What's it like to be a police officer?

[MDesigner]

Ever since I got laid off (dying .com industry), I've been considering other careers.

I was wondering if anyone here can comment on what it's like to become a police officer. I'm not talking about a big city like Chicago. I actually live in the west suburbs. It seems mostly what cops do around here are answer emergency calls, pull people over, and patrol the shopping plazas at night to make sure all is well.

What kind of process would I go through? What's training like? What is the wage like? Benefits? I'm 27, and pretty out of shape.. I assume the training would whip me into shape?

Just wondering what it's like and what it pays.
Thanks!

 

[Carbo]

It's too little money to walk around with a bullseye on your back.

 

[rudder]

Just wondering what it's like and what it pays

Thats different for every city in America.

 

[The Stigenator]

depends where you are and what city etc etc.. the city I live in gives about 5K/mo in salary to the police officers. The training is 6 months I believe for basic stuff and then something more. LA county I beleve is 1 year but its a paid training I think.

In smaller cities its more fruitful (also in cities with less crime like glendale). There is a demand for police officers right now and you need to first apply, pass a background test, and then training.. you got to learn a lot regrding the rules (you are tested on it).. and you start as a trainee and end up higher. Now an higher postion pays more than 5K here in glendale. LAPD pays 4500 + OT.. Glendale doesnt pay OT.

 

[FuZoR]

just go to your local police department and ask....

I dont know about the pay, but hear in the nyc i heard it sucks.

-edit spelling

 

[Deeko]

Well, I'm not a police officer, but I would bet that you put in a lot of hard work to protect people, including putting your own life in danger, and what do you get for it? People despising you and calling you a pig and whatnot...sounds like a dream job to me.

 

[MDesigner]

<< Well, I'm not a police officer, but I would bet that you put in a lot of hard work to protect people, including putting your own life in danger, and what do you get for it? People despising you and calling you a pig and whatnot...sounds like a dream job to me. >>



I think that really depends on where you live. In my old hometown, that would be the case. But I live in the west suburbs of Chicago.. it's kind of a goody-two-shoes area, where people tend to get along just fine with the local officers.

 

[gopunk]

even if people do hate you, at least you know you're doing something right.

 

[wedi42]

go to the local PD and ask them for a ride along
that way you can see for you self by hanging with the cop all day seeing what they really do

 

[trmiv]

My friend is a cop. I went on a ride along with him once, and once the novelty of being in a cop car was gone, I was bored out of my mind. The only thing cool about it was getting to see what my friend does every night. It was basically driving around all night, and giving people the evil eye. I can't imagine how he does that night in and night out by himself, at least he had me to talk to that night.

I guess it depends what you want out of it. It is not a job that I would want to do. You are hated by a lot of people simply for the job you do. And that whole, people shoot at you thing is a deal breaker to me. It isn't something I would do, but some people like it.

 

[Passions]

dun ferget alot of cop work is paper work too.

 

[tcsenter]

My brother is a cop in Colorado. In ten years, he's gone from a very tolerant and fun-loving person to having a real 'hardened' attitude - sometimes callous. The stress is definitely getting to him, so he took a month off to go camping and rafting along the Colorado. Its the type of job for which you must find your own rewards and satisfaction, nobody is going to be giving you a pat on the back every day. In fact, its pretty safe to say that you're going to get insulted and spat-on weekly for 20 years, and if you can find a way to deal with that positively instead of taking it personally, you'll be ok.

The pay is good in most areas, but you may not get to the top pay ranges for 3 - 5 years (like any other job, really). I've seen 30k - 60k depending upon the area, experience and length of service. My brother makes about $55,000 per year (60 hour weeks).

Check your state laws on the qualifications for being a certified law enforcement officer. Many states require a certain number of classroom hours, firearm training, range time, ride-alongs, etc, before you can take the certification exam. Academies are usually only offered by the larger cities vs. the burbs.

Many community colleges offer 2 year criminal justice programs that give you everything, including reserve duties and ride-along time with local law enforcement agencies near the end. When you graduate, you are qualified to take the state certification and can immediately enter a law enforcement position. The days of becoming a cop one year out of high school are all but gone.

On edit: I should add that if you're a white male, you might find getting a job quite difficult. My brother has Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice, graduated cum laude, entered the Aurora Police Academy and graduated with honors, passed the state certification no problem and couldn't find a job for 5 years because he wasn't the "right" gender or race. While quotas are becoming less popular, they ARE still out there, especially in the larger cities.

 

[HowardStern]

You get to shoot people and get to speed with impunity