calling all cops

[irishredhead]

So, lately I have been looking into changing my major. As of right now im in nursing. And to be honest my heart just isn't in it anymore, so ive been looking at my options regarding other career paths. The only other thing that I have ever considered doing is to get my criminal justice degree and join the police academy. Now, I am aware that you don't need that degree to get into the police academy. But does it help to get it at all? Does having that degree move you up the ranks quicker, etc. What are your opinions on female cops? And lastly is it worth it? Is the time spent and the pay worth the risk? I'm not someone who is content to just pick a job that makes big bucks. I want to love my job. So give me positives and negatives. What you like about the job and what you don't like. What is your average day like? And just to give you a little about me. I am an active, fit person. I work hard and I don't take ********. I have my diploma and about 2yrs of college. And I would not be considering this career if I honestly thought that I wouldn't excel at it. Don't get me wrong, nursing is an awesome career. but it's not for everyone. Im finding that its not for me. So time for a new game plan.

 

[Leadfoot]

No, no, meh, & that's something you have to answer for yourself.

 

[charlie12]

I'm not a LEO but have been reading and talking to LEO's from all over the U.S. for over 12 years. And the one it question the young people ask is about a CJ degree. LEO's from local to federal tell them not to waste their time with the CJ they say that's not what LE wants anymore.

 

[Law1911]

If you're interested in law enformcent I would consider getting a degree other then CJ. It's not that CJ is a bad degree but police depts don't really care what your degree is in. If I could go back and do it again I would have gotten something other then CJ and maybe just tried to get a minor or something in it. Federal LE will provide a much better salary, but you'll also have to move around several times over the first part of your career. State level (LA) is super hard to get into right now due to tight budgets and little to no hiring.

 

[JBP55]

You may want to try out as a Reserve LEO and see if you like the work before you decide and any degree is better than no degree. Some Agencies will start you off at a higher salary if you have a degree.

 

[ajt2341]

The advice so far is good advice. The degree depends entirely upon the department you want to work for. USUALLY federal agencies require a degree, or significant work experience. Criminal justice isn't always want they want either. If you're looking federal then you can go on to usajobs.gov and look at the qualifications. I've seen a lot that are looking for accounting and computer sciences. I started out as a reserve while I was in college and found that I liked it, went full time later and having the reserve experience put me above the rest of the applicants, even those with degrees. Depending on where you're at the local reserve program might put you through a POST certified training academy, I've seen some with night classes for that reason. This will give you a leg up at any department.

Everything else will vary based on your department. Sheriff's departments will promote within based on the will of the sheriff, no degree requirements. Civil service departments will promote based on time as long as you can pass the tests for each rank. Once you get to SGT and above some college classes are required so you'll be a step above. You can get appointed chief with a bachelors degree so if you finish your degree you'll be good to go throughout your career. The average day will vary from department to department. I've seen some departments with few calls/hr and I've seen some where it's non-stop the entire shift, any downtime that does show up is used to type call logs, reports, etc. Active, fit, don't take BS, and work hard seem like good traits to me.

Best thing about the job is that there is no average day. The only trends I've noticed are day shifts tend to be more report calls and night shifts tend to be more active calls. Of course anything can happen at any time. One thing you can always do is call local departments about doing a ride along. In larger departments there are a lot of options other than just patrol, how to get in to those positions is different in every department so feel free to ask. Some departments have recruiters whose job is to sit there and answer your questions, feel free to make them work for their money.

 

[ajt2341]

The advice so far is good advice. The degree depends entirely upon the department you want to work for. USUALLY federal agencies require a degree, or significant work experience. Criminal justice isn't always want they want either. If you're looking federal then you can go on to usajobs.gov and look at the qualifications. I've seen a lot that are looking for accounting and computer sciences. I started out as a reserve while I was in college and found that I liked it, went full time later and having the reserve experience put me above the rest of the applicants, even those with degrees. Depending on where you're at the local reserve program might put you through a POST certified training academy, I've seen some with night classes for that reason. This will give you a leg up at any department.

Everything else will vary based on your department. Sheriff's departments will promote within based on the will of the sheriff, no degree requirements. Civil service departments will promote based on time as long as you can pass the tests for each rank. Once you get to SGT and above some college classes are required so you'll be a step above. You can get appointed chief with a bachelors degree so if you finish your degree you'll be good to go throughout your career. The average day will vary from department to department. I've seen some departments with few calls/hr and I've seen some where it's non-stop the entire shift, any downtime that does show up is used to type call logs, reports, etc. Active, fit, don't take BS, and work hard seem like good traits to me.

Best thing about the job is that there is no average day. The only trends I've noticed are day shifts tend to be more report calls and night shifts tend to be more active calls. Of course anything can happen at any time. One thing you can always do is call local departments about doing a ride along. In larger departments there are a lot of options other than just patrol, how to get in to those positions is different in every department so feel free to ask. Some departments have recruiters whose job is to sit there and answer your questions, feel free to make them work for their money.

 

[dixiejarhead]

Finish your degree in nursing or some type of practical trade/profession. You can still get hired on with the feds and most locals either way with just about any degree. I agree that CJ is a waste of time. I have no degree, worked my way up from active military enlisted to local/county LEO and then made the jump to federal. If you're looking to get rich and have a normal monday through friday schedule, this is not the line of work for you. Overall the feds make better money in the end in 90% of the cases, however federal LE work is not as exciting as local LE work in my opinion. Would I go back? Heck no! The money more than makes up for the mundane parts of the job.

Good luck, search your soul and go from there. Don't drop out of school until you have a start date. If you go fed, the application process often takes YEARS. Keep that in mind before you do anything.

 

[machinedrummer]

Wait and join the civilian army that mr.o is going to create. It will be funded and armed better than the one we have now. Exciting times to come.

 

[gsneff]

You may want to try out as a Reserve LEO and see if you like the work before you decide and any degree is better than no degree. Some Agencies will start you off at a higher salary if you have a degree.

^^^THIS IS GREAT ADVICE! Get a degree in something you'll enjoy just to have a degree but don't worry about it being in CJ. Going reserve for a couple of years will give you a taste of the job plus get your foot in teh door with an agency.

 

[Kraut]

Having a degree of any sort can be helpful as far as consideration for hiring, but having it specifically in CJ won't likely make any difference, and from what I hear it's way more advantageous to have something like accounting if you want to go federal. The vast majority of the faculty that taught the classes when I was at SLU were psychologists or sociologists, you don't get much instruction from anyone who's actually been employed in law enforcement.

 

[MOTOR51]

Be smart,be a fireman. Everyone loves firemen


MOTOR51

 

[JR1572]

Be smart,be a fireman. Everyone loves firemen


MOTOR51

Thieving hose-draggers.

JR1572

 

[Leadfoot]

God created cops so firemen could have heroes too.

 

[thed]

You know what cops and firemen have in common? They both want to be fireman!

 

[MOTOR51]

You know what cops and firemen have in common? They both want to be fireman!

Lol. That's a good one. I guess when you have all that time to sit around and cook,you can come up with stuff like that.


MOTOR51

 

[JBP55]

You know what cops and firemen have in common? They both want to be fireman!

That must be why a few years back about half of the Reserve Officers for Walker PD were Fireman. Are you one of those? If you are I know you.

 

[thed]

...

 

[JBP55]

I am not affiliated with law enforcement in any way. There are still a few walker PD on the FD.

Actually all but one of them are Fireman full time and WPD Reserve part time. One is full time WPD and part time Dist. 4 Fireman.