Highway Patrol? City? Sherriff?

[tango3]

Hello,

I am starting POST in a few weeks, and have been considering what department I may want to go into once I graduate. I'd love to work in my hometown, but they require 1 1/2 years previous experiance before hiring you, so i'm considering other places to start. I'm currently thinking about Highway Patrol, or possibly enlisting in the National Guard as an MP. The colleges are always hiring around here for reserve police also.

What made you choose where you work? Any advantages to one over the other (such as HP over a city)? I know that in some instances it may have been more availability over choice, but any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks!

4 weeks till POST!

[Tennsix]

I started out with a municipal PD (not where I live now) but left due some very unprofessional administrative problems. From there I went to a sheriff

[gotthblues]

you better be commited to go hwy patrol,,,it aint no cake walk,,,if you just want experience,,go find a small town pd and get some time under your belt.

[VegasMetro]

Look at the pay and benefits. To me police work is all about the same, you run into criminals no matter where you work.

[BS_CJ]

Take it from a former NG MP that it SUCKS! Unless you are looking forward to Iraq/Afghanistan....the NG does squat anyway and the MP's have no real power even on a military base....anyway I am a Deputy Sheriff now and I love it...the Sheriff's office is the biggest agency in the coounty so we handle all the crime lab stuff for all the municipalities. there are just more divisions to go into (Jail, Transports, Courts, Patrol, Crime lab) than the State Patrol or a PD (depending on the size of the city...which may have gang and drug units) anyway just my .02

[tango3]

you better be commited to go hwy patrol,,,it aint no cake walk,,,if you just want experience,,go find a small town pd and get some time under your belt.

What type of calls does HP get? I assume standard wrecks, and it seems like there would be a lot of drug trafficking. What else?

[ufresdave]

HP gets wrecks and enforces traffic statewide. Cool job if you like traffic, working traffic crashes, wearing a goofy hat, working drug interdiction, having semi's blow by you at 85 mph while ur on a traffic stop on the interstate, working alone without backup, and having nice equipment. They are usually paid well also.

HP has a stigma for being stuck up cop writing traffic freaks. I have not expeirenced this, and I work with FHP on a weekly basis. Then again, i only work with 3 or so troopers. I did have one yell at me once, but what can you do. Some states have State Police, who respond to regular calls for service. Usually troopers are well trained and very professional. Good luck in your journey.

[SinePari]

HPs jurisdiction usually ends at the off-ramps. Sheriffs Deputies in some states patrol the whole county and run the jails, and city PD is city only. If your state has HP and not State Police, then they'll do just traffic management and enforce MV codes.

[dnaboy2021]

i was just wondering about hp and sheriff. when sheriff or local pd's make and arrest they transport to the main jail in the county, where does hp take their prisoners???

[Tennsix]

In my state, the county sheriff runs the jail and is responsible for all prisoners; it is one primary duites as sheriif. All agencies take their prisoners to the county jail.

[MPD-A9]

i was just wondering about hp and sheriff. when sheriff or local pd's make and arrest they transport to the main jail in the county, where does hp take their prisoners???

In TN, they take them to the county jail in the county they made the arrest.

[gotthblues]

What type of calls does HP get? I assume standard wrecks, and it seems like there would be a lot of drug trafficking. What else?

have you looked into the training / academys for pd's and or troopers,,,i havent found a trooper acad. yet that is not extremely high stress the same or worse than boot camp,,,therefore you have to really want to be a trooper to make it through their acad. other wise you wont put up with the bs and mind games that they put you through for 6 months,,plus you dont go home for that 6 months,,except of 1 day and thats after you are half way through,,,you post said you wanted to get on somewhere as a stepping stone for your way to a fed job right,,well trooper is not a stepping stone,,some pd acad. are tough,,but they dont have the mind games and crap like the troopers do...

[Matto]

have you looked into the training / academys for pd's and or troopers,,,i havent found a trooper acad. yet that is not extremely high stress the same or worse than boot camp,,,therefore you have to really want to be a trooper to make it through their acad. other wise you wont put up with the bs and mind games that they put you through for 6 months,,plus you dont go home for that 6 months,,except of 1 day and thats after you are half way through,,,you post said you wanted to get on somewhere as a stepping stone for your way to a fed job right,,well trooper is not a stepping stone,,some pd acad. are tough,,but they dont have the mind games and crap like the troopers do...

Is OHP trying to convert to SUV's or what? Went througha small Oklahoma town the other day and there were two or three OHP Expeditions parked at a restuarant.

[gotthblues]

Is OHP trying to convert to SUV's or what? Went througha small Oklahoma town the other day and there were two or three OHP Expeditions parked at a restuarant.

no,,,their size & weights and crim. interdiction guys drive them,,so they can carry all their portable weight stuff and dogs. all the road troops still pilot CV's and cameros. usually when the interdiction guys work, they get together in a stretch,,so they are bunched up together.

[Matto]

no,,,their size & weights and crim. interdiction guys drive them,,so they can carry all their portable weight stuff and dogs. all the road troops still pilot CV's and cameros. usually when the interdiction guys work, they get together in a stretch,,so they are bunched up together.

Gotcha, I really like their vehicle schemes. Black and white with the LED bars is sharp. I think they were somewhere around stillwell or so, not sure if you're familiar.