Should I go into law enforcement?

There's a lot of that going around. It's getting harder and harder to stay

 

In 2000 I did several ride alongs with a small police department. One of the men, an older guy, very "old school" (carried a revolver) and a great man by any definition, had some lasting advice for me. The county was testing soon and I was giving it some thought.

"Greg, we arrest the same people, every week, for the same offenses. The system really is a 'revolving door.' Divorce and suicide among officers is sky high. Any time you want to 'be cop' call me and you'll get to 'be a cop' for that night, just like tonight."

What really kept me from doing it was the country Lt. over hiring saying I had to quit college because "you'll be in academy." I had scored well on the written and physical tests and had exactly one semester of college left. After I graduated he asked me to retest! LOL

The crazy part is, I get mistaken for police on a constant basis by nearly everyone I come in contact with, including police. "What department are you with?"

Sometimes I wish I had gone forward with it as I think I'd have been a really good officer. However, social media has destroyed policing since no one with a brain wants to be hated by everyone or worse, lose his career and future for literally doing his job! (Ever hear about Darren Wilson?) Result is fewer competent recruits. There are studies to show that IQ and standards of new officers are way down, which might explain why we are seeing more and more abuses and (later) payouts by the taxpayer when those get on the news.

As noted above "administration." Which is why I no longer work for anyone but myself. Started two small businesses and I have no desire to ever work for anyone else, especially the state.

However, I hope things turn around for the country, we cannot survive on the track we are currently on.

 

Criminals are amazing liars. Full-on "professional level" at it. It's amazing to see it. I think the constant contact with such scum can jade an officer to think everyone is like that......I hope not but I think I've seen that in some officers I have known / had contact with.

If the frequent flyers put half as much effort into working, most would be millionaires in no time!

 

I’ll chime in on this, since my career path was career fire service (98-2013), law enforcement (13-23), BACK to fire service 23-present).

Echoing what my man above said, scumbags are professional liars. It was ALL. THE. FUCKING. TIME. The nice thing about my gig was I had a federal badge, and it’s a federal offense to lie to a federal agent (18 USC 1001). I would hold that over scumbags heads but if I’m being honest, I never charged it (that’s an FBI thing). But yes, lies lies lies.

The years under Trump, it was awesome. We were hard charging motherf’ers and locking up very violent people. We actually had the criminal element scared. Then George Floyd happened. My local counterparts became very hands off, for which I DO NOT blame them at all.

I transferred local assignments and worked with a small town gang unit towards the end of my stretch (under the Biden admin), and the goal posts would always keep getting moved from DOJ when we were trying to arrest bad guys federally. Add that in with a piece of shit boss who was a micromanager made me say screw it and go back to the fire service.

LE has definitely changed, and everyone I know still in it cannot wait to retire and get the heck out.

 

Policing is becoming a dead profession. The qualified people with a desire to do the job don’t want to do it with the restrictions/rules/limitations that politicians and department administration wants them to. Add in prosecutors/judges with a progressive mindset that consistently let truly awful people off with little/no punishment and you have to ask yourself why would anyone want to work shift work, holidays, risk injury to arrest someone that will be out of jail before you have finished writing your report

Most departments are simultaneously lowering standards and hiring people that have no business being in law enforcement to check a DEI box. This profession will get worse before it gets better

 

Yup what he said X1000!

 

I was a cop for almost 15 years. I worked for 9 with the Sheriff's Department and did every cool thing you can imagine: gangs, bike unit, swat/cnt, ert, air support unit, and patrol. I left and went to a local police department and worked patrol, swat/cnt, traffic, and motors and was a detective. I quit and became a massage therapist, and I wish I had done that 5 years ago instead of going to the police department. Being a cop now sucks, straight up. Longer retirement, under scrutiny for everything, cameras and phones everywhere. I don't recommend it, especially if you have a career or good experience with something else. I have multiple degrees and for some reason could not get promoted (my test anxiety perhaps), but having another cop with no other experience be "YOUR" leader with 5 years time in grade/service, got real old, real fast. Finally, putting your life on the line for some stupid non-sense and dealing with all the trauma and crap you see, for honestly, not a lot of money or respect, gets old real fast.

Becoming a cop was one of the greatest things I ever did, but I do not recommend it to younger people anymore. There is too much liability at stake. However, I do still have some involvement because I teach multiple subjects at the local academy(firearms, driving, officer survival and officer safety), so I get my fix and fill that way when I miss it.

Good luck.

 

Well said! I couldn’t believe my damn eyes when I was watching federal judges make a mockery of what was supposed to instill fear in shitbags….lengthy federal sentences.

 

Not to mention a horrible LEO when he was one