The police years marked a great learning curve for me both on a personal level and civic/humanity level.
Just to provide a reference of how times have changed… a Smith and Wesson six shooter revolver was the issued weapon.
I have as a a keepsake the Metro-Dade Career Employment Opportunity Qualifications for Police Officer:
Nearly twenty five years ago and my mind still struggles with the truth of the ugly side of humanity… I realized how very little pictures I had taken… yet I’m so glad I found a few to share. Specially the one from the academy days where we wore our blue uniform – they called them the ‘smurf’ uniform.
I really enjoyed working a ‘beat’ on the midnight shift. Yet, I was very fortunate (thank you to the angels that loved me both in uniform and the unseen ones) – I had an opportunity to work as a detective select of the Community Affairs Department.
As part of some of the duties I drove around in a big rv which was customized inside with police displays show casing crime prevention information. On other occasions, such as parades we drove around in the original 1954 Police Car – a true antique!
On my beat I drove the good old Chrysler – everything shook in a speed chase. I was still in the Police Department when they were upgrading the fleet to Crown Victoria.
Maybe it was just me… but I did have a feeling once… just once, that I was a super hero – so I did find a nice pair of black leather pants and a ‘batman’ shirt – no cape. 
Working then.. in the Metro-Dade Community Affairs Department entailed reaching out to the community, schools and businesses and keeping a liaison of information to maintain information and peace flow. I had the opportunity to sit with political leaders of our time such as Janet Reno, was on local T.V. and Radio, as well as meeting international police officers and local celebrities of the then famous t.v. series Miami Vice. It was interesting times and surely a very delicate job.
The 1980’s was the age where bales of cocaine would drift on our Miami Beach shores, the era of drug, Colombian cartels, and Jamaican drug lords. Enter the campaign for Drug Awareness – Red Ribbon Week was launched during this time period and the Metro-Dade Police Robot visited nearly every school in Dade County to share the message of safety, prevention and awareness.
Excerpt from What are Policeman Made of by Paul Harvey:
“What is a policeman made of? He, (She) of all men (women), is at once the most needed and the most unwanted.
He must make in an instant, decisions which would require months for a lawyer.
But… if he hurries, he’s careless; if he’s deliberate, he’s lazy.
The policeman must be a minister, a social worker, a diplomat, a tough guy, and a gentleman.
And of course, he’ll have to be a genius…
For he’ll have to feed a family on a policeman’s salary.”
