Police Officer Jeffrey Bunge has been a patrol officer in Wheaton for the Montgomery County Police Department since 2005. He recently received the county Chamber of Commerce Bronze Medal of Valor after responding to a call to check on an elderly woman in Wheaton. When he and his partner arrived on the scene, the house was on fire. The officers entered the house and removed the unconscious woman, who could not be saved. Bunge also serves the county as a field training officer for new recruits.
What’s the most important lesson you teach new officers?
The most important thing I tell them is to be fair and firm at the same time and to treat everyone equally. I also have to make them understand that it’s extremely dangerous out there. Unfortunately there are people who want to harm law enforcement officers, and you have to be well trained and always be on your toes to make sure you get home at the end of every day.
What’s been the biggest challenge you face as a patrol officer?
No two days are the same. It’s definitely not a 9-to-5 office-type job where you know you’re going to do A-B-C in a given day. One minute I could be on routine patrol and the next minute I could be on the scene of a shooting, so I have to be prepared for the unknown.
I remember responding to a shooting at Wheaton Plaza around Christmas last year. In that kind of situation, you have to look for victims and keep an eye out for bad guys at the same time. It’s a very chaotic situation.
What made you want to be a police officer?
When I was in high school, I worked for a county police officer up in Long Island. He would talk about what it’s like being an officer and it piqued my interest. I took some criminal justice courses at the University of Maryland and did an internship with the police there. To me this is the greatest job in the world. I still have fun after 12 years. I tell the rookies if you can’t have fun there’s no reason to come to work.
