R.I.P. Sgt. Manuel Curry, N.O.P.D.

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There comes a point in every cop's career when he starts thinking about retirement.  I know I looked forward to reaching my 20th anniversary, knowing that I'd locked in my pension, and I like thinking about life away from policing at some point in the future.  There are times that we all get discouraged, and question the value of what we do.  I know I have.

I really wish I could have had a chance to talk with Sgt. Curry and hear his thoughts about the job, and all the changes in policing that he witnessed over the years.  I've seen cops get frustrated and quit with 6 or 7 years on, and I've seen a few hang on past 35 or even 40 years.  Most of us leave after 20 or 30 years.  While I'm reasonably sure that Sgt. Curry had not driven a patrol car or walked a beat in years, I still can't imagine spending 62 years doing this job.  I'd like to know how he did it and kept his sense of perspective.  I saw in one article that he was married for more than 50 years, another feat.  I have heard various law enforcement sources claim that divorce rates for police officers range from 60-80%.

In a sad footnote, the New Orleans Times Picayune reports today that burglars broke into Sgt. Curry's home shortly after his death, while his widow was at a funeral home making arrangements.  NOPD officers quickly identified the suspects and had two of them in custody by the weekend, with a warrant issued for the third.

It would make for an interesting compare and contrast assignment, looking at the life lived by a man like Manuel Curry, and the lives lived to this point by the 19 and 24 year olds who ransacked his widow's house.