BlueSheepdog
10 Years Experience
Around the Way, FL
Male, 40
Cheating death and fighting communism: that is how a fellow officer once described our job. It was meant to be funny, but as time went on it seemed all too true.
I spent more than ten years in law enforcement, all of it on the street in uniform patrol. I've been a patrol officer, instructor, sergeant and lieutenant.
Do not report crimes here. Nothing here should be considered legal advice. All opinions are my own.
I've touched on these topics before. In brief:
1. Every department's hiring standards are different. Contact the agency you would want to work for and see what their requirements are. Most are looking for a two year degree or military experience. A few want a four year degree.
2. All other things being equal, the military experience is far more valuable than the piece of paper from some college.
3. A CJ major is not needed to get hired, even if a department requires a college degree. Consider picking a major with practical application beyond law enforcement.
4. Debt is bad. Student debt is extremely bad. A cops salary will not pay off a student loan very quickly at all. Student debt is one of the major problems with the economy in this country now.
If I was just starting out, I would join the military and work on my two-year degree while I was active duty. Then I would come out with a head start on college plus the GI bill if I wanted to continue that. If I wanted to jump right into police work, I would have the experience plus a two year degree. Many departments offer a tuition reimbursement program, so you could go to work for a PD, continue college on their dime and save the GI bill for an advanced school if you so desired.
For example, 4 years military gets the GI bill and a two year degree. 4 years as a law enforcement officer and you get your bachelors degree. Then you could use your GI bill to get a law degree if you wanted. Just my thoughts.
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Criminals are generally lazy. So, to reduce the chances of a criminal breaking into your home, make things more difficult for them. Consider things like
- good locks, door and windows
- a security system
- a camera system
- good night time lighting
- trimming back overgrown landscaping that can help conceal them
- own a large dog (or two)
Of course, all of these things are merely persuasive in nature. A determined criminal won't care about any of them and will still attempt to break in and harm you. In that case, having a plan and means to protect yourself and your family is needed. That might include a firearm - but that is a personal decision.
If you own or are thinking about owning a gun for self-defense, get training. A local concealed weapon class is not training. Good training will generally run two days or longer and will give you the basic skills needed to use a firearm under extremely stressful conditions.
There are a variety of trainers out there that can help such as Paul Carlson http://www.safetysolutionsacademy.com/ , Grant Cunningham http://www.personalsecurity.us/ , and Massad Ayoob http://massadayoobgroup.com/ .
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People can only be legally arrested if their is probable cause to believe that he or she committed a specific crime.
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It might. You should contact the California POST: http://www.post.ca.gov/
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Chef
Has anyone ever found anything gross in their food on your watch?
Veterinarian
How do you break the news to a kid when his pet dies?
Casino Marketer
What would be some less obvious ways someone could save money on a Vegas trip?
There are a lot of good aspects to being a police officer. If you are interested in the job, I highly recommend doing a ride-along with a few different departments and see what the job is like.
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Children drinking alcohol is a really bad idea. I'd suggest avoiding being where kids are drinking, and talking with your parents if you have any questions about what actions you should or should not take.
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Call the police.
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