Well, it seems I have some first hand experience. When I was younger (high school) I wanted to be a police officer. I even started college in a criminal justice program. One night I got behind the wheel of my car after drinking at a party, and I was arrested for DWI. I was guilty. It was a vey stupid thing to do at the age of 19. I managed a deferred adjudication plea, with a subsequant dismissal. Of course in law enforcement any kind of plea is as good as guilty. I changed my major to engineering and abandoned the police career.scootergeek wrote:
I guess what I was trying to ask first is if any officers or agents had done what i'm trying to do and how was it, where did you start, did you have prior training of any kind. How did your famlies react and how far out like me doing a complete 360 was your prior life?
1. Of the many i'm sure that are here, how many went 360 degrees out to step in to law enforcement , and how did your family act towards your new decision and how or what did you do first to start the process.
I spent some time in the military, and then pursued a career as a civil engineer. Fast forward 15 years. I'm 34 and I am the assistant director of engineering for a local city. I sign up for the police department's "citizen's police academy" and I have a blast. I talk it over with my wife and she tells me that if I want to apply for a job at the PD I should. I go throught the 6 month application process, including testing, background investigation, polygraph, phsycological evaluation, etc. Out of 100 applicants for 2 openings I am selected. I take a 60% pay cut and start the police academy. Five months later I graduate and become a sworn police officer.
Three weeks into the 12 hour night shifts, and my family is miserable, and I am going broke. The city was still trying to fill my previous job and I went and discussed it with my old boss. He said he would love to have me back, so I left the PD.
I have since gotten a position as a reserve officer in another metroplex community. They carry my commission, and I work as often as I want. They provide all the training and equipment I need. I'm very happy with this situation.
My opinion, based on my experience, is that the role of a rookie police officer is difficult for someone that has a family that has a normal lifestyle. Children go to school during the day, and are home in the evening. My wife works 8-5. There are certainly positions at the PD that work with this schedule, but they are not usually available until you have spent several years on patrol. I personally don't like the 12 hour schedule. Many officers do because it gives you more days off.
I highly recommend riding out with the officers from the PD you are most interested in. Most departments allow riders. This will give you an idea of what they do, and how busy they are. You may love it.
Good luck.