LE reach out thread

[Rootbeer]

I figured this was the best place to put this thread, if not please advise me to a better location.

So a small background on myself, my name is Tom, I am currently active duty Army, flight paramedic. I have been in the Army for nine years in August, this enlistment will take me to 10 years of service. I spent my first six years as an infantry medic, and the past three in aviation as a flight paramedic. I am looking into transitioning to the reserves and starting a career in law enforcement.

I am just trying to reach out to different LEO's in different areas to try to gather a more broad picture of benefits, pay, retirement and career advancement. I don't have a structured list of questions per-say but would like to get into a discussion about it. Public or PM.

Thanks.

 

[Matt Landfair]

Since this will be a reoccurring theme- might as well keep it public.

 

[ptrlcop]

It would be helpful if you gave some details about where you want to live (at least by region or state or rural vs city) and what type of LE you are looking to get into.

I'll put some more thoughts down when I get the chance

 

[regdudedrtyjob]

http://www.cbp.gov/careers/outreach-programs/veterans

If you like to fly and want to stay in a bird (who could blame you), check out the Air Interdiction Officer page under Careers, then Air and Marine Agent. I have worked and flown with helo crews and interdiction agents before, HUGE assets.

 

[Atlas]

IF you have your civilian paramedic and are ok with utah I would recommend Davis County Sheriff. They have a paramedic/leo program it would give you a leg up on most applicants

 

[Rootbeer]

I apologize ptrlcop, for not putting more information down about myself. My wife wants to move back to Florida, I am looking around in Florida/Georgia. I think I'd prefer City LE versus Rural. I am not that interested in State Police.

I have had two family members that were LE, one was a Sheriff in MD, the other just retired from Atlanta PD. "Unk" who is freshly retired from Atlanta PD, has been talking to me about federal LE to keep my federal retirement going, as well as, looking into being an Air Marshal.

Regdudedrtyjob, Thanks for that info, I will be looking into that.

Atlas, I am fine with Utah, I don't think the wife is okay with Utah. I have no particular care as to where I live, I have been curious about different LE agencies that have a paramedic/leo combo.

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I am trying to figure out where to even start, honestly. I have been in the Army since I was 17, so I understand this system and often get a bit anxious transitioning out of it. I don't really know where to start looking into different agencies about locality, benefits, pay, if their hiring, retirement plans, etc... So, if I had to put out a list of attributes I was looking for and information it'd be the following:

Location : Georgia, Florida
Pay: Just curious as to salary, off-duty opportunities, not a huge factor
Benefits: Also just curiousity, the reserves offer full benefit packages
Retirement: Must have 20 - 30 year retirement
Type of work: City, Interdiction, Federal
Advancement Opportunities: Self-explanatory

I appreciate all the positive feedback so far.

 

[Dr. No]

Some suggestions to think about:

Decide if you have a goal in LE. I was determined to get on a SWAT team and I wanted to be on a premier team, which led me to my department.

I personally prefer "medium sized" departments. Our LE section has 350 Deputies. We have lots of opportunity to do specialized tasks - DWI enforcement, traffic accident units, motorcycles, SWAT, K9, Lake patrol, Dive team, Narcotics, Estray (cowboys), and a few others I'm sure I'm forgetting. We are big enough to have good pay and opportunity, but not too big to be mired in overwhelming political bullshit.

Large departments (1000+) have tons of opportunity and overtime. They tend to do deal with a lot more politics.

Small departments (<150) do not have as much opportunity but you tend to do more. You'll see patrolmen doing Detective work, etc. You will know everyone at your department. Down side to that is if you get into it with someone it is difficult to get away from them.

Pay is important. Don't lie to yourself. However, getting into this world is difficult. Often times guys will get into a less active/smaller department and get a few years of experience before they try to move over to their dream agency. The downside to this is when you move you go back to the bottom of the totem pole, which sucks.

In Texas we can put ourselves through an academy and get our state certification to be a peace officer. The advantage of this is now you are going to a department and showing them that you already have proven to have what it takes to pass the academy. Often times you will get selected over a better qualified candidate who is not certified. Your GI bill will pay for these private academies.

Look around in your desired area. There are TONS of LE agencies. Don't discount Sheriff's Offices even if you don't want to do rural work. I work for an SO in a heavily populated area and while there are some districts where you will chase cows and every call is at a trailer home, the majority of it is like being a city cop because it is heavily populated and just unincorporated in the city. We also have a much better reputation with the community. A lot of it is somewhat based around how we do business - in the county your backup might be 10-15 minutes away so you have to learn how to handle situations differently than if you ride two to a car and you can amp things up and have backup instantly.

 

[Rootbeer]

Some suggestions to think about:

Decide if you have a goal in LE. I was determined to get on a SWAT team and I wanted to be on a premier team, which led me to my department.

I personally prefer "medium sized" departments. Our LE section has 350 Deputies. We have lots of opportunity to do specialized tasks - DWI enforcement, traffic accident units, motorcycles, SWAT, K9, Lake patrol, Dive team, Narcotics, Estray (cowboys), and a few others I'm sure I'm forgetting. We are big enough to have good pay and opportunity, but not too big to be mired in overwhelming political bullshit.

Large departments (1000+) have tons of opportunity and overtime. They tend to do deal with a lot more politics.

Small departments (<150) do not have as much opportunity but you tend to do more. You'll see patrolmen doing Detective work, etc. You will know everyone at your department. Down side to that is if you get into it with someone it is difficult to get away from them.

Pay is important. Don't lie to yourself. However, getting into this world is difficult. Often times guys will get into a less active/smaller department and get a few years of experience before they try to move over to their dream agency. The downside to this is when you move you go back to the bottom of the totem pole, which sucks.

In Texas we can put ourselves through an academy and get our state certification to be a peace officer. The advantage of this is now you are going to a department and showing them that you already have proven to have what it takes to pass the academy. Often times you will get selected over a better qualified candidate who is not certified. Your GI bill will pay for these private academies.

Look around in your desired area. There are TONS of LE agencies. Don't discount Sheriff's Offices even if you don't want to do rural work. I work for an SO in a heavily populated area and while there are some districts where you will chase cows and every call is at a trailer home, the majority of it is like being a city cop because it is heavily populated and just unincorporated in the city. We also have a much better reputation with the community. A lot of it is somewhat based around how we do business - in the county your backup might be 10-15 minutes away so you have to learn how to handle situations differently than if you ride two to a car and you can amp things up and have backup instantly.

Dr. No, thanks for all the insight. It is a lot of information to process. I would like a medium size department, and would like to be part of a department with a very well trained SWAT team. I didn't know there could be so many specialized tasks. I am still researching and gathering information. I really appreciate all the help!

Thanks fellas.

 

[ScottPM09]

I am currently LE in Georgia. Just like in any job, results may vary when observing individual departments (size/resources/training/MORALE/room to grow/etc). If I had to do it over again, I would find the top 3-5 departments that would be a decent fit for me in what I wanted to achieve and then inquire about their ride along program. Just like in the army, the recruiters can blow smoke up your ass all day. But riding in a few different patrol cars with the beat cops can give you an extra bit of insight on the inner workings of the department.

 

[jlw]

I am currently LE in Georgia. Just like in any job, results may vary when observing individual departments (size/resources/training/MORALE/room to grow/etc). If I had to do it over again, I would find the top 3-5 departments that would be a decent fit for me in what I wanted to achieve and then inquire about their ride along program. Just like in the army, the recruiters can blow smoke up your ass all day. But riding in a few different patrol cars with the beat cops can give you an extra bit of insight on the inner workings of the department.

We actually require ride alongs as part of our interview process. An applicant can blow smoke through a formal interview, but getting that by a couple of deputies with functioning BS detectors is hard. We haven't made a bad hire since we started doing this.

I don't even start the formal stuff until my line guys give me a thumbs up.

 

[ScottPM09]

We actually require ride alongs as part of our interview process. An applicant can blow smoke through a formal interview, but getting that by a couple of deputies with functioning BS detectors is hard. We haven't made a bad hire since we started doing this.

I don't even start the formal stuff until my line guys give me a thumbs up.

That is good stuff right there! Unfortunately, the process you mentioned is far out of the norm from what I can tell.

 

[PM07]

Not trying to discourage you but there are several things to consider about this career. It will eat alot of your 'off' time, especially if you start working special units. Also the more hard charging you are, the more it will effect your personal time. More arrests equals more time spent in Court or with the DA/Magistrate. Special Units/Assignments mean more time spent training/working/on call. Promotion means even more disruptions.

 

[PM07]

As for Georgia, there are several great agencies in this state. Much like blonde vs redhead, everyone has thier preference. I started in a big agency, went to a midsize and then to a smaller agency. I found for me the smaller agency worked better for me as far as my reason for becoming a Police Officer. I got to know my residents,both good and bad, which made
the job easier. Politics are everywhere, no matter if it is a
mu.icipality or a county agency.

 

[Lane C]

ATF has a paramedic program for agents on the regional and FT SRT units.
LVMPD has a LE paramedic SAR program. They also support SWAT operations and grow operations.
MD State Police I believe have a paramedic program. Maybe someone out mid-atlantic would have more insight on this.

Some local LE retirements have taken a hit during the last "recession". UT used to have a 50% at 20 yrs service (no age limit), much like the .mil program. It was changed a few years ago to 35% at 25 yrs. So you should research each states or FED retirement programs also.

 

[JimmyGotGlock!]

I apologize ptrlcop, for not putting more information down about myself. My wife wants to move back to Florida, I am looking around in Florida/Georgia. I think I'd prefer City LE versus Rural. I am not that interested in State Police.

I have had two family members that were LE, one was a Sheriff in MD, the other just retired from Atlanta PD. "Unk" who is freshly retired from Atlanta PD, has been talking to me about federal LE to keep my federal retirement going, as well as, looking into being an Air Marshal.

Regdudedrtyjob, Thanks for that info, I will be looking into that.

Atlas, I am fine with Utah, I don't think the wife is okay with Utah. I have no particular care as to where I live, I have been curious about different LE agencies that have a paramedic/leo combo.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am trying to figure out where to even start, honestly. I have been in the Army since I was 17, so I understand this system and often get a bit anxious transitioning out of it. I don't really know where to start looking into different agencies about locality, benefits, pay, if their hiring, retirement plans, etc... So, if I had to put out a list of attributes I was looking for and information it'd be the following:

Location : Georgia, Florida
Pay: Just curious as to salary, off-duty opportunities, not a huge factor
Benefits: Also just curiousity, the reserves offer full benefit packages
Retirement: Must have 20 - 30 year retirement
Type of work: City, Interdiction, Federal
Advancement Opportunities: Self-explanatory

I appreciate all the positive feedback so far.

If your interested in Florida, may I suggest the St. Johns County Sheriffs Office (St. Augustine, NE Florida). Its a mix of metropolitan and rural jurisdiction and has about approx. 300-350 sworn deputies. The agency is part of the Florida Retirement System and St. Johns County has the best public school system in the state of Florida. Also, the agency just implemented a new step-program so the deputies are pulling in more money now (Did I mention all the off duty gigs you could possibly want ?). You mentioned looking for a well trained SWAT team too. The St. Johns County S.O. regularly hosts classes from guys like Larry Vickers and Pat McNamara. They also pull Tom Spooner and Zach from Northern Red to lead their CQB stuff. I recently finished up an internship with St. Johns County S.O., and everyone there seemed to love working for that agency.

 

[JekPokins]

I'm closing in on 12 years at a 120+ sworn county sheriff's office in Central AL. We are the most affluent county in the state, and that reflects in our payscale and benefits fortunately. Because of that lots of good folks are always looking to work here, and we get a lot of good guys. Sometimes it seems that we over-favor education to experience, but that is what it is. Our county ranges from a small portion of a metro (at least by AL standards) jurisdiction that is not unlike municipal policing as far as working patrol all the way to river rats and otherwise extremely rural areas, widespread suburbia in between. We contribute to and or host multiple joint task forces and we maintain a very decently trained, part time, multijurisdictional tac team. For an agency our size we do have a lot of opportunities for specialization. For instance in my 12 years I have worked patrol, narcotics, protective services (prisoner transport), and hopefully next year a full time gig in the training division. Throughout 10 of those 12 years I've also been a member of the tac team.

For the cons, there is much dog and pony show to deal with, especially as LE is pushed in the kinder/ gentler direction. "My neighbors dog took a dump in my yard" is a common call that we are subject to answer. I'd say that we deal with the average amount of politics and BS compared to other area agencies. Having dispatched at a small municipal agency while in college and now working at a county agency, I could not imagine being cooped up in a small municipal beat. My former patrol beat was close to 200 sq mi of suburban municipalities and the unincorperated surrounding areas.

I would definitely look for an agency with decent specialization opportunities, especially with your background. I'm quite sure there are agencies similar to ours in GA and FL, and definitely try and do some ride-alongs with any prospective agencies you seriously consider seeking employment with. The true pulse of an agency usually best felt while in the company of the line troops.

 

[voodoo_man]

We actually require ride alongs as part of our interview process. An applicant can blow smoke through a formal interview, but getting that by a couple of deputies with functioning BS detectors is hard. We haven't made a bad hire since we started doing this.

I don't even start the formal stuff until my line guys give me a thumbs up.

I like this.