In retrospect, I wish I would have pursued a career in something that would have built a legacy I could pass to my children. A business, a farm, a home....
I would not encourage anyone to go into LE for 20+ years. For a few years, fine...but know when to exit and have a plan to get out and get on with life. It is a good thing for a few years. You learn a lot about life and different people. It isn't a great career long term IMO.
America has to figure out what it wants. We pay low wages and poor benefits to most Police outside NY and CA. We put caps on pay that crush retention and the risks for exposure to disease and chemicals is stupid high. A lot of good people read the writing on the wall and jump ship. Can't blame them...
We need good stable Police. We don't really have that. It needs to get fixed or it will get a lot worse. There are a bunch of very good LEOs in America working hard every day. We need to pay them better and retain them.