National Guard Reserves

[MCR1]

If I enlist for 3-4 years, will I have a good chance of being a Police Officer after?

[L-1]

It depends on how well you score on the civil service exams and whether you pass the medical, psych and background.

[MCR1]

Well damn I'd figure a lot of LE likes people with military experience

[Iowa #1603]

Well damn I'd figure a lot of LE likes people with military experience

All of that means absolutely nothing unless you can pass the testing , the interviews and the background investigation.


Do NOT join the military thinking that it is an end to a Law Enforcement job-----join because you wish to serve

[JW1812]

Just because you have a military background doesn't mean you'll get hired. I know several guys who spent years in the Corps and Army who haven't been hired.

[JW1812]

National Guard Reserves

I joined the Corps because I wanted to be a Marine. Did it help me ? Yeah, probably. But if you think just by enlisting and then applying when you're fresh out of MOS school that you're going to get hired, you're wrong.

[MCR1]

All of that means absolutely nothing unless you can pass the testing , the interviews and the background investigation.


Do NOT join the military thinking that it is an end to a Law Enforcement job-----join because you wish to serve

Yeah. That came across like that but that's not what I meant. I've wanted to serve for a while, but I would have gotten dropped from Meps because I was on medication during high school, and it wasn't out of my system by that point, and I just never went back. I got preoccupied with college, and started college immediately after

[MCR1]

I joined the Corps because I wanted to be a Marine. Did it help me ? Yeah, probably. But if you think just by enlisting and then applying when you're fresh out of MOS school and you're going to get hired, you're wrong. Took me 2 years to get hired.

No, that's not what I meant. But I do want to serve for the National Guard, but also I think they'd hire the guy with military experience + an associate's degree than just someone with a bachelor's and no military experience. I've seen it so many times...especially from Civil Service Towns.

[CCCSD]

Your thinking is flawed, as was pointed out. If you popped hot for drugs at MEPS, you have a PDQ and won't be able to enlist.

[slamdunc]

Do NOT join the military thinking that it is an end to a Law Enforcement job-----join because you wish to serve

As usual, Iowa tells it like it is. That having been said, the Guard and Reserve components won't get you the preference points UNLESS you are deployed for a certain period of time. If you get an education, some life experience AND military, you will be a strong candidate. As my colleagues have stated, you still have to pass the test to get in the game.

[JW1812]

Did you pop at MEPS for drugs without disclosing that with them? If you did, CCCSD is right, you're done.

[Iowa #1603]

I've seen it so many times...especially from Civil Service Towns.

I have seen MANY veterans come into the interview room and leave empty handed.

SOME come into the process thinking they can do anything they want because they are veterans and will be hired. It's just not the way the real world works

but also I think they'd hire the guy with military experience + an associate's degree than just someone with a bachelor's and no military experience.

Your thinking is flawed...........................military experience is just another form of experience.........

I know of several agencies who go out of their way to NOT hired ex military---as well as several who try hard to hire nothing BUT ex military. I have experienced some new staff who were TERRIBLE to FTO because they were so ridged from their military experiences that they couldn't work without constant supervision --------------------and likewise some who you told them once and never had to worry about them again.

In Law Enforcement we hire individuals......................individuals who we feel will be good fits to our agencies & who we feel we can train to follow our procedures. Sometimes they are veterans and sometimes they are not.

[tanksoldier]

If I enlist for 3-4 years, will I have a good chance of being a Police Officer after?

Being a part-time Soldier isn't the same as serving full time. Generally it isn't seen the same and doesn't give the same advantages, unless you deploy and get teh active duty time under your belt.

Don't enlist for the benefits or because you think it will get you somewhere else. Enlist because you want to serve and then use the perks that come with that. If you do it the other way around you won't be successful in your enlistment and it will be more of a disadvantage that if you never enlisted at all.

Well damn I'd figure a lot of LE likes people with military experience

Many do. However it is just one aspect that they look at... and EVERYBODY applying has military experience now. As mentioned you have to pass the tests, boards, PT tests, etc... THEN your military experience may come into play, as will everyone else's you are competing against. They will have 4-6 years active duty or more, multiple deployments, college degrees, service-incurred disabilities, leadership experience, etc, etc.

What will you bring that makes you stand out from that?

[tanksoldier]

double post

[eaker995]

As others have said, there is no preference points for Reserve time. Only active and normally 3 years other. You can gain active time if you are deployed. Also, an initial enlistment for Reserves is 8 years. 6 years active reserve, 2 years in the inactive reserve. If you just want to do 2-4 years and be done, go active, get your time, get maturity and experience beyond school, THEN be able to claim the preference points.

I was a reservist for my 8 years, Army, MP. Deployed to Iraq and Afghsnitan. I have no degree but many other life experience behind me. I now work a uniformed officer for a federal agency. Get yourself an education and some actual experience and you can have a good chance of getting hired. Just PLEASE dont get a Criminal Justice degree, it doesnt help. Go for Business Administration, Psycology, Sociaology, anything is better than a CJ degree since it doesnt garuntee a job in law enforcement and then where would you be? You have a fancy wall hanger that cant get you a job. Get something to fall back on just in case this career doesnt pan out. Out of all the applications, only 5% roughly will become hired by a department. Only roughly 3% will make it past FTO and become an officer and make it a career. With an approximate 97% failure rate, you may want to consider the "what if" you dont get it.