Son wants to be an officer...

[cutestgirly1]

Hello,

My son who is 16, wants to go to school to be a police officer. I am ok with this. I guess I wondered if you could give me any advise either way. Is this a good or bad thing? What should he pursue specialty wise? How is the job outlook.
I understand he is the one making these decisions, I would just like to be knowlegable enough to help him thru this.
Thank you:p

[IPDBrad]

I can only imagine jobs will get more competitive in this market. Can be a solid career, recession proof, although some depts have had recent layoffs.

I am in Indy and we are still hiring.

I would direct him towards studying Spanish language. Fluency in this area will put him heads and tails above similar applicants. If he doesn't go into LE, this will obviously help him in any number of careers over the next several decades.

[RoadKingTrooper]

Sticking out your tongue? LOL

In high school I assume, PE, English, History, Social Studies, Spanish are all good to have as is math.

Can't say if it is good or bad, that would be his decision. Biggest thing he can do starting right now is keep his nose clean!

Realizing that people who use dope aren't friends, nor those who like the excitement of "getting away with stuff"

Probably the best dialogue with him would be to realize what he expects from the career. Realistically a Cops life is not what is depicted in the movies or TV.

[Magic Matt]

Stay out of trouble and away from drug use.

Police explorer program is a great way of “exploring” policing to see if he really likes it.

If he does than; 2-4 years of college (Criminal Justice, Spanish, writing, psychology and related courses would be helpful).

Many departments look favorably on military veterans and give veteran bonus points when hiring.

Pay and Retirement benefits are very good in many places, there are many advantages besides the regular salary (overtime, shift differential, holiday pay, extra duty pay) .

[Tpr]

..........

[hemicop]

Stay away from drugs, INCLUDING friends who use. Get in shape, work hard on spelling & grammar. If he's going to college, DON"T major in Crim Justice, as it's too limiting & he may not be able (due to injury or whatever) to have a full 20year career & he needs something to fall back on. If he can/wants to the military is a good thing, although being an MP doesn't make him any more attractive to a PD, IMO. If an Exploroer program is availible, let him sign-up. It'll give him a taste of it all to see if he really wants it.
I was 16 too when I first considered a LE career. It all kinda worked out, but I wish someone had told me the real "negatives" of the job instead of just saying "Don't do it!". I might have done something else, but OVERALL it's a good, honorable, career that most anyone after completing 20 years or so can be proud of............

[CruiserClass]

Hello,

My son who is 16, wants to go to school to be a police officer. I am ok with this. I guess I wondered if you could give me any advise either way.

Keep in mind that he's at least 5 years, realistically about 9 years, away from being hired as a sworn officer. Its great he knows what he wants to do, but keep the door open for other possibilities and have a "in the mean time" plan.

Right now he probably needs to worry about what most high schoolers need to worry about. College and/or military, keeping his record clean, and building some real world work experience.

[cutestgirly1]

He is a very good kid. Stays out of trouble for the most part. Is very much into athletics (wrestling and such)However he does not get the best of grades. He has just put out applications and such for jobs and he is for sure worried about teenager stuff (Loves the girlies!)
Thank you for alll of the answers and direction, He wanted to know all of this as well, so it is very helpful to him. He is planning on attending the career center this next school year, so that should give him a little more insight.

Oh yeah and I like the little smiley face with the tongue! he is a cute little guy!

[JSD73]

Most importantly is keep his nose clean and get a good education.

With all due respect, if that's you in your avatar, well, he gots him a hot mom.

[knocked out]

Most importantly is keep his nose clean and get a good education.

With all due respect, if that's you in your avatar, well, he gots him a hot mom.

AGREED

[R.A.B.]

Most importantly is keep his nose clean and get a good education.

With all due respect, if that's you in your avatar, well, he gots him a hot mom.

+1 on all the above, makes me want to go to Michigan to get some physical therapy.

[Rush817]

Do all the above and make sure he keeps track of all his employers and all the places where he has lived because when he does have to fill out that thick PHS, it will make it that much easier to complete. Make sure he makes a copy of his 1st completed PHS so he doesn't have to go searching for all that info over again.;)

[On The]

I'd encourge him to explore other options. I don't think the realities of this job have ever been more disconnected with what a typical 16 year-old would expect them to be than they are now.

It's a decent job and will probably be one of the last jobs where a kid who doesn't get really good grades in school can earn a good living with a much better than average pension (but those are being attacked more than ever too). But personally, I wouldn't want my kids to be municipal cops in the early to mid 21st century.

[BigTrey37]

Just tell him to keep his nose clean...and don't steal or do dope...Also sociology or physcology...or some type of social science would be a good major in college

[oneoldcop]

He is a very good kid. Stays out of trouble for the most part. Is very much into athletics (wrestling and such)However he does not get the best of grades. He has just put out applications and such for jobs and he is for sure worried about teenager stuff (Loves the girlies!)
Thank you for alll of the answers and direction, He wanted to know all of this as well, so it is very helpful to him. He is planning on attending the career center this next school year, so that should give him a little more insight.

Oh yeah and I like the little smiley face with the tongue! he is a cute little guy!

it's not uncommon for a young guy (especially one interested in LE) to have less than stellar grades; the issue could be that he is less than interested in school work because he's bored with it. Could be it's not challeging enough. I know it's hard to believe...:p (since you like him so well)
Statistically officers did not get the best grades in school because they were bored.
A lot of suggestions have already been mentioned, explorers etc.
Good luck, tell him you support him in his decision, it does make a difference.

[PtlCop]

First off, from the look of your picture, I cannot believe that you have a 16 year old son! You look about 25 :)

Secondly, Spanish will be helpful. Some courses or some training in some type of advanced defense tactics (ground fighting is helpful) will prepare him for some of the seedier things he may face. If he can't hack rollin around and being bent like a pretzel, he can't hack being a patrol officer.

Thirdly, tell him to do ridealongs with several departments. This way he'll figure out if he wants to work in a high crime area doing mostly reactive patrols, or work in a lower crime area doing proactive police work. An officer may be very well equipped to work in a reactive job, but not a proactive one and vice versa. This will also give him a chance to see the ins and outs of the job. It's not all 'runnin and gunnin' like on TV.

Fourth, tell him to stop watching shows like COPS and other police procedural shows. They're worthless and actually can have an affect on the way a new recruit works on the street. Although, if he's watching Third Watch...that's fine, because Boscorelli should be our model for police work :)

Fifth, go to the funeral of an officer, who was killed, in your area. I went to one before I became a police officer and it was eye opening. If he's hesitant after it, he might not be willing to make the ulimate sacrifice in the line of duty. If he has the same reaction that I had, which was one of immense pride and a desire to hunt down the people responsible and bring them to justice...then he might have what it takes.

Sixth, talk to current officers, maybe enroll in a citizens academy or explorer program. This will allow him to learn certain nuances (legal, procedural) beyond what can be covered on a ridealong, and it may doors to that agency when he begins to apply for jobs.

Seventh, you really don't have a 16 year old son do you? I still can't believe it!

[On The]

First: I don't know where people come up with the idea that you can't do proactive police work in a busy urban department.

Second: How is attending a police funeral an "eye opener" for a 16 year-old kid interested in a police career? To show that you can be killed on the job? Most, or close to an even number of cops are killed in car wrecks as compared to being feloniously killed. If that's some sort of insight into police work, go to the funeral of someone killed in a car crash. Not sure what you're getting at. Most cops eventually die too young from a crappy diet, not enough exercise and the stress of a screwed up schedule. I guess you could have him go to the funeral of a 50 year old retired cop who died of a stroke, heart attack or cancer to get just as much insight into police work as you could from a funeral for a active officer.

[sigcopper]

Boy, your son does have a hot mom. I'd be more than willing to come to MI and mentor you and your son. Back to the subject....take a look at the hiring and recruitment section at the top of this forum. You will find all kinds of folks that keep asking the same question....what are my chances of becoming a cop. There are a lot of questions about past drug use, crimes that they did in the past and bad credit. It is really sad to see so many people that won't get hired due to some really stupid things they did while they were younger. What your son does today can and will have an affect on his ability to become a cop. I'd really study those threads since they can give you the insight as to what will wash any applicant out of the hiring process. At 16 I'd be looking at some colleges that can offer a liberal arts degree program so he, if he changes his mind and wants to become a firefighter (everybody loves a firefighter)or get into the medical field, will have the opportunity to change his major. I have a BS in Criminal Justice and am working toward my MA. A college degree can never be taken away from you.

Jobs are great to keep keep kids out of trouble. I have a 15 year old that is a good kid. For me....keeping him in school and him getting good grades is the most important thing. He also is in 2 sports and has lettered 4 times now. That, to me, is more important than a job. I need him to get good grades for scholarships to college (since police work isn't the most highly paid profession). His work history will come later. He does the odd jobs around the house and for his grandparents and he can earn money and learn about resonpsibility that way.

If your town has an Explorer Post I'd look into that also. If there is anybody that you know that is a cop, I'd introduce your son to him. If there is a cop at your son's school, the next time you are there you should introduce your son to the school cop and let the cop know that your son is interested in become one. When I was a school cop I took an interest in those that wanted to become a cop when they "grow up".

Volunteering would be another good thing for your son to do. This would also look good on a college application. Becoming involved in your community, such as volunteering at a food shelf, would look great on an application. Since we in LE deal with these people the most he could see how others live and appreciate what he has.

The most important things are: KEEP YOUR NOSE CLEAN, get good grades, stay active, LEAVE THE GIRLS ALONE...THEY ARE ONLY TROUBLE AT 16 and treat others the way you would want to be treated.

Good luck!

[PtlCop]

First: I don't know where people come up with the idea that you can't do proactive police work in a busy urban department.

Second: How is attending a police funeral an "eye opener" for a 16 year-old kid interested in a police career? To show that you can be killed on the job? Most, or close to an even number of cops are killed in car wrecks as compared to being feloniously killed. If that's some sort of insight into police work, go to the funeral of someone killed in a car crash. Not sure what you're getting at. Most cops eventually die too young from a crappy diet, not enough exercise and the stress of a screwed up schedule. I guess you could have him go to the funeral of a 50 year old retired cop who died of a stroke, heart attack or cancer to get just as much insight into police work as you could from a funeral for a active officer.

I've worked in both a very busy urban department, where we markon duty and had 30 pending runs in our district. Being proactive in that type of department is much more difficult than being proactive in the other type of department I worked in. Where you marked on duty and had maybe 3 or 4 radio calls for service per shift. Being proactive in that type of department is much easier. When your entire shift, as a basic patrol officer, is spent clearing calls for service and taking case reports, there's typically not a lot of proactive...go out and hunt the criminals time. In a department where you're not as busy, you can do more of that.

There's a difference in the "reality check" factor of an officer killed in a car accident, or by a bad diet, compared to one killed by an act of man. Everyone knows, from the time they start driving, that you can be killed behind the wheel of a car. Everyone knows that a poor diet and poor exercise will trim years off your life. Not everyone understands the reality of making a traffic stop, and it being the last act you make on earth. Not many people understand the harsh reality of responding to a domestic and being ambushed. There's a massive difference. Anyone behind the wheel of a car knows they can die, and there's typically things that people can do to mitigate the risk of a vehicle accident or a heart attack. Human action can't typically be mitigated. Going to a funeral of an officer who was killed because he showed up to do his job, is an absolutely eye opening experience, especially when the incident which caused it, is explained to the teenager. It will show him that the job does have its very, very serious risks.

I've seen multiple people who wanted to get into police work attend funerals for an officer killed in the line of duty. When you see the grieving widow, children, the honor guard, the long procession of squad cars, the dress blues, the 21 gun salute, the tears on the eyes of hardened road officers...it gets to somebody, especially when they think of themselves in that situation. I've seen some of these people who have gone to funerals, swear off ever getting into police work.

It works, trust me.

[On The]

It works, trust me.

It works to accomplish what? How many cops were killed feloniously last year? Fifty or sixty? How many cops are on the job across the country? A half million or so? In a little while you're probably going to have a better chance of being killed by the Mexican flu.

Being a voyeur at a funeral doesn't provide any more insight into this job that couldn't be gained by reading the newspaper. Lots of drama, sure. Not much objectivity. In fact, unreasonably overplaying the danger of being murdered on this job probably scares people away who may have been very good police officers.

[Ofc P]

Tell him to be patient! He might get hired as an aux. officer making $1 a year at first and then get lucky and move up to part time. A couple of years down the road he might hit pay dirt and score a full time job making crap for money like the rest of us.

Its easy to get frustrated at first because your working your tail off and not getting anywhere fast. Tell him if he's in it for the money and glory find another job. He has to want to do it because he likes to do it.

[PtlCop]

It works to accomplish what? How many cops were killed feloniously last year? Fifty or sixty? How many cops are on the job across the country? A half million or so? In a little while you're probably going to have a better chance of being killed by the Mexican flu.

Being a voyeur at a funeral doesn't provide any more insight into this job that couldn't be gained by reading the newspaper. Lots of drama, sure. Not much objectivity. In fact, unreasonably overplaying the danger of being murdered on this job probably scares people away who may have been very good police officers.

What's your issue? No reason to be butthurt. It was a suggestion, i'm not advocating making it standard hiring practices.

It works, I've seen people who don't understand that you can be killed on the job who have decided that it's a risk they don't want to take. I've also seen rookies who refuse to acknowledge that they can be hurt, get in their first fight and freeze up. Those people never accepted the inherent risks in their jobs.

If you think reading the newspaper about a dead police officer is ANYWHERE near as powerful as attending a police funeral, that's a sad commentary on your attitude towards death and the realities of it.

How is ensuring that, BEFORE a department spends thousands of dollars training and equipping a young recuit, he understands the risks associated with the job "unreasonably overplaying" it? It's now unreasonable to think that we could be murdered just for wearing the uniform?

Like I said, i've seen it work before, it was a suggestion, not a demand. I don't need to be lectured by the likes of you.

[Kieth M.]

I cut and pasted this from another similar reply, most have already been posted to you mixed in with the compliments and passes...you must be blushing at all this...;)

1) Manage money smartly, don't get too in debt.
2) Maintain a level of physical fitness.
3) Stay out of trouble with the law.
4) Avoid drugs altogether, excess alcohol intake, and associating with those who don't avoid those things.
5) Make sure you choose wisely in your personal relationships (dating/marriage).
6) Treat everyone in your life as though, one day, they'll be asked questions about you.....because they will, during a background investigation.
7) Keep your heavy foot off of the gas pedal.
8) I always tell people to avoid that CJ degree...find another field of study. All the things you learn in CJ will be covered in an academy.
10) Learn to speak, read, write a second language....one required for the area you wish to work...Spanish most everywhere, but depending on where you want to work, there may be another.
11) Find a way to do some volunteer/community work. Oral boards love that stuff!
12) Never leave a job, except for another better job and give two weeks notice. Leave a lasting impression on the boss which means he/she would take you back in a NY minute.

...and...

13) Start now, to keep a rolling record of every place you've lived, worked, gone to school....when it comes time to fill out your first BI packet, you'll be glad you did.

[On The]

What's your issue? No reason to be butthurt.

My issue is that I disagree with you as to the value of attending police funerals as a way of gaining insight into this job. I don't think I did it rudely either. I've never met a police officer, new or otherwise, who didn't know they could be killed on the job without having to attend a police funeral to figure it out. I also think you tend to overplay the potential danger of law enforcement in general.

I don't need to be lectured by the likes of you.

I'm not lecturing, I'm offering an opposing point of view, mostly for other people to read. I'm sure it's not going to change YOUR mind, but it may put things in persepective for others. I hope that when you're telling young officers or potential officers at a police funeral that "See, this could happen to you..." You're also telling them that there's about a 99.9998% chance he or she WON'T be killed on the job. Chances of being killed on the job are what...less than 1 in 8,333, assuming 60 felonious deaths per year per 500,000 cops? What about the odds of anyone, cop or non-cop, dying in a car crash? How about 1 in 6500 per year, OR, 1 in about 83 during a lifetime? Chances of dying in an airplane crash over your lifetime? 1 in 5,000. Is this job really THAT dangerous, relatively speaking?

If you're worried about someone "freezing up" in their first fight, I think it would be more constructive to train with boxing in the police academy like they used to do, as opposed to taking people to police funerals to illustrate how dangerous the job is.

[JK4629]

The job outlook in Michigan is absolutely terrible right now. If he were graduating the academy at this point in time it's very possible that he could be testing with up to 300 people for a 1 open full-time position at a lot of departments throughout the state. Don't let that discourage him though, he has a good 5 or 6 years before he needs to worry about that and hopefully by that time things will start looking better in this state. If not, out of state is a very viable option.

In the mean time just make sure he keeps his nose clean, and does the best he can academically. Everyone coming into the field now has at least an associates degree for the most part. Encourage him to get his bachelors by all means! Also, if any of the local departments have an explorer/cadet program that would be a great starting point for him as well.

[PtlCop]

My issue is that I disagree with you as to the value of attending police funerals as a way of gaining insight into this job. I don't think I did it rudely either. I've never met a police officer, new or otherwise, who didn't know they could be killed on the job without having to attend a police funeral to figure it out. I also think you tend to overplay the potential danger of law enforcement in general.



I'm not lecturing, I'm offering an opposing point of view, mostly for other people to read. I'm sure it's not going to change YOUR mind, but it may put things in persepective for others. I hope that when you're telling young officers or potential officers at a police funeral that "See, this could happen to you..." You're also telling them that there's about a 99.9998% chance he or she WON'T be killed on the job. Chances of being killed on the job are what...less than 1 in 8,333, assuming 60 felonious deaths per year per 500,000 cops? What about the odds of anyone, cop or non-cop, dying in a car crash? How about 1 in 6500 per year, OR, 1 in about 83 during a lifetime? Chances of dying in an airplane crash over your lifetime? 1 in 5,000. Is this job really THAT dangerous, relatively speaking?

If you're worried about someone "freezing up" in their first fight, I think it would be more constructive to train with boxing in the police academy like they used to do, as opposed to taking people to police funerals to illustrate how dangerous the job is.

To answer your question, yes this job is that dangerous. If you want to measure the "danger" in the job, you need to ignore the death rate. There are many, many more "deadly" jobs out there. There are few more "dangerous" jobs. Typically, in a dangerous job, you can mitigate the danger almost to being non-existent. On this job, you can mitigate all YOUR faults, but there's a human element that you can't control. I'm sure you've been in fights where if you hadn't been prepared to fight for your life, you could have been killed right?

I'm not a fan of the whole "learn on the fly" technique that a lot of departments are employing these days. The time ot learn that you don't have what it takes to fight for your life, or to pull the trigger, or to put yourself in harms way willingly, is way before you put on the badge and go to work.

The shock value of seeing the entire funeral is the most powerful commentary on the dangers of the job that you can see. I don't think anyone will disagree with that.

Additionally, sorry if my last post was a big...rough, bad night at work!

[fleetguy]

The pay sucks, the hours drain the body, on your day off you go into the station to finish paper work, and your wife sleeps alone most of the time, but I would not trade it for anything. I dunno why I love being the police, I just do.

[PtlCop]

The pay sucks, the hours drain the body, on your day off you go into the station to finish paper work, and your wife sleeps alone most of the time, but I would not trade it for anything. I dunno why I love being the police, I just do.

You go to the station on your days off? You gotta quit that nonsense! Take the day, go do something relaxing!