Big City vs. Rural Cops

I just read a diatribe on big city vs. rural cops, which I found while perusing the comments on another popular law enforcement website. Apparently we rural cops aren’t considered to be the equal of our big city brethren, at least according to few officers claiming to be from some of the metro areas.

This is a little disconcerting to me as I, like a great many of the men & women who wear a badge, shield or star, consider anyone brave (or stupid) enough to do so worthy of friendship and recognition. I myself originally hail from a department with over 200 sworn officers in a metro area, but relocated to a department consisting of 6 officers out in the boondocks of our great nation. And yes, it was by my choice (but that is a story for another day).

Was it a culture shock? Hell yeah it was. But want to know what the difference in being a cop is between here and there?

NOT. A. DAMN. THING.

I still respond to calls, although I do way more self-initiated (read as make-my-own-case) jobs rather than run from call to call, although those days do happen here. I still make car stops. I still make DUI arrests. I still handle drunks. I still handle domestics (although I have learned the art of how to deal with them solo when necessary). I still get to chase bad guy (and bad girls), both on foot and by car (which is just as fun as it was in the “big city”). I still deal with drugs like marijuana, meth, heroin, crack and even ecstasy. I have the benefit of being able to spend time completing an investigation & building a case rather than speeding from call to call every shift. In fact the majority of my cases turned over for prosecution are plead out rather than drag out in court for months (although my court OT sucks).

The point being is that I am doing the same job here as I did there. The only thing different is the environment.

Maybe that’s why I don’t understand the whole big city vs. small town cop thing. I believe that any man or woman that pins on one of those shiny chest targets badges we wear is worthy of my respect, regardless of whether they work in the largest of cities or the smallest village.

One is not necessarily better than the other, just different. If we can't respect each other, how the hell is the public supposed to respect us?
 
Stay safe my friends and wear your vest!