Law Enforcement as a career?

[Carol]

My city's police department has announced that its next police exam is taking place right after the holidays. The local paper has hinted that the department is expecting a strong turnout for the exams partly due to rising unemployment in New Hampshire.

What advice would you give someone that was considering either a career, or a career change, in to the field of Law Enforcement?

 

[Archangel M]

Don't do it if money/benes are the ONLY reason.

 

[jks9199]

Don't do it if money/benes are the ONLY reason.

I'll second that.

In even the quietest jurisdiction, a cop can be faced instantly with making life or death choices. The cop has to be able to be the voice of calm in the midst of chaos. It's not just a job -- and it's not a job that you can do "for a little while" or halfway. I'd rather work with a short team who want to be there than a full or overfull squad that I can't rely on because they're only there as long as the money is good.

If you derive a lot of your personal satisfaction from externals, like fancy cars or big paychecks or even public accolades, then law enforcement isn't for you. It's seldom that a lot of hard work is recognized -- and the day to day stress and strain of what you see (again, in even the best of communities, cops see the worst) will wear you down if you don't have the internal motivation and can't find satisfaction in yourself.

 

[seasoned]

It has all been said, and very well. As an add on, you will find this profession like no other. It is all about the team mentality, and watching out for one another. At the end of the day, there is a feeling of satisfaction that you were able to make a difference for the better.

 

[MJS]

My city's police department has announced that its next police exam is taking place right after the holidays. The local paper has hinted that the department is expecting a strong turnout for the exams partly due to rising unemployment in New Hampshire.

What advice would you give someone that was considering either a career, or a career change, in to the field of Law Enforcement?

Well, I'll 3rd what Arch and JKS said about the cash. In addition to that, I'll add the following:

Don't do it for some status symbol. I've seen and heard about people, who suddenly turn into a cocky jerk, wave the badge around, etc., in an attempt to influence others, show off, get things for free, etc.

Make sure that you fully understand what you're getting yourself into. In other words, if you think its all about driving around, pulling a car or two over, that is a huge misconception. The paperwork can be endless. I've gone on what I intended to be a ride-a-long, only to spend hours inside while the officer was typing......and typing, and typing, and typing, and more typing. In addition to that, being a people person, doing your best to remain calm while dealing with crazy folks, understanding that you're a target the moment you put that uniform on, that you could have people fight with you, spit at you, throw things at you, shoot at you, etc.

If you have any intentions of advancing in the career, perhaps look at taking college classes, getting a degree, etc. May not be required everywhere, but it looks good.

Understand that when you're new, you're not going to get the cream of the crop shift, that you'll get ordered in alot, work weekends, holidays, etc.

IMO, one of the most important things, is to start getting in shape now. Most PDs list what the physical requirements for the agility test will be. Dont wait until 2 weeks before to start training, start now.

Alot of this may sound like a turnoff, but I think alot of the time, when people show an interest in jobs like this, they go off of what they see on CSI Miami, and assume thats about it.

 

[harold]

It has been said by many who have posted here but for my 2 cents worth;
If you do it, dont do it for the money because the money isnt that good;dont do it for an ego trip that will get you hurt or imprisoned;to practice for the test, most police tests require an entry level pt test which generally consist of pushups, situps,a 1 or 1 1/2 mile run,and chin ups

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

I will reiterate what everyone else said. Do it if you think you will enjoy it and that it will be rewarding. It is an extremely hard profession but also very rewarding to those who fit it's calling.

 

[Xue Sheng]

It has been said by many who have posted here but for my 2 cents worth;
If you do it, dont do it for the money because the money isnt that good;dont do it for an ego trip that will get you hurt or imprisoned;to practice for the test, most police tests require an entry level pt test which generally consist of pushups, situps,a 1 or 1 1/2 mile run,and chin ups

In NH they required a written exam followed by a Psych exam and an agility test.


Carol

If you pass all of this and are on the list and then later get hired you will pretty much go through an agility test once a week for however long you are in the academy. I can't remember exactly how long that is, it has been a long time since I was testing in NH.

Also unless things have changed most departments use the same standardized tests, some do not, and I ran into a private test in Keene and messed up their plans a bit. I will PM more about that to you if you want.

As for the job, something else to consider, at least in the beginning possibly for the whole career. There are no more weekends or holidays off. You will work them all and likely all shifts. Also there is no guarantee that you will be working 1st shift, you would likely be working 2nd or 3rd in the beginning. With all that said the NH State Police have a different test and different requirements form locals.

 

[celtic_crippler]

No doubt! There's a few reasons I didn't pursue civilian law enforcement... pay and benefits being one of the major ones! Seriously underpaid and underappreciated field.

 

[MJS]

The pay will most likely vary from dept. to dept. and while it may seem like it starts out low, the chance to make the money is there. For example, Ct. State Police. So, while the starting for a Trooper is $45k+ on the low end, it goes to $73k+ on the high end, and thats not to mention OT, which there is always lots of.

Hartford, Ct. PD.
http://www.hartford.gov/personnel/jobs/POLICE_OFFICER_9-24-09.pdf

There are a number of officers that have made well over $100,000. Of course, they're working themselves to the bone, but again, the opportunity to make the $$$ is there.

NYPD
http://www.nypdrecruit.com/

As you can see, the pay may start out on the light side, but after the first year, you're making a bit under $50k, at $46,228 and thats before OT. According to the link, after 5.5 yrs, before OT, the pay for officer is $90,829....before OT.

Not bad at all, IMO. There are guys where I work, that are senior enough to be on the day shift, but will bid for 2nd and 3rd to take advantage of the roadjobs/private duty jobs. So again, there is money to be made.

I'll use the NYPD benefits pages, as its easier to find that info.
http://www.nypdrecruit.com/NYPD_BenefitsOverview.aspx

Not bad IMO. Oh, check this out:
http://www.nypdrecruit.com/NYPD_PromotionalOpportunites.aspx

If you're interested in moving up the food chain, well there is lots more to be made there.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Let me add some negative aspects. Not trying to scare you off, but LEOs will know what I'm talking about here.

Get used to working nights, weekends, and holidays. Typically rookies do not get the day shift.

Get used to having to fight hard to stay in shape. There is a reason a lot of cops get fat. Hours and hours and hours of sitting in a police cruiser, followed by moments of pure oh-crap-fear-based adrenalin. You eat crap from drive through windows at fast-food joints because you never know when you'll have to toss your meal out the window and respond code.

Your outlook on life will change. You spend most of your life around basically decent people, with a few flaming a-holes. Get ready for turnabout. Most of the people you'll have to deal with hate your guts, hate each other's guts, and not one of them will ever tell the truth about anything, ever. You may become convinced that 90% of all people are scum - because those are the people you'll be dealing with mostly.

Your sense of humor will change and none of your current friends will get the jokes you think are funny. Only your oldest and best friends will remain on good terms with you. The casual friends will slowly become offended and drift away. They'll find your humor 'not funny' or even 'sick'.

Your new friends will be EMT's, doctors and nurses at ER's, and sometimes firefighters. Those are the people you see on a daily basis.

A lot of cops are of a certain type. Classic Type A, which can mean adrenalin junkies, sexist, and full-on macho d00ds. Not all, but lots.

Hope you don't mind spending your off hours sitting in court waiting to testify against someone you arrested months ago and can barely remember. You'll get paid for your time, but you have to do, and it will be during the day - the middle of your night. And you'll enjoy being torn a new one by the defense attorney. You'll learn to speak legalese. And cop jargon, which is incomprehensible to non-cops, except for inveterate three-toothed watchers of cop reality shows, who will enjoy displaying their prowess on you.

You'll never look at a kitchen again without thinking about how many knives are in it and how many of them can kill you.

You keep your house clean and imagine most other people do too. That's over. There are some smells you will never quite get out of your nostrils, like what a diaper smells like after a kid has been wearing it for three days.

You will be spit on, barfed on, and you'll be jabbed by sharp things arrestees keep in their pockets. Dopers hide baggies in the back seat of your cruiser, drunks pee and even poop in the back too. You'll occasionally pull the back seat of your cruiser at the end of your shift and find a loaded handgun, which you missed on pat-down and wasn't used to kill you - this time.

You'll be injured on a regular basis, and you'll learn to actually not mind a new set of stitches, as long as you don't have to pay for new uniform items out of your own pocket.

You will see the same idiots over and over again, since about half of your time will be spent dealing with domestics. Wife gets beat, hubby gets arrested, and she bails him out while you're still doing the paperwork - and the same woman who was screaming for you to arrest that a-hole is now calling you every name in the book as she springs her butthead hubby so he can beat her some more next week.

You will spend time talking to children who have been molested by their parents and close relatives. In fact, you'll begin to think that every daddy diddles his daughters.

I could go on. Not sure I should.

It takes a special type to be a cop. At one time, that was what I wanted to be. The badge, the gun, the authority. Later, I wanted something more substantial - the chance to do good, help my community, give back.

However, it is an isolated life. Not unhappy, but you have to learn to be happy by yourself and without the approval of your (previous) friends and sometimes family (unless you're from a cop family). You work hard, alternate between extreme boredom and crap-your-pants fear, and slowly get fat. Some of your coworkers are goons, others are great. All of you will burn out early, get hurt like a pro athlete until you can't run so good anymore and maybe not walk so good either, and probably retire on a disability pension. Some few end up alcoholics, fewer end up eating their guns.

They're heroes for doing what they do, and they have my respect. I had to walk away from it, but there are people who can do it for a lifetime. If you can, I wish you the best and you have my honest respect for it.

 

[Carol]

I'm guessing that my PD doesn't need a telecommunications engineer on the force.

I do find the calling intriguing though, and a fellow that I sometimes work out with is thinking about sitting through the exams in January.

 

[jks9199]

I'm guessing that my PD doesn't need a telecommunications engineer on the force.

I do find the calling intriguing though, and a fellow that I sometimes work out with is thinking about sitting through the exams in January.

More and more could use a good telecommunications engineer on staff, though! Someone's gotta keep the MDTs and CAD system and records and all the rest talking to each other...

Encourage your friend to do a ride along with the agency if at all possible. It's a really good chance to see what real police work is like. (In fact, do 'em with more than one agency, if you can.) It'd also be a good idea to take an intro level class in criminal justice or administration of justice. The academy teaches all the cop stuff you need to know, and very few of the applicant tests require extensive police knowledge to succeed -- but the intro class would give a good overview of the system to work from.

 

[Gordon Nore]

As a non-LEO, I wouldn't presume to pass advice, but this got me to thinking about several friends of mine who pursued careers in policing and how they got there. These folks all sought positions in the Toronto Police Service, which, I'm told, is one of the hardest to get into. Almost all were in their thirties when they applied successfully. All had a baccalaureate degree, except for one, who had a community college diploma. All had good work records and references. All had some community volunteer experience. All invested months in preparing for exams, interviews, etc. Once hired, even before they attended Ontario's Police College or the Service's training, they had to be available on a moment's notice if called.

In particular, I watched one of my sensei go through this exercise about nine years ago, and a fellow student about four years ago. On top of everything else, these guys trained like Olympians to get ready. Even if there are openings in agencies, there are going to be people out there who have been actively competing for these spots for a long time. I think anyone who is just applying for something to do and isn't really serious is going to get sniffed out quickly.

 

[jks9199]

One more thing --

If your friend is worried or curious about the tests & process, there are a number of resources available; you'll usually find them in the test prep area of the book store. They're far from necessary for most people, but they can help or at least reassure a person. And they do often list automatic disqualifiers... not all of which are obvious. For example, bad credit...

 

[Carol]

Oooh the books are a great idea. How important is a Bachelor's degree for a candidate with a good work history? A degree isn't required for my city, but I've noticed in the newspapers that recent new hires all have an undergrad degree.

I know my friend has been in touch with someone local about a ride-along...since we're on the subject, how open would a PD be for a ride-along for someone like me -- a civilian that is interested in getting to know the city's PD better?

My city has a Citizen's Academy, but that's not an option for me on this shift.

 

[jks9199]

Oooh the books are a great idea. How important is a Bachelor's degree for a candidate with a good work history? A degree isn't required for my city, but I've noticed in the newspapers that recent new hires all have an undergrad degree.

I know my friend has been in touch with someone local about a ride-along...since we're on the subject, how open would a PD be for a ride-along for someone like me -- a civilian that is interested in getting to know the city's PD better?

My city has a Citizen's Academy, but that's not an option for me on this shift.

Depends on the agency. With mine, you simply fill out an application. But I know of others that only do them for applicants and other LEOs... Contact the agency, and ask.

Regarding the Citizen's Academy... IF you can get a reasonable group together to commit to it -- they MAY run a daylight session...

 

[jks9199]

I missed the line about the degree. It, too, depends on the agency. Some require 60 credit hours or an associate's, some require a bachelor's -- and the minimum for a lot is a GED or high school diploma. There's a catch to that, though... Most agencies aren't hiring you before 21, so what do a lot of kids do to pass the time? College... Degrees are also becoming increasingly important for career advancement.

Work and life experience do carry a lot of weight, though, with a lot of administrators and hiring officers. As I'm sure you know -- there's a big difference between book learning and the real world. Life experience informs a cop's job performance; it takes some time and some living to begin to recognize some of the gray areas in the world.

 

[MJS]

Oooh the books are a great idea. How important is a Bachelor's degree for a candidate with a good work history? A degree isn't required for my city, but I've noticed in the newspapers that recent new hires all have an undergrad degree.

The degree is always a plus. Where I work, no degree is required, however, if you have intentions of moving up the ladder, in some cases its not only a plus, but a requirement.

I know my friend has been in touch with someone local about a ride-along...since we're on the subject, how open would a PD be for a ride-along for someone like me -- a civilian that is interested in getting to know the city's PD better?

Some PDs do them, some dont. A simple call to inquire is all that needs to be done. A waiver usually needs to be signed, but if you have the chance to do one, do it. It definately gives you another view of what the job is all about.

 

[Hudson69]

Let me add some negative aspects. Not trying to scare you off, but LEOs will know what I'm talking about here.

Get used to working nights, weekends, and holidays. Typically rookies do not get the day shift.

Get used to having to fight hard to stay in shape. There is a reason a lot of cops get fat. Hours and hours and hours of sitting in a police cruiser, followed by moments of pure oh-crap-fear-based adrenalin. You eat crap from drive through windows at fast-food joints because you never know when you'll have to toss your meal out the window and respond code.

Your outlook on life will change. You spend most of your life around basically decent people, with a few flaming a-holes. Get ready for turnabout. Most of the people you'll have to deal with hate your guts, hate each other's guts, and not one of them will ever tell the truth about anything, ever. You may become convinced that 90% of all people are scum - because those are the people you'll be dealing with mostly.

Your sense of humor will change and none of your current friends will get the jokes you think are funny. Only your oldest and best friends will remain on good terms with you. The casual friends will slowly become offended and drift away. They'll find your humor 'not funny' or even 'sick'.

Your new friends will be EMT's, doctors and nurses at ER's, and sometimes firefighters. Those are the people you see on a daily basis.

A lot of cops are of a certain type. Classic Type A, which can mean adrenalin junkies, sexist, and full-on macho d00ds. Not all, but lots.

Hope you don't mind spending your off hours sitting in court waiting to testify against someone you arrested months ago and can barely remember. You'll get paid for your time, but you have to do, and it will be during the day - the middle of your night. And you'll enjoy being torn a new one by the defense attorney. You'll learn to speak legalese. And cop jargon, which is incomprehensible to non-cops, except for inveterate three-toothed watchers of cop reality shows, who will enjoy displaying their prowess on you.

You'll never look at a kitchen again without thinking about how many knives are in it and how many of them can kill you.

You keep your house clean and imagine most other people do too. That's over. There are some smells you will never quite get out of your nostrils, like what a diaper smells like after a kid has been wearing it for three days.

You will be spit on, barfed on, and you'll be jabbed by sharp things arrestees keep in their pockets. Dopers hide baggies in the back seat of your cruiser, drunks pee and even poop in the back too. You'll occasionally pull the back seat of your cruiser at the end of your shift and find a loaded handgun, which you missed on pat-down and wasn't used to kill you - this time.

You'll be injured on a regular basis, and you'll learn to actually not mind a new set of stitches, as long as you don't have to pay for new uniform items out of your own pocket.

You will see the same idiots over and over again, since about half of your time will be spent dealing with domestics. Wife gets beat, hubby gets arrested, and she bails him out while you're still doing the paperwork - and the same woman who was screaming for you to arrest that a-hole is now calling you every name in the book as she springs her butthead hubby so he can beat her some more next week.

You will spend time talking to children who have been molested by their parents and close relatives. In fact, you'll begin to think that every daddy diddles his daughters.

I could go on. Not sure I should.

It takes a special type to be a cop. At one time, that was what I wanted to be. The badge, the gun, the authority. Later, I wanted something more substantial - the chance to do good, help my community, give back.

However, it is an isolated life. Not unhappy, but you have to learn to be happy by yourself and without the approval of your (previous) friends and sometimes family (unless you're from a cop family). You work hard, alternate between extreme boredom and crap-your-pants fear, and slowly get fat. Some of your coworkers are goons, others are great. All of you will burn out early, get hurt like a pro athlete until you can't run so good anymore and maybe not walk so good either, and probably retire on a disability pension. Some few end up alcoholics, fewer end up eating their guns.

They're heroes for doing what they do, and they have my respect. I had to walk away from it, but there are people who can do it for a lifetime. If you can, I wish you the best and you have my honest respect for it.

I thought those were the perks?

Mr. Mattocks has the right idea and it can get that bad, court on a day off is no fun, DUI's and Domestics are terrible and you can always run into supercop (Type A+).

But if your heart is in the right place, you aren't working for the sake of being employed, you have a thick skin, cannot lie (fastest way to get fired) and can stay in shape despite weird hours and having to bring your own lunch/dinner if you want to stay healthy then do a couple of ride alongs with various agencies, talk with officers/deputies and then decide.

My .02 only