Surviving a Law Enforcement Career: A Guide for Cops and Those Who Love Them

In this first-of-its-kind guide, Dr. Dennis L. Conroy expertly weaves together the experiences he gathered during his 30+ years as a cop with the insight gleaned from his three decades as a police psychologist to create a real-deal resource for anyone considering or already living in the police world, including those who care about their cop. The breadth and depth of content coverage in Surviving a Law Enforcement Career is unrivaled and carries the reader through the life cycle of a cop, from the cradle of initiation to the retirement blues. Throughout the book Dr. Conroy offers guidance on how to maintain your own shield of integrity and commitment while doing the job—a job that all too often piles cynicism, depression, addiction, and other life-threatening circumstances on top of a career already fraught with hazards. Surviving a Law Enforcement Career is your guide to surviving: The Decision to Enter Law Enforcement, Initiation, the System, Marriage, Divorce, Life in a Police Family, Day-to-Day Stress, the Inevitable Trauma, Burnout, Mental Illness, Addiction, Legal Battles, and Retirement. What the Experts are Saying about This Book: “Surviving a Law Enforcement Career is a book that should be issued at the Police Academy for new recruits and their spouses/significant others. Dr. Dennis Conroy has taken a lifetime of applied police work and combined it with his encore post law-enforcement career as a police psychologist to provide the law enforcement community with a contribution that will help save careers, marriages, and lives. Every cop family should pick up a copy.” — Kevin M. Gilmartin, Ph.D. Author of Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement