I was asked the other day while working a security job, "Why are you working this job? You are the Chief of Police"? I guess the simple answer is that I have never only had one job. I am not a workaholic, but I do enjoy my work. Now, don't get me wrong, I have hated some of my jobs, but for the most part, I make my work fun. My dad once told me, "If you make your work fun, you will never work another day of your life." As I get older, I must admit, he is right. He is very right.

Police Officers are public servants; we understand that we have dedicated our lives to the service of others, and certain sacrifices come with that. When others are hitting the wakeboard at the lake, we police officers are explaining to young, ignorant parents that it's not ok to live in a trashy house, especially one that is infested with roaches. We also understand that society wants us to work; they don't care if we make a decent living. Few will admit that officers are paid too much, but most won't make a point to help get their favorite public servants the pay increase they want or need. So what happens when you get paid very little for working the greatest job on earth, no you don't turn to life of crime, you get another job.

In the last 23 years as a police officer, most of my extra jobs have been police adjacent or police related. Security work comes naturally for police officers as we are used to standing for long periods embracing the inevitable boredom, but the chance for something epic. I have always said that I want to mow the interstate when I retire. I can only imagine myself in a closed cab tractor mowing, which is seemingly mundane, but there is always that slim chance that you will witness something epic like a rollover accident or a tornado. That is the life of a police officer: always bored but expecting the world to end at any moment.

I drove UBER and LYFT for a while; that was fun. I enjoyed the idea of meeting new people who only thought I was a rideshare driver. Again, the excitement drew me to the job. One night, a crazy man came out of the house holding a pistol. The lady that I was picking up, he didn't want her to leave with whomever was in the vehicle, so he had a gun, not pointed at me, just pointed at the ground. He was determined to use it if necessary. The rider decided, much to my relief, that she was going to stay. I pulled down the road, where I could continue to observe the situation, and called the police, I was out of my jurisdiction. As I was sitting just down the road, the female that I was to pick up came running down the street, jumped into my car, and said, "Let's go!"!! I took her to a local hotel and dropped her off. She explained that the guy with the gun was her dad, and she had met someone on the internet, and he didn't want her to meet him. When I pulled up as a rideshare driver, he thought I was the internet guy. He had no idea I was the police and how close he came to dying that night, my hand was literally on my gun.

I also drove a limo for a short time. I had a blast driving a limo. Rich people are different. They want everything to be perfect and pay for that experience. My favorite drive was with a local college basketball coach. I took him and all his assistants to Tunica for a night of steaks, gambling, and stories. Somehow, one of the coaches recognized me and told everyone about my 'real' job, and I spent the rest of the night telling stories. I have found that no matter the company you are in, people always want to hear stories.

Having an extra job will always be a thing for police like me. I enjoy not being the police just as much as I enjoy being the police. Or maybe I enjoy being the police, but people do not know I am the police. Undercover work is a blast, but that is a story for another time.