Having throughly enjoyed my career in law enforcement thus far, I can tell you first hand that working as a police officer is a great gig if you can get it. And while many people appreciate their local law enforcement, few people realize what it really takes to become a police officer.

Grueling Hiring Process

The hiring process is often long and grueling, and nearly every aspect of your life is scrutinized to make sure you have what it takes to do the job. There are academic assessments, physical assessments, medical assessments and psychological assessments. And the then the hard part starts: the police academy.

• Learn more about how to become a police officer

Worth the Wait

It's a tough job to get, and a tough field to work in. In the end though, the reasons to be a police officer far outnumber the sacrifices and the sorrows. Ultimately, there's no comparison to the feeling you get after a long hard day at work, knowing you did everything you could to make your part of the world just a little bit safer. Image copyright Zigy Kaluzny, courtesy of Getty Images

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In October of 1961, the United States Congress passed a joint resolution authorizing and requesting the President of the United States to declare May 15 of each year Peace Officers Memorial Day. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy honored the request, and every May 15 thereafter has been set aside to honor the sacrifices of those police officers who laid down their lives in the protection and service of others.

The week surrounding Peace Officers Memorial Day is known as National Police Week and, thanks to the collaboration and hard work of organizations like the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund and the Concerns of Police Survivors, the memories of these brave public servants live on and are celebrated every year.

Sadly, every year we add new names to the memorial as well, serving as a sobering reminder of the danger inherent in law enforcement careers. Never forget that policing is more than a just job, but a calling to a higher purpose, and we are all called to sacrifice in one way or another, even as some give far more than we'd like but no less than we need.

This week marks National Police Week, a time in which we recognize the incredible sacrifices of those officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty. But it is also a time to recall that all police officers make sacrifices every day. They miss nights at home, they miss holidays with family, and there's even science to suggest that police careers may lead to poor health.

Backing the Blue

Law enforcement officers face the tough task of balancing enforcement efforts with compassion and service, and by and large they do so with great success. We necessarily hold these men and women of policing to a higher ethical standard, but let's not lose sight of the price they pay every day to keep the rest of us safe.

• Want to know what it's like to be a police officer? Read: A Day in the Life of a Police Officer.

In the coming days during National Police Week, thousands of officers and supporters from all over the U.S. will converge on the nation's capital on their bicycles to participate in police week events and raise the profile of this important week.

In 1997, police officers from New Jersey organized the first Police Unity Tour, riding their bicycles from Florham Park, NJ to Washington, D.C. The purpose of the tour was to raise awareness of officers who died in the line of duty and to raise funds to maintain and restore the National Law Enforcement Memorial.

To date, the Police Unity Tour has raised nearly $12 million for the National Law Enforcement Memorial as officers make the days-long trek on bikes to honor those officers who made the ultimate sacrifice.