Almost every cop, everywhere sees retirement as the desirable conclusion of their career. While some may see police work as a short gig in their professional life, most see it as a lifelong vocation. I certainly didn't want to quit, get fired, or die as an alternative to retirement.

The truth is that the law enforcement community has tuned out retirees, most active cops can't or don't want to see beyond the badge. Disability makes retirement even more surreal.It is a shame. In the US, there is every indication that the governmental leaders see police retirees as a viable and powerful voting block. The passage of H.R. 218, the “Law Enforcement Officers’ Safety Act” This new Federal law exempts qualified active and retired law enforcement officers from local and State prohibitions on the carrying of concealed firearms while off-duty across state lines. That was a major change not without controversy.

The truth is that retired cops are pretty much left to fend for themselves. Search for veteran officer and you'll find all the bad stuff. After veteran officer the search engines find arrested, charged, indicted, killed, found guilty...... Try "retired police" and your likely to find "horse" or "dog" listed before "retired police officer." I did a search of popular searches and there were more people searching for information on the dogs and horses than the people. Interestingly, the dogs and horses aren't hitting the keyboards looking for support for themselves.

This is certainly not the case everywhere. It seems that retired cops in the UK and some other countries one can find many peer support and fellowship opportunities.In conclusion, retired cops need to find and join together with other retirees for their common good and for the good of our profession. Active personnel need to see beyond the badge, so that they are better prepared for a happy and healthy retirement.

Retired American law enforcement officers are invited to visit and join American Police Veterans. www.policevets.org