Chapter One
The Clown
Becoming a law enforcement officer required an involved series of actions-psychological tests, background investigations, medical exams, and in between, the same stuff I hated most about my time in the military, which was a lot of waiting. While I progressed through each of the steps, I completed as many ride-alongs as I could. I went to the gym, where I lifted weights, ran, and talked with some of the cops I had met. Everything became about getting ready for the Academy. That part was easy. Exercising was something I’d done since I was sixteen.
For me, the ride-alongs were an opportunity to suck up, to get to know people who might help me get hired. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to know a few names, which I would conveniently and not-too-subtly drop when I had my oral boards. In the true tradition of Vegas, I wasn’t above using juice if it got me the job.
That’s how I found myself in a black-and-white, wearing civilian clothes and listening to the pitfalls of being a cop. As I stared out the window at the passing streets, I thought about the ways my life had changed. Joey, a friend, and I were no longer roommates after he made up with his ex. The day he asked me to move out, I was only too happy. The lifestyle we had been living was killing me, but it didn’t faze him at all. Joey had been able to go out after a day’s work – every night – drink, smoke, then get up early the next morning, go to work and repeat the process. This was done each day on little or no sleep, and he managed to keep our boss happy, which made me believe the Army somehow physically altered and brainwashed its employees.
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