A career in law enforcement is both challenging and rewarding. Lives can be saved or lost in the matter of a heartbeat. Memories of both citizens and suspects alike are carried by the officers forever; a helpful contact, physical fights, an injured child, the deaths of strangers. Nobody knows this better than the officer's spouse.

Cold dinners, canceled appointments, missed birthdays or anniversaries, the constant threat of death or injury hanging overhead. Welcome to the world of a law enforcement officer's spouse. As spouses, we walk a thin line between "civilian" and "officer". Not fully belonging to either group, we sometimes find ourselves resented by both.

In addition to the emotional strain that loving a police officer can take on a person, there is also the logistical strain. Varying work schedules, geographically disparate home communities, and the uncertainty of shift work all conspire to keep law enforcement families from socializing, making and keeping long-term friendships. Tremendous effort and luck go into orchestrating any type of opportunity for spouses, children, and the officers themselves to visit together just for fun. Unfortunately, this hampers the ability of the spouses of the officers to share challenges, techniques, and the triumphs that develop with the passage of time and the accumulation of knowledge due to varying experiences.

loveacop is a "closed" list which requires verification of the officer's law enforcement status. To receive information on the requirements to join the loveacop mail list send an e-mail to loveacop-owner

"loveacop", an e-mail discussion list for spouses, both women and men, of current, former and retired law enforcement officers, was founded specifically to meet this need. Bridging the gap between isolation and community, "loveacop" endeavors to provide a secure forum by which spouses can trade their secrets of coping, develop new friendships, and partake in the give-and-take spirit of the list.

For more information on what a mail list is click here