I never knew or truly appreciated what an officer had to go through to get to the position where he or she is currently serving. I did not realize how many people desire to become a peace officer either until I saw it first hand with my own husband. Some make it, and many don’t. My husband worked his behind off to be in the first group and his story is truly awe-inspiring.
I take you back about a year and a half ago, when my husband just had his ten-year anniversary working in an install bay, putting in car radios and remote start/security systems into an array of vehicles. He enjoyed the job for a long time, but it was getting old. And then came the breaking point…
In November 2017, my husband was diagnosed with a herniated disc with sciatica. Between his type of work and a corner-cutting chiropractor, he was left with back pain that sent a shooting sensation down his leg, causing him to walk hunched over with a limp and wake up in dire pain multiple times throughout the night for five months straight. He tried everything he could find to avoid surgery… visits to the neuromuscular massage therapy, getting stretched on an inversion table, at-home stretches and massages, physical therapy. To no avail. Finally we gave in to surgery in March 2018 and bam, he was cured.
This is when we decided God was calling us to something else. He even gave us a sign when we got to sit behind Chris Swanson on a plane ride home after a convention where we heard Chris speak. Chris is the undersheriff of Genesee County in Michigan, a motivational speaker, author, and a huge influencer for my husband to go into law enforcement. And it didn’t help that Chris shouted out to those around us that “This guy is going to police academy!” (or maybe it did).
After a couple months off to heal, my husband went back to installing to continue to provide for his family of six. But we knew what he was supposed to be doing. Only four months after surgery, he passed his first physical agility exam and began the process of interviewing for a peace officer position.
That’s when we knew it was game time. Thankfully we fell in with some amazing mentors when we were the ripe ole age of twenty, and were able to save enough money (and pay off a huge chunk of debt to decrease expenses) through their mentorship and the Financial Fitness principles taught by LIFE Leadership, and had enough in the savings account for my husband to take a sabbatical from work to attend police academy.
Meanwhile, all four kids only getting bigger and more expensive, we pressed on through the academy, trying to pinch pennies and still investing in our family as well as in the police interview process, which is not cheap either. These men and women have to pay for physical fitness tests, paper tests, and then invest time and gas money into background checks, panel interviews, chief interviews, and more. It is truly amazing what they go through to do what they are called to do.
Finally we were blessed with a conditional offer from a local department just prior to the completion of academy. About a month after graduation, my amazing husband passed the state test and was sworn in two days later. He has since done some amazing things on the job, even still in training. I could not be more proud of him, and could not appreciate law enforcement officers more after watching first hand what they do in order to serve and protect our communities. Give an officer a smile, a high five, or even a thumbs up today. Let them know you appreciate what they do!
