After a Day Shift in Patrol (6a-6p)
This is the story of how I went from a full-time career in music to a full time career in law enforcement. It’s a broad overview of the process, from playing professionally and composing music, to committing myself to a new career goal. Preparing myself mentally and physically to become a police officer.
Later, there will be new blog posts that will dig deeper into some of the challenges, the rewards, and the demands of having a 20 year career in public service. Also, how music helped me to stay grounded, stay positive and healthy.
An important note, many accomplished people have their own story of becoming a law enforcement officer. So many stories are far greater than mine, and their careers were far more successful than mine. Too many also gave their lives in the line of duty. The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP)
I’m sharing this story not because I think I'm special, but because even today, it’s hard to believe that I made it, and was given this rare opportunity to do something much greater than I could have ever imagined.
It All Started With Music
I have always been playing music for most of my life. This materialized through school, playing in bands, teaching, and writing. Even when I had my ‘day job’ I was always playing music. In Los Angeles I was doing freelance gigs and taking lessons to get better. I was also lucky to be touring with a few bands. In 1998 I built a recording studio and began composing music for films and other projects.
It was then that I began to realize I was a bit of a selfish person, always wanting to do music. My Wife, who was a Nurse, became the Director of Disaster Relief for the Red Cross where we lived. Then in January 31st 2000, Alaska Airline flight 261 crashed, killing all 88 passengers off the coast of Port Hueneme. I began to see how much my Wife sacrificed for others. While she was helping grieving families, I was busy working in the studio. It just did not seem right. I began to re-evaluate what was important in my life, and re-examine my goals.
Alaska Airlines Flight 261
Article: Fishing death from the ocean: Remembering the Alaska Airlines crash 25 years later
Memorial Hueneme Beach Sundial Memorial commemorates the 88 passengers and crew who lost their lives
It was then that I realized I wanted a career where I could do something that mattered in life. I did not have to give up music to do this. Soon a certain career struck a cord with me. Something that I felt I could do that would make a difference in people’s lives and in mine, become a police officer.
I started soul searching to really ask myself, could I do this, become a police officer? After time, I felt I was ready to be committed to my goal. I started reading about law enforcement, getting in physical shape, and restructuring my daily life to prepare myself for the application process, and hopefully a new career.
The Application Process
It’s now the beginning of 2001. I felt as ready as I was going to be, and applied to the Los Angeles Police Department. That process was like a cattle call. All of us were in a large room for the first weeding out step: everyone was given a pencil and paper. We had to write an essay about something that we did that was meaningful in our lives. Then you just waited. In April, I was notified that I made it to the interview process.
My First Law Enforcement Interview
Day of the Interview Form
While the application process progressed, my Wife said she wanted to move closer to family. This was also for our Daughters to be close to family. She wanted to move to Sarasota Florida. I had only been to Florida when I was on tour and my first reaction was, really?
Once I thought about all the great things that Sarasota had to offer us as a family, great schools, no state taxes, and a respectable art and music scene, I said yes of course. Once we decided for sure, I began to prepare my all music studio gear for the move. I knew I could still apply to become a police officer in Sarasota, and hopefully still achieve my goal. With this, I started my new application process with the Sarasota Police Department while still living in Ventura.
Move to Sarasota Florida
In August of 2001 we sold our home and completed the move to Sarasota. When I had my interview with the Sarasota Police, they advised that I was a good candidate for a civilian position. They also said I was not ready to become a police officer. This was a hard blow for me, but I also realized from their perspective, I was a musician from California. I feel their impression was, I was not serious about becoming a police officer.
In the face of that rejection, I knew I was not going to give up. I knew that if I could graduate the police academy and then pass the state certification test, I would become a more appealing candidate.
I then applied to the police academy so I could become state certified for law enforcement employment. If I was accepted in the academy, I would continue to apply to other law enforcement agencies and hopefully be hired before graduation.
I also knew that if I could not even get accepted into the police academy, I might have to rethink long-term how I could support my family and still become a police officer.
On the morning of my academy interview, I remember sitting in the waiting room for my turn. I then heard someone say an airplane just flew into a building. I could not understand what that meant but knew as soon as I was done with my interview, I would try and find out on the news. That day was September 11th 2001.
While learning about what that horrible day was all about, life was still moving forward. I later found out that I was accepted into the academy. Once I started, I even got to be vice-president of our academy class!
The courses and tests were very hard. You could not get less than 80% on any test. If you did you were out, no do overs. You also had to pass all your physical ability tests, driving tests, and shooting qualifications. Lots of people dropped out during the process. One even had a breakdown in the parking lot and had to be taken away by ambulance.
While in the academy, I had to sell some of my studio gear to help with bills. I also worked at a grocery store after class to earn some income. Classes were 12pm – 9pm. After class I would work at the grocery store until 3am. Then the whole process would start over the next day. It was a busy stressful time.
A special thank you to Albertson’s Grocery Store. They hired me even knowing I was going to the academy and would hopefully be leaving sometime soon for a new career opportunity in law enforcement.
October 2001 Employee of The Month Award
Getting Hired
While I was completing classes, I applied to the Sarasota Sheriff’s Office. The lessons I learned from my unsuccessful Sarasota Police Department interview, I applied to my Sarasota Sheriff’s Office interview. Luckily they took a chance and hired me! I then had to pass the extensive background checks, the physical abilities test, the polygraph test, the vision test, the medical test, and the psychology test. That was a lot of tests. Then just a couple weeks before graduation, I had my official Sarasota Sheriff’s Deputy job offer letter in hand. This was May 2002 and it was very exciting.
Academy Graduation Day With Some Of My Classmates
After Graduation With My Family
Once hired I had my appointment with the Sheriff’s quartermaster to be issued all of my new gear. I will never forget the feeling I got, the first time I put on my bullet proof vest. That was when I knew this was a reality, and that I was going to be doing this as my career. I also knew that I better be real good as a deputy, or it might just be my last day, one way or another. On June 6th I was officially sworn in as a Sarasota County Deputy Sheriff. I then had to qualify with my newly issued weapon. It was a great day!
Field Training
I then started field training. It was six months of training on the road with several different field training officers. Then if you pass, you have another six months in patrol, on your own. They judge you on everything, all the time. In 2002 the fail rate was as reality for many new recruits. Not everyone made it through their first six months. I remember being on a call when a new recruit who was in their final week failed to identify that a felony had occurred. That was it for them.
I was also on a call when a recruit froze still during a fight and did not jump in to help. That was also it for them. Overall, you can make it through if you pay attention and work hard.
I feel the training process is to challenge a deputy under high stress situations, over and over again. The idea is that if you can make it through that process, you should have developed the skills to make correct split second decisions and always remain calm, and most importantly, get to go home at the end of the day.
There are lots of stories I have experienced over the course of 20 years, but this story is the introduction, and a general overview of my career transition into law enforcement.
Music and Law Enforcement Come Full Circle
After about a year in patrol, a news reporter from a nearby town heard that a deputy used to play in a band that he liked and this reporter wanted to interview him. That deputy unfortunately was me. At the time, the last thing I wanted was for anyone to know I was a musician from California.
As a side note, this was Florida and everyone I had met in Florida made fun of people from California, especially San Francisco. They would say, that’s were the people from the land of fruits and nuts live. To make matters worse, I was a musician from California. So I would not tell anyone where I was originally from, or what I used to do for a living. I just said I used to be a paralegal, which I actually had been in the past.
I was then given permission by the Sheriff to do the interview. So luckily, the interview went well and the journalist was very kind. I even got a nice thank you card from the Sheriff after it was published.
North Port Sun Article Excerpt
Achieving a Goal And The Long Road Ahead
So by this time, I started to feel accepted by my fellow law enforcement brothers and sisters. It was also coming up on my one year anniversary of employment. After one year of employment, you officially become a Deputy First Class have passed your probationary status.
Within two years, I was promoted to detective, then later assigned to the intelligence unit. I even got to bring music into my law enforcement career by becoming the trumpet player who played taps in Honor Guard. In 2008 I got accepted into the hostage negotiation unit.
Over the course of my employment I had the rare opportunity to become a full-time joint terrorism task force agent with the FBI, then a financial crimes task force agent with the USSS.
There are a couple sayings I learned in law enforcement: (They are both true.) 1. You start in Patrol, and you end in Patrol. 2. When you’re a new Deputy, you want everyone to know. After time, you don’t want anyone to know.
I was so lucky to have had my dream come true, and there were so many people that shared their knowledge with me throughout my career. I could not have done this, or have had all these amazing experiences without their expertise and guidance.
Most importantly, I could not have done this without the love and support from my family. All these experiences have made me appreciate life and appreciate each day more than I could have ever imagined.
My family, my law enforcement brothers, and my music helped me make this experience so rewarding. Now retired from law enforcement, I get to do music exclusively again, but this time I do not feel so selfish anymore, thanks to all the people that helped me, and accepted a musician into the law enforcement family.
My Last Patrol Shift Before Retiring
There will be blog posts in the future about some amazing law enforcement officers and agents I got to meet and become friends with. Also some interesting aspects of how to mentally prepare for, and survive in this type of career.
