Today I had a success. For the first time in my career I testified in court on a felony ADWISI case. I answered the questions from the state and the defense, I presented evidence I collected, and defendant was found guilty.

I celebrate these firsts, because for me it's been a long time coming. In my department an officer goes through 9 months of intensive training before ever going out into the field alone to work a beat. In my case I feel like I've been in training much longer than that. Being in law enforcement is all I've ever wanted to do.

I've been a boy scout, a Sheriff's Explorer, I've worked in facilities for inmates, I've done Internships with two of the best law enforcement agencies in the state, and I've done more hours of ride-a-longs than I can count. Not to mention the four years in college, two years in grad school, and 9 months in training. My getting to put the uniform on, and do some good, has been a long time in the making.

It pisses me off when another cop asks me why I wanted to go into this field, and then prefaces my response with, "and don't tell me you want to help people bullshit." Perhaps that was not their motivation for joining the force - but for me, it was all the incentive.

I grew up with a father in law enforcement, I saw first hand the challenges that goes with the job and the struggles to do the right thing. I also understood the potential the police have to help people - scared people, angry people, desperate people. I'm here to help, if I can do that with at least someone, it'll all have been worth it.

That's a little bit about me. More stories to come later. That's another reason I wanted to become a policeman, they have the best stories of any profession. Check back in, you'll see.