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.
You should call the recruiter at the agency you wish to work for and ask them.
It depends on the agency. Some departments require no college, while others might require a two or four year degree. Read through the prior posts and you can get additional information on college and hiring.
The desire to help people - to make a difference. All of those things I mentioned above suck the life out of you. But with good friends, family and faith in God supporting you, the job can be done.
There were many times that I was going to a call that I would have preferred avoid, but I knew I had the skills and disposition to handle it. Who wants to go to the call where a man just committed suicide in front of his wife by sticking a gun in his mouth and pulling the trigger? No one. But, as I often questioned myself, "if not me, then who?"
There are upsides to the job, though they are rarely visible to, or understood by, anyone outside of law enforcement.
I don't know.
Audiologist
MBA Student
Casting Director
Probably not.
If you believe a crime has been committed, I would encourage you to contact the police.
There are a lot of good aspects to being a police officer. If you are interested in the job, I highly recommend doing a ride-along with a few different departments and see what the job is like.
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