The Life of an Officer

It's been quite a while since I gave you all an 'Academy Update'. I guess that's because Eric graduated from the police academy in mid-July. But still, I know many of you wonder what he's doing these days and how things are going. Wonder no more!

Eric is completing his final week of field training. During the past 12 weeks or so he's been riding with other officers during his shift to learn the ropes of being on the streets. For the last 2 weeks he's been in the final training stages and has been in a car by himself answering calls. And he's just received his new schedule assignment. It's third shift, 8:30pm - 6:30am. Yuck. All the guys say this is a GREAT shift for police work, but a pretty bad shift for family life. Hopefully we'll be able to find a happy medium as we adjust to this new schedule.

Eric works in West Phoenix in a neighborhood called Maryvale. It is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The area has been suffering urban decline, and crime per capita is higher in Maryvale than in any other area of Phoenix. Since the 1980's, Maryvale has seen a huge increase in crime and gang membership, and drug dealing and usage is also prevalent.

The Maryvale precinct answers a lot of calls for burglaries, assaults, and suspicious persons or vehicles. There are also a lot of calls for drugs and prostitution. Eric says he averages about 2 arrests a week, which is pretty high.

There have been a few calls that Eric's been on that have been a bit more "exciting" than others. He has been in a few foot chases, as well as an attic search for people hiding under the insulation - in 120 degree heat. No one said these criminals were smart, right? Luckily there hasn't been a need to use his weapon, although he has had it out several times.

If I didn't value our law enforcement officers before, I certainly do now. These men and women are making huge sacrifices to keep all of us safe, and for that I am grateful. The things they deal with on a daily basis would be hard for some of us to stomach. Pray for their safety and ability to defuse tense situations. We'll keep you updated as time goes on!