A Police Reporter On Cops: My Broad & Liberty Piece On Being A Cop With A Purpose And A Future

Broad & Liberty ran my piece on being a cop.

You can read the piece via the link below or the text below:  

Paul Davis: A career with a purpose and a future

When I was about twelve years old, I told my father and my uncle that I wanted to be a writer and a police reporter.

My uncle, a police captain, took me to his district where he introduced me to his fellow police officers. The cops seemed to get a kick out of me, and they regaled me with funny and fascinating stories. I watched the cops bring in handcuffed suspected criminals and process them.  

My uncle took me on a tour of the district station, and I saw the holding cells and the courtroom where they held preliminary hearings. I did my first ride-along in a police car with my uncle after the tour of the station.

Many years after that police station visit, I became a writer, and I began to cover the cops. (The above photo is of me outside the old Philadelphia First District police station. The photo at the bottom is of me and Sgt. Carl White from the First District). 

As a reporter, I attended the pilot class of the Civilian Police Academy in 1994, and I wrote an eleven-part series on police training and operations for the South Philadelphia Review. Many cops in South Philly, where I live, read the weekly newspaper and commented favorably on the series. Some cops told me that they were not used to receiving good press, or accurate reporting.       

Over the years, I’ve accompanied narcotic officers on raids, observed homicide detectives investigating murders, and interviewed senior officers from captains to commissioners. I’ve made many friends who are or were cops, including my best friend of more than 25 years, Mark Tartaglia, a retired detective who sadly died a couple of years ago. 

I’ve also gone out on many ride-alongs with patrol officers and observed cops dealing with drunks, the insane, street criminals and emotionally devastated crime victims. I’ve enjoyed the interesting banter with cops while riding along on patrol with them, and I laughed at the cops’ black humor, which they employ to offset the unpleasantness they encounter. Most cops are good storytellers, and they can be very funny.  

I recall one patrol officer telling me that he loved being a cop.

“It’s better than TV. The job is rarely boring. Every night I go out and I don’t know who I will see or what I will do,” the cop told me. “I like putting bad guys away, and I like helping people, and when I do, I feel good. I also like the camaraderie with my brother cops. I can’t think of a more compelling or purposeful job.”

I’m thankful that I was not only able to interview former LAPD detective sergeant turned bestselling author Joseph Wambaugh, who recently died at 88, but I also maintained a regular correspondence with him. He was a good man, a good cop, and a great writer. His classic cop novels, such as The New Centurions and The Blue Knight, as well as his classic nonfiction books, such as The Onion Field and Echoes in the Darkness, will endure. 

During one of my interviews with Joe Wambaugh, I asked the 14-year police veteran if he would recommend that young men and women become police officers.   

“Yes, I would advise certain young people to become police officers. Because I believe that doing good police work can provide the most fun that they will ever have in their entire lives,” Wambaugh replied. “This was spoken by the old LAPD sergeant dubbed “The Oracle” in my novel, Hollywood Station. But police work is not for the types who are utterly crushed by confrontation and negative criticism. My advice to those young people would be, if you want love, join the fire department.”

Yes, being a cop can be dangerous. Officers have been injured on the job, and some have died in the line of duty. But firemen are injured more than cops, and cab and Uber drivers are more at risk than cops. 

In the past couple of years, cops have not had the support of their chiefs, elected officials, woke prosecutors and the press. Many good cops have taken early retirement. But the tide has changed. The Defund the Police movement has died, and newly elected officials and the public at large are much more supportive of police officers.

I write this as I’ve just seen a recruiting advertisement for Philadelphia police officers. The advertisement offers a career with a purpose and a future. A job to show compassion and to inspire others. 

Recruits are offered a yearly salary of $64,982 to start, and after six months on the job, the salary goes up to $69,492. To qualify, one has to have a high school diploma or equivalent and must be 20 years old. 

Anyone interested in being a Philadelphia police officer can apply online at joinphillypd.com.  

This is an especially good opportunity for military veterans. As a Navy veteran, I’ve often noted many similarities between the military and the police. There are many veterans currently on the job in Philadelphia. 

So, if one wants to have a good job with purpose and a future, they should consider becoming a Philadelphia police officer. 

Paul Davis, a Philadelphia writer and frequent contributor to Broad + Liberty, also contributes to Counterterrorism magazine and writes the “On Crime” column for the Washington Times. He can be reached at pauldavisoncrime.com.