Many would think the big cases cracked, the headline-winning
successes or the court case victories would be the things you take with you.
But Chief Supt Russ Weaver takes a more sombre view.
He looks back on cases where his officers have worked with heartbroken families, the victims of tragedies most of us will thankfully never endure.
When he moves out of his corner office Blackpool's Bonny Street
police headquarters on Tuesday, Mr Weaver will remember the help and comfort the people in his charge gave to those in their most desperate times of need.
"It is such a hard job for a police
officer to do, you have to remain
professional but at the same time a lot of families really lean on those
officers," he said.
"It is a very demanding role but when you get to see the work those officers do behind the headlines and behind the investigation, it really makes you proud of the work we do. It is a good job for work satisfaction."
Despite a working life that has seen him take over the top job at Blackpool and Fylde for the last four years, Mr Weaver is leaving without regret.
The main thing he will take with him will be a quiet sense of achievement that he is leaving the town in a better state than he found it in.
And despite looking forward to new challenges, he knows he will miss a career which has been a huge part of his life for the last three decades.
He added: "I always wanted to go while I was still enjoying it so that's what I'm doing. I also signed on for 30 years' service so I've always had it in my mind that I would leave after that.
"If the person at the top of any
organisation isn't enjoying it, I think that can easily pass down to the
people below him and can cause real problems.
"I think I'll miss the different
people I've worked with on a day to day basis most of all.
"When you're in a job like this, you end up dealing with a huge number of people from within the constabulary but also partner agencies.
"Whenever we go out, my wife is always amazed by how many different people come up because they know me from one thing or another."
As with every officer who has served for a long time, there are the cases which will stick in the memory.
Stuart Diamond had been out of prison just three months when he strangled 17-year-old Christopher Hartley and hacked him to pieces in the bathroom of his bedsit in 1997.
He stuffed Christopher's decapitated body in a holdall and dumped it in a bin at the rear of the New Central Hotel on Reads Avenue.
Mr Weaver said: "I was one of the first officers on the scene. It will always something I remember when we found the body in the bin."
Another high profile case came when Mr Weaver was in the top seat at Blackpool, when a Blackpool helicopter pilot was killed in an air sea disaster in December 2006.
Stephen Potton, 51, was killed with co-pilot Simon Foddering, 33, of Preston, and five gas rig workers when their helicopter crashed into the Irish Sea as it attempted to land on a platform.
Mr Weaver added: "That was a very sad job. Dealing with the aftermath of it and trying to support the families involved was very difficult but the officers working did a professional job."
He leaves to pursue more challenges in his leisure life.
He plays the guitar and can often be found winging his way over the peaks as vice chairman of the
Bowland Forest Gliding Club.
He also recently learnt Italian and has just returned from the country.
Despite having a varied and full personal life, Mr Weaver does not rule out a return to public service.
"I have a lot of knowledge of all sorts of different things and if someone was to get in touch and ask for my help and I thought I could be of service then I'd be very interested.
"The role as divisional commander is much more of a community based one than running the day-to-day workings of the police force.
"I work closely with other agencies and am involved in coming up with new ideas. The over-riding thing for me is the real feeling of how many good things you can build if you've got the imagination and a good working relationship with other people.
"To leave, having had four or five projects which are now being used as examples of how to do things nationally, is something I'm very proud of.
"One of the most impressive things I've been involved in was when the casino bid was going on and seeing how everyone pulled together to really fight for Blackpool's corner.
"Although it wasn't successful it was great to see how much people cared and how much they were willing to put into that.
"Afterwards it never really stopped and you can see the results of that with the redevelopment going on in the town at the moment."
Mr Weaver has served as divisional commander since 2005, having previously been commander at Central Division covering Preston.
At the beginning of July, Supt Richard Debicki, currently operations manager at Blackpool Police, will be promoted to Chief Superintendent and will assume the role of divisional commander.
Supt Richard Bayly will move from Central Division to take up the post of Operations Superintendent in the resort's Western Division.