What It Takes

A police officer pulls back the proverbial curtain on his profession to reveal its inner workings. After more than a decade in the police force, the author shares on-the-job insights and details of his training on how to deal with drug addiction, mental illness, and violent encounters, and delves into why policing spans gratification to anguish. Ride alongside as he divulges behind-the-scene stories of everyday situations faced by police officers across Canada-from traffic-infraction stops to domestic abuse calls and dealing with hallucinating drug users and dealers-and get a candid peek inside "a day in the life" of a patrol officer. Police are not perfect but are asked to do their job with perfection. Movements like "defund the police" are addressed from the perspective of first responders who face intense pressure, media scrutiny, and public backlash in the fallout of several high profile incidents. By showing the inner workings of police training, teamwork, the criminal justice system, as well as socio-economic realities, the author raises awareness of what it takes to be a police officer and why policing is integral to public safety, while also questioning the current stigma against law enforcement.