A question to all you LEO's out there.

L

leedesert

New member
I am retiring from the military soon and look to seek a career change into LE. I will either work for the Savanah Ga. Sherrifs dept. or the Anchorage Police Dept.
I am married with 3 kids. My wife supports me in this because she knows my personality would fit this career.
Would any of you offer any suggestions, comments, warnings or recomendations. Feel free to email me on this.

I am using TFL for this because I feel the people here share many of the same values I do. This is important when making a decision like this.

Thank you.

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"It is easier to get out of jail then it is a morgue"
Live long and defend yourself!
John 3:16
 
how old are the kids?
Alaska is kinda far out there
if the kids move out of state for college would you see them often?

As far as the career choice
I support any person on TFL becoming a LO

we need more of us working in the system!

dZ
 
#1). How old are you? Alot of departments have age requirements because of the 20/25 yr. retirement programs, etc. This can get sticky if you are looking for a department that is bigger that 2 or 3 'dogs (and you furnish your own car. Then there is the list of people you cannot arrest...) #2). You might want to look at "Corrections" / (jailer) or prison guard. Much lower standards, and in some places your military experience will give you alot of advanced standing. Some NOT! Check. #3). If you are retiring from the military, you know about bureaucracy! This civilian stuff is worse as in less well organized and without a formal "rule book." Politically correct is HUGE! Firing capable white males to make room for black females... One manager I knew was required to have a female, a miniority, and a person not employed "on cite" for a review board. So he recruited a lady who was Hispanic and worked in the main office (off cite). The "blacks" threw a fit because to them miniority means "black!" Brown don't count... However, state rules define Hispanic as miniority... enjoy...
 
My kids are 8, 9, and 10. When I retire I will be 38 and both departments I mentioned will accept me.
I want to work on the street. A jail or corrections does not interest me. I want to be able to serve people directly. My experience in the military has taught me that I work very well in high pressure crisis situations. I also have a high regard towards individuals constitutional rights. I think that is needed by today's LEO's.
I have been told that with my military experince in processing paper work, having high levels of responsibity, being able to communicate well with others, and an associates degree that I could move into a detective slot in a shorter amount of time than ussual.
Is this true or are they just blowing smoke.

[This message has been edited by leedesert (edited August 23, 1999).]
 
38 is no problem. The academy that I am in (moving to VA, need VA certification) right now has three guys over 50 who are going to work for SD's. Two of them are retired military.

I can telll you that you would probably be a great asset to any LEA if you are:

1. Serious about starting a career as an oficer, not just looking for something to do after you retire.

2. Are willing to start out at the bottom of the ladder again (see #1).

We lost one guy the first week who was in his 40's and didn't think he should be lumped in with those of us in our 20's, regardless of what life experience we might have brought to the table. If he couldn't handle this low key academy, it is probably a good thing that he dropped out!

The support of your kids and wife is very important.. especially if your wife was thinking of a nice relaxing retirement, being a rookie cop won't give you great days off....

As noted above, the more repsonsible gun-owning & gun-loving cops we have on the street, the better for us.

Good Luck, if you want to Email me to discuss this further, feel free.

WARNING: The more you've done and been through, the harder it is going to be to get through an intense screening process/background check (trust me ;)).

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-Essayons
 
Bravo. I am really proud that you are attracted to Law Enforcement for all of the right reasons. I have no idea about where would be the best place. I would think that any PD would welcome you. At 38 you are still young. Most of your academy class will be in their 20's but as Rob points out you will probably not be the oldest.
Best wishes to you.

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Better days to be,

Ed
 
Something else to keep in mind is that most departments have a waiver for those with military. You can be over 35 and still apply with many departments as long as you are retired military.
 
I did the same thing ten years ago. I was the second oldest in the academy class and was class leader the entire sixteen weeks.
I had been a reserve deputy for seven years with the department before retiring from the Navy, so fitting in wasn't a problem. I knew everyone and knew the department's procedures.

I retired two months ago because I grew tired of the "Do as I say, not as I do," style of leadership in the department. Being military, I am sure you were taught to lead by example. That is not nearly as true in law enforcement as one might expect. As an example, more than half of the command staff in my department had not been to the range in five years to qualify with their sidearms even though department policy required everyone who carried a pistol go to the range six times a year. The boss knew this, but he did nothing to enforce his own policy.

Being a deputy sheriff was fun. I don't regret it a bit. Keep your family in mind as you shift from one career that demands separation from family to another that is almost nearly as demanding of your time. Guys your age in the department start looking for day jobs so they can spend more time with their families. In small departments, there aren't that many Monday thru Friday day jobs.

Continue to develop your talents so you have places to go if your second career doesn't work out. When I retired from the Navy, I attended a one week separation seminar where the instructor, a World War II bomber pilot, retired USAFR colonel, personnel director for a number of companies said, "Your whole life is your career." He also said, "I never worked a place in my life where I didn't have two or other three places I could go to work if things turned to crap."

Good luck. You have more skills from the military that will help you in law enforcement than you realize. Keep in mind that the most important thing in law enforcement is go home safely to your family at the end of your shift.
 
Thanks for your input guys. I have 2 1/2 more years till military retirement. I'm 38 but very active. Probably more then most 25 year olds. I'm use to starting at the bottom. I've been saying "yes sir" to 24 year old Leutenants for 20 yrs so working with young troops is not a problem. I think life experience, especially military life, is an asset to becoming a good officer of the law. It's very easy for a young guy to get woo'd by the system but not so for a guy who's a little more set in his ways/beliefs. This could be a plus or a minus for me. I guess it depends how I use it. My only requirement is that I make at least $30, 000 a year. I can't believe what some of these PD's are paying. Where I live now they start at 20k. You can make more working full time at McDonalds. Just like the military, you don't become a cop for the money.
I know you LEO's get grouped into the status quo much of the time and get a bad rap.
If your an LEO on TFL I say....
God Bless You and don't let actions of a few suppress what you know is right.
Thank you for what you do.

------------------
"It is easier to get out of jail then it is a morgue"
Live long and defend yourself!
John 3:16
 
Leedesert:
You ARE aware of what the Savannah (Chatham County) Sheriff's office pays, right? It's a pittance. Not that any LEO is paid anything like what they're worth, but Chatham is low even by LEO standards. I know you aren't doing this for the money, but those kids gotta eat.

Oh, and get used to S&W semi-autos unless you want to buy you own .45.

Best of luck in your endeavor.

[This message has been edited by joegerardi (edited August 24, 1999).]
 
Just be advised that if you go into this line of work, don't expect to save the world and don't take it personally when your ironclad case looses in court.

I personally love my "job." It's the only thing that I've ever done that gave me anykind of satisfaction and peace. Even the bad days are good. I used to make a lot more money than I do now, and I turned down three times as much money to stay where I'm at. Even if I ever move on, I'll sneak some part time work in every chance I get.

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"God grants liberty only to those who love it and are always ready to guard and defend it." --Daniel Webster
 
Oh yeah, I also live in Georgia. I haven't ever been to Alaska, but I have been to Savannah. I'm not a big beach person; so, that wouldn't be a big draw for me. One good thing is that Statesboro and the Georgia Southern Eagles are only an hour away!!!

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"God grants liberty only to those who love it and are always ready to guard and defend it." --Daniel Webster
 
Joe,
When I checked a few months ago Savannah pays 26k starting out first year. This doesn't sound like a lot but the cost of living is reasonable there. Anchorage is 26% higher in cost of living but almost double in pay, 48K. Not having state or sales tax makes it even better. Just hope I make the cuts. Shouldn't have a problem with the background checks.
Thanks for the input.

------------------
"It is easier to get out of jail then it is a morgue"
Live long and defend yourself!
John 3:16
 
leedesert:
I just moved here from Buffalo NY (last April) I'll give you some stats:

My rent is $825.00 a month. That's for a 2-bedroom, but granted, it is a little upscale apartment community.

The food prices are exactly the same as up North. My girlfriend and I don't eat red meat: Turkey, chicken and fish only, and never breakfast at home. We drop about $115.00 per week on groceries.

My insurance is the same as up North: $1600.00 annually.

Granted, gas is cheap at ~$1.06 per gallon, and cigarettes are ~$18.50 per carton (Marlboro lights.)

Clothing is the same.

So it's not really that much cheaper. Now, please, please don't think I'm trying to dissuade you from here. I love this city. It is best described in a line from The Movie (Midnight In Th Garden Of Good And Evil) when John Cusak says: "NY is boring: This place is like Gone With The Wind on mescaline!" I just wanted to give you a heads up. I know several Chatham County Sheriffs, and they and the whole LEO community here, by and large, are a great group of people. hell, if I could afford it, I'd become a Savannah cop in a minute. I just can't afford to take a 55% cut in pay. If you want, E-mail me, and we'll continue this discussion.

[This message has been edited by joegerardi (edited August 25, 1999).]
 
Neither of those departments pay very much compared to some of the ones out here.I started the application process for the LAPD last month. Pay starts out at $38,000 or $45,000(with a college degree) per year, with a raise after 18 months. My uncle, who got me interested in law enforcement, takes home $64,000 per year. How dead set are you on Anchorage or Savannah?
 
Anchorage has my attention for several reasons.
1. Pay verses cost of living is good.
2. Taxes are non-existant.
3. State pays you to live there.
4. Good environment to raise kids.
5. My SO and I enjoy the outdoors.
6. The State is Gun Freindly.
7. Large military base close by.

As much as I want to go LEO I still want to maintain a reasonably good mortality rate. I'm trying to stay away from any main drug trafficing area's. I-95 coming up from Florida is a no-no for me.

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"It is easier to get out of jail then it is a morgue"
Live long and defend yourself!
John 3:16
 
It's a catch-22 I guess. You can live in a better location with lower pay, or live in a state that definitely isn't gun friendly, and has a higher crime rate, and get paid twice as much.
 
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