EAST TEXAS HOG DOGGERS FORUM

Ive been thinkin real hard on takin the steps towards becomin a cop. Ive been workin for TDCJ since last November and i dont mind the work to terribly bad but hate the pay and not to fond of the change in rank we have so often. Just wonderin what are the first steps i need to take as i have no college hours at all but do have a diploma, i know college aint a requirement in most departments but it definately dont hurt to have it. Any positive or negative input is welcome also.

 start out with your local police sheriff department, if they are not hiring, move to the next closer towns, and so forth. if there is a college close enough that you can attend classes AND they offer a police academy, enroll in the next available class if its possible for you. if you already have the academy and your tclose done, it puts u above the rest of the applicants off the street.

Military or go to Junior College for the hours. I would say to go to your Junior College and talk to them. Maybe a LEO could explain it better but if you did find someone that would hire you then you would just be stuck with no chance for advancement.

Alright thanks yall. Ill stop by Crockett PD tomorrow to see what they have to say

 crockett has a section of AC college, they mite offer the police academy. I know AC in Lufkin did at 1 point, but that was 15yrs ago. if you could get the study material for the tclose and study own your own, that will improve your grades if u get a chance to go to the dept sponsored academy. I thought of doin the same several times, but temple pd said I couldn't smoke or dip even off duty, n I told them they could shove that policy up their 4th point of contact and Texarkana declined me bc I took someone elses meds while I was waiting on mine to be refilled. Lufkin, I cant answer anything on, but I got an old high school/ military guy that mite be able to guide you in the right direction. if I get into Lufkin this coming wkend, ill c if I can locate him. pm your number and ill pass it on to him if you would like

From what ive seen the AC here in Crockett only offers the LVN course. And if i cant have some form of nicotine while off duty then thatll change my mind haha. Me an the ol lady are lookin into movin into madisonville area when the lease is up. I know Madisonville is one of the PDs that dont require college with really good retirement. Like i said ill see what Crockett PD says tomorrow and go from there. Ppreciate your help once again Charles

Alright you asked for it so here goes  ;)

First and foremost i am only speaking for my area and have no idea about yours;

My department and most here dont require a college degree, however my department pays more if you have one(20 bucks a paycheck).  Go do ridealongs with the different departments and talk to the officers you ride with.  Try to ride a couple times at each with different officers.  Young officeers have a different opinion and life views than seasoned officers, plus it gets your face and name known which will help if you apply.  If you ride, wear nice jeans and sneakers and a polo (prefereably not a bright colored one with an undershirt, since most departments make you wear a vest.

Now for the part you wont like; Be prepared to lose friends, for what ever reason you tend to lose touch with folks that arent police officers and sooner or later you distance yourself from them.  Sucks to be introduced to people as the cop.  The pay usually sucks, people hate you until they need you and you get nothing but criticism from most.  And try sitting down to eat a meal in uniform, "I dont mean to interrupt you but can i ask you a question", or "so there are my tax dollars at work", "hey bill they are here for ya", "I didnt do it".

Dont get me wrong i love what i do, but people SUCK!!!  Youll even see it on this website from time to time.  Cop shoots a dog to keep from gettin bit or whatever the case and people up in arms about id shoot the cop!!


Dont wanna discourage you just giving you a heads up on some of the crap we deal with.

Good luck with it.

law dog dont go around here....

from me.....who else. tapatalk

ok ike

Lmao

rdjustham I am not cop and people suck. I have had to take a job in retail. People suck and I have to just smile and be nice to people that really need the poop choked out of them. Plus I bet I get paid even less. Man there are some real sucky jobs. Then you have some rich person talking about how hard it to be rich on the TV. Now that boils my blood.

RDJ I see it the way you do and I am not a cop...

but it is a good thing that some folks want to be cops and others want to be fireman, doctors, nurses, school teachers etc...etc...and these people are born to be in those fields...our GOD knew what he was doing when he made us...and that is what helps in keeping a good balance and order in our world...we are what we are for a reason..

maybe some of us don't like cops but you might be looking at the glass as half empty instead of half full...or maybe you were done wrong by a cop...but day in and day out we need to be thankful for law and order...

I worked tdcj 8 yrs didn't like any part of it.  But no way would I want to be a cop.  In tdc their is smaller amounts of drugs and weapons.  No way would would I want to mess with the same crack heads on the street doped up with weapons. Hats off to all law enforcement.

Thanks guys.

And dub i feel ya, i worked retail while goin through college  >:( >:( >:(

If I thought all people suck, I'd get in another line of work.  Being a police officer means you have to help people, all people, even the ones that suck.   
Getting hit up for driving directions is as much a part of the job as is the 'free food, driving fast, and getting to carry a gun."   

As far as making the decision on going into law enforcement.  You need to ask yourself several questions. 

1.  Do I want to stay near my hometown?
     If you answer "yes" then you might be limiting yourself from the get go.

2.  What type of law enforcement do you want to do?  There are several types, all do things a little differently.
     A. Sheriffs handle the whole county and perform a lot of dfferent tasks.  Pay tends to be lower, benefits are not as good, shifts tend to rotate, politics on the job are a pain in the rear  rear, and you tend to operate solo a lot more meaning your cover may be many miles away, and depending on your counties agreement with Austion you may or may not have to handle a wreck. 

     B. Constables do a lot of traffice enforcement, handle civil disputes, provide cover for deputies, police, and troopers.  All of the pros and cons for being a deputy apply here as well.

     C. City Police, depending on the size of the city, tend to pay much better, benefits are usually great, shifts may or may not rotate, many are protected my unions, politics tend to be less intrusive to the working officer, cover officers are closer as you often team up anyway, you work a smaller area, you can handle anything from wrecks to murders and anything in-between.  Many require a degree of some sort, at least some college hours, your state lic, or the big ones just one you to pass theit tests and they'll send you to their own academy on their dime and pay you while you attend.  In my opinion, that is the way to go.  A big city will pay a cadet more a month while they are in the academy than most 10 year veterans are making in a small town.

     D. Troopers:  Well, get ready to move, and probably more than once.  Who knows where your first assignment will be or for how long it will last?  Pay isn't all that great, politics suck, everybody gringes when they see a trooper, even other cops, and they are usually alone on the highway with no cover anywhere nearby, chasing illegals, doing searches on big rigs, handling all of those wrecks in the counties mentioned aboue that pay Austin for their services, and you get to cover everyone in the county, from cops, deputies, constables, game wardens, school police, you name it....

3.  Pay & Benefits:  Do you want to make good money and have great benefits to boot?  Big city police department.  You just want to make a living, provide a good income for your family, and protect your home city, then go small town.  A big city usually pays good incentives.  For example:  2nd language- $50 a month, Field Training Officer -$265 a month, night shift - $350 a month, BS degree -$250, AS degree $175, plus full medical, dental, and optical.  Overtime at 1.5, premium holidays at 2x, every qaurter you don't call in sick you get an 8 hour bonus day socked away, comp time up to 480 hours, sick days, fitness days up to 5 days per year depending on how studly you are, and did I mention the pension? 

4.  Danger:  They all come with the same risk.  In my opinion, the deputies and troopers got some big chaones, out there in the middle of nowhere like Rambo.  My hats off to them.

A career in law enforcement is a great career, you have to put up with a lot and in return you get a lot.  Being a good officer is not hard, treat all people the way you want to be treated.  When you dealing with the public treat them the way you would want an officer to treat your wife, GF, or sister should they need help from the law.  And never forget that you put your pants on just like everybody else.  Cops have bad days, have bills to pay, kids that act up, get sick, etc. 

Good luck with your decision and if you decide to go big and play big, shoot me a PM.  Can't make any promises but I can put you in touch with a recruiter.

I was in a hurry when I typed that and now, after coming back inside and having time to re-read it, I sure did make some typos.  Honest jethro, I can spell.......   :P

I honestly think ive made up my mind but cant move more than 2 counties away from walker county due to my fiances custody agreement she has with her lil girls dad. Far as pay goes i really just wanna make a decent living for the little family i have goin. Give them somethin my parents werent able to give me growin up. Benefits are definately a plus and i get irritated in big cities. If any if yall are familiar with TDCj i work a level 3 ad seg block day in and day out thats where they put all the big knuckle heads that are border line psychotic or already psychotic. I know workin for TDCJ aint the life i wanna give that little girl and the more that are to come. And law enforcement i think is.

I understand, best of luck to you and my hats off to you for wanting to stay close to home and above all else, putting family first.    Hope it all works out for you and the family.  Sounds like she and the kids are lucky to have you.

 ;)

Pm sent btw

Sounds like I would go with D.  (Have gun will travel mentality .......with a side requirement of being crazy or having brass B@!!$.......)

Where do I sign???   Lol :laugh:

If your lookin to make a good living in law enforcement, be prepared to work extra shifts, off duty details, and as much overtime as you can get. Most of the time, the pay is just enough to scrape to get by.  My brother in law is a police officer in Washington State makin 90k after only 3 years on the job.  The cost of living there though means he and my sister bust their humps to get by.

I made 50k last year and was scrapin at times, and my base is 37k after 8 years, one shooting, broken hand (3x) a good ass whoopin and a blown out knee.  Too add to that the governor has changed and is trying to change again my retirement (which now costs me over 100 bucks a month).

If your looking at LE for pay and benefits, please please please do me and yourself a favor and reconsider.  Ive trained alotta guys who got into this career for the same reasons only for them to leave a short time later because they realized the pay and benefits alone arent worth it, which means someone else who wanted the job for the right reasons didnt get it.

And Dsmith, people suck!  there is no other way around it.  Deal with the incopetance, stupidity and the pure and utter meanness of people for long enough and you too will come to the same conclusion.  Now not saying there are not a lot of great people out there and it is great to be able to truly help someone, but as a collective all of us included the human race SUCKS.

Oh and if you join a dept with a union be prepared to deal with that mess too.  Politics there are just as bad.  If its a sheriff's dept with a union  rolleyes rolleyes.  We just unionized a year or so ago and its been HELL!!!

X 2

He about sums it up I have been in law enforcement 7 years almost 8 now and it is a love hate relationship. I love what I do and my job, but I hate the pay. An yes ALL people suck LOL it makes my day to help people and see their appreciation, but on the other hand whan you deal with the wanna be thugs and number 2 heads who don't give a damn about their life or yours wel.......... lol you have to suck it up and be nice still LOL. Hope you do it if you want to do that and for the right reasons. This job has its own rewards and its own down falls at that. One of the biggest downfalls is the divorce rate. If you do make the streets be sure to join TMPA or one of the other LEO support groups. They can really help when you need it.

^^^^couldnt agree more.  The divorce rate is rediculous.  Have solid friends and watch ur partners back and ull be fine. 

Yall mention the crappy pay and dealin with thugs and all that. Look at TDCJs pay and divorce rate. Before taxes i make a lil over $2,600 a month BEFORE taxes. Thats barely gettin by. Look at TDCJs divorce rate. Its just as bad if not worse.
Law enforcement is somethin ive always been interested in. Growin up all i wanted to be was a marine. My senior year i tore my acl and mcl and played 2 more football games on it never gettin it repaired. Marines wouldnt take me neither would the army. My next option was a game warden got ready to look at colleges and my dad got sick so i had to grow up quick and pay the bills.
Now i have the oppurtunity to be in law enforcement. To try and help a community. DSmith gave me alot of good advice. I know theres gonna obstacles in LE. But what job doesnt have obstacles?
And IMHO if you dont try your best to be the best then whats the point?

Thankyou all for yalls opinions. They have all helped me in one way or another.

18 years working the streets on the east side of San Antonio and an FTO the last 6 years, I think I know what I'm talking about. 
I'm not barely scrappin' by, don't work many extra jobs anymore, base pays about $70K plus the benefits.  Guys that that do work a lot of extra jobs are making 6 figures.  I've got about 6 months total time built up with comp time, holidays, bonus days, sick days, vacation days, and fitness days.  I could literally take off for six months, paid.  I'm maxed out on every column except vacation and I'll have that maxed by the time I hit 20, then I HAVE TO TAKE OFF 2 months a year or I'll lose it.  Yeah, let me complain about that.
My wife, my first and only wife, and I just celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary on the 18th.   We just moved my oldest daughter, who was born the week before I went in the academy up to A&M at College Station.  We had her college tuition paid for by the time she was 10, same with my youngest, the 12 year old.  Been putting the money aside for both since they were born. 
Do I get tired of the "baby momma drama?"  Sure, there are times when enough is enough.  But life is good, the job is great, and I have never, ever in my 18 years dreaded going into work or found myself saying "thank God it's Friday."  I still jump on every call that I can take, whether it's for me or another officer that's already been assigned.  If I can get there first, I take it and cancel them. 
If I honestly thought people suck and found my job to be something I dreaded doing everyday, I  wouldn't keep doing it.  I actually love my job, love dealing with the people, yes, all of them, and highly recommend the job to those that can do it.   
And they don't call the eastside of San Antonio "crack ally" for nothing.  There's a hardly a day/night that goes by without a shots fired call and we average around 3 murders a month.  We joke that no one there has a drivers license but they all know their jail ID number by heart, so that's what we ask for.  When people ask us, 'aren't you guys afraid working the eastside and I always reply, "no, you know everyone is armed, so it takes the guess work out."  70% precent of the people that I 'serve' don't have jobs, vote democrat so they can keep getting SSI, are in a gang, don't own a car legally, and can't tell the truth to save their life.  But I don't have the attitude that people suck.  I just do my job, treat people with respect, and every once in a while, I come across one of those people that actually appreciates us and the job that we do and that's all you can ask for.
The job is what you make it.  People ask me all the time about how do we deal with the stress of the job.  We all laugh at that, "we ask in return WHAT STRESS?"  If I was stressed everyday being a cop, then that means I'm in the wrong job.  If a doctor is stressed because he's about to go into surgery and operate on some guys heart, then he's in the wrong job and I'd hate to be the guy on the table. 
And we got a union, yeah, I'm stressed out about that too.  Thanks to them we are getting another pay raise come October 1st, should I tell the wife?

Well said and good points. Wished our department paid that good LOL. Barely getting 5 an hour lol. BTW don't get me wrong I love my job and doing what I do.

Dsmith, it sounds like your dept is the minority.  to get those kinda benefits here you need to be command staff.  im so used to scrappin by workin like i do i dont know what id do if i made that kinda money, with that much time off.

OPPPSSS jsut saw it left out the 1 LOL. $15 an hour and same here RD

I understand we are the minority, that's why my original post described all the various jobs in law enforcement and I told him if he decided he wanted to go big, I'd point him in the right direction.  He and I have PM'd eachother a few times and he stated he has obligations that dictate he stay near his hometown.  I understand that and respect that.  I'm from the Dallas area, had no issues with moving.  For many, moving is not an option and like I said in my original post, if you can't or won't move, you are limiting yourself on options.
I wasn't going to respond to the post to begin with, I tend to stay away from these online discussions about the job, but with so many 'seemingly' negative posts, I felt compelled to post a positive about the job.  If the young man is interested in the career field, he deserves both sides of the coin.
My hats off to all the guys out there, all across America, doing this dangerous work and not getting much in return for it.  I just chose to go big and I have no regrets.

I've been at it for 6 years... its rough at times, pays decent, alot of off duty available,  alot of over-time on patrol, it makes you appreciate what you have when you deal with the less fortunate,  there is politics but that is everywhere not just LE, get hired on with an agency that has a major highway running through and interdict the hell out of it.. I love my job, look forward to my mondays and kinda hate my fridays.

I looked up a couple of the bigger cities around and huntsville is one of thr ones thatll pay to go through the academy. So im gonna call and see what i can find out when there office is open tomorrow

Good luck

Good luck brother.  It really is alotta fun.  I spent 7 years on the road humpin calls, everything from the rich neighborhood to sneakin through the dope neighborhoods.  Im workin in the marine unit now, runnin boats lookin at bikinis and workin on my tan.  LIfe dont get much better.  Just gotta earn your bones on the street.

That right there is the life lol
I appreciate it yall

Sweet!  And here I thought I had it good.  Now that sounds like the kind of police work I could get used to!   ;D
 

 
 
 

Me I want people to tell me the worst parts of a job so I can make a good decission and be preparred for the bad things. If I know the divorce rate is high then I know I better make sure my wife knows how inportant she is to me. I better come home after a bad day and tell her that I love her and put a smile on my face and leave that bad attitude outside the door. If you know it is going to rain you can get you coat and boots. I would rather be ready for the bad instead of being caught off guard. Then when you wife starts telling you that you are a jerk and acting like a horses rear you will listen instead of telling her she is wrong. I tell people that if the world looks like poop then you must have your head up your @$$.

So man you do what you need to do to take care of your family. Listen to the bad stuff but don't let stop but make you a better man and the kind of cop that if I have to get stopped then let it be by you. I got a ticket from a cop and I still think he was the nicest cop ever even though he gave me the ticket. So I hope you do well and just treat people right no matter what they do to you. Then you can hold your head up where ever you go.

Definately didnt look at what they where sayin as advice till you put it this way. It is greatly appreciated Dub

Wouldn't worry about the divorce rate to much.

There is a remedy that is affectionately known as "Chippies"

Should cover all those sleep on the couch....or get out of my house kinda days.  >:D

Hahaha whats chippies?

Hehe....

For Headache's there is aspirin.
For Hunger there is food.
For plants there is sunshine.
For Hog Hunting there is YBMC.

And for spastic Cop wives that cannot cope .......There are Chippies!

Or so im told...by Cops.  :D

Kinda like sancho? Haha

More like Sanchita !  ;D

Gotcha lol