Tag Archives: Retirement

A Revolver Qualification Brings Out the Old Guys

A month ago, I visited the range with my former police agency to qualify for my LEOSA card, also known as H.B. 218, for off-duty carry. I mixed in at the firing line with officers I knew and some I didn’t. When I strapped on my gun belt, one of the guys with whom I had worked was taken aback. “What is that?” he asked, staring at my waist. “A revolver, of course,” I answered. “But why?” he inquired. I went to the Police Academy in 1987. Back then, all 25 police agencies in my Florida county still shot wheelguns. My department was the very first to transition to the … Continue reading

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My Police Retirement Made Easy

It was quite a wild ride, but I have left sworn law enforcement behind. After 33 years of service, I retired as a Major from my first police department. The very next day, I joined a smaller agency and served four years as a Captain before leaving the profession…uh, lifestyle. It was time. You don’t want to stay too long at the party. Dinosaurs, like draft animals, need to be put out to pasture. I was brought up on the spit and polish of a squared-away uniform. When outer vests (MOLLE festooned with trinkets), full beards, and sleeve tattoos are the order of the day, old dogs need to move … Continue reading

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