Tell me it gets better.

shakedownshorti · 11-20-2008, 12:56 AM

Yeah, just keep on keeping on, watch, listen and learn! Everyday is different and every person that you work with is different, they all have their own ways of getting things done! Hang in there, and ask those questions, they might not seem important to you but they might mean the difference between life and death someday! Ask, ask ask!

It gets better but you are still way too new, people are trying to feel you out, they have to try to weed out the weak and trust comes slowly, but has to be earned....they don't trust you just like I am sure you don't trust them!

Hang in there!!! Goood luck!

Iowa #1603 · 11-20-2008, 03:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gunns

You have a problem when you stop feeling nervous everyday.
I felt like I was getting it in a couple of months..
I still don't like most people i work with.LOL

I will give that a plus 1

32 yrs in and I still get nervous

It gets better as time goes by

Kyle313 · 11-20-2008, 06:23 AM

I had an old First Sergeant back in 95 in the AIRBORNE who said that you don't have to be scared when you jump but if you are not a little nervous then you are dangerous because you become cocky and that's when injuries happen to yourself or your fellow jumpers. Jumping out of a high performance aircraft isn't a natural thing so it is expected to be nervous every time you jump. I associate that saying with my career in corrections now. Walking among die hard criminals, murderers, rapists, etc, unarmed, usually alone, is not a natural thing. Its ok not to be scared but it is also ok to be a little nervous(maybe nervous is a bad word here, I'll use concerned)about what is going on around you because if you don't have that concern, and get too familiar and/or complacent with your surroundings, you too can become cocky, possibly end up with a GOD complex, and you can cause injury to yourself and your fellow officers. Hang in there and don't give up just yet.......Just my thoughts and opinions.........

WSPCO · 11-20-2008, 06:23 AM

Keep focused on safety and security and don't let the senior staff rattle your cage. They are just too set in their ways. Some of those senior staff are like dinosaurs that will soon retire and be gone. Just remember that not all senior staff do things the right way either, they do things the way they were taught back in the day. I know that if an officer has a question about anything I feel that it's part of my duty to answer the question to the best of my knowledge. My current crew are all newer staff except for 1 senior staff and I get all kinds of questions from them. I try to continue with advance training and help as many new staff that I can. It will take a while before you feel that you belong but hang in there and don't give up and soon you will not be a new staff anymore as new staff are always being hired after you and you will start to climb that seniority ladder.

20NOUT · 11-21-2008, 08:24 PM

I have been in for about 9 months now. I dont get that nervous feeling like I did when I first started but I always keep in mind where I am at all times. The worst thing you can do is to get complacent. Always ask questions, how will you know what to do if you dont. They dont cover even a fraction of what you really need to know in academy. So find a senior officer or a CO that has been there for awhile that is willing to answer you. You say the inmates "are cool" but dont forget they are not your friends and are always testing and feeling you out.
In a couple of months the job itself will become easier and you will feel more and more like you belong. Although if you want to have a career in corrections and want to be a good officer never stop learning. Do your job to the best of your ability and show up to work consistently and you will start to gain the respect of fellow Cos and senior staff. When you start to feel like you are alone in your job just watch what happens when a serious radio call comes across. That will let you know when you need them your brother and sister COs will be there when it matters most.
Keep your chin up, dont get caught up.

lloyd77 · 11-21-2008, 09:10 PM

20NOUT has this 100% correct: "You say the inmates "are cool" but don't forget they are not your friends and are always testing and feeling you out."

Remember they "live" there though you "own" their home. What I mean about them "living there" is that they know the place better than you. This is their life, what they are all about. I've been retired 15 years now and I can still remember the nerves I had as a new Deputy in the jail system. It DOES go away but it takes time.

Good Luck, stay SAFE!

bop_steward · 11-21-2008, 10:04 PM

If you find yourself entering the prison and not feeling nervous, turn around and go home! It is this nervousness and anxiety that keeps you from becoming complacent. Complacency leads to injuries or death. Like someone else said, don't be afraid. If I tote an a$$ whoopin, it won't be the first, and damn sure ain't gonna be the last, accept you got one coming.

Let's see, 12 1/2 years in a prison, 20 1/2 in laww enforcement, and I am still learning. You should never stop learning, just know the job will get easier by what you do learn.

algrob · 11-21-2008, 10:28 PM

Feeling nervous is a good thing. It will keep you lookig around. You are being tested everytime you walk through the gate. Some thung is trying to figure you out. Keep them guessing about everything but how you do the job, they have to follow rules so make sure they do. The day you quit learning in this job is the day that you should look at wal mart for employment, you will never, or should never, come to work and learn nothing.
Stick with it, you wont be a rookie forever.

jailer22 · 11-21-2008, 11:27 PM

Hey everyone here has hit the nail on the head!!!! Just learn everyday and you'll be golden at it!! I'm on my second month the only thing that concerns me is the ghosts in this building! it's an old building they have had everything from hangings to suicides since it opened in the early 1900's up until the 1960's. working in the digger on graveyards is nerveracking sometimes. hang in there

all4114all · 11-21-2008, 11:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 20NOUT

When you start to feel like you are alone in your job just watch what happens when a serious radio call comes across. That will let you know when you need them your brother and sister COs will be there when it matters most.
Keep your chin up, dont get caught up.

AMEN!!!

Last call for assistance I looked out to see blue shirts running at top speed even though my unit was at the top of the hill (who am I kidding? Missouri = hills!). That is when you know that no matter what happens someone will be there, and many times A LOT of someones!

I always tell people that when walking across the yard, do a scan. You will see officers in and out of the crowds of offenders or behind a tree, or behind a building. Look. You will see they are there. And like 20nout said, wait for the **** to fly and whoooosh, it is like superman in blue all over the place!