Intro

[Jess24]

Hello I'm new to the this forum and the Officer.com thing. I'd like to say that being new to this field completely all of your insite is valuable to me. I'm going to be attending school in August for Law Enforcement, I don't know very much about the LE but it's interested me for a long time. Any Adivse would be wounderful.

My biggesst worry about this career is not being able to get a job. Is it difficult in MN? Even for a female??

Thanks and HELLO to EVERYONE!!!!

[Maxx102]

Welcome,

Let me first say that I am not as of yet a law enforcement officer but I am currently in the last steps of getting a position and with any luck I should receive the position.

My only advice is do your best, never lie when you are being interviewed, stay out of trouble - which includes what friends you hang out with. I've seen a couple of canidates get burned because they are guilty by association. I know that isn't fair to those folks, but it's reality.

Additionally, if you are not a reserve officer or Community Service Officer - seriously consider applying for a position for your local agency. At the very least - go on some ride alongs with your local agency. Explain to them that you are going to be a student in L.E. and you want some experiance seeing what the officers/deputies do.

As for the job market - Becoming a L.E. officer in MN is tough - so chin up and don't give up finding a job, but since you are female you might have a better chance. Another thing is this......Apply EVERYWHERE in Minnesota that has a full time opening, including small town Minnesota. Almost all of the folks want to live and work in the Metro Area and your odds in getting a job drop like a rock because of so many canidates.

If you have any further questions - feel free to ask here or pm me.

[K9 Police]

Welcome Jess,

I would highly suggest calling your local PD, or any PD for that matter, and ask to go on a ride along. Try to go on a couple at least so you know what kind of job you will be doing in the future. The stuff on TV/movies is usually unrealistic to what we really do. Don't go through all that schooling, and money, to realize that this was not what you were expecting.

I highly recommend trying to get a position with a department if you do want to become a sworn officer. Community Service Officers, Reserve Officers, Park Rangers/Agents, Parking Enforcement Officers, etc. are all great ways of getting your foot in the door. You will gain some valuable experience and knowledge by doing this. If a sworn position should become open and you were qualified to apply, you might have an edge up on the other applicants. I was a CSO, Reserve, and a Park Agent and I strongly believe that all those positions helped me get where I am today. Those positions are extremely competitive also, just like the sworn positions. They are usually a good way to become sworn.

You will see some sworn position openings that will say "Minority/Females encouraged to apply". I would assume that being female would be helpful in those situations. However, if you are not well qualified and not near the top of the list you may still be past over. Just being female won't give you an edge, you have to make an edge for yourself be doing other things as well. All those combined could make you for an extremely competitive applicant.

MN is probably one of the hardest states I have seen in regards to becoming a sworn officer. There are a ton of applicants out there who have gone through the schooling and are trying to get picked up. I have known many people to go to other states because they couldn't pick up a job here. MN pays very well with good benefits/pension. However, if you couldn't find a job the south (Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, etc.) is hiring pretty aggressively.

Good luck with schooling!

K9

[Ballen0351]

Very Good advise K9 I seen a few guys come into police work spend all that time in an academy and turn out to hate being a cop. And I know most agencies here require you to sign a contract if they pay for your academy. so there stuck doing a job they hate for 2 to 4 years.

[squad51]

I would agree with all the advice here with the added advise get your EMT cert...and do ridealongs! EMT will give you an edge with certain depts especially outstate, and gives you some training and experaince in dealing with emergencies.

Also get a forgein language huge points if you are fluent in spanish, russian, Arabic...

[Jess24]

More ?

Thank you to everyone. I'm going on a few ride alongs here in the very near future.

I also have a question about reserve officers do you have be a peace officer or LE already and is there training??

Also I've applied for a Peace officer postion. I'm not abnking on it but Maybe I'lll get it. I'm very physical sice I ride and train horses and in a previous job restrained 120KG pigs to get blood from a jugluar. I love that stuff.

[squad51]

as far a reserve officer..depends on the agency how much you train but there will be some training..You can not test for a peace officers job in the state of MN with out being POST eligible..I mean I guess you can apply but you won't get hired until you have gone through skills and taken the post test..

[Jess24]

So should I even go to to the physical part of the peace officer appilcation?? If I wouldn't get hired whats the point. I know I can do the physical with no problem. I just don't want to waste their time on someone who isn't even qualified.

[K9 Police]

No reason to apply to a department in MN if your not POST-eligible or within the time constraints that they want people POST-eligible. It sounds like your nowhere close so I would politely decline.

I was a Reserve Officer for St. Paul PD and it was a 8 or 9 week class, one night a week, where you were trained. Then you went on a couple ride-alongs with officers. After that you trained with another Reserve Officer that had been there for awhile.

Each department is different, but that was my experience.

K9

[richx528]

Reserves

Other people's experiences may be different than mine, but if you want to be a reserve try and get on with a busier police department or a sheriff's office. I am a reserve with a sheriff's office, and from what others have told me we have the chance to be involved in a lot more learning opportunities then the reserves in some of the smaller communities.
If I could rewind the clock a few years I would definitely have spent a lot more time applying for cso positions, as the people I know who are cso's seem to have a very good foot in the door.

[squad51]

Although CSO's are a double edged sword..they get a REAL good look at you and might not hire you as a copper....

[K9 Police]

Which can be a good thing. If you can't make it as a CSO, you should NOT be anywhere near a full-time sworn officer. CSO's are valuable both to the person and the department. But if you don't make a good impression, good luck trying to apply to other departments as a sworn officer.

K9