On September 16, I had the honor of speaking on the Career HQ stage at GSX 2026 in Atlanta, the Global Security Exchange powered by ASIS International. My session was called Understanding the Complexity of the Law Enforcement Transition.
GSX is the biggest gathering in our industry. The people walking the floor are security directors, hiring managers, vendors and a lot of former cops who have already made the jump. That made it the right room for this conversation, because the transition out of law enforcement isn't just an officer's problem. It's also on the companies that want to hire us.
Why the transition is harder than it looks
From the outside, leaving law enforcement for corporate security looks like a natural move. Same mission, better hours, maybe better pay. In reality, most officers hit walls they never saw coming. Here are the ones I talked about.
1. The identity shift
For many of us, the badge isn't just a job. It's who we are. It decides who our friends are, how we see the world, and how the world sees us. When it comes off, a lot of officers feel lost, even when they chose to leave. That's normal, and it's the part almost nobody prepares for.
2. The language barrier
We spend 20 years speaking a language only other cops understand. Then we hand a résumé full of that language to a recruiter who has never been in a patrol car. Our experience is real and valuable. It just has to be translated before anyone outside the profession can see it.
3. A network that stops at the department
Most officers know everybody in their agency and almost nobody in the private sector. Corporate hiring runs on relationships and referrals. If you start building that network on the day you retire, you're already behind.
4. The family side of the move
A transition changes schedules, income, benefits and routines for the whole household. Spouses and kids go through it too. Officers who plan with their families, not just for them, have a much easier time.
5. Timing
The best transitions start years before the last shift, not weeks. Getting your résumé, LinkedIn, certifications and network in place while you still have a paycheck changes everything about the decisions you make.
A message for the companies hiring us
A big part of the GSX audience sits on the other side of the interview table, so I spoke to them directly. Former officers bring leadership under pressure, investigations, de-escalation, report writing and judgment you can't teach in a classroom. But if your hiring process is built to filter for corporate keywords, you'll screen out some of your best candidates before anyone reads their résumé.
Hiring managers can help by learning what police experience actually looks like, giving former officers a fair shot at the interview, and supporting new hires as they learn a different culture. The officers who make it through that first year usually become some of the most loyal people on the team.
Thank you, ASIS
Thank you to ASIS International and the GSX team for making room for this conversation on the Career HQ stage, and to everyone who came by, asked questions and shared their own stories afterward. ASIS has been a big part of my own transition, and it means a lot to give some of that back.
What's next
If you're still wearing the badge and thinking about what comes next, start now. Our next Life Beyond the Badge class is at the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center on January 21, 2027, at the KU Edwards Campus in Overland Park. It's a one-day, 8-hour course that counts toward POST continuing education. Register here.
Want help with your own transition, or want me to speak to your team or chapter? Book a free 30-minute call.
Stay safe,
Terry Owens, CPP