I was standing in line with the kids before a hockey game when I told my son that he was conceived my first day at the NYPD (not on the job) and was named in honor of the work I was assigned.

I then told him it wasn’t a mistake that he also lives next door to a precinct.

And that NYPF forever.

The work that we do and the pride behind it all despite the stunning incompetence and idiocy at times.

The gentleman behind us overheard our conversation and nodded to me in understanding and approval.

A colleague told me that once you have a taste of blue, you’ll be changed forever. And I concur.

I also had an interesting conversation on the train with someone applying to medical school and how saying KPMG forever or Google forever just doesn’t ring the same way.

The daughter has also been watching some police shows – not my encouraging, I swear on my grandmother’s grave. She and I recently had an in-depth conversation on Internal Affairs- its role, purpose, and importance. It was surprising and also not. She was raised at 1 PP, even helping to shred pretty important documentd (that’s right, already contributing to public safety and national security at 5). Both attended my unit’s staff meetings and the daughter made friends with my colleagues as well as a few equine and canine members of the service.

I told them that they were children of the NYPD. In Malay, anak anak Polis.

Forever.