Do you see policing as in your financial self interest

[Mustang19]

Let's be serious here. Around 10% of police are injured per year. At a 50k salary you value your life at 500k.
So unless my numbers are wrong, which answers the question, it doesn't seem actually financially self interested to be a police officer. You're valuing your life as less than you'd make at another job.
I really don't see how it could work because there's no incentive to defend other people's property for them. So you're basically sacrificing yourself to defend a strip mall, heroic but ultimately not something there's a particular personal benefit besides to the owner.

[just joe]

I'd say the vast majority of folks don't become police officers because of "financial self interest."

[Winter_Patriot]

If anything, it's often despite financial self-interest. I took a 30% paycut but I'm a lot happier. People sign up for the job because they're willing to give up some amount of physical and emotional well-being to do something they believe in.

[orangebottle]

If someone's decision to become/stay a police officer is based purely on dollars and sense, it's probably not the right career for them.

[Iowa #1603]

Let's be serious here. Around 10% of police are injured per year. At a 50k salary you value your life at 500k.
So unless my numbers are wrong, which answers the question, it doesn't seem actually financially self interested to be a police officer. You're valuing your life as less than you'd make at another job.
I really don't see how it could work because there's no incentive to defend other people's property for them. So you're basically sacrificing yourself to defend a strip mall, heroic but ultimately not something there's a particular personal benefit besides to the owner.

I'd say the vast majority of folks don't become police officers because of "financial self interest."

As just joe stated I don't know of ANYONE who really considers a job as a Law Enforcement officer in a financial sense other than if the job will pay the bills.

I know MANY people who came to the profession from jobs that paid more. I know of HUNDREDS of Reserve Officers that do the job for FREE

I don't "value my life" in financial terms I "value my life" in terms of providing for my family, serving my higher power, in paying my bills, and being satisfied with the person I am in life. I value my work ethic, the service I provide to the citizens of my community and the sense of hoping to improve the quality of others lives.

Since the beginning of the year (2021) I have buried 3 friends who were murdered in the line of duty. 2 I knew well as they were former co workers and 1 from a sister agency who I barely knew but was still "family" I can state with conviction that NONE of those people considered themselves in a financial value basis. They enjoyed their jobs and like most Law Enforcement Officers considered themselves LUCKY that they were being paid to do a job they loved

[Aidokea]

Let's be serious here. Around 10% of police are injured per year. At a 50k salary you value your life at 500k.
So unless my numbers are wrong, which answers the question, it doesn't seem actually financially self interested to be a police officer. You're valuing your life as less than you'd make at another job.
I really don't see how it could work because there's no incentive to defend other people's property for them. So you're basically sacrificing yourself to defend a strip mall, heroic but ultimately not something there's a particular personal benefit besides to the owner.

50K? Lol. I don't remember the last time I saw a rookie make less than 100K their first year on the road. I made more than many doctors do, and I didn't even graduate from high school - my last year was about $250K. My wife has never had to work.

I commuted back and forth to work in a Porsche convertible that I custom-ordered new. My wife drives a BMW Track Pack car that I let her custom order new- we flew to Munich Germany to pick it up at the factory. We typically spend one month a year vacationing in Europe. Dinner in the Eiffel Tower, yada, yada. My last day working on the road was at age 55, and now we park our $250K motorhome beside our brand new John Deere tractor, inside our 2,300 square foot workshop on the ranch I bought in Texas upon retirement.

And I didn't do it for the money...

[Iowa #1603]

50K? Lol. I don't remember the last time I saw a rookie make less than 100K their first year on the road. I made more than many doctors do, and I didn't even graduate from high school - my last year was about $250K. My wife has never had to work.
..

You must not know about Law Enforcement in the Midwest and South
There are many more jobs in the 50K range than the 100k range when talking about United States Law Enforcement

[Aidokea]

You must not know about Law Enforcement in the Midwest and South
There are many more jobs in the 50K range than the 100k range when talking about United States Law Enforcement

The OP is in California, where there are $30K signing bonuses, and regular patrol officers are knocking down over $200K a year...

[Mustang19]

The OP is in California, where there are $30K signing bonuses, and regular patrol officers are knocking down over $200K a year...

California also has a lot of serious riot jurisdictions though.
Thanks for all the replies, question was answered.

[jnhdrac]

I think your numbers are wrong. Assuming the number that 10 percent are injured each year, that is all injuries, not fatalities. The majority are relatively minor injuries. I strongly suspect, but can not cite data, that many other occupations have similar injury rates. Construction work, delivery drivers, farm workers, all come to mind.

One question is what other occupations are available. Are those other occupations of interest?

I retired at 50 with a pension and pile of money that would allow me to no longer work if I chose not to. Relatively few other occupations allow that.

The barrier of entry to a police officer job is relatively low. You can get the job with a high school diploma and a clean background. College helps but is not needed.

Not all police jobs are good deals. A job with decent retirement benefits goes a long way to making the job worthwhile.

[Aidokea]

Yeah- My last day working the road was at age 55. I get free medical for life, and my retirement pension means that neither my wife nor I will ever have to work again. I think that counts for a lot...

[Aidokea]

California also has a lot of serious riot jurisdictions though.

What does that have to do with the money question that you originally asked?

[Iowa #1603]

The OP is in California, where there are $30K signing bonuses, and regular patrol officers are knocking down over $200K a year...

That does not negate the fact that there are hundreds of thousands of police officers in the United states making much less than 100k. You act like there is nobody in policing unless they are in the Western States in a large agency.

The OP never stated he was talking about California onlyt

[Aidokea]

I'm aware of it.

Again, he's in the PRK, talking about cops making only $50K a year. There is a disconnect there.

[Mustang19]

What does that have to do with the money question that you originally asked?

There's no way defending other people's property can be rational, because it's arbitrary, so if they paid you for that they'd lose the property, since it only exists because of you.
So basically if you get 250k at 10% annual injury risk you value your life at 2.5m. Good deal. But riots raise the injury.
So basically its rational for you to wait for the riot to happen and then bail. In 92 they had national guard but if there's no bag holder then it stops being rational.
Thats the only way things can work mathematically because anything you do to defend property just causes equivalent expense on whatever you're opposing.
I know it's hard to understand, maybe, but in the riot cities you notice this.

[CCCSD]

I mean, it's just math.
Benefit = salary/risk.
Then the parameters.

What parameters?

[Mustang19]

What parameters?

Ok, let's say you value your life at 2m. The higher the better.
Then, say you make 250k. You'd work for even a 10% annual injury rate. Still a good deal.
Now, say there's a riot, injury rate doubles. Suddenly if you continue working you are displaying a lower value estimate of your own life.