Remember Your First Hook Up?

Remember your first hookup? That first time you actually told someone they were under arrest and put your handcuffs on your first prisoner? Remember that feeling you had in your stomach — that shaky feeling of getting the cuffs out and on as fast as you could and maintaining control. Remember working hard to not appear nervous and scared of losing your prisoner (or even being attacked)?

Remember how careful you were to watch the hands and make sure you searched for a weapon as soon as possible? Remember how you made sure you followed procedure like you were trained to do?

If you remember, good! Because that is the way you should act on every hookup you make until the day your retire... never let your guard down with anyone, no matter how big or small, no matter what age or even gender. Once you become too comfortable with what you are doing — “just another mope getting arrested” — that's when you become complacent, and in this line of work, complacency kills.

Stay focused, stay alert, stay alive.