What Zen and Wolf said ,
Damn , just DAMN !!!!

Rx: Take 2 Quaaludes and call me from Las Vegas.

I heartily disagree.

Our friend is in exactly the right line of work.

He is, as Lt. Col. Dave Grossman puts it, a sheepdog.

It is a sheepdog's job to protect the sheep from the wolves.

The sheep do not like the sheepdog because in him they see the eyes and the instincts of the wolf. But the sheepdog does not prey upon the sheep. He protects the sheep, even to the point of giving his own life in their defense.

I thank you, brother sheepdog, for your service.

Hang in there. I had a pretty crappy day today myself. After reading your post, it really put it in perspective. It's good that you are venting. Zen is right. You saved lives. Every saved life is a family saved from grief. You have contributed to every future wedding, every future birth, every future moment of the lives of those people and their future children, grandchildren, etc. That is potentially hundreds of years of living.

I wouldn't be too quick to dismiss GravDigr's suggestion.

Even the best sheep dogs get tired and need a rest.
If this anon poster was my sheep dog, I'd make him a cosy bed on the porch where he could lie in the sun and bark to let me know when a car is coming up the drive. Dunno how to translate that back out of metaphor, though, but he's earned it.

I love you annon, for everything you do even if I'm not in your community. There are people in mine who do what you do, and I'm grateful to them too.

Just do your job as best you can, and remember why you do it.

xxx

Tell me, zen, if anon were, say, an automechanic, who had a crappy day, but otherwise did everything that he's supposed to on his job, fixed up the cars exactly right, but made the mistake of dumping some crankcase oil down the drain like he used to when he first got into the business, would you be suggesting that maybe he should be looking for a new job or retire?

Just playing devil's advocate, but if that mechanic had also been through a horrific auto accident and has flashbacks when he's working on a car, yes I think Zen would be suggesting that he look for a new job or retire.

Only having flashbacks while trying to uphold the law, in scary situations, is entirely different, even dangerous.

I love anon too and bless him bless him bless him for all that he's done and all that he does, but there do come times in people's lives where what they're doing isn't good for them anymore...in some cases isn't good for anyone.

I think our issue here comes down to regular people don't understand cops, which is why they usually only talk to other cops.

Sometimes 'not understanding' something is a great observation spot for objectivity.

I hope this doesn't lead to a drinking problem.

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If it's causing severe emotional pain and/or distress, I would suggest he/she consider a different line of work.

I don't care if your job is tickling people with dandelion fluff, if it's detrimental to your health, if it fucks you up when you see a dandelion out in a field, then you should absolutely consider a different occupation.

It ain't about just a crappy day, it's what those crappy days are doing to you.

I tend to agree that anon is in this line of work because his heart's in the right place and he has training in this line of work. However, anon is also a very sensitive soul who maybe would find more peace of mind and emotional healing in another milieu.

Emotional injuries are a real as physical ones and should be respected as such.

Or maybe he just had a shit day and needed to vent...

like we all do from time to time...