[IAm_FloridaBorn]

I'm going to the Police Academy to become an officer of the law. Problem is which city or metro area in Florida is the worst for cops? Meaning cops getting shot or having their lives in more danger than normal? Or is this a stupid question? I know being a cop or any civil job your life is always in danger, my question is is there a metro I should avoid trying to secure a job with after I finish my academy? I'm interested in Broward, and Hillsborough for the moment. Dade is out of the question by all means.

[kyle19125]

Congrats on the decision, we need more good cops! I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss Dade County as much of Broward County can be as dangerous. I think the same of Hillsborough. If you're considering those two areas I'd recommend Palm Beach County or Pinellas County as neither is as dangerous as the neighboring counterpart in my opinion. Good luck!

[pcbgirl99]

um... hillsborough, in parts, is pretty rough. when we lived in tampa hearing gunshots wasn't a big deal. might want to rethink that one.

[Crane's Rooster]

This is probably a question best answered by the men and women who wear badges. But congrats and best of luck on your decision.

[vaughanwilliams]

Clearwater police probably have it the safest (except when they're smashing their cruisers into things).

[FlyMIA]

Honestly, if your thinking about this maybe you should not become a police officer.

Anyway I would not worry about it. Large cities are naturally more dangerous with more crime. At the same time better healthcare and hospitals. Police Officer jobs are not easy to get these days so you will probably apply anywhere you can.

[Sgt. Buzzcut]

Originally Posted by pcbgirl99

um... hillsborough, in parts, is pretty rough. when we lived in tampa hearing gunshots wasn't a big deal. might want to rethink that one.

Agreed...Donte Morris just guned down a cop this year and in Pinellas, 3 St. Petersburg officers killed in 3 months. Years ago in Hillsborough, 2 TPD detectives and an FHP trooper killed by Hank Carr.

I believe I'd look into a rural County and bust some wife-beaters and write tickets for illegal fires.

[doggiebus]

The real question will be who is hiring, because I would be surprised to hear of any agency in Southeast Florida that is hiring. Even in these counties that have hirer crime rates, you can find cities that have their own private police agency, these cities are usually very wealthy areas (Miami has a few of these Pinecrest, Coral Gables, Miami Beach, etc) which don't have less crime. So find the wealthy areas and see if that area has incorporated and if so they may have a police agency. Now if they are hiring is another question. You may have to work in one of the rougher areas to get your foot in the door.

[JM1822]

Not to sound harsh, but if you are having these feelings now, you might want to reconsider that career. Law enforcement is a glamorous profession to most people, but the fact of the matter is that it's nothing like it is on TV. It is not a physically demanding job most of the time, but it is a very tough job mentally. It takes a VERY special person to be able to put up with the stress of it all.

On average, a police officer in America dies about once every thirty six hours. I don't think there is really a "safe" place to work in this field. Large departments lose more officers than small departments, but that's due to their size. It doesn't mean that a person working in a small ten officer department is at any less of a risk.

Florida has lost 741 police officers in the line of duty. The top three departments are Jacksonville (56), Florida Highway Patrol (43) and Miami-Dade (39).

Any job that you work at involves a risk. The only difference with law enforcement is that you have to be able to accept the risk and do stuff that a normal person wouldn't do. You also have to accept the fact that you work in a job that runs a risk of death at the hands of someone else. You have to develop a frame of mind that keeps you safe and at the same time keeps everyone else safe. It's very difficult to do, especially when you find yourself in a very stressful situation and you only have seconds to react. You have to be able to react without thinking. I can't tell you how many times I have seen people totally freeze up when confronted with a situation they aren't used to being in. Some people that choose this job choose it for the wrong reasons and end up not being able to function when confronted with those situations. I've seen it before. Just being a cop doesn't mean that you automatically can perform under stress. And it's not only about performing under stress.

It's also about performing AFTER the stress is gone. It's really tough to go from zero to a million miles an hour and back to zero. Imagine being in a bar fight then twenty minutes later having to deal with someone complaining about a barking dog, or are mad because you stopped them for a traffic violation.

The fact of the matter is that law enforcement can be dangerous. Everything you do, including doing nothing, can get you killed or injured. If you really want a job like this, you need to develop the right mindset. It's a great career that involves moments of pure joy, sheer terror, great saddness, and plenty of good times.

[IAm_FloridaBorn]

Thanks to everyone about the decisions making. I'm going to address some things.

To the two posters who said something about reconsidering. I've been reconsidering since I been out of school. I was going to firefighter school, or culinary school. I know the risks of each job profession and working with the Orange County Probation Unit before I am aware of the danger. I think you all missed my point. So I need not do anymore considering. I've made my decision and I'm going through with it.

My point was that in Florida, I know cops have died in all places over this world, I'm aware of that but since I cant travel to every jurisdiction in the state and pull up all the information I want, I just thought I'd ask around to see how other citizens feel about their police in their living area.

For instance I live in Orlando and I hate OPD. Do I think all of OPD is bad? No of course not but they are a bit more nastier than OCS, in my opinion. SO I'd imagine people are more likely to treat them like crap as all of my friends do. We would much rather see a sheriffs officer if that makes sense.



But to the other posters, it's great to get your input. see I had no idea Broward coulld be as dangerous if not a bit more wild than Dade. same for Hillsborough and Pinellas. My basic concern as starting off young (21) i dont want to get over my head in a high crime area. High crime. I doubt any department would put a young officer in that scene right away but hey I'm just asking.


As far as hiring, I'm not worried about that. A lot of times 90% of what I've seen since I've been applying at departments, you apply at the selected department and you have a job waiting for you once your out of the academy. So I've already targeted six police departments in Florida that are hiring. I have not researched more because those 6 areas were the most desirable so it was right down my alley.