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It's tough my brother applied for LAPD twice and didn't make it to the final round. I am sure the bar would be much lower in smaller towns. Those background checks go back very far where the get access to legal matters much past the standard 7 years.
It's tough my brother applied for LAPD twice and didn't make it to the final round. I am sure the bar would be much lower in smaller towns. Those background checks go back very far where the get access to legal matters much past the standard 7 years.
Small towns definitely have less requirements, but some things will bar you automatically based on state and federal law. DV convictions can be one, even if not a felony. It is scary though. In some of these little towns, all you need is high school diploma and you need to be at least 18. I saw one ad in western Kansas, I think it was in Colby. The only requirement was a driver license, HS diploma, and 18 or older. Pay was only $21k a year. Still, it could be worth it if you want to build experience and move to a bigger city later. Small town cops don't always have it easy though, especially in the west/south west. You can run in to smuggling rings, meth labs, crazies of all sorts. It's not like working in the hood, but not always Mayberry either.
Small towns definitely have less requirements, but some things will bar you automatically based on state and federal law. DV convictions can be one, even if not a felony. It is scary though. In some of these little towns, all you need is high school diploma and you need to be at least 18. I saw one ad in western Kansas, I think it was in Colby. The only requirement was a driver license, HS diploma, and 18 or older. Pay was only $21k a year. Still, it could be worth it if you want to build experience and move to a bigger city later. Small town cops don't always have it easy though, especially in the west/south west. You can run in to smuggling rings, meth labs, crazies of all sorts. It's not like working in the hood, but not always Mayberry either.
Yes in some ways it's more dangerous being a cop in a small town.....little to no backup.21k to risk my life that's as bad or worse than an Armored Car driver for $12 hour.
Depending on your location, you can greatly increase your chances of being hired. Forget college and do a 4 year military enlistment, and tell the recruiter you only want a law enforcement field. You may need to wait longer to start but many agencies look for military law enforcement experience. Most departments I know won't touch most people who do not have a military background, and in my opinion, for good reason. If the military does not appeal to you, then chances are, neither will patrol work.
Another approach, depending on your state, is to put yourself through the training. In PA, you can complete municipal police academy training on your dime, making you very attractive to the department that would not have to pay to train you. In fact, in PA, some police agencies want you to already have the training before you can apply.
If you are thinking of trying to get a job as a police officer after completing a college degree in something like CJ, forget it. That will be very difficult.
Your advice is 100% counter to my experience. The majority of hires are not veterans and military LE experience has zero to do with civilian LE experience, so depts aren't "looking" for ex-MP's. What state do you work in as a full time police officer and how long have you been a police officer? Are you involved in hiring decisions?
In Texas, police departments are hiring plenty of people with no military experience. I've only seen military get extra points on testing. You are almost guaranteed a job at some of the major police departments in Texas if you can pass all of the tests. They are falling so short of their recruitment goals, no one is being turned away due to not ranking high enough.
This is not true. Most police departments do not require a degree in CJ or a related field in order to receive incentive pay. Most police officers (the ones who are actually in the job and not people in college) will say not to get a CJ degree. I work with police officers everyday at work. Get advice from an officer and not people in college. Yes, thousands of people can be wrong. Thousands of people got law degrees and many cannot find jobs. Thousands of people thought that going to nursing school would get them a job and now 43% of them can't find one within 18 months of graduating.
What helps more than being a minority is being female because they need females to do certain things such as pat downs on female detainees.
i kno ur bitter bout yo cj degree, but this is not a cj discussion thread bruh, and i might also do probation, and they require cj, if u wan be anal bout it, all soft degrees can be useless by that logic, but in reality its the useless people that possess them, thats the real problem, if u wan major in math or chemistry or accounting, go head, but im not interested in that at all so why would i study someth i have no interest in, and i wan do someth cj related so thats why i picked it
yo cops can say what they like, most of them dont have any degrees and are of marginal intelligence so they are just hating
Apparently it is not too hard. I have a relative that got fired from his very 1st police job for getting into a bar brawl. He was rehired in another county, and has little experience and that major blemish on his record.
I am curious about specialties within Police Departments. I am a CPA and financial fraud investigator in private industry, and have always wondered about working for a police force as a forensic accountant. I would suspect that some large cities actually hire forensic accountants to aid in investigations. I feel like I have both the education, background in investigation and evidence handling, and keep myself physically fit. I run and bike a lot and feel like I could pass physical examinations without much trouble. I am also confident in my communication and quantitative analytical skills, and think they could add value to a Police Force or other law enforcement agency. In my current position, I work with a lot of law enforcement and governing agencies (specifically Secret Service, Office of Consumer Protection, State Police Departments, local Police Departments and IRS Enforcement).
Does anyone currently working in law enforcement have any advice on this?
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