To be a LEO

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USP45usp

Moderator
Are there age limits? (even though they are not to discriminate on age), and if you pay for the academy yourself, do they discriminate on age? The reason I ask.. I am 32, have become interested in LEO work (or deputy), have GI Bill to pay for it, I think I can do the physical (be amazed what you can make your body do when you want it too), the run will be hard.. but I CAN and WILL do it if necessary... any comments? Thanks

USP45usp
 
Most major departments set the age limit at 35 minus any military service that you may have. In example they will hire to 38 with 3 years military, 39 with four, etc..
Personally I do not recommend any department that does not pay for their own training.
Physical requirements vary. Some have little or no physcial training while others require their trainees run up to seven miles a day.

It is the most thankless and rewarding "job" you will likely ever have.

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Gunslinger

I was promised a Shortycicle and I want a Shortycicle!
 
Gunslinger: For some reason.. I feel "drawn" to it. I've had 10 years in military.. would set me at 45 or so. I don't know what it is... but I just "feel" like it's something I wish to try. Call me stupid.

USP45usp
 
I say go for it! I started at age 40, don't wake up someday and find yourself thinking "I should have tried that!!"

It's not a job for everyone, if your looking for a pat on the back, an atta boy, or for money porposes... forget about it.

If your looking to make a difference, respect peoples rights, and learn about yourself and others it's the greatest job in the world, good luck to you.

I started out with nothing - and i still have most of it left. 12-34hom
 
There is a federal law against age discrimination and so LE agencies should not deny employment to an individual who is past 35. There is one exception to this law: it does not apply to Federal LE agencies!

Mind you, while one may be hired, one should endeavor to be physically fit prior to attending the police academy or taking any physical entrance exam. Find out what the graduation requires are before joining and work yourself up to it. That way that's one less thing to worry about washing out on in the academy.
 
Want to work nights, holidays and weekends? Like back to back sets of 4x12s eating fast food while your S.O. sits at home? How about midnights pulling mangled bodies from wrecks? Dealing with bosses on the day tour who think the Rules and Procedures come from steller thinkers like the twin Als, Sharpton and Gore? BTW, sometimes you`ll feel more at home on the street with the mutts than you do with them. And, with the age of the internet, you can be second guessed online by people who haven`t a clue but sure have opinions. Couch commandos. :rolleyes: If that`s your idea of fun, have we got a job for you!
 
I went through a police academy in California at the age of 42. I prepared for the physical training and testing over a period of nine months. It can be done.
 
USP45 if you feel that way you owe it to yourself to at least look into it.
Hom is right in that you do not want to look back 10, 15 or 20 years from now and ask what if.
Dinosaur is right also.
But if it is in you then you will love it. It may sound corny but with a good officer it is not what you do...it is who you are. You'll lose some friends because of becoming a police officer. Police officers have a higher divorce rate than any other profession. (I know, I have four.) Their suicide rate is second in any profession. They have the dubious distinction of being ranked number one in the rate of alcoholism. They are expected to allow people to curse them and even spit on them without retaliation. Decisions they must make in a fraction of a second are scrutinized by juries, judges and citizens over periods of several weeks or months. Yet in spite of those peoples lack of training and having never been faced with the situation their findings seldom coincide with those of the officer. You'll be hated by half of society and ignored by the rest...unless and until the need you. If you do your job right no one will notice. If you do it wrong not only will everyone notice they will put it on the nightly news. You'll bust your butt to do the job right but find yourself answering for and trying to defend the actions of officers a continent away whom you have never met. Your neighbors will not speak to you but will not hesitate to ask you to "fix" a ticket. If you do the job you are paid you will be cursed. If you do not you will be persecuted. You will see things that no one should see and find yourself staring at the wall late at night because you will have no one to talk to about them. You'll watch your former friends, classmates and peers purchase cars, homes and guns that you cannot afford. You'll work horrible hours and then be expected to be alert and give expert testimony in court after working those hours. In spite of long hours of training and sacrificing time from your family to attend college to better your service to the community you will be looked upon as uneducated. You'll be expected to be all knowing but no one will believe you know anything. (Everyone believes they could do the job better than you.) People will complain to you about unconstitutional laws but in the next breath ask you to enforce nonexistent laws against a neighbor they dislike. After being punched in the face and/or kicked in the groin you will be expected to gently wrestle the person to ground without harming them and place them in cuffs. Only to watch the court release them on a technicality weeks or months later.
In short you will be hated by many, cursed at, alienated by those whom you have previously thought were friends, assaulted, shot at.....perhaps hit, risk prosecution for doing your job and seldom appreciated.
Would I recommend it? Without reservation....to the right person. Would I do it again? In a heart beat. I cannot imagine having ever done anything any differently

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Gunslinger

I was promised a Shortycicle and I want a Shortycicle!
 
The oldest person in my Academy was 58. My Field Training Officer, rabbi and personal hero was 64.

What can I say that others here heaven't already said?

I've said before that the minimum age for attending the Academy should be 28, and I'm considering jacking that up to 32. LE work requires a great deal of maturity that you can only get somewhere else, doing something that isn't LE.

Do it. If you don't like it, bail out and consider the Academy money well spent.

LawDog
 
I know it's a thankless job.. the same as military service... employers don't care that you did your time. I don't know what it is.. just got a "feeling". The pay is more then I get now, almost comparable to what I was making in the AF... so that is not an issue. As for being "hated".. I can live with that. As for the "fixin'" of tickets, I don't know what I would do (if it were a friend (no prob. here, I have no friends) or a relative) unless they were endangering others (i.e. drunk driving). I just have to "try" it.. to see if I can qualify and such... and I will learn.. that's my biggest deal.. learning.. I love it.

USP45usp
 
12-34hom
Gunslinger
LawDog
Dinosaur

Y'all all shouldn't be misleading our friend like this. You're making it sound MUCH more glamourous and fun than it really is.

This cop stuff is getting old, and I've only been at it for 33 years. I'll probably hang it up within the next five or six years.

USP45usp: If you're bound and determined - - - Good luck and God bless.

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---The Second Amendment ensures the rest of the Bill of Rights---

[This message has been edited by Johnny Guest (edited October 27, 2000).]
 
usp45; Listen to Gunslinger & the rest of these guys they KNOW what there talking about.

Good luck, God Bless..

I started out with nothing - and i still have most of it left. 12-34hom

[This message has been edited by 12-34hom (edited October 27, 2000).]
 
Well I take the b-pad for a Sheriff's Department in this state next week, and I take the written and oral test for a big P.D. out of state at the end of next month.

I didn't make the first department I tried out at, the shrink thought that I was too aggresive because I owned guns and played sports :rolleyes: (Of course its the only town in Utah with an ex-ACLU lawyer as mayor, go figure). And I didn't make the second because I blew the physical. (Just because you can run a mile and a half in the alloted time whenever you practice don't assume that you can't screw it up on test day :) ).

USP I understand what you are saying, I feel the same way. This is just something that I feel that I really need to do. I have a bachelor's degree in accounting, so obviously I don't want to be a cop for the money. My family thinks that I'm nuts, but at least I have an understanding wife who supports me.

Gotta do what you've gotta do I guess. :)

Good luck.
 
Correia,

With a BA in accounting, either the FBI or IRS should be delighted to hire you! In some ways, it's better than patrol work (no fights with demented person infected with HIV or contagious disease). But remember this, FBI Agents general don't have the street smarts a patrol cop has or the fighting skills of a patrol cop. There's also an easier transition to the corporate world when you retire.

Gary
 
Oh yeah, I forgot. Someone said cops have a ringside seat the the Greatest Show On Earth. :D They were right. Just don`t become one of the clowns!
 
oh you guys are sooo right. but don't forget the sleepless nights after you get home cause somthing is eating you. Your sleep paterns go haywire(I could fall asleep anytime up till 10pm after that I was up all night). Eating maylox tablets dry cause you dont have time to stop and get somthing to wash them down.

Then theres the days off. Mine were tues-wed starting off I worked up to sat-sun and then went to first shift where EVERYONE had at least 17yrs on,Hello mon-tues.

I go to more parties now tho'then I did in college. Bach.parties then wedding parties,in a few years it's a divorce party then just a party then a bach. party.etc. You cant forget choir practice after work.

On the other hand helping people and truly getting somthing out of the job made me feel great. I don't regret my decision never will as a matter of fact I'm getting my emt so I can help more. This is'nt just a job its a way of life and I thank God everyday that he lead me to this road.

Best wishes Best luck Poacher.
 
Title 5 U.S.CODE contains two regs. which allow federal agencies to "not accept" your application for law enforcement work if you have reached your 37th birthday--the idea being that you should be able to retire no later than age 57 and with 20 years of service.

Many city police depts. are "civil service" and may also refuse applicants who have reached their 35th birthday.

Many sheriff's depts. are not civil service and may not be concerned about your advanced age.

Some police academies offer evening classes and without the physical fitness requirements. Texas has three "Reserve" categories--basic, intermediate and advanced. Once you pass the advanced section and the state licensing test, you are certified as a full peace officer. Possibly something like this is available to you. Luck!!!

[This message has been edited by TEXAS LAWMAN (edited October 29, 2000).]
 
In my academy in CA we had people in their 40's! They did very well considering and one wasn't exactly in the best shape. If you have a "feeling" I would say do it. It is the funnest job in the world! It is never the same everyday and can go from doing nothing to adrenaline paced chases or fights in less than a second! I don't believe you get thanked in any job, people just don't believe in thanking and telling someone they are doing a good job anymore. I was a physical therapist before an LEO and I didn't get thanked at all in the medical field. It was boring, same thing everyday work, which is why I switched careers. I found myself waking up and not wanting to go to work. Not a way of life for me!

You also have a lot of freedom out there (which attracted me) and bosses hardly ever check on you unless you have an A$$ for a sargent. Most are really cool and will back you up if they have to. I would suggest the sheriff's department as you will tend to promote faster than a police dept. although the pay is higher to start off with in a police dept. I don't agree that you get paid very little, one of the agencies I know of in So. CA are starting at $76K a year, not including overtime! Not bad! Most are between $30K and $60K starting pay. I am starting at $45K, not including overtime. Not bad either! I get raises every 6 months! I know Lt's and Sgts. making in the 6 figures a year! Afterall, its not the pay anyway, for me its having a job that I love to do, one that I can't wait to go do. No amount of money can replace that feeling. :D

My dept. made it mandatory that persons 35 and over have a treadmill test for heart reasons, I believe. If you are in decent shape you should have no problem. In my academy we ran about 6-8 miles a day, three times a week.

As for working weekends and holidays...once you get some seniority you will have better hours, but you have to put in the time first, just like the military, which you are used to.

Gunslinger, dinosaur, and poacher has some valid points too.

I feel as a Cop you are the center of attention. If you go to a party or some social gathering and people ask you what you do, they tend to gather around you and and want to hear some of your stories. They ask a lot of questions as well. Its pretty cool. I don't know of another job where people react that way to you. Of course there are some negative reactions as well, but those people are usually ignorant, liberals anyway! haha

There is also the comraderie (sp) of other LEO's. Its like a family relationship wherever you go.

USP45, its all in the perspective of the individual. Every job has its plus's and minus'. Its all in your attitude. If you are one that complains all the time, or can't seem to make the best of a situation or if you are one that likes the same thing everyday, this is not a job for you. However, if you like constant changes, seeing something different everyday, enjoy outdoor work, and people (if that's what you want to call them), then you will like this job. I say do it, man, we always need a good man, especially a pro gun man! ;) Integrity is the cornerstone to law enforcement! Good luck and keep us informed on your decision.
 
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