Expert: Jason Grabill - 11/29/2005

Question
Hello Jason,

Just to warn you this is a difficult question. I'm trying to decide whether I should be pursuing Police Foundations after graduation. Ultimately, the decision will be my own, but anything you say will be considered.

My friends tease me because I often think of pursuing a career Police and/or the Forces - mostly they say I am suseptable to the unconscious advertizing of of living across from the Police Station during winter, and taking the bus with so many Defense employees on public transportation in the summer. I must admit the possibility.

However, I think it's more than that. I have thought of it before, and chalked it up to the sensationalisation of law enforcement in the media. Yet the idea keeps coming back. I just think I have a lot of qualities that would help in a lot of professions, but particularly law enforcement.

I am a First Aid/CPR Instructor on top of being a student in university. I have worked for Campus Security (Parking Enforcement) and the School Safe-Walk program as someone locking up buildings and helping volunteers. I love rules and procedures, even won the "Campus Security Officers' Choice Team Leader of the Year" award for how professionally I treat things, and partically for my pleasant demeanor. I am anal about doing things legally- except for crossing streets (hey, I am not walking 1/2 km to a light in winter when there are no cars- some rules need to be bent).

As a First Aid Instructor, I tend to do well in stressful situations requiring immediate action (like First Aid situations, but I have found those skills transferable). Actually, I find it hard to walk by a situation where I can help- even if it's just trying to break the crowd up and walk away with me. I am generally observant, both an inductive and deductive thinker (I can see the big picture and details, I just have to switch my focus). Also, for some reason people really seem to instantly trust me, and I try hard to not violate that. People seem to open up to me, and calm down when I'm there, even if I don't know them. I am told I have real presence and a natural leader, despite that I usually defer control to others.

I've gotten in trouble for my honesty and throroughness before- while writing reports and statistics for the Safe-Walk program. The numbers didn't add up for our Safety Audit and I wrote that, despite my supervisor saying she wanted to make the numbers match first (I must be familiar with statistics in Psychology and I tried to explain there is a reason stats don't add up perfectly). I am notorious for seeing many sides of a situation, and reserving judgement until more stories are in, unless an action is required before everything can be analyzed. Luckily, I tend to have a good intuition about things.

I am also rather detailed and exact (in some case verbose, like here, but...). For example, the SPCA asked me to describe the colouring of my cat, to which I gave a description of how he is white and where every patch was on his body. They then said "We're just writing black and white for our files, but remember that in case you ever have to report him missing".

I was one of those geeks that, as a kid, when asked what I wanted to do when I grew up I replied "I want to help people!" Of course, my Mom gently pointed out that there are many ways to help people. Police work just seems like a great way to do it, something I may be suited for.

I know this is a lot of information, and since you don't know me you can't say specifically if it sounds like I suit the profession. However, your general impressions, and may some thought on suitability in general would really help.

Thank you very much Jason,
Lauren

Answer
Hi Lauren, sorry for the delay in responding, my home computer didn't get the email telling me I had questions.  Computers can be such a pain sometimes.  Regardless, my apologies for the tardiness of my reply.  

Just based on what you've told me, I think you should give Law Enforcement a try.  You can always change careers at a later date if you feel it's not a "good fit", but you sound like you have the right temperment for the job.  Police work is 75 percent "helping people", and 25 percent "directing people".  It sounds like you are able to do both.  

Look at it this way, if you never try, then years from now, you'll be regretting it.  That I can be 100 percent certain of.  

Good luck!

Jason