My dad served in the military for 20 years, then retired and worked in local law enforcement ( uniformed and plain clothes). I served in the military for 4 years. I have the greatest respect for LEO and the military. But, TBH, I would not recommend either path for my S or D. Respect for LEO seems to be falling rapidly (CC threads included). There is little trust, and it seems like LEO is in a no win situation.
Our military is awesome, but political will to support them is never there. I’ve advised my son to never consider taking up arms unless invaders are marching on Palo Alto.
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Not sure it was that high before. Indeed, the reputation of some police departments during the crime wave / war on drugs era was quite low, as they were seen as both ineffective at controlling crime and prone to misconduct. Obviously, there can be quite a bit of variation in the quality of police departments in different jurisdictions.
Even when getting away from overtly political stuff (e.g. police department relations with Black people), respect for LEOs may not be that high by those on the receiving end of traffic citations and the like.
While I may agree that respect for LEOs is waning, my son didn’t choose to pursue this career for respect. He’s demonstrated that he lives to serve the community he resides in. Every other week he spends his time off working a 36 hour shift, unpaid, at the volunteer rescue squad in his college town. It’s a calling. He’d rather do that than relax.
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And for him and similarly minded people that’s great and very much appreciated. I do hope, though, that it is sustainable over the long run.