Law Enforcement as a career?

Deaf Smith

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Carol,

Might want to try the FBI. I think they are hiring!

Deaf
 

sgtmac_46

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Oh, and get used to working 1 or 2 part time jobs to make ends meet........and living off FAR less than adequate sleep........and dealing with family demands at the end of an overnight shift, such as working an 8 hour part time evening shift on the 24th followed by an 8 out full time overnight shift.........then getting 2 hours sleep, and getting back up so you can head off to the families house for Christmas dinner, then getting another couple hours sleep before doing the whole thing all over again.



But, then you find a stolen vehicle, and end up in a triple digit pursuit down in the interstate, chasing not one, but TWO stolen vehicles, simultaneously, as the passenger of one of the stolen vehicle leans out the window and fires a few .32 rounds in to the windshield of the patrol car in front of you (who's driver doesn't realize he's being shot at, thinking it's road debris hitting the windshield), and you chasing them 32 miles down the road, where both are spike stripped, and all three suspects taken in to custody..........that makes it ALL WORTH IT! ;)

The reality is that police work isn't just a calling........it's an addiction.
 

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Oh, and get used to working 1 or 2 part time jobs to make ends meet........and living off FAR less than adequate sleep........and dealing with family demands at the end of an overnight shift, such as working an 8 hour part time evening shift on the 24th followed by an 8 out full time overnight shift.........then getting 2 hours sleep, and getting back up so you can head off to the families house for Christmas dinner, then getting another couple hours sleep before doing the whole thing all over again.



But, then you find a stolen vehicle, and end up in a triple digit pursuit down in the interstate, chasing not one, but TWO stolen vehicles, simultaneously, as the passenger of one of the stolen vehicle leans out the window and fires a few .32 rounds in to the windshield of the patrol car in front of you (who's driver doesn't realize he's being shot at, thinking it's road debris hitting the windshield), and you chasing them 32 miles down the road, where both are spike stripped, and all three suspects taken in to custody..........that makes it ALL WORTH IT! ;)

The reality is that police work isn't just a calling........it's an addiction.
And, we are so glad that there are dedicated people who step up to the plate, and do this thankless job. And by the way,(thank you). :)
 
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Carol

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And, we are so glad that there are dedicated people who step up to the plate, and do this thankless job. And by the way,(thank you). :)

What he said!

Thanks to all of you for your service to your communities. Merry Christmas to all of you and I hope the holiday season is a quiet one that will afford you time with your families. :asian:
 

Hudson69

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Carol,

Might want to try the FBI. I think they are hiring!

Deaf

Not if he wants to do police work; speaking from experience. Feebs can be good but those are usually the ex-cops who wanted/needed to take it easy.

If you have a drive to be in the FBI or other alphabet agency then go for it but outside of ATF or DEA (some locations) you will probably end up sitting on a wire or working as part of a team (not a bad thing) but you will never get "street" experience; the skills learned by working crummy hours, dealing with rotten domestics, DUI's and all of the other stuff most cops wish they could have done with out but would not be the warriors they are today without.

Not slamming the Feebs but I have had to work with way too many that thought because they were Fed then they were somehow smarter or better than the local agency(ies). I have worked with some good guys and gals but they were the minority with most being on either an ego trip or trying to make promotion without making any real decisions.

My .02 only:wink1:
 
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Carol

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Not if he wants to do police work; speaking from experience. Feebs can be good but those are usually the ex-cops who wanted/needed to take it easy.

If you have a drive to be in the FBI or other alphabet agency then go for it but outside of ATF or DEA (some locations) you will probably end up sitting on a wire or working as part of a team (not a bad thing) but you will never get "street" experience; the skills learned by working crummy hours, dealing with rotten domestics, DUI's and all of the other stuff most cops wish they could have done with out but would not be the warriors they are today without.

Not slamming the Feebs but I have had to work with way too many that thought because they were Fed then they were somehow smarter or better than the local agency(ies). I have worked with some good guys and gals but they were the minority with most being on either an ego trip or trying to make promotion without making any real decisions.

My .02 only:wink1:

Thanks for the input. :asian:

To be honest, I can't envision Tony going in to a government agency. The main thing that seems to be motivating him is a desire to be in the community making a difference.
 

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If he wants to do something like that, and he wants to do it in the law enforcement world, he can check into volunteering with a local agency. Agencies use volunteers in lots of ways; some places have "volunteer cops" with full authority and all the training -- they just do it for free, like a volunteer fire fighter. In mine, we have two types of volunteers; one type is the auxilliary officer, who have limited authority and spare the paid cops from a lot of the crap jobs like being tied up directing traffic for hours around a gas leak, and they do some patrols, like parking enforcement. The others bring special skills to the table, and are used for those skills, so a guy with a solid IT background might help with our computerized dispatch and RMS system.
 
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Carol

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If he wants to do something like that, and he wants to do it in the law enforcement world, he can check into volunteering with a local agency. Agencies use volunteers in lots of ways; some places have "volunteer cops" with full authority and all the training -- they just do it for free, like a volunteer fire fighter. In mine, we have two types of volunteers; one type is the auxilliary officer, who have limited authority and spare the paid cops from a lot of the crap jobs like being tied up directing traffic for hours around a gas leak, and they do some patrols, like parking enforcement. The others bring special skills to the table, and are used for those skills, so a guy with a solid IT background might help with our computerized dispatch and RMS system.

This was a great suggestion! Tony did not sit for my city's exam in January. He had some concerns about passing the physical, and I think his family had some worries as well. He has his heart set on working in the city where he grew up (where I live) or the city where he is raising his family. He has a small storefront business and has gotten to know a few officers from the business, and they have suggested that he apply to the auxiliary unit in the city where he lives.

He meets their qualifications (U.S. Citizen, no criminal history), and from what I understand, the initial phone call with the department went quite favorably. He says the officer brought up the city's community events in warmer months and explained they depend heavily on their auxiliary officers during these events. He said that he would also be needed for directing traffic or to support events held at the colleges in town, and that the interview/conversation closed with the officer telling Tony that someone else will call to follow up with him. Hopefully that is a good sign :)
 

terryl965

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This was a great suggestion! Tony did not sit for my city's exam in January. He had some concerns about passing the physical, and I think his family had some worries as well. He has his heart set on working in the city where he grew up (where I live) or the city where he is raising his family. He has a small storefront business and has gotten to know a few officers from the business, and they have suggested that he apply to the auxiliary unit in the city where he lives.

He meets their qualifications (U.S. Citizen, no criminal history), and from what I understand, the initial phone call with the department went quite favorably. He says the officer brought up the city's community events in warmer months and explained they depend heavily on their auxiliary officers during these events. He said that he would also be needed for directing traffic or to support events held at the colleges in town, and that the interview/conversation closed with the officer telling Tony that someone else will call to follow up with him. Hopefully that is a good sign :)


Sounds like it is Carol, I hope everything goes his way...
 

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You have to be willing to die or be seriously injured in the line of duty. If you're not, it isn't the job for you. i.e. Idealistically, you have to agree with the purpose and philosophy behind LE.
 

Drac

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

Consider getting your head examined....
 

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Everyone wants to be a cop nowadays. I am from nyc, and the list is looooooong. Some people think they can beat the economy by being a cop, most figure that crime will rise and they will hire more cops in this job market.

In april the new contract for the nypd comes out. I bet it will be super low, right now they fought and got the starting pay to 40k, but they were slick and only hired a few people before the recession, and they closed classes. The april contract will probably drop to under 40k, maybe 30k, one time they had it it around 25k for 6 months. Obviously, joining the nypd shouldnt be done for money, but it represents your value, you dont want to be risking your life and then still living with your parents, taking public transportation, having to take another job to afford rent (in store security make more then this) and being in the wealth line for public assitance.

I scored a 97 out of a 100 and have a high gpa and i never got a call, and that was 8 months ago. I expect a call around april when the contract drops, but by then i will be 2/3 into my BA.
 

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This was a great suggestion! Tony did not sit for my city's exam in January. He had some concerns about passing the physical, and I think his family had some worries as well. He has his heart set on working in the city where he grew up (where I live) or the city where he is raising his family. He has a small storefront business and has gotten to know a few officers from the business, and they have suggested that he apply to the auxiliary unit in the city where he lives.

He meets their qualifications (U.S. Citizen, no criminal history), and from what I understand, the initial phone call with the department went quite favorably. He says the officer brought up the city's community events in warmer months and explained they depend heavily on their auxiliary officers during these events. He said that he would also be needed for directing traffic or to support events held at the colleges in town, and that the interview/conversation closed with the officer telling Tony that someone else will call to follow up with him. Hopefully that is a good sign :)
Glad to hear it's working out. Agencies really rely on auxiliaries and volunteers -- especially as budgets get tighter. It's a great way to serve your community. They usually schedule training either in evenings and/or weekends, and the commitment they ask is usually pretty easy to meet.

And, if down the road he decides he wants to be a cop, it's a foot in the door.
 

jks9199

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Everyone wants to be a cop nowadays. I am from nyc, and the list is looooooong. Some people think they can beat the economy by being a cop, most figure that crime will rise and they will hire more cops in this job market.

In april the new contract for the nypd comes out. I bet it will be super low, right now they fought and got the starting pay to 40k, but they were slick and only hired a few people before the recession, and they closed classes. The april contract will probably drop to under 40k, maybe 30k, one time they had it it around 25k for 6 months. Obviously, joining the nypd shouldnt be done for money, but it represents your value, you dont want to be risking your life and then still living with your parents, taking public transportation, having to take another job to afford rent (in store security make more then this) and being in the wealth line for public assitance.

I scored a 97 out of a 100 and have a high gpa and i never got a call, and that was 8 months ago. I expect a call around april when the contract drops, but by then i will be 2/3 into my BA.
There's a lot more to the applicant packet than GPAs and test scores. Among other things, for example, my understanding of the NYPD process is that they give a lot of preference to veterans and city residents. Add to that a general preference in a lot of agencies for someone with some life experience beyond school, tight budgets and hiring restrictions, and it's easy for a person to score very high on the test -- but still not be in the group that goes beyond the test. In fact, some agencies test annually, to maintain a potential list, even if they don't have a slot, just in case they end up needing to hire.

(In fact, my agency is down three, and our academy has really cut down the sessions, so that we're looking much more at already certified applicants.)
 

repz

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There's a lot more to the applicant packet than GPAs and test scores. Among other things, for example, my understanding of the NYPD process is that they give a lot of preference to veterans and city residents. Add to that a general preference in a lot of agencies for someone with some life experience beyond school, tight budgets and hiring restrictions, and it's easy for a person to score very high on the test -- but still not be in the group that goes beyond the test. In fact, some agencies test annually, to maintain a potential list, even if they don't have a slot, just in case they end up needing to hire.

(In fact, my agency is down three, and our academy has really cut down the sessions, so that we're looking much more at already certified applicants.)

Yeah, i am a city resident, that just gives you extra pts on the test. A high score lets you go ahead of people, I wont say my list number, but I'm pretty low, which means i go ahead of a lot of applicants who took that specific exam. Military can join the nypd without getting the required 60 creds, as far as them picking out based on military, i am not sure, though a friend of mines got in the nypd easy and he was military (years ago though). I know cadets get in first, and they are all about gpa.

But yeah, thats exactly whats happening with the nypd with them going thru the process of getting applicants and stopping it dead, only for them to call you again and raise your hopes, to drop you again, in a long waiting list that stretches years.

I think I am about through with that though. And I am 28, in march i turn 29, the fdny exam i think is next year, which will make me one year older then the requirement. Ehhh, best thing to do in these times is to go back to school and get those degrees so when the economy gets better you got something backing you.
 

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(In fact, my agency is down three, and our academy has really cut down the sessions, so that we're looking much more at already certified applicants.)

The open enrollement academy was doing really well up here..A student applies to local department and is given all the regular testing, and IF he passes them he is told that once he graduates from acedemy he has a job waiting..The potential officer then goes to the open enrollment academy on his own "dime"..You must pass just as if a department is sponsering you..It saves the cities alot of money...
 
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Yeah, i am a city resident, that just gives you extra pts on the test. A high score lets you go ahead of people, I wont say my list number, but I'm pretty low, which means i go ahead of a lot of applicants who took that specific exam. Military can join the nypd without getting the required 60 creds, as far as them picking out based on military, i am not sure, though a friend of mines got in the nypd easy and he was military (years ago though). I know cadets get in first, and they are all about gpa.

But yeah, thats exactly whats happening with the nypd with them going thru the process of getting applicants and stopping it dead, only for them to call you again and raise your hopes, to drop you again, in a long waiting list that stretches years.

I think I am about through with that though. And I am 28, in march i turn 29, the fdny exam i think is next year, which will make me one year older then the requirement. Ehhh, best thing to do in these times is to go back to school and get those degrees so when the economy gets better you got something backing you.
Don't give up.

It took me more times, and quite a few years to finally get hired. Lots of reasons, including dumb luck (like being number 3 on a list when they hired 2). I kept trying, applying to multiple agencies, and I eventually got hired. The feds have a maximum age (due to pension programs) of 37, which is very rarely waived. Some other agencies due -- but many don't.
 

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I hear that starting pay for an NYPD rookie is crap (considering NYC cost of living). So bad that you can't afford to live in the city unless you pack a bunch of people into a cheap apartment.
 

Drac

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I hear that starting pay for an NYPD rookie is crap (considering NYC cost of living). So bad that you can't afford to live in the city unless you pack a bunch of people into a cheap apartment.


All cop pay is crap....
 

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I hear that starting pay for an NYPD rookie is crap (considering NYC cost of living). So bad that you can't afford to live in the city unless you pack a bunch of people into a cheap apartment.

Right now its at 40k for the first year, around the 5 yr mark it shoots up to 50k. You can be earning around 80 to 90k by time of retirement. Rent is like 1,000 a month (studio), 1,500 for an apartment you actually like. Car insurance is a crime here.

Thats pretty much the math.

Now, with the April new contract signing, budgets will be cut. NYPD will most likely make less, and they are raising retirement to 25 instead of 20. All this, and you still need 60 college credits.
 

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