Becoming a LEO

[nightmare69]

Im 29yrs old now and work for a school in the maintenance dept. Been here for over 9yrs but just want to do something different. I have always wanted to become a LEO and really thinking about signing up for the police academy next year. Only issue is if I do day classes I can be done in 4 months, but Ill have to quit my day job. If I do night classes it will take over 9.5 months and will make for some very long days. I would only be getting 5-6hrs of sleep per night and Im the type who is in bed by 9pm, if I dont get enough sleep I am the walking dead and no way would I be at my best for class.


The last couple of days Ive been on the phone calling different PD seeing if I could hire on there or find a recruitment program. My local PD will not hire me because of a adjudicated felony when I was 13yrs old, they are very picky but whatever. This stupid act when I was a kid is coming back to haunt me.

I know we have a few LEOs on the forum so I ask, are you pleased with this career? Any other advice on how to get started or anything would be appreciated.

[texanjoker]

I've been in LEO work in one for another since I was a police explorer in the 80's. If you are looking at getting into LE work I recommend a good academy. I see the various academies some people attend in TX and they don't get picked up at larger agencies. I am not a fan of the college type ones that are stretched out, but they do work for some people. Personally I would recommend finding an agency like DPS or the larger ones that have their own academy. They pay you to attend so you don't have to stress finances while attending. IMO that is much better then paying for yourself, and when you graduate you are on the streets vs. trying to find a job.

Make sure you know how to type... police work means you are a mobile secretary. 30 seconds of action means hours of paper work, and if you can't write paper you will struggle. You are known by the paper you write. This doesn't mean writing fiction, but being able to articulate the facts on paper. In CA we took several each shift and if you couldn't write the radio calls, you never had time to go do the fun side of police work which is hunting for bad guys.

Be prepared for shift work and lousy days off for a long time. The flip side is most of the action is on the weekends.

Decide what type of environment you want to work in. I recommend a busy place for your first job so you gain experience.

Others will chime in as well.

[Excaliber]

I've done a lot of things in my life and lots of them were challenging and fun, but nothing else comes close to my years as an LEO.

Texanjoker's advice is solid. I would suggest focusing on large agencies that are advertising for recruits. These are the departments that are having trouble filling their ranks and they're more willing to do things like pay for the academy, provide bonuses, and, even overlook some youthful misadventures.

Houston PD is one, and I hear DPS has a very large number of openings as well.

[Excaliber]

I've done a lot of things in my life and lots of them were challenging and fun, but nothing else comes close to my years as an LEO.

Texanjoker's advice is solid. I would suggest focusing on large agencies that are advertising for recruits. These are the departments that are having trouble filling their ranks and they're more willing to do things like pay for the academy, provide bonuses, and, even overlook some youthful misadventures.

Houston PD is one, and I hear DPS has a very large number of openings as well.

[nightmare69]

I have till this winter to decide. DPS requires 60hr college and all I have is a certificate in HVAC from Penn Foster online college. I don't know if that will suffice. Still have alot of thinking and praying on this. Keep the advice coming guys it will be a great help.

[Keith B]

I have till this winter to decide. DPS requires 60hr college and all I have is a certificate in HVAC from Penn Foster online college. I don't know if that will suffice. Still have alot of thinking and praying on this. Keep the advice coming guys it will be a great help.

Your HVAC certification training might be accepted for a few hours (3-6) of ACE credit, but would not be near enough for DPS. Your best bet is to find an agency that does not require more than your High School education and that will accept your juvenile indiscretion. Then once you get through the academy you would be able to get experience that may be accepted by an agency and would not require the 60+ hours of college.

[nightmare69]

If I decide to go, this will be the academy I will attend.

http://kcfac.kilgore.edu/etpa/index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I will have to quit my job and move back in with the parents driving 30 miles one way to school . I guess I could suck it up for 4 months till I graduate. Do you take your test to receive your peace officers license before you graduate? Next classes start around January so I do have some time.

[srothstein]

I have been in law enforcement as my career of choice since 1975. Every time I left it for something I thought would be better, I missed it quickly and wanted back in. I honestly think the best job in the world is being a patrol sergeant in a medium to large size department (though small towns are also fun in their own way).

There are two basic ways to get into police work. You can go to a large department that pays for your academy training. Every city the size of Waco or larger (and many smaller ones) needs officers and is set up this way. That has the advantage of better pay and benefits and being paid while in the academy, along with a job when you graduate. It has the disadvantage of the department being able to be much more selective in hiring because they get a much larger pool of applicants.

Or you can go to an academy on your own and then join a smaller department. This has the advantage of your choosing the school and being more flexible in how you go to school. It also means that the background requirements are looser since the departments are more desperate for employees. It has the disadvantage of being much harder to work through, lower pay and benefits when you get started, and that there is no real guaranteed job when you graduate the academy. I am confident you will get hired somewhere, the question is where and when.

The advice you have been given on skills needed is pretty good, so I will give you some advice on choosing which way to go. Go talk to the departments in your area that you think you might like to work for. Talk to both patrolmen on the street and to some one in the office in administration. Ask them about their requirements, what they look for, which local academy they recommend, etc. Always ask if they hire people who put themselves through the academy and if they have any openings they know of coming up when you think you might be graduating. You might find a chief who will let you start the application while you are in the academy and may even help with the academy tuition, even if they can't pay you a salary while in training.

If you do go through an academy on your own, remember Article 2.12 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. It lists who are peace officers in Texas and some of them are fairly obscure agencies. You might be able to get hired by the state in such positions as the Dept of Insurance, Veterinary Medicine Examiners, Pharmacy Board Examiners, Water police, etc. It may not be what you wanted but it is a way to break in and you might find you like it more than you expected.

As a last ditch way to help, you might also consider the military, either active or reserve. Each branch now has their own full time police department that you can enlist for. which reminded me that there are also a lot of federal agencies with police departments that you might have forgotten to consider. National Park police, V.A. police, and others like that.

Good luck. We need more good people in law enforcement.

[gigag04]

TCLEOSE wants 12 college hours. Most agencies want 30+.

http://www.tcleose.state.tx.us/Document ... uir_11.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If you can't get on with a dept that will pay you to train, I suggest you start with the SO as a jailer. Do well in that role ans they will send you to the academy while they pay you, and you'll eventually make it to patrol.

It's a fun job. Without a college degree, I think LEO/FF or Roughnecking are the best jobs out there.

[nightmare69]

TCLEOSE wants 12 college hours. Most agencies want 30+.

http://www.tcleose.state.tx.us/Document ... uir_11.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If you can't get on with a dept that will pay you to train, I suggest you start with the SO as a jailer. Do well in that role ans they will send you to the academy while they pay you, and you'll eventually make it to patrol.

It's a fun job. Without a college degree, I think LEO/FF or Roughnecking are the best jobs out there.

Its says a high school graduate OR,.....

Educational Requirements:
(A) a general educational development (GED) test indicating high school
graduation level;
(B) a high school graduate; or
(C) 12 semester hours credit from an accredited college or university.

[nightmare69]

It scares me to death at the thought of quitting my day job for the school. I love working here but there is no money here for me. I just don't see myself ever making decent money working here so its time to move on to bigger and better things. I will leave on good terms so that I could come back if I had too.

Only 1 PD in my area has turned me down due to my juvenile incident, all others said that is not a problem. It looks like unless I can apply for some federal grants that paying for school will be all on me. Family said they would help out but I want to be able to do this all on my own if possible. Night class would not work for me, lack of sleep and no time to study for 9 months equals flunking out. I am in bed by 9pm every night so I think day classes are my only option so I can be at my best.

My local sheriff dept said in order to work for them you must become a jailer first, I don't need to go to the academy to do that. I have to find a dept to sponsor me just so I can get in the academy.

EDIT: The term for failing a test is a banned word here?

[Keith B]

EDIT: The term for failing a test is a banned word here?

No, but when you misspell it the filter thinks it is a banned word.

I fixed it.

[nightmare69]

LOL ok

[texanjoker]

As a deputy we started in one of our 7 jails. I believe all leos should do some jail time. Working a booking jail is the ultimate learning ground. You learn the cons, see the crooks, learn how to handle violent people, ect. When you get in the real world the experiance gained is priceless. We also recieved more respect as the crooks knew we ran the jails:-)

[nightmare69]

Some departments make you work at the jail first problem is that jailers around here make next to nothing. If I went through the academy and got my license I could not afford to take that job. I could be a jailer now without going to the academy.