The Silent Badge

By Steven F. Verzal

If you want to get into law enforcement and are married or planning on getting married, the career is not yours alone. Talk to others who are in law enforcement before jumping in with both feet. The shifts and the enormous pressures are not yours alone. What you s

• Language: English
• Publisher: ReadersMagnet LLC
• Release date: Aug 7, 2023
• ISBN: 9798890911094

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Copyright © 2023 by Steven Verzal

Published in the United States of America

ISBN Paperback: 979-8-89091-108-7

ISBN eBook: 979-8-89091-109-4

Second Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the author except as provided by USA copyright law.

The opinions expressed by the author are not necessarily those of ReadersMagnet, LLC.

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Cover design by Kelly Manteck and Kevin Field

Interior design by Don De Guzman

Contents

Intro: The Whys and How Comes

Chapter One: The Pre-decision

Chapter Two: The Decision

Chapter Three: The Process

Chapter Four: The Academy

Chapter Five: The Probation

Chapter Six: Out on Your Own/Not at Home

Chapter Seven: Traffic Stops

Chapter Eight: The Unknown Disturbance

Chapter Nine: Kids

Chapter Ten: Off-Duty Stuff

Chapter Eleven: The Silent Badge:

Officer Down/Injured or Dead

Chapter Twelve: Time Alone or With…

(Don’t Bring Your Spouse)

Chapter Thirteen: If You Aren’t, Don’t.

If You Are, Communicate

Chapter Fourteen: The End: The Speech

About the Author

This book has been in the making for more than thirty years. I have started it, stopped it, and started it again. After I found out a close relative was thinking about going into the law enforcement field, I figured this was the right time to finish the damn book, so I start with the dedication.

This book and its contents are dedicated to all spouses and family members of police officers. They have to put up with the bull, the overtime, the pressures, and everything else that goes along with being married to a cop. If, because of this book, one marriage or family member is saved, or a proposal of marriage comes along after your career is established to see how this kind of life is actually lived, it was worth it.

Introduction

Intro: The Whys and How Comes

So, you ask, why did you write this book about deciding whether to become a police officer. Well, it surely wasn’t for the money because some publishers will look at this and say, This is stupid.

The real reason I wrote this book is twofold:

1.People need to see what police go through. It isn’t about race, like today’s news is talking about.

2.It’s because prejudice starts at home. Yes, it does.

The following chapters will get into reason one, so we will leave that alone. But, number two, get ready, I’m going to tell you some stuff that will curl your eyebrows.

I came from what I would now call a very prejudiced family. I did not know it then because that was all I knew. There were words used like nigger and coon, just to name a few. I heard this from parents, relatives, and so on. This started at home.

Just after graduating from high school, my mom and dad sat me and my three siblings down for a family discussion. They were getting a divorce. My siblings, except me, were all under eighteen so I was to make my own decision about who I should live with. This decision was so difficult. I loved both of my parents so much and did not want to make a choice. At that time, the Vietnam Police Action was in full force, so I already had a draft number. Instead of siding with either of my parents, I told them I should join the military since it was inevitable I would be drafted. So, I joined.

At that time, my father asked me, Son, what branch are you going to join?

I told him I would go to the recruiting office and take the first door to the right and that would be my destiny. On that day, I joined the U.S. Army. My destination was supposed to be South Korea. I was given twenty-six immunization shots to prepare me for my oversees assignment. However, after training across the various posts in the United States to become an infantryman, my orders were suddenly changed and I ended up in Anchorage, Alaska. I don’t think the typhoid shot was necessary for that assignment.

I reported to my first sergeant, who was black—politically correct for that era introduced myself, handed him my orders, and waited for him to say something.

With his head down, he started to scan my papers.

The army is not afraid to use papers, lots and lots of papers. Did you ever hear the words red tape? You can thank the government for those two words.

My first shirt, nickname for sergeant, his head still down, flipped from page to page and finally looked up with an expression that could stop a train.

From Chicago, huh?

Yes, first sergeant, I replied.

Come from a prejudiced family? he asked.

I hesitated for a second and thought to myself, Why does he want to know that?

Looking him straight in the eyes, I prepared to answer.

He continued, "We don’t have prejudice in Alaska. If you are going to hate someone, hate them for who they are and not what they are. You may drive into a ditch some night, and the only people to help you out might be black."

That was the best thing I had ever heard. I was still young enough that I wasn’t set in my ways, and could change my attitude. Now, as a much, much older man, I still believe in what he said. If you have to hate someone, hate them for who they are, not for what they are. And, if you can, don’t hate anyone.

This intro was not going to appear in the book, but lately with all the police shootings, I believe there is prejudice going both ways. There is no two-way respect. Before, if I told someone to stop, they stopped. Today, they run, then shots fire. The people must respect the police, and the police must respect the people. I’m telling you this is a fact. If you grow up in a white neighborhood, chances are there will be some or even a lot of prejudices. The same goes for an African American neighborhood.

A few years ago, I was in the petting area of the zoo, and a bunch of children stood looking at some ducks in a pond. This little African American boy, about six years old, said, Hey, Momma, look at the little nigger duck.

Yes, prejudice starts at home.

I was in Chicago a few months ago, and on just one weekend, there were forty-two shootings among black people, and not once did I hear about the race of the victim or suspects. So, when African Americans shoot one another is that okay?

In Milwaukee, CNN reported a black teen shot by an African American police officer. Why the name change? The prejudice is there folks, and it has to stop. The time is starting to parallel the Sixties. Yes, I was around then. It has got to stop. Prejudice starts at home. Stop the prejudice first, then the respect will come from both ways. If you teach your kids correctly, they will teach their kids correctly, and the cycle will continue. Do you see a pattern?

Many years ago in Florida, a patient with diabetes had the wrong leg cut off by his doctor. There was no mention of race. When a white man kills his white wife, there is no mention of race. When a white police officer shoots a white suspect, there is no mention of race. Why is that? See the pattern there?

In the police academy, we were told, There are not whites, blacks, or Eskimos here. You are all blue brothers. If we do not have prejudice on the force, why can’t we do the same in society?

A few years ago, one of my siblings, whom I love to death, said to me, You of all people should hate blacks. Look what he did to you.

When people ask me, What color was the guy who shot you? My reply is, I don’t know. What color is an armed robber?

So, I have vented on the subject of police shootings. It is not an easy job. There are so many things you can do wrong in life to keep you from becoming a police officer. But if you are good, the process starts—as you will see in the upcoming chapters—and the results that ensue after background checks, training, and finally hitting the road on your own.

People ask me, Why did you become a cop?

Great question. I didn’t have a death wish. I think I liked being a police officer because every day was different.