One of my favorite lines from Star Wars.
Yes, many years ago I was a Sheriff's Reserve Officer. Wore a badge, carried a gun, the whole works. In the Sheriff's Reserve, we were unpaid volunteers. Yes, this meant that we took on some of the duties of full-time paid staff, as well as the risks for free!
Why am I writing this now? Some turkey in his critique on Amazon of my book accused me of "Stolen Valor!" as he put it. Stolen Valor is actually a crime. He asked me how many bodies I pulled out on 911.
So here I'm actually posting about my work in the Sheriff's Reserve office. 911 happened and I had applied to the Sheriff's Reserve Department. "What should I do?" I thought. President George Bush comes on and announces something to the effect of this is going to be a different kind of war, it's going to involve law enforcement and other agencies as well as the military.
So, I think if I join the military, this whole war maybe over by the time I was actually able to contribute. Plus I reasoned I was as likely to see real action in the Sheriff's department as I was the military. I grew up in the late 70's and 80's when people served 4 years or more and never saw a real deployment. Frankly a nice time that time period. Who needs to see real action?
Well, I never claimed to have pulled out bodies on 911. I did interview. Yes you had to interview for a volunteer job, you had to go in front of a panel. They asked you a lot of hard questions, wanted to make sure you were up for the challenge. I didn't start reserve academy until Jan 2002. Graduated and sworn in late April 2002. First day on the job Cinco De Mayo in Clark Park 2002. Chased a low-level perp my first day.
What stands out that day is there was a g something economic summit in Detroit. We were on standby in case some kind of real trouble broke out, a riot or something. I learned that day the role call thing that you on old cop shows at least then and I assume now is really real. We had an organizational meeting, the whole department, in advance of that day.
I spent much of 2002 supplementing the US Border Patrol on the Ambassador bridge. Among other things trying to make sure the wrong type of people, like those who perpetrated 911, didn't get in.
Over my 5 years as a Reserve Officer, I did many details, from the very boring like some festival somewhere to the more exciting like a fugitive recovery operation. Yes I did those too. A whole bunch of law enforcement entities got together and we had a list of persons with known warrants we were picking up.
I liked it. It was interesting. It was boring at times. I worked with many people who joined for the same reason. 911 hit them hard and they wanted to do something about it. I saw several persons of middle eastern descent from my old high school who joined when I did.
My grandpa served in WWII in the Army, drafted when he was 32. My dad served in Korea in the MC. Diffused bombs, so he told me. I served for 5 years in Sheriff's Reserve.
Why did I get out? I never planned to make a carrier out of it. I always planned on serving 5 years, but as it was I got married in 2007, and I felt as a married man I had a duty to my wife to focus on work that was paid.
That was almost 20 years ago, and there were guys older than I am now in the Reserve, but being a street cop, which is what I was, is for the young. I think I'm probably a little old for that now, besides, I served my time.
Don't tell me I stole any valor though. How many people put their butt on the line, yes on of the first thing they teach you is you are a target, all the time. A police uniform is like having a bullseye on you, working a thousand plus hours, or free?
I would bet some former officers would caution me against even making a post like this.
I've petitioned Amazon about this personal attack on me in the form of a book review for Stolen Valor. I as of yet haven't even heard back from them regarding this complaint.