Cheating death and fighting communism: that is how a fellow officer once described our job. It was meant to be funny, but as time went on it seemed all too true.
I spent more than ten years in law enforcement, all of it on the street in uniform patrol. I've been a patrol officer, instructor, sergeant and lieutenant.
Do not report crimes here. Nothing here should be considered legal advice. All opinions are my own.
To be a K-9 handler you will need to be in great shape. I daresay that handlers have to be in better shape than the average SWAT cop because they (the handler) is often running through the dark every night chasing his/her dog who is chasing a suspect. Then the handler has to be able to fight once the suspect is located. Imagine running three miles and then getting into a fight for your life. You need a lot of cardio work to get ready for that.
I'd suggest being involved in sports and finding a local explorer unit to join would be the best two things to do now. College classes are completely up to you. Other than certain federal agencies, I'm not aware of any department that requires any specific major or classes in college.
New officers go through a period of on the job training called Field Training. Experienced officers with specialized training take new officers and teach them how to employ the things they learned at the academy in the real world. This is also a time when the new officer is closely watched in an effort to determine if they are a good officer/person or if they should be terminated because they are unfit for the job.
I value them all. If you are asking me to arbitrarily rank them in order of importance, I cannot. What duty is the officer trying to perform? Every task is different and requires varying degrees of each of the above. Also time in grade does not equate to experience. Also, experiences vary widely. Are the experiences in roles as a trainer, investigator, narcotics officer, or what? A highly educated homicide investigator with ten years of violent crime investigations may get his butt kicked the first night he rotates back to patrol and goes to a bar disturbance, while the two-year officer with nothing more than a high school diploma saves him. There is no neat way of quantifying police officers.
Call your local police department and ask for their assistance. They will know what to do.
Hairstylist and Makeup Artist
What's the grossest hair ailment you ever saw?
Day Care Provider
Is it ok w/your employer if you babysit one of the kids outside of daycare hours?
Pharmacist
Why is an advanced degree required to dole out pills at a pharmacy?
I don't know. Contact a police or sheriff's department in Texas.
Call your local police department and ask for their assistance. If they allow it, they will describe the process.
I would imagine most states require police officers to receive emergency vehicle operation training in the academy.
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