retired from that career, but will always remain active in ministry.

No matter what career you choose, stay close in your relationship to God and always seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The question should not be, “What do I want to do with my life?”, but “What does God want me to do with my life?”

God’s peace be with you

fran

 

[basenji]

If and when you become a police officer you will always have the chance to put your teaching skills into service, especially if you become a field training officer or assist at the academy. There are good, upright and devout men and women in law enforcement. Some of them may need to look to you and see you living and sharing your faith before they feel comfortable coming forth with their own.

I’ve mentioned this in a similar reply in another forum: Police recruiters are looking for committed intelligent people such as yourself. Just give them a call and express your interest and they will be all over you, I can guarantee it.

May the Holy Spirit always guide you and Archangel Michael always intercede for you.

ps: Once you hit the streets please nice to your dispatchers. They also will be guiding you and interceding for you in many and numerous invisible ways.

 

[j2c99]

GREAT THREAD!!!

To the OP, I have been going over and over in my head whether I should pursue a public service career like police work, after graduating college this year. This thread is amazing; and if you want some more insight from officers, check out this thread I made where a bunch of people also commented on a similar discussion.

God Bless you all, and may the Lord be with you all; I pray for all police officers and other rescue personnel’s protection and safety and thank you for all the work that you do in this thankless job. I always say to my friends that if Jesus had to do a job on this human earth, it would be police work.

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