The kinds of books I tend to like reading are the ones that are very well put together, thought-provoking, and in this case would also prefer ones that contained many dynamics of police psychology.

Thanks for the literary help "Kanine" and "Vicky69".

FIRST OF ALL === you may not like your name here currently, but I do and I look for your name each time I visit the site to see if you have posted something new. If you would change your name, how would I know it is you?

I am doing a Copy and Paste ------

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Somehow I suspect police work is not exactly like many other types of employment out there in how the psyche may be affected, and I am wanting to learn more.

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That is from your very last posting.

What I want to comment here about what you have said will NOT BE "direct" comments, but, I hope that the readers will be able to "follow my trend of thinking" --- then you will know why I say what I am saying.

In virtually ALL OTHER employment, an employee can do anything, and, if what that employee has done, turns out to be a "not too good a thing" but, that employee did EXACTLY as his/her training was, not much is said about that employee, even if for a small duration of time, that employee feels bad about it.

But, in police work, a LEO who does something EXACTLY as the training has been, and then something occurs, that LEO is "put into his/her place" by the citizens quickly and in the eyes of the citizen that LEO is no longer the cop that they feel ought to BE a cop at all.

So that the reader can FULLY follow what I am striving to indicate here by this posting, please continue, and you will know without a doubt as to what I am trying to say.

LEOs are trained in EVERY ASPECT of gun-fire. EVERY ASPECT PERIOD! A police officer canNOT go on patrol UNTIL he knows all about, when to shoot, under what circumstances, the reasons, and the rest, including how to stand, sit, kneel, lay down and whatever in shooting, and, the words to use and virtually any and every aspect.

The basics of these things are taught in what is known as Police Academy, but, the general principles are acquired from fellow officers as well as the FTOs and the like.

SUDDENLY and WITHOUT ANY INCLINATION OF ANY WARNING, that officer is met with some assailant waving some sort of weapon, and, because of the officer's training, his psyche takes over and due to the situation, he shoots and the person who was waving that some sort of weapon is killed.

When the incident is investigated, virtually each and every aspect of that incident is thoroughly studied, including what, if anything, was said, to the degree that UNLESS the officer is FULLY AND COMPLETELY "in the right" he/she can break down and never return to performing as an officer again. This officer has reacted to that incident fully as his psyche has been trained to react. Yet, BECAUSE a citizen has been killed, the citizens will "be on that officer's case" from that moment on even if the legal system exonerates the officer and justifies him/her of that shooting incident.

In any other sort of employeeship, the employee can do something of that degree, also, and very little is done or said at all by the general public. But, not in the work of the police officer. So this is one of the reasons why LEOs psyche differs drastically compared to those in other employment arenas.

If you have followed my trend of thought, now you can surmise what it was I was striving to indicate.

In other words, that officer, EXCEPTING FOR STILL BEING A HUMAN BEING, in essence becomes a robot-of-a-sort due to the training he or she must endure so that when incidences are confronted that the "robot effect" takes over without the slightest variation whatsoever. Those of you who have been in the military (as I have been) will be aware of what it is what I am trying to indicate concerning the "robot effect" thing. The "normal citizen" cannot comprehend these things at all since they have not "been there and done that" in these cases.

It is true I am not a police officer nor have I ever served in the armed forces, but what you wrote was actually quite poignant and did give an outsider like myself a glimpse of those particular aspects of police work. When I was reading everything you said I couldn't think what absolute hell it would be to have to "remain perfect (i.e. "robot-like) in the most dangerous of circumstances where anything and everything could happen. I would think it would at least give one a lot of stress, perhaps anger by feeling the public misunderstands all you go through in dangerous conditions, and even in some cases major regrets because an officer acted dramatically on a circumstance that was misinturpreted (such as incidents coined as "death by cop" where a suicidal person doesn't have the nerve to kill themselves, so they point an intimidating weapon at an officer knowing full well they will probably be shot at and even killed - this must do quite the psychological flips on police men and women afterwards when they find out the facts of the situation albeit too late).

You know, I truthfully have had only one major very personal experience with a major sociopath (in my rape) and because of it have wondered questions like this: What would it be like being in a job where you encounter these types of individuals on a regular basis? Would it give you nightmares that would go on for days or years? What would it be like to know on a daily basis that somebody out there could kill you without conscience (I actually already know this answer, although I think it might be somewhat different when one faces it daily)? Could hope and idealism (not trying to sound overtly sentimental but these really are mindsets people need for a healthy life and mind) about the human race alleviate with the passage of time because of horrible things what is faced on your job? How about your families? Do you worry about somebody bad doing something terrible to them to get to you? Then as somebody in a previous message said to me the families often worry very much about the mortality of their loved ones working in the police force.... . Most certainly I'm sure good things happen in your careers as well, but the negative drawbacks seem to be of a dire nature... .

Also, as far as what you said earlier about having to be perfect and if something "imperfect" takes place citizen-wise in regard to a police incident, the public comes down on you. Chappy, only halfway do I agree with you on this one. As a recent example, lets take the Air Marshals who shot and killed a Bipolar man in the Miami airport last month. This mentally ill individual was off of his meds, and said "he was a terrorist and was going to blow up the airplane". It was when he ran down the aisle to grab a backpack, suitcase - I forgot exactly what it was- the Air Marshals shot and killed him. It was an extremely unfortunate incident along with being very sorrowful because it had to happen to such an ill individual, but how were these Air Marshals to know he was off his meds and really was harmless? They did what they did on instict because nobody in this country is up for another terrorist attact, and felt lives had to be saved. There has been a lot of flack stating this should have never happened where such and innocent and ill man was killed (where in an ideal and perfect world this couldn't have been more true), but let me tell you if the Air Marshals waited minutes just to assess correctly what was really going on the public would have been just as angry about that. Then people would've said our Air Marshals are useless and another 9/11 could've happened all over again. It's a "Catch 22", but there really are citizens that realize perfection in the police force in unattainable, and sometimes you people work under ungodly circumstances and do what you feel is right in the moment - you can't ask for anything more from a human. I know I came down very hard on police officers in my first message on this board, but my focus and judgement (at least as far as seeing all police officers as bad) was completely out of wack. Before that I always had a lot of respect for many police (as I do now again) for I think you people literally do things most others wouldn't want to face, along with being very brave. I also know sometimes the public does make you into easy scapegoats, but just to tell you not all of us do that.

Well, enough writing for now. Hope you have a Happy New Year, Chappy. : )

The name of the other book that I read is called "Cop Shock". It helped me deal with a lot of stuff when two of my husband's partners were shot and killed on a routine call.