General Question

xjustxxclaudiax's avatar

Police officers: How did you get your job?

Asked by xjustxxclaudiax (1963points) February 3rd, 2011

I’ve always wanted to be a police officer when I was a kid…and right now I’m torn between joining the military or going to collage…I’m just wondering, which one will get me to where I want faster? And what do I need to do in order to get there?

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18 Answers

JLeslie's avatar

I thought you were asking about our moderators when I first saw the question.

janbb's avatar

(me too)

Jeruba's avatar

So did I.

xjustxxclaudiax's avatar

hahahah sry….I didnt think about that, I’ll fix the question.

xjustxxclaudiax's avatar

damn >_> idk how.

JilltheTooth's avatar

Gosh, I understood it right away and sent it to John65Pennington… Am I that literal? How boring of me.

JLeslie's avatar

@xjustxxclaudiax Flag the question and explain the problem.

YARNLADY's avatar

Police Officers are required to attend a Police Academy and when they graduate, they look for openings just like any other kind of job.

jerv's avatar

@JilltheTooth So that is why it said that someone already sent it to him! Whenever I see “police” on Fluther, I can’t help but think of John.

The only military field that I can see that would directly help you with a potential career in law enforcement is the Navy’s MA (Master at Arms) rating. Last I checked, the Navy was the only branch that had a specific job as opposed to merely taking a regular soldier and giving them a crash course and a badge. Hope that helps a little.

quarkquarkquark's avatar

@YARNLADY, police academies aren’t in fact like colleges. For the most part, they are associated with specific departments or law enforcement organizations and students receive a department assignment as soon as they graduate. If you think about it, this makes sense. If police academies were open to just anyone (with no guarantee or commitment afterwards), then just anyone could show up and learn how to shoot, use compliance holds, conduct interrogations, and all other kinds of stuff—including police protocol. Students don’t have to “look for openings”—in that sense police academies, barring occasional exceptions, are most similar to military boot camp.

xjustxxclaudiax's avatar

I was thinking about joining the navy just for that..but its like a gamble…they cant guarantee that I’ll get that specific duty which sucks….and my recruiter didn’t even seem interested in me, didn’t take me seriously…so I gave up visiting him and gained weight and became a fatty again…ugh…I guess I’m better off looking for an academy instead…..

jerv's avatar

@xjustxxclaudiax Joining the Navy without a guaranteed A-school is only slightly smarter than playing Polish Roulette (same as Russian Roulette, only with a semi-automatic instead of a revolver). Regardless of which route you take though, you’ll need to be in shape; both police academies and the Navy have certain requirements… but you already knew that.

YARNLADY's avatar

@quarkquarkquark You are correct for the most part, when the Academy accepts students, but when they graduate, it is not guaranteed they will have jobs.

xjustxxclaudiax's avatar

Yea..I know…but where I live at, I’ll most likely find a job…And if that doesn’t work, I’ll just join the military and stay there for the rest of my life. lol…well maybe for a couple years…

YARNLADY's avatar

@xjustxxclaudiax I believe most Military contracts require a four year commitment.

jerv's avatar

@YARNLADY Most do, though some of your advanced fields like Nuclear Propulsion are six-year commitments and some contracts without guaranteed A-schools are only two years. Still, four years is the norm.

john65pennington's avatar

Somehow, I missed this question, when it first was asked. Thanks to Jill the Tooth for the wake up call.

I, like you, had always wanted to be a police officer, since I was about 8 years old. I joined the National Guard and had been a member for a year. For some unknown reason, one day I drove to my police department, walked in, and asked for a job. I was hired on the spot. I guess they knew if the Guard had accepted me, that I was a good officer candidate. I had to wait until the next police academy classes started, which was about 6 months. I was hired as a Service Technician, until then.

I just retired with 44 years of service. I am now about to go back, as an Investigator, to help with a backlog of crimes.

I have never regretted that day I walked in and asked for the job.

For more information, go online to your police department and see what their qualifications are for a police officer in your town. jp

JilltheTooth's avatar

That is one S-L-O-W Questions For You issue, @john65pennington , I sent you that almost a year ago!!!

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