Police Careers

I just finished my first year at college and have decided to go into law enforcement.

I have a clean record, am in great physical condition, and did very well in school, so im not too worried about the program all that much. so far.

My questions are about if i should look into Highway Patrol or a local police officer.

Im not sure. Ideas?

in texas, the locals in the largeish cities tend to get paid a bit better starting out, and have lower education requirements than the state troopers do. i understand the local precincts will also send you to school to get your LEO certs and such if you agree to stay on for some amount of time.

regardless, you'll probably need at least a two year, if not a four year degree in order to be considered for the better paying munis

Strizzo wrote: regardless, you'll probably need at least a two year, if not a four year degree in order to be considered for the better paying munis

+1 Around here(MD/VA/DC area) you won't even be considered in the application process without at least a two year degree preferably in Law Enforcement

Around here Highway Patrol and Police Officer's in the big towns you need a 4 yr degree.

SS/FBI/CIA/ATF would be much cooler though.

HiPo gets paid well from what I hear

I'd choose state over local, but, in the end, most cops regret that they didn't become firefighters.

I have a buddy here in SC that just left the HP to be a forklift driver for the money. With bonuses he doubled his income. HP down here don't make squat. 30-40K per year after 10+ years.

I'd say around here but I have to update my location since I just moved back to Mass.

Anyway, in Barnstable here you pretty much won't be considered even with a 4 year degree and an internship without veteran status.

So what are you saying? Are you planning to quit college after one year, or get a degree in criminology or such?

If you want a diverse job, go local. If you want to spend a lot of time in your car and doing mostly accident investigations and speed enforcement, State Trooper. Can't speak to the pay rates, but most guys I know in the work say that being a Trooper is fairly boring most of the time unless you get into a specialty like undercover, auto theft or something like that.

Locals here in a bigger city get paid well, better than State Troopers.

CarKid, what do you want? Is it a uniform so you don't have to decide what to wear everyday, do you want job security, do you like playing with guns, what is it?

There are a bunch of avenues to law enforcement. I know two Correction Officers in maximum security houses. Interesting work, good benefits, retire with 25 years service, early fifty years old max age.

I am a Technician that does a lot of failure analysis, in the lab and in the field. I'm guessing that crime lab work would be interesting and have no limit to educational opportunities. Check out Dr. Michael Baden, he's a local boy done good.

Talk to your Community College (or the one you went to) and ask about Law Enforcement careers, they will point you to someone in the field. Go to the cop station and make an appointment to talk to an officer, you should be able to get the unvarnished truth from the man in the field.

Good luck.

Depends on what you're looking for; In NYS it's Border patrol for the excitement, State for the prestige, local for the adventure. County cops are between the staties and the locals, NYPD is a whole 'nother matter entirely; you get everything except decent pay, and they're working on that.

In Ohio, you need to shave your head and get a holier-than-thou attitude if you want to be a state trooper. I know an Indianapolis Police Officer (IMPD) and he even agrees that OSHP officers are jerks.

Oh yeah, FBI won't talk to you unless you have a four year degree first.

Dan

Stay in school and get a degree, then look. I do IT work for ICE, they are expanding and the pay is good.

I briefly considered changing careers (from software into law enforcement). This was in Fairfax County, VA.

My thoughts:

• the pay is adequate, probably won't leave you poor, but also barely middle-class. Should you go city or large suburb, it might be hard to live in the jurisdiction in which you work.

• the initial round of tests are easy for anybody with some college experience and common sense. I think I missed one question on the initial weed-out test.

• you will likely be interviewing with ex-military, some college grads, but mostly 2-year degree holders. Of the group present when I did the weed out test, probably 30% were ex-military (or appeared to be judging by haircut and physical build).

• there are only a few non-debatable disqualifiers. Minor convictions and very limited drug use (ie MJ only a few times) will not DQ you on their own.

• to advance beyond a patrol officer role, you'll need at least a two year degree, and preferably a four-year. Most places require you to be 21 years old before starting, so you have a few years from the end of high-school anyway.

• the fitness test is easily passable, but you should practice the individual components to be sure.

In the end, I decided I couldn't manage the 50% pay cut, and stuck with software development. I'm bored, but paying the bills has never been a problem and I carry no debt.

914Driver wrote: Oh yeah, FBI won't talk to you unless you have a four year degree first. Dan

As I recall, either in Law or Accounting.

My buddy recently joined the Customs and Border Patrol. He's got a four year degree for Wildlife Ecology. He works at Ohare and sends me pictures of cars waiting to get into and out of customs. (Read: The 4 door Porsche Car and a handful of race Ferraris. I havent got any pictures from him lately... )

Woody wrote:

914Driver wrote: Oh yeah, FBI won't talk to you unless you have a four year degree first. Dan

As I recall, either in Law or Accounting.

Not so. The guy that gave us the tour had a Bachelor in Art History.

Dan

FBI also recruits at engineering schools.

Study a foreign language. Even better, study two.

Learn mandarin, the CIA is hiring.

Id looks a a sheriffs department. At least thats what i want to do when im done with the military. Its the most diverse, you do a bit of everything. My uncle just retired from the onondaga county sheriffs department this year, hes 55 or 56, has a nice house with a built in pool, buys whatever toys he wants (just bought a new pickup to tow the new 5th wheel camper he wants, has had motorcycles, bikes, jet skis...).

Fair warning though, you gotta be willing to put up with a lot of bs. whether its from the public, the bad guy, your chain of command... you always got to be on your best behavior because you ARE the example. Youll probably be forced to work long hours, holidays, and weekends at somepoint, crime doesnt sleep!! You do need to be at least 21 to apply, trust me, i knew a guy back home that had pull, and i still couldnt get hired. Take as many criminal justice and law enforcement classes you can, and ive heard some departments are willing to flip the bill for school. Oh, and get used to doing paperwork.

Law Enforcement isnt for everybody. I think it was A&E or something that had a series called Rookies, about rookie cops, alot of them didnt make it. Not sure if its still on the air, but im sure you can find them online. Personaly, i love it. When i get to work the road on base those are the best days at work.

Oh and to whoever it was that said all cops want to be fireman HELL NO

I was looking at law enforcement because i want a job that works with people (good or bad) and something hands on. Im not in it for the power or cuase i get a uniform or a gun. I honestly have had a lot of experiences with the law and i want to help others like i have been helped, be that in law enforcement, prevention or anything else.

It may sound cheesy, but in a way i just want to give a little back to everyone. I know its not fun and games, BUT i feel that is would be rewarding.

Not sure if you could handle being in a contained area but you ever consider working as a corrections officer? I'm thinking of applying as one locally. They seem to start out with pretty good pay and have room to grow. There is being a transit cop too..