Being the daughter of a Cop

Many people say that being a daughter is the easiest thing ever. It is. Girls get whatever their little heart’s desire. On a personal note yes that’s true up until your teen years, or until the next girl is born. When you’re the daughter of a police officer you have far more responsibility put upon you. I am expected to follow all rules enforced. Let me give you some examples: I don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t do drugs, don’t drive after curfew, don’t get bad grades, be respectful. I am a teenage girl and of course I have a boyfriend. Whenever he comes over to pick me up for our date he gets interrogated. 21 questions before we leave and when we get back. The list can go on all day. My point is that everyone thinks it’s so cool to be a cop’s daughter and it can be. However, there is so much more that goes on behind the scenes than people think.

When cops are involved in an incident, they’re not allowed to mention any names, or give the slightest idea of who it was that was involved. At dinner time is when we all get together and talk about how our day was. I get lost easily because my dad doesn’t use names so I have to try to paint the picture in my head of the story he’s trying to tell. The majority of the time it doesn’t get too bad, but there are times when I just have to take myself out of the conversation because I’m completely lost.
The funniest part about my dad telling a story is that he doesn’t show any emotions. He keeps his cop face on through the entire conversation. For example, if it’s a sad story that he is telling he won’t show those facial expressions until it’s over. This makes us have to recap the story and figure out our how we feel about what we have just heard. When those confusing stories come about, I do my best to just go with the flow of the story, and take it all in at the end.

My dad usually has to do his tactical training monthly. That means they’re motivated and ready to come home to demonstrate what they’ve learned. Because it’s just us girls at home we are usually the ones that he demonstrates on. Which, we’ve become pretty prone to now. There’s no physical harm being done when he demonstrates, but he just likes to show us what he learned. Sometimes that is a good thing. Unfortunately I can’t ever remember the moves.
As the daughter of a police officer this means that I have to be strong. There’s no time for to be scared. Anything can happen in the blink of an eye and we have to be ready. I’m thankful that nothing has happened to my dad. We always say a prayer before he leaves to work, praying that he’s protected while he’s out there dealing with the stupid people of society. There are days when we make plans for lunch or dinner, but they can never be set in stone. We never know what’s going to happen between now and then. There are times when my dad can’t even come home to eat until nine o’clock at night, and dinner was ready at seven. We love him, so we’ll wait until nine.

Guns, tasers, and pepper spray are a big part of being a police officer defense. Cops are required to go through a weapons qualification class every six months. This means more gun safety, and tactical shooting. That means that I will also learn gun safety at home. I’m not allowed to touch any guns unless I am at the shooting range. It’s the same process when it comes to tasers. My dad is a taser instructor, so of course I know the taser rules as well. My dad does tactical scenarios, long distance and other variations of shooting as well as close up combat. I love when my parents take us shooting. I’m still in the process of learning to shoot properly. However, I absolutely love to shoot. If you can’t learn the safety of the weapons you use, you won’t use them. That’s the daughter of a cop talking.

Being a cop’s daughter isn’t what everyone thinks it is. I live a normal life just like everyone else. I have friends whose fathers are police officers as well and they live normal lives as well. We just have a little more going on.
It honestly frustrates me when people talk about how horrible cop’s are. People don’t call criminals when they are in trouble. They call 911. Guess what? My dad may be one of the many officers that may save your life. I have lost friends when they found out that my dad was a cop. Not just any cop though, he’s Officer Perez. It doesn’t bother me anymore because people come and go, but my dad will always be here. I’ve learned to deal with ignorant people and their actions, and it doesn’t faze me as much as it did in the past unless it’s really drastic.
I feel that if you weren’t raised by a father whose profession is law enforcement, than no one would be able to with stand the constant feeling of fear and praying that everything will be fine. It’s not something you can get used to. It’s a lifestyle that you have to accept. I love my life and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I know that what my dad does is to protect us all. In my opinion being the daughter of a police officer is honestly the best thing for any girl. She will grow up strong, smart, and know how to defend herself. Having a cop for a father is not what I asked for, but I am glad that God chose him to be my father and for me to be his daughter.