Second career

vts · July 18, 2007, 02:05 PM

I'm not sure i am posting this in the right place

I am currently looking into starting a second career in law enforcement.

I'm trying to get some info about the Sheriff and Police department. Maybe there is a magazine i can subscribe too? Is there a blog i can join? Is there any where i can go to and talk to a LEO?

I have sent e-mails and search the WWW, no luck yet.

Denny Hansen · July 18, 2007, 02:11 PM

The best thing to do is contact departments you live close to and fill out applications. You will be notified when to show up for written tests, and if you do well on that, you will probably be notified when to show up for oral boards, physical fitness tests, etc.

Denny

vts · July 18, 2007, 03:26 PM

I'm not really sure which department i want to go to.
Sheriff or police are the two i have in mind

Your profile says: Former LEO, SWAT team member.

Which department? (if you don't mind me asking)

Denny Hansen · July 18, 2007, 04:35 PM

Yavapai County, AZ

Jeff22 · July 31, 2007, 03:49 AM

________________________________________
Everything in law enforcement depends on where you live and what agency you work for.

When shopping for an agency:
(1.) Find out what they pay. Do they have a defined pay progression based on years of service? How long does it take to hit top pay?
(2.) How much VOLUNTARY overtime is available?
(3.) How often might you be ordered in or held over? It happens to all of us sometimes, and in some places, because of the staffing level and the amount of calls for service they get, it happens A LOT. That makes it difficult to plan anything outside of work and can interfere with daycare.
(4.) Do they rotate shifts or do they work straight shifts? Some places have you rotate from days to evenings to midnights. Some places may have you rotate in relief between two shifts, and others just have straight shifts. (Rotating around the clock has been proven to take years off your life, and is less common than it used to be)
(5.) How does the days off rotation work?
(6.) How easy is it to get time off and how much notice do you have to give?
(7.) Do shifts get picked on an annual basis, or do you get hired and put into a spot and don't have an opportunity to move until their is a vacancy?
(8.) Do you have a union? How detailed is your contract?
(9.) How much leave time do you get in a year? How much sick time? Does sick time accumulate?
(10.) Being a cop means nights, weekends, and holidays. Depending on circumstance and your expectations, that can be really hard on family life.
Or not that big a deal.
(11.) Rookies in most places start on the midnight shift. If you can't get accustomed to working the late shift, being awake at night and sleeping during the day, maybe being the police is NOT a good idea for you.
(12.) If you work the evening shift you won't see your wife & kids much.
(13.) What kind of arrangements can you make for child care?
(14.) How well is the agency staffed? How well are they equipped? Do you have a reasonable opportunity for specialized training? Do they pay education incentive for your degrees?
(15.) How is the retirement program? Is there a state-wide retirement program or is the program agency specific?
(16.) If you are considering going to work for a Sheriff's Department, it may well be that you will start out assigned to the jail. You may be in the jail for a LONG TIME. If you don't like this idea, don't go to the Sheriff's Office.

It's hard to make any kind of blanket statement about police work as a career because there are WAY too many variables from agency to agency and from one part of the country to another.

Capt. Charlie · July 31, 2007, 11:25 AM

Outstanding, Jeff!! You brought up a lot of very good points that most applicants never even consider.

To those that are considering a career in LE, I recommend using Jeff's post as a checklist for every agency you apply to. All of the factors he mentioned can have life-altering consequences.

vostracker · July 31, 2007, 03:22 PM

VTS: Jeff22's list is fantastic. Wish I had that info back in my day. Number#10 can be the most difficult. Good luck and God bless.

vts · December 1, 2007, 01:29 PM

Thanks for the list.
I still haven't made up my mind, but now i have a few question to ask.

July 18, 2007, 02:11 PM	#2
Denny Hansen Staff Emeritus Join Date: June 29, 2001 Location: Prescott Valley, AZ Posts: 2,422	The best thing to do is contact departments you live close to and fill out applications. You will be notified when to show up for written tests, and if you do well on that, you will probably be notified when to show up for oral boards, physical fitness tests, etc. Denny __________________ S.W.A.T. Magazine Weapons, Training and Tactics for the Real World Join us at TFL or at AR15.com or on Facebook

July 18, 2007, 04:35 PM	#4
Denny Hansen Staff Emeritus Join Date: June 29, 2001 Location: Prescott Valley, AZ Posts: 2,422	Yavapai County, AZ __________________ S.W.A.T. Magazine Weapons, Training and Tactics for the Real World Join us at TFL or at AR15.com or on Facebook

July 31, 2007, 03:49 AM	#5
Jeff22 Senior Member Join Date: September 15, 2004 Location: Madison, Wisconsin Posts: 715	Law Enforcement as a career? ________________________________________ Everything in law enforcement depends on where you live and what agency you work for. When shopping for an agency: (1.) Find out what they pay. Do they have a defined pay progression based on years of service? How long does it take to hit top pay? (2.) How much VOLUNTARY overtime is available? (3.) How often might you be ordered in or held over? It happens to all of us sometimes, and in some places, because of the staffing level and the amount of calls for service they get, it happens A LOT. That makes it difficult to plan anything outside of work and can interfere with daycare. (4.) Do they rotate shifts or do they work straight shifts? Some places have you rotate from days to evenings to midnights. Some places may have you rotate in relief between two shifts, and others just have straight shifts. (Rotating around the clock has been proven to take years off your life, and is less common than it used to be) (5.) How does the days off rotation work? (6.) How easy is it to get time off and how much notice do you have to give? (7.) Do shifts get picked on an annual basis, or do you get hired and put into a spot and don't have an opportunity to move until their is a vacancy? (8.) Do you have a union? How detailed is your contract? (9.) How much leave time do you get in a year? How much sick time? Does sick time accumulate? (10.) Being a cop means nights, weekends, and holidays. Depending on circumstance and your expectations, that can be really hard on family life. Or not that big a deal. (11.) Rookies in most places start on the midnight shift. If you can't get accustomed to working the late shift, being awake at night and sleeping during the day, maybe being the police is NOT a good idea for you. (12.) If you work the evening shift you won't see your wife & kids much. (13.) What kind of arrangements can you make for child care? (14.) How well is the agency staffed? How well are they equipped? Do you have a reasonable opportunity for specialized training? Do they pay education incentive for your degrees? (15.) How is the retirement program? Is there a state-wide retirement program or is the program agency specific? (16.) If you are considering going to work for a Sheriff's Department, it may well be that you will start out assigned to the jail. You may be in the jail for a LONG TIME. If you don't like this idea, don't go to the Sheriff's Office. It's hard to make any kind of blanket statement about police work as a career because there are WAY too many variables from agency to agency and from one part of the country to another. __________________ You can only learn from experience if you pay attention!

July 31, 2007, 11:25 AM	#6
Capt. Charlie Moderator Emeritus Join Date: March 24, 2005 Location: Steubenville, OH Posts: 4,446	Outstanding, Jeff!! You brought up a lot of very good points that most applicants never even consider. To those that are considering a career in LE, I recommend using Jeff's post as a checklist for every agency you apply to. All of the factors he mentioned can have life-altering consequences. __________________ TFL Members are ambassadors to the world for firearm owners. What kind of ambassador does *your* post make *you?* I train in earnest, to do the things that I pray in earnest, I'll never have to do. --Capt. Charlie

July 31, 2007, 03:22 PM	#7
vostracker Senior Member Join Date: February 4, 2007 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 416	LEO Career VTS: Jeff22's list is fantastic. Wish I had that info back in my day. Number#10 can be the most difficult. Good luck and God bless.

July 18, 2007, 02:05 PM	#1
vts Senior Member Join Date: January 31, 2006 Location: Norway Posts: 242	Second career I'm not sure i am posting this in the right place I am currently looking into starting a second career in law enforcement. I'm trying to get some info about the Sheriff and Police department. Maybe there is a magazine i can subscribe too? Is there a blog i can join? Is there any where i can go to and talk to a LEO? I have sent e-mails and search the WWW, no luck yet.

July 18, 2007, 03:26 PM	#3
vts Senior Member Join Date: January 31, 2006 Location: Norway Posts: 242	I'm not really sure which department i want to go to. Sheriff or police are the two i have in mind Your profile says: Former LEO, SWAT team member. Which department? (if you don't mind me asking)

December 1, 2007, 01:29 PM	#8
vts Senior Member Join Date: January 31, 2006 Location: Norway Posts: 242	late reply Thanks for the list. I still haven't made up my mind, but now i have a few question to ask.

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