All stories submitted will be utilized in an upcoming publication dedicated to those of us who have worked in Law Enforcement.

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This proposed project is being documented, written by and for, those of who have lived a life of from within the profession of Public Safety.

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Across this country officers and Public Safety personnel measure in the thousands.  We are present and standing up in all fifty states and in various municipalities both large and small.

 

We are in areas of patrol, supervision, task forces, special units, investigations and all of the other names that are given to the multitude of assignments that fall under the umbrella of making our communities a better place to live, play and work.

 

It has been said that working in Law Enforcement provides you a ticket to see the greatest show on earth; the spectacle that is human behavior.

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When I began my career, over three decades ago, we had "cop bars," and "badge parties," and if you worked on the right night there existed a ritual that was known as Choir Practice.

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The term was immortalized in Joseph Wambaugh's 1975 book "The Choirboys," but is was a real thing. In Wambaugh's book, which is set in Los Angeles, his characters drank, complained and told war stories while holding their sessions in MacArthur Park.

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For us, it was the back corner of the station parking lot, which backed up to an adjacent park, sitting next to the highway.

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These sessions served as impromptu mental health check-ins before peer support had a name.  They saved relationships.  They involved fights, tears, bro-hugs, and yes, plenty of drinking.  But, in truth, they probably saved a few lives.

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But, that time is gone. 

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However, the need for those stories and retellings still exist.  And, it truth, these might not be the kinds of stories that people are looking for when they want you to sing for your dinner at a cocktail party.

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So ... this is a place to share.

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We are looking for Stories, Retellings, and Urban Rumors from your time in and around uniform.

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We FULLY acknowledge that the stories shared may present as ethical, policy, or even law violations, for those reasons, all stories WILL BE EDITED. 

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Unless your specifically state on your submission form, all of the stories will be edited to the best of our ability to remove specific geographical locations, dates, times, and anything else that might identify or link story tellers to a specific incident.

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Someone once said that humor is the result of pain, plus time.  Well, if you have spent any time in a Roll-call room, or in a police car, you know that stories that present for some people as their worst day, might have within them a story that we see in a different light.

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And, on this site we know that some of the best stories begin with the words "You ain't gonna believe this shit ..."

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So, to that end, we invite you to share ... the funny, the sad, the shocking, the interesting and the unbelievable.

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Like we stated above, this project is intended to be a look inside of what it feels like to be at Choir Practice.