By Police1 Staff
The life of a TV cop is loaded with drama. Car chases, bar fights, undercover stings, drug raids and, best of all, no paperwork. While real-life officers have their share of heart-pounding moments, it’s the less glorified tasks that tend to take up the majority of an officer’s shift, but thanks to Hollywood, most people have little idea how mundane certain duties can be.
We asked Police1 Facebook fans what the most boring parts of their day were, and several of the most common undertakings made multiple appearances on the lackluster list. Take a look, and let us know if we missed one in the comments section below!
Let’s face it, in law enforcement, there are highs, there are lows, and then there’s everything in between. What’s the most boring part of your shift (and why?)
Posted by Police1.com on Friday, March 13, 2015
1. Paperwork/report writing
“Paperwork, because well, it’s paperwork...” — Eric Mercier
“Reports and getting evidence/videos for court.” — George Enke
“Backed up on reports.....we have to write reports while cleared for next call........also Sunday a.m. burglary reports...ugh.” — Robin Elder
“DWI reports. Don’t know why but I hate putting those things together” — Jon Page
2. Night shift
“From 5 a.m.- 7 a.m. graveyard shift. Trying to stay awake!” — Sabrina Hunter
“Working a resort town in the winter, between the hours of 1 am and 6:30 am.” — Dwight Maxwell
“The last 2 hours of midnight shift. Always seems like 2 years.” — Jeff Jones
“0330-0430. Even the bad guys are sleeping... but I’m not.” — Jesse Ryan
3. Court
“Sitting in court on my day off.” — Mark Griggs
“In my case, I’m assigned to the courthouse in divorce court....pre-trials for sure! Watching lawyers talk about ‘issues’ with their clients, soooo boring!!!” — Jack Berkheimer
“Sitting at magistrates’ court. It’s brutal.” — Brandon Le
4. Hospital runs
“I’m retired 7 years now but, hospital runs” — Tom Cooney
“Babysitting a suicidal person at the hospital waiting for them to sober up because the mental health people will not evaluate them until they are sober.” — Raychel Quinn Hansen
“Sitting on a hospital detail for the tour. Absolute worst.” — Matthew Johnny
5. The Miscellaneous, but equally mundane
“Did 7 hours of surveillance today watching a house...bored does not begin to express the feeling and anxiety that builds.” — Dexter Pitts
“I am pretty new, but I would say it’s a toss-up between waiting on wreckers/highway crew etc...and the days when it’s pouring down rain or freezing cold and there are zero calls.” — Justin Richardson
“Staying 12 hours in front of an embassy. I’m a french officer.” — Manu Chavez Qlt
“Going to barking dog calls. Yes, we get dispatched to barking dogs in a city of over 100,000.” — Chad Jones
“Waiting on speeders. Sitting and sitting, and waiting and waiting.” — Mike Cress
“Roll call...waiting to escape the station and actually do police work.” — Richard Rinker
“Sitting in your squad as the assigned LEO presence during night highway construction. Just ... sitting ... there.” — Greg Lawritson
This article, originally published 03/25/2015, has been updated.
