18
CORRECTIONS REPORT
NEW JERSEY COPS ■ FEBRUARY 2015
Making it to the finish line
be afraid to ask for help if you need it. Invest in
yourself.
It is still hard for me to believe
that it has been more than a year
since my retirement. For so long,
it seemed like an unattainable
dream. In my 25-year career I saw
so many correctional officers quit
or get fired that I lost count. In
comparison, the ones that made
HENRY J. it to full retirement I can count on my hands.
I can’t say that there is any secret to making it
RUIZ
to your retirement. Just know that no one goes
unscathed; everyone leaves with some scratches
and scars. But keeping a few things in mind can get you through
some of the bumps in the road and to the finish line:
There is enough negativity in our
profession that there is no need to surround
yourself with negative people. Early on in my
career I tried to form friendships with individuals who took pride in being correctional officers and who wanted to make a differen