Anybody a police officer or work for the police department?

[Warik]

Been thinking about a career change for a while and this came up. Is anyone here a police officer or play some other major role in their local departments? Are there a lot of advancement opportunities for a smart guy to do a lot of good and make good money? What should I think about before investigating more and getting started?

Little background on me: 24 yrs old, college graduate (Computer Science), excellent shape, and I can whoop any background test/drug test/etc... I'm certain I will be taking a substantial paycut initially from what I'm making now, but from what I've been told there's potential for a lot to be made if you're good and dedicated.

How do you like your job?

[ QUOTE ]
Been thinking about a career change for a while and this came up. Is anyone here a police officer or play some other major role in their local departments? Are there a lot of advancement opportunities for a smart guy to do a lot of good and make good money? What should I think about before investigating more and getting started?

Little background on me: 24 yrs old, college graduate (Computer Science), excellent shape, and I can whoop any background test/drug test/etc... I'm certain I will be taking a substantial paycut initially from what I'm making now, but from what I've been told there's potential for a lot to be made if you're good and dedicated.

How do you like your job?

[/ QUOTE ]

There is room for advancement, but you are going to be a civil servant - get used to not getting paid. Overtime is where its at, but each department's policy will dictate that. Sometimes you can get in on event detail as overtime (think the cops at the Stones concert) and thats great. Other than that... I hope you dont like really nice things.

There are limits to how fast and how high you can move but they are usually in need of smart people in some of the higher roles. Smart isnt a term usually batted around the squadroom when referring to your peers...

But again, its really all going to be dependant on your department.

As for money - you have a degree in computer science. You can get an entry level position for more than you will ever make as a civil servant. Being allowed to carry a gun aint worth the pay differntial.

Warik-

Go Fed! The pay is better, the hours are better, you have the chance to specialize, and many more advancement opportunities.

If you are going to go local, find a big department with opportunities to advance. Smaller department have fewer of these opportunities. I have a lot of friends that are local cops as well and most of them got off the street as soon as possible and took the Sgt exam, tried out for the tactical team, or motorbikes, or other specialized units. Patrol work can get tedious after a while.

[Warik]

[ QUOTE ]
There are limits to how fast and how high you can move but they are usually in need of smart people in some of the higher roles.

But again, its really all going to be dependant on your department.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, I'd be interested in the higher roles and I imagine my speed would be limited not by my own abilities, but rather by the department. It would be the Miami-Dade PD. Nice sized city so I imagine there would be plenty to do up the ladder.

[ QUOTE ]
As for money - you have a degree in computer science. You can get an entry level position for more than you will ever make as a civil servant.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not necessarily true... this cop I know through my dad whom I spoke to is making over 55k working behind a desk. My buddy is a programmer with experience making under 55k.

Don't know if that's an exception to the rule or if it's more common than one thinks.

I hate thinking about it from a financial standpoint though since one could reason that just because I'm "smart" I shouldn't be A because B makes more money, or I shouldn't be B because C makes more money. etc... It can't possibly be a job full of nothing but terrible things or else no one would want to do it.

Are you a cop? What exactly do you not like about the job itself that would make you not recommend it?

[diebitter]

I hear if you go in McDonalds in uniform, they're so stupid that... /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[tdarko]

my buddy ricer is but he never posts, i will try to get him to.

No, I am not a cop. I am a computer programmer working for the MA State Police though so I have a different perspective of them than most might.

Personally, I wouldnt like the hours some of these guys have to work to make ends meet. I am a big fan of my free time, so having regular hours makes all the difference to me.

[Warik]

[ QUOTE ]
If you are going to go local, find a big department with opportunities to advance. Smaller department have fewer of these opportunities.

[/ QUOTE ]

I am planning to go local if I do it... Fed is an idea but I imagine I'd have to relocate and I'm not ready for that yet. Local experience would be a plus if I ever choose to go that route (if I even choose to go the local route in the first place, that is).

According to what I've read, the MDPD is responsible for 2 million people and has about 3k officers. Dunno if that's considered large or not.

[ QUOTE ]
I have a lot of friends that are local cops as well and most of them got off the street as soon as possible and took the Sgt exam, tried out for the tactical team, or motorbikes, or other specialized units. Patrol work can get tedious after a while.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'd have no intention of sticking to patrol work. First thing I read in their brochure was that you can take the Sgt Exam after 2 years if you are good, which would be my plan. Ideally I'd like to do something that involves a lot of critical thinking and investigating where I could do more good than handing out tickets and responding to domestic disputes.

Come on... anybody else? Don't cops play p*ker too?

[ QUOTE ]
am planning to go local if I do it... Fed is an idea but I imagine I'd have to relocate and I'm not ready for that yet. Local experience would be a plus if I ever choose to go that route (if I even choose to go the local route in the first place, that is).

[/ QUOTE ]

You do not necessarily have to relocate. A lot of agencies recruit locally for their field offices and you can stay there for your career. Others make you relocate every 2-5 years, depends. You would have to temporarily relocate during training though (3-6 mos.)

[ QUOTE ]
According to what I've read, the MDPD is responsible for 2 million people and has about 3k officers. Dunno if that's considered large or not.


[/ QUOTE ]

MDPD is an excellent force, big enough to advance into, and have a lot of specialities. I have metseveral officers from there and all were pretty happy.

my brother is a police officer. He doesn't really like it. I've yet to meet a cop who isn't on the verge of alcoholism, and they constantly deal with the dregs of society. It's not like anyone is happy to meet you on any given day. Days and weeks of tedious crap along with some excitement and funny stories. I don't imagine most people have the perfect temperment to be a good cop.

[RunDownHouse]

[ QUOTE ]
Well, I'd be interested in the higher roles and I imagine my speed would be limited not by my own abilities, but rather by the department.

[/ QUOTE ]
I would expect that, in a PD more so than many other jobs, your advancement will be limited by politics as much as either the department or your ability. I have no practical experience, however.

[KyleC]

I was considering becoming a cop at one point in my life and there are a lot of things to consider. I'm sure you've thought of most of em but here are a few things : 1) Being a police officer is dangerous..so you'll have to think will my future wife be ok with me working in such a dangerous job? and down the line when you have kids would you want to be in such a job when you could leave your kids fatherless? Yes I understand we can die at any moment etc. but you'll be raising the chances a bunch. 2) You are going to see a lot of [censored] up [censored]..you'll see it all ..you'll see the nasty [censored] you'd never ever think you'd ever see..after seeing all the messed up [censored] it'll take a toll on you man..its easy to say hey im ready for it but seeing and doing is another. 3) Long hours from the areas around me most do either 5 days on 5 days off or 4 days on 4 days off with each day being 12+hr shift and after awhile it'll be tiring and you'll spend your days off drinking/sleeping. A good idea would be for you to start compiling a list of the cons of the job and take a nice long look at it and see if you think you'd be cut out for the job. I apologize if my thoughts and [censored] are a little out of order I'm tired :O. So anyways instead of looking at salary and possibilities of promotion. Start looking at why some people have already said many cops are drinkers etc. Someone stated it's because everyone you run into will most not likely like you because of your uniform.

[youtalkfunny]

[ QUOTE ]
I am planning to go local if I do it... Fed is an idea but I imagine I'd have to relocate and I'm not ready for that yet.

[/ QUOTE ]

My cousin is an agent for HUD. They mostly do drug busts in public housing projects. He lives in his hometown, no relocation necessary. HUD is everywhere.

His wife (whom he met at federal agent school, I guess) works for USDA. I have no earthly idea what "the meat police" are all about--but the USDA is everywhere.

Oh yeah--they live in a freaking mansion. Either he's in debt up to his ass, or they have more money than anyone I know.

(His degree is one of those law-enforcement type degrees like criminal science, or whatever it's called. He worked as an auxiliary policeman while in school. I have no idea if either of those things were pre-requisites. DEA is everywhere. ATF is everywhere. IRS is everywhere. Probably dozens more.)

[rusty JEDI]

I applied, and made it through all of the junk they make you go through for the pre-interview process. When it came down to the security interview (3 hours of what bad stuff have you ever done poking and prodding) they explained i was unsuitable. The reason being that I play online poker. I know there is no poker in oot, but i assume you're at 2+2 due to poker. They explained that it was totally legal, but they consider it gambling, and if it ever led to a gambling problem i could use my position for extortion. It didnt matter to them how much i won, or for how many hours, or for how much per hour for how long. All that mattered was it was more time spent playing than simply being a casual casino trip here and there.

Most likely most police agencies arent as anal as the Revenue Collecting Motorized Patrol (RCMP) so you should be okay. For anyone wondering how it came up or why i wouldnt lie. Lying in an interview is bad/I didnt think it would be a problem/they give random lie detectors. I also had all of my financial records there and they eventually would have asked where all these funds are coming from without a job.

rJ

[ QUOTE ]
As for money - you have a degree in computer science. You can get an entry level position for more than you will ever make as a civil servant. Being allowed to carry a gun aint worth the pay differntial.

[/ QUOTE ]

I believe that this is a big misconception. Entry level computer postions are hard to find with just a degree in computer science. There are still so many people laid off from the tech industry from a few years back, that they take a lot of these jobs. As far as the pay, I am close with quite a few cops, and all but one easily make well over 70k a year... and the oldest is 32.

I think it really depends on where you go. Some departments can afford to pay a helluva lot better than others. And that also varies what kind of jurisdiction you go to (city, county, state, federal, etc.).

[philnewall]

oink oink oink.

[canis582]

Don't be a cop for the money. Be a cop so you can have power over people, plant drugs and falsify evidence. And if anyone gives you lip, WHAMO!

[EMcWilliams]

My dad is a cop....he loved it. He mad 110K towards the end of his career, but that was a high ranking sgt. A degree will help you, but a degree in comp sci will be useless in the PD. YOu may think you are smart, which may be true, but to be more than a beat patrolman you need a certain edge too.

[HopeydaFish]

[ QUOTE ]

MDPD is an excellent force, big enough to advance into, and have a lot of specialities. I have metseveral officers from there and all were pretty happy.

[/ QUOTE ]

http://www.moviecitynews.com/static_images/images/2005/200x300/miami_vice.jpg

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

MDPD is an excellent force, big enough to advance into, and have a lot of specialities. I have metseveral officers from there and all were pretty happy.

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http://www.moviecitynews.com/static_images/images/2005/200x300/miami_vice.jpg

[/ QUOTE ]


No actually, more like this:


http://www.dvdshop.nl/Displays/IMG_825200443101.jpg

[MrMon]

[ QUOTE ]
My dad is a cop....he loved it. He mad 110K towards the end of his career, but that was a high ranking sgt. A degree will help you, but a degree in comp sci will be useless in the PD. YOu may think you are smart, which may be true, but to be more than a beat patrolman you need a certain edge too.

[/ QUOTE ]

A degree may not help you in a regular police department, but a degree is exactly what they are looking for at the FBI, Secret Service, or Post Office. CIA is an option as well. Starting pay for an FBI Special Agent is $42.5K. Apply here (https://www.fbijobs.gov/jobdesc.asp?requisitionid=368).

If you click on the link for Computer Science in the above link, you find out they really want people who know Cisco. Hmmmmm.

[EMcWilliams]

I agree that a degree can be helpful, but a certain degree of street smarts is needed too. My dad didnt go to school but he made one hell of a cop. You need to be very intellengent to make the big bucks, but it can be done. It takes a lot of effort.

[celiboy]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Been thinking about a career change for a while and this came up. Is anyone here a police officer or play some other major role in their local departments? Are there a lot of advancement opportunities for a smart guy to do a lot of good and make good money? What should I think about before investigating more and getting started?

Little background on me: 24 yrs old, college graduate (Computer Science), excellent shape, and I can whoop any background test/drug test/etc... I'm certain I will be taking a substantial paycut initially from what I'm making now, but from what I've been told there's potential for a lot to be made if you're good and dedicated.

How do you like your job?

[/ QUOTE ]

There is room for advancement, but you are going to be a civil servant - get used to not getting paid. Overtime is where its at, but each department's policy will dictate that. Sometimes you can get in on event detail as overtime (think the cops at the Stones concert) and thats great. Other than that... I hope you dont like really nice things.

There are limits to how fast and how high you can move but they are usually in need of smart people in some of the higher roles. Smart isnt a term usually batted around the squadroom when referring to your peers...

But again, its really all going to be dependant on your department.

As for money - you have a degree in computer science. You can get an entry level position for more than you will ever make as a civil servant. Being allowed to carry a gun aint worth the pay differntial.

[/ QUOTE ]

Here in Canada being a cop pays pretty decent. After a 5 year training salary where you make about 35k, you make 65K starting, however you get paid double time for any OT and also for any court appearances. There was an article in our local paper that showed that many cops were making well over 100K a year with OT and that the average was well over 80K.

[ QUOTE ]
Here in Canada being a cop pays pretty decent. After a 5 year training salary where you make about 35k, you make 65K starting, however you get paid double time for any OT and also for any court appearances. There was an article in our local paper that showed that many cops were making well over 100K a year with OT and that the average was well over 80K.

[/ QUOTE ] Play Money

[tonypaladino]

I agree with those who say to go federal. I have a few friends and relatives who are cops and they're not thrilled by it. My cousin who is a Homeland Security Agent loves his job, better pay, better hours and he gets to travel.