Advice for getting into LE

[superdave29]

I always wanted to be a police officer but my path kept straying for whatever reasons. BTW I'm 29 yo male,single but dating,6'2',210 LBS and in good shape.Live in a little town in KY(pop about 30k counting college students)

I don't really have much going for me as far as something to put on a application,in fact some of the stuff that should be going for me might work against me,not really sure. I joined the Navy at 18. Did a year and a half but got booted after making a couple of stupid mistakes (never been arrested though or had charges against me).Young and stupid what can I say.

College. I have around 50 credits to my name when I was pursueing a Bachelors in CRJ. I dropped out for money reasons but my credits are still good though I barely got into the core CRJ classes.

So what are my realistic options that can get me into LE the fastest since I'm not getting any younger?I'm going to talk to the local sheriff or deputies,since I would consider a deputy/jailer/dispatcher...etc as entery level, to see whats normal for people they hire. Maybe they hire people like me,I dunno.

I don't want to have to relocate much if at all,meaning like going to a metro area where reqs might be slimmer. I also work 40+ hours a week and need to pay my bills.But I'd very much like to be given the chance to be a peace officer even if I have to work up the totem pole or go to a acedemy/get certified at my own expense.

Right now I was thinking:

Re-enlisting in the military since according to my discharge code I can,but hey that's a 4 year contract and it'd probablly suck to to 30 and enlisting heh.That would be a absolute last resort.

Go for a two year degree .Problem with that is that I'd still be going almost 2 years or more even with the credits I've already earned. Plus working all the time you can't really juggle many classes so it would take a long time.

Like I said above. Talking to the Sheriff or PD and seeing how I stand and what I can do to improve my standing if needed. Maybe volunteer with them somehow.

Any good advice about getting my foot in the door the quickest and easiest would be most appreciated. Sorry for rambling but this is really important to me.TIA

[CarCop]

Well, it doesn't sound like a lost cost at all. If your not wanting to relocate then you are obviously limiting your options. I don't know the area you are in but, smaller towns (smaller departments) do not hire as often. Smaller departments tend to be able to pick and choose who they want, while larger departments stick to a strict hiring process. Both have good and bad, don't get me wrong, either way you'll have to pass whatever "tests/ certifications" that are required.

Get to know the local recruiters and let them know you are interested. Put in an application and stay in contact. Do ride-a-longs on occasion and get yourself known (in a good way of course). If your wanted department does not put its' applicants through an academy on their dime then get it done on your own to make you more desirable.

On the surface it doesn't sound like you have a bad past. Some questions may come up but nothing that sounds too damning. If you really want on as a LEO, getting to a bigger department is going to increase your odss greatly. You can always transfer over to another department. (some complications but can be done) Good luck.

[superdave29]

Thanks for the advice. I'll also check on the bigger cities like Nashville,St.Louis,Louisville if it will help me get a job better.

Yeah the police,deputies,campus police in this town seem to mostly be 4 year military and/or college though I have heard of exceptions where people got hired with no apparent education or experience. Guess it won't hurt to show determination on my part.

Nothing really else that couple be a negative other than the fact I've smoked pot before while in college and I've taking prescription painkillers for recreational purposes.Both happened like 10 years ago.I'm sure my Navy tour will present questions but I'm not too worried about it because I would consider it very minor.

[Bodie]

Bigger cities will most likely require a degree so at least finish a two yr and start work of 4 yr.

[superdave29]

Really?I figured bigger cities would not be a strict as smaller towns that can be choosey.

Bleh, it would take me over 2-2.5 years to get an Associates since I work 40-50 hours a week. I checked my local college and they said you'd need 42 credits out of the 64 needed for a two year degree to be 300+ level classes,which basically means I'd have to do 42 hours of CRJ classes plus whatever I missed that's required the first time around.

I really would like the fastest option out there. I'm not really trying to rush things but I'm about to hit 30 and I'd rather get a LE job sooner than later if you know what I mean. Get my foot in the door,start the retirement ticker.Starting getting experience. I'm not about to be picky. Anything goes.

[lifesaving123]

I just thought i would quickly add my two cents. Most departments require 60 credit hours (some will sub it for 2 years active in the military). Any dishonorable discharge will disqualify you for the most part, but I seriously doubt you got one of those if you said you weren't charged with anything.

[gotthblues]

Really?I figured bigger cities would not be a strict as smaller towns that can be choosey.
.

you got that backwards,,,bigger pd's pay more and have more activity,,thus they get a butt load of applications and can be very picky
small pd's usually only get a few apps. so they have to cull through them, were i came from we usually only had about 20-30 apps for 3 or 4 spots, we were a 28 unifrm pd.. you go to okla city pd, they have a 40 man class and get 600 or more apps.

[superdave29]

Yeah it was a General Under Honorable Conditions with re-enlistment option.Not the best but the next below Honorable.

There no law enforcement school or something I could realistically go to that would have a good chance of getting a job after?What about the Police Academy movies where they do that and become cops heh.I realize they are expensive and it's usually payed for after you get hired. But then again I'm no expert for sure.

[superdave29]

Uppage for the weekend with maybe more traffic.


Has anyone here gotten hired with no college or military(or very little) and if so what was the determining factor like sending yourself through an academy on your own or some other training that helped you get hired(specifics for a noob)?Stuff other than being related to recruiter/chief/sheriff...etc


I've spent most of the afternoon useing google to look up LE jobs and training all over the country.While it seems I can apply for a lot of these initially by meeting reqs, I'd be taking a huge gamble quiting my steady job and moving to another state or city just to be present for examinations and reviews....and then there's that question about where heh.

I could understand doing that if you had a lot going for you but I don't so I'd pretty much be taken a shot in the dark by moving to a metro area and hoping I can sqeeze in. That's why I'm wanting to consider getting training on my own so I'd have a much better chance, just not much info on that floating around.I'm not even sure what kind of training I should be looking for to get noticed.Do these academies provide you with all you really need for pre-employment consideration?

[K9 Police]

I'd be taking a huge gamble quiting my steady job and moving to another state or city just to be present for examinations and reviews....and then there's that question about where heh.

I would strongly advise NOT to quit your job just to attend testing and interviewing at different agencies. There is no guarantee whatsoever in actually landing a position, and you will be unemployed. Most applicants that do look cross-country try to get into condensed testing sessions that the department hosts so one can go out for 3-5 days and get most of the testing done. Sounds like that would be more feasible for your situation, and something to look into.

K9