Rookie officers may view veteran officers' personal life shortcomings as insignificant because:

• A. they primarily focus on learning the job
• B. they are always thinking about the long term
• C. they lack empathy
• D. they ignore safety protocols

Answer: (A)

New officers are focused on learning the job and absorbing how experienced officers operate. Because their priority is to gain competence, they tend to separate personal life issues from job performance and view a veteran officer’s shortcomings in that area as not affecting how they perform duties. They look to the veteran’s professionalism in the line of duty as the model, so personal matters are often given less weight in evaluating overall effectiveness.

In other words, the emphasis on learning and mastering procedures makes them deem personal life shortcomings as insignificant to day-to-day policing.