Julie Fine

Police Officers Talk About Life on the Job Under Scrutiny

Police officers know their jobs are under scrutiny and that each day on the job could be their last.

Euless Police Officer P. Cunningham explained his thoughts the night before working a shift.

"The night before I come to work is the night all those thoughts go through my head – whether or not this will be the last time I get to kiss my son and my wife," Cunningham said.

Cunningham works the same shift as Euless Officer Lyn Gilliam, who also talked to NBC 5 about life as a police officer.

"I love it. I was meant to do it," said Gilliam.

The two are both well aware there is more scrutiny on officers, especially in the wake of high-profile officer-involved shootings nationwide.

"It does not change how you do your job. You have to go forward the same way you have gone forward the whole time. It changes the way people see you do your job. It changes the perspective of the public, but for us it can't change how we do our job," Gilliam said. "We still have to do our job."

Cunningham echoed her sentiments.

"It does not change how I do my job. We do it according to how we have been trained," Cunningham added.

They know each day they could be faced with immediate decisions that they can't reverse.

"In general I want to say we are people, and that we are not perfect. We are exactly what we are. We are people we do our best to put our best foot forward. We make split-second decisions that will be reviewed for our lifetime," Gilliam said.

Contact Us