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Geir's Blog |
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geir
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Every now and then I'm reminded how cyclical life is. The carbon cycle, the Krebs cycle, the Carnot cycle, the business cycle, technology cycles ("Cloud computing! It's the new SOA!")... Every morning, I take the subway from GCT to 23rd St in Manhattan, which is near the NY Police Academy. Over the last year and a half that I've been working again in NYC, I've noticed the young men and women police cadets as they too ride the same subway, exiting at 23rd St. If you pay attention, you can see gentle change. First, the are just in their uniforms, maybe with their "New York Police Academy" duffel bags. Over time they eventually get a nightstick (or whatever they call them these days.. maybe a RMASIRCD ? "Rigid Mass for Alleged Suspect Influence via Rapid Contact Deceleration") which is neatly attached to the side of their NYPDA duffel with velcro straps clearly designed for such purpose. Very unthreatening. Then come the patrol pads, large, leather covered pads that they are required to carry in their right back pocket, which seems specifically tailored for this purpose. After the pads come "the book", this *massive* binder which I can only assume is the penal code applicable to street policing. It's huge. Dragging these around, you'd think they were Marine recruits undergoing some sadistic boot-camp routine at Parris Island. Obvious jokes about "throwing the book at 'em" come to mind... Then comes the "utility belt" - gunless of course - that gets attached to the duffel bag strap. And so forth. A few weeks ago, the cadets disappeared. Budget cuts? Shipped off to Iraq under some "It's not a draft.. really... they willingly sign their stop-loss orders..."-type Pentagon program? Some silly DHS drill harassing the aged and infirm at airport security checkpoints? Graduation? :) This morning, coming down the stairs to the downtown subway platform, I noticed suits. Now, at 6:30am, there aren't a lot of suits riding the 6 downtown from GCT, just a lot of construction workers, software engineers, and other blue-collar types, so the density of suits were noticeable. And as I looked I noticed that they were somewhat I'll fitting and wrinkled - like that suit you had in high school that fit for the wedding you had to go to in your Junior year, but didn't work so well in your Senior year. And everyone had a duffel bag, but all different. And I caught them eyeing each other, but without real recognition. Well dressed terrorists, pretending to not know each other? I stood next to one on the subway, and asked him : "Excuse me..." "Sir?"? This is NYC. Who responds with "Sir?" in a NYC subway other than tourists? Did I run into a missionary group? Maybe the terrorist theory has some merit... "Well, I couldn't help noticing the suits..." This was the new academy class. They hadn't been issued their uniforms, and clearly they hadn't been instructed to dress to blend in. I spent a few more minutes talking to the young man - what his hopes are (working with the Transit Authority), if he's afraid ("Well, NYC is better than it used to be...") and how to cope with the danger ("You just have to always be aware"... "Isn't that tiring?" ... "I guess it will be..."). I couldn't imagine doing what he's doing. I didn't get his name, and I doubt he'll ever read this. (I mean, even my friends don't read this...) But either way, to that young man and the rest like him on that train and trains to follow - thanks. You're brave and we're glad you're here. I'm sure you'll make a fine officer and I wish you the very best in your new career. And yes, I'll be watching for the bag, the pad, the stick the belt and the book. And once again, I'll make the "throw the book at 'em" joke. And I suspect I'll hear a very polite "Yes sir." Nice --Ben Hyde, July 19, 2008 09:00 PM
It's isn't a bad job... My old man was NYPD for 20 years. Many, many more of them die commuting than ever do in the line of duty. At least, that was always my father's line - it's important to keep risks in perspective. His experience matches that, too - pulled his gun twice in line of duty, but two auto crashes. And it isn't all "Hill Street Blues". As my father liked to say, it's much more like "Barney Miller". And he worked in the 42, in the Bronx. After 20 years, while still in your 40's, it's possible to retire and live a (very, very) frugal life. Not too bad a deal. Almost did it, myself. Plus, you're able to make a measurable difference to your country, which is kinda nice. As for stop loss, well, when you sign the 4 year contract, after everything is said and done, there's a part at the end where it says "8 years service". If you ask, you're told that those last 4 are "inactive ready reserve". I've been told that less than one person in 1000 actually asks about that in their contract. I was one of them. It was almost a deal breaker for me, but I finally decided it wasn't worth bothering about - moral: read contracts! Most folks' military service, by the way, is more like "Stripes" in peacetime, and "MASH" in wartime, than "Officer and a Gentleman" or "Hamburger Hill", respectively. Still, most of the people I know who did Iraq duty came back damaged in ways you can't see. Not many cops have that problem. --Jim D, August 6, 2008 05:40 PM
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