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Guest Post Author: Jim Dudley
I actually panicked a little, when I realized that my 30-year career in law enforcement was coming to an end. What was I going to do? How would I spend my free time? How much golf could I actually play? Did I have enough money saved to actually stop working altogether?
I had more questions than answers. Still, I knew a few things:
I didn’t want another job that required me to carry a firearm; I wanted to do something I wanted to do rather than what I had to do; and I wanted to give back to public safety.
I fought the urge to join everything that looked interesting but still committed to being a Park and Recreation Commissioner in my town. I belong to 2 fly fishing clubs, but haven’t been to a meeting in years. I did, however, attend enough meetings early on to learn to tie a decent Wooley Bugger!
I hit the sweet spot after I was invited to host a crime podcast called Policing Matters. A few years later I became the sole host, and was paid for my weekly efforts. We recently have begun to promote them as YouTube videos https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1P1m3p6-d1gs2Pn6Z8l5jYS3bef_KX9l. This, despite the fact that I have been told I have “a face for radio.”
My one criminal justice class I agreed to teach each semester grew to a full load of four and a half classes every Tuesday and Thursday at my alma mater, San Francisco State University. Still, it is so rewarding to talk with young people and explain how things work in the real world, rather than in the 30-minute television episode. Their energy is amazing and their interest in careers in public safety is encouraging.
I still consult with public safety agencies and on civil and criminal cases. I can pick and choose which ones suit my expertise. Both give me the satisfaction of being able to use my experience and expertise to do some problem-solving and help an agency or an aggrieved party.
I’m so enjoying my retirement, doing things that engage me and make me happy. I even manage to get in a round of golf every so often.