Code of Silence
17 May 2007
When you get home from work, it’s natural that the other people living in your home want to know how your day was. And, as you would expect, the people who care about you are curious as to what and how you are doing. However, when that new job is involved in law enforcement and public safety, you start to think about what you say and to whom.
I would never intentionally violate someone’s privacy nor would I start a rumor on purpose, but in Small Town Iowa someone could overhear something at the grocery store and take it completely out of context. Within minutes, there are a hundred different versions around town, each being worse than the last and the tidbit that was taken in isolation is full-fledged, out-of-control gossip. Eventually the gossip will reach the right (or wrong) ears and then the person that may have said something similar to the alleged statement will have to face the music.
With just over a week under my belt at my new dispatch center, the above scenario has not yet happened to me, but suddenly I notice myself much more aware of what I say to everyone, including my own family. Mom has even been given permission to completely change the subject out of the blue if she hears me mentioning work and Step-dad has been told to ignore me.
I am sure that once I get in the habit of not talking about how my day was at work unintentionally letting things slip won’t be much of a problem though… After all, my life contains so much more than just work.
