New father-son police book reveals hearts under uniforms

At a time when television and movies are full of police stories, a father and son have come forward to present a personal, real-life look at the lives of police officers. Much more than any episode of Cops can do in thirty minutes, Jim and Jay Padar’s new book On Being a Cop takes us into the heart of a family of police officers, showcasing not only the work these brave men (and women) perform on a daily basis on the streets of Chicago, but also the relationships that police officers have with their families and co-workers.

We expect action, drama, hair-raising murders, and high-speed chases from a police book, but we may not expect the stories of officers struggling with their personal lives, the hardships that work brings to their families, interrupted Christmases, and the missed birthday. parties, the need not to think about your own children while investigating the murder of a child, or what it’s like to lose a partner in the line of duty or to suicide. On a fine line between the sensational and the sentimental, On Being a Cop provides a balanced look at all aspects of the career and life of a police officer.

Author Jim Padar had a long career as a police officer beginning in the 1960s. He writes about incidents such as the Chicago riots following the assassination of Martin Luther King, as well as numerous homicide investigations he was involved in and his relationships with your partners and co-workers. Your son Jay shares his own stories of both funny and dangerous incidents, including emails to family and friends and his responses. In fact, the book began as a series of emails exchanged between father and son in which they began to tell their stories of workers on the streets of Chicago, and over time those stories were compiled into this book.

A wide range of stories fill this book, from a commuter train shooting to corpses found in barrels at a restaurant, and from rescuing people and parakeets from burning buildings to investigations leading from Chicago to New York and Puerto Rico. In fact, there is so much variety between these stories that the interest and pace are never far behind. As Jay writes at the beginning of his story, “7am?”: “Senators, naked gays, schizophrenic homeless people, and a Polish sausage. How does that relate to in a short story? Easy … for a cop. “And with the exception of a couple of longer two-part stories, most of the stories are short and can be read individually and in any order.

It’s hard for me to decide if I have a favorite story in this book. It may be the story of Uncle Rocco, a petty criminal who turns out to be related to the perpetrators, or it may be the story of how Jim found his second wife with a little help from Jay, when he was only four years old. . I loved the police humor, the banter between the officers to keep the stress and horror of their jobs at bay, and I loved it when I was so caught up in the story that I had to read on to see how an investigation turned out and who would turn up as the real criminal. But perhaps most of all, I loved it when a member of the public took the time to tell an officer to be careful or just say, “Thank you.”

While there is a lot of sadness for the tragedies these men have witnessed, there is also a lot of humor, and a large part of their hearts and souls is revealed when they talk about their feelings for their families, their fellow officers, and why. they continue to do work for which they often receive little thanks or appreciation. On Being a Cop makes you realize that cops are human beings; that they have chosen a dangerous but rewarding job, and that they deserve respect, understanding and, above all, admiration for the work they do every day.