Becoming a LEO 101
- Thread starter motorman4life
- Start date
TheRiddler
Riddle me this.
Hmm. I'm not a LEO, I'm just aspiring to be one. There's a few things I thought of when reading through your posts. You can take mine with a grain of salt, though.
Are you currently in law school? I ask this because you said the prospects for you finishing were school were greater than if you went into the family business. TBH, unless your family business is currently failing, that's pretty unlikely. The prospect for potential lawyers is, well, horrible. Unless you graduate from a top 10 school in the top 10% of your class, you're going to have a bad time. Lawyers of today are doing what interns of yesteryear did, except those lawyers have $150k they still need to pay back. This is what kept me from going to law school. If you're not already in law school, I'd seriously reconsider.
Beyond that, I've seen pay bumps for more education in law enforcement, but usually that means a Bachelor's. Anything else is a bit superfluous.
Who you know doesn't really matter in the LEO field which is one thing I really like. Everyone is judged based on their own merits and not dad's coat tails. Everyone goes through the same process, and if you can't make the cut, you can't make the cut.
If you really want a leg up, join the military (I don't remember the cut-off age, you may actually be past it). A lot of agencies give preference to veterans. If it was an option for me, I would have gone that route first.
Honey Badger
...iz a girl
I was 28 the first time - and got sucked into the dreams of graduate school. Quit to do that, and then reality set in. 34 and applying back to PD's again...a bit on the old side (technically) but I've seen older get hired, and I at least have some experience (and I'm a girl), which are small tokens in my favor (ex-military, too).
kelsodeez
2wheels good 4wheels bad
yea i am one semester in at hastings school of law. actually, the main reason i went back to school to finish my BA and get a law degree was because one of my best friends in high school married a very wealthy chinese girl that runs a law firm that deals in international arbitration law. she told me if i get my law degree, dont take the bar and come to beijing to work under her for a few years, then either become a consultant or take the bar equivalent (i think its called the imperial law aptitude test). finding a job in law wont really be a problem
as for military service, wanting to become an LEO is sort of my way of rebelling against my grandfather and my dad. they were both vets and they forbade me and my brother to join the armed forces because they had bad experiences that they will probably never ever talk about. becoming an LEO would be the closest thing i could get without being disowned by my family, and what my family think means a lot to me.
i have decided to finish my law degree and worry about a job when i am done with school. thanks for all your guy's input. i really appreciate it.
Lionel Cosgrove
Well-known member
:facepalm
kelsodeez
2wheels good 4wheels bad
haha that was meant kind of tongue in cheek. you guys are so sensitive around here.
Shaggy
Zoinks!!!!
You seem very focused on who you know and what they can do for you and your career.
Just an observation. Carry on...
}Dragon{
(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻ ︵ ╯(°□° ╯)
Life experience doesn't matter much these days, huh?
How long you been under the parents wings?
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:thumbup
Kornholio
:wave
Ken, I was told by two difference police chiefs in the bay area that I had more documented experience with weapons, tactics and leadership under fire than they had amassed in 25+ years as a police officer. But that wasn't enough since the other guy had a college degree and at the time, I didn't. Every single police science course I took in college was taught by a current or former LEO and each one of them at some point in the course, usually in the beginning, reminded the class that a college degree doesn't automatically mean you'll be a better police officer. They said life experience and proven reliability were vastly more important. I guess this is another part of law enforcement where the administration side of things isn't paying attention to what the beat officers are saying.
Outta Control
Renegade Drone Pilot
TheRiddler
Riddle me this.
Interesting since I do have a degree, but would much prefer to have military experience. In a perfect world I'd have both, and I think those guys/girls are likely to be top-picks.
silversvs
Lean, Twist, repeat.....
You never really know what you are looking for until you find it. Like a good BBQ sauce you need the right mix of a variety of ingredients. Too much of one or not enough of another fouls the whole batch. And like BBQ sauce, nobody can ever agree on what's just right. Each person gets to decide what they like and are looking for in an acceptable sauce.
The important thing is to keep letting folks sample your sauce till you find someone who wants to buy it.
:laughing :thumbup That's funny, but it's true. ^^^
I went to the academy at 23 and started at 24........been in the business about 17 years now.
Kornholio
:wave
Ewww. :laughing
Thanks John, but I hung up my hat with the police stuff awhile ago. If I were to ever move out of California I'd consider it again but at this point my fallback career has proven to be a good decision.
Shaggy
Zoinks!!!!
Going on 31 years now..... :laughing
To clarify, my comment wasn't an attack on homeboy. I was hoping that he would recognize the pattern that others have noticed.
Kornholio
:wave
Chief Landsdowne was on the news last night talking about officer shortages due to lack of qualified applicants. The department has tons of baby boomers stepping out this year and they're still looking for qualified applicants.
Just in case anyone still looking wants to work somewhere where the winters are mild...
http://agency.governmentjobs.com/sa...></string></var></struct></data></wddxPacket>
Just in case anyone still looking wants to work somewhere where the winters are mild...
http://agency.governmentjobs.com/sa...></string></var></struct></data></wddxPacket>
Honey Badger
...iz a girl
TheRiddler
Riddle me this.
This is likely to be the case in a lot of departments. Baby boomers are hitting retirement age, and will continue to do so for the next ~10 years. It won't just be police, it will be all occupations.