Its not just the danger involved in it...in fact, I think that falls to the bottom of the list. It is the shift work involved. One week, I'm working days, the next is evenings, then the next week is midnights and this just keeps rotating. Its often difficult to make plans because my days off might be Tue, Wed, Thurs, while working the weekends. The shifts are long and we don't always get off when we are supposed to. If I'm supposed to get off at 4:30, but get a lock-up or something at 4, I could be working well into the night. Then there are the call-ins that can occur anytime. Nothing like getting called in on your day off at 3am when you had plans to do something. Then there is the mentality of dating a police officer. Its very difficult to date a cop because we also have our little quirks, such as seeing something very bad at work and then coming home and saying 'I don't want to talk about it'. That barrier is difficult for many people who date cops.