How to afford being a Cop?

[k5fan01]

Hey all,
First off I want to say Hey. I have been following the forums and officer.com for awhile and enjoy it. There is a lot of expierence out there to help people.


Well my question is....I have been looking at NYPD and LAPD. I have reviewed their salaries and also have looked at how much apartments are there. How do officers afford it??? For example, a one bedroom one bath hole in the wall will cost around 2000 a month. I just dont see how they can afford it off of the salaries they get. :confused:

If yall know the trick let me know. I really want to work for one of the two but dont see how I would be able to.

Stay Safe out there and thanks for your help.

[irishlad2nv]

You either shack up with other officers or look at other departments to work at besides the two biggest agencies in the country.

[justice12]

If yall know the trick let me know. I really want to work for one of the two but dont see how I would be able to.



There's no trick to it. 1000's have done it and will continue to do it. Living at home w/ the parents and/or racking up credit card debt is a reality for many police officers.

That said, it is always helpful if you get hired in an area that you know. Besides the aforementioned parentals, you have friends/family that you can rely on. Also, you know the area so you know how to get around and find cheap housing, etc. Not having student loans is a plus too. :p

FYI, you can do a lot better in NYC than 2000 for a 1 BR hole in the wall. Like I said, people from NYC know how to live in the city cheap.

[Mtclem4]

I live in an area of the country where police officers make decent money in comparison to the population. I have a little creditcard debt but working a little OT knocks that debt down.

I am by no means rich but I can afford to have a decent house, car, take a few trips a year. i also have student loans too and I didn't come from money. At least where I live, I don' t understand how anyone can say cops don't make alot of money. I just don't see it.

[irishnut]

K5, Why dont you stay here in GA? There are some great Agencies here. Plus, you might be able to find a gig as a courtesy officer and pay nothing.

[pkagel]

It's all relative to where you live. In Los Angeles County we have officers starting around 55k with houses in decent areas starting around 550k. I would probably be safe to assume that your house is twice the size of the houses in CA that I am talking about and that they don't cost 10 times your salary. Heck, my mom just sold here HUGE house in Grosse Isle, MI for a little over half what I sold my house in CA for but my house in CA was 50 years old and 1200 sq ft on a tiny lot.

NYPD is even worse, 25k a year to start, that isn't good no matter where you live.


I am by no means rich but I can afford to have a decent house, car, take a few trips a year. i also have student loans too and I didn't come from money. At least where I live, I don' t understand how anyone can say cops don't make alot of money. I just don't see it.

[jnhdrac]

Avoid credit card debt and drive a car you can afford. It seems half the guys I work with live a comfortable middle class life, or even better. The other half are a paycheck away from bankrupt. Cars, boats, motorcycles, and the ever popular ex-wives are the common denominators of the latter group. On our salaries, you can afford a luxury or two, but you can not afford them all.

[SlowDownThere]

I mean it. Get a spouse that can support your law enforcement habit. That's how most of us do it.

[L-1]

Hey all,
For example, a one bedroom one bath hole in the wall will cost around 2000 a month. I just dont see how they can afford it off of the salaries they get.

I can't speak for NY, but in the LA area you can get a rather nice three bedroom apartment for $2,000 per month, a two bedroom for around $1,500 and a one bedroom for around $1,200. The problem is knowing what is a good area, what is not, and how to find the rentals. Most out of area folks go to one of the rental agencies that charge you $65 for a month's worth of listings to check out. Landlords that list with them tend to have better quality properties. In addition, landlords figure that if you can afford the $65 fee, you are not trash.

[k5fan01]

K5, Why dont you stay here in GA? There are some great Agencies here. Plus, you might be able to find a gig as a courtesy officer and pay nothing.


I was looking into and probably will. I am just trying to keep several options open if my first few dont work out. I would like to work for Dekalb, APD, or Gwinnett here in GA. I have done the courtesy officer thing and it was a huge relief on the bills. That is one of the reasons I love LE in GA, they take care of the officers.

Yeah as far as everything else, it is too bad officers in LA and NY have to struggle like that. I dont know if I could do it.

[McPhenius]

In South Florida, where I am, the housing market was on a recent boom. Many younger cops have apartments or rent houses. I stuck away quite a bit for about 10 years and got in just before the market boomed and bought a nice home.

It is planning financially, although sometimes luck helps.

[Washingtonian]

Avoid credit card debt and drive a car you can afford. It seems half the guys I work with live a comfortable middle class life, or even better. The other half are a paycheck away from bankrupt. Cars, boats, motorcycles, and the ever popular ex-wives are the common denominators of the latter group. On our salaries, you can afford a luxury or two, but you can not afford them all.

You hit the nail on the head. I've known too many people who had to have all the toys... motorcycle, brand new pickup truck every couple years (to keep up with the other guys getting them), boats that they used once or twice a year, bigger house than they could afford, usually an ex-wife and some kids thrown in there somewhere too. Of course they're going to have financial troubles, the profession they're in doesn't matter. The vast majority of PD's pay enough to live comfortably, as long as you live within your means.
Although they could always pay a little more ;)

[That Guy]

You hit the nail on the head.

Ditto. Plus work for a dept that pays you well period. I'm sorry but I'd have a hard time going to work to any job that paid me crap when I could do it for more money elsewhere. Many cities don't give a rat's arse on raising pay when people continue to work there.Until they start matching and being competitive I'll stay put.
I give a lot of credit to those working for pebbles who have to work multiple jobs to stay above.
Also yes live below your means. If you want more you have to make more.

TGY

[waffles]

Yeah as far as everything else, it is too bad officers in LA and NY have to struggle like that. I dont know if I could do it.

Honestly, to me NYPD pay doesn't look so bad after you've been on for 5 years.

[k5fan01]

Honestly, to me NYPD pay doesn't look so bad after you've been on for 5 years.


Yeah it does. But how would you survive meanwhile. Good on the guys that do it. You must really like the job to do it for what you do.

[ud22206]

work alot of overtime!!

[JakeK]

One of the many things my family said to me when I told them what I wanted to do with my life (besides being 6'4'' is too short for a cop, 190 lbs. is too thin for a cop, etc.) was that cops don't get paid much. I suppose in some areas they don't, but cost of living is different everywhere.

Imagine being a cop in one of those major cities, with a wife, children, multiple car payments, college for the kids, mortgage, etc. I'm glad it's just me and kitty!

[k5fan01]

hahah No doubt. It is just me the pup and the cat. I thought about my own budget when looking into them. I didnt even consider all that. Good point.

[JakeK]

Yah, most people think all cops have to moonlight. In my area, average pay is about $2600 a month. I could live off that.

[blackandgold978]

One of the many things my family said to me when I told them what I wanted to do with my life (besides being 6'4'' is too short for a cop, 190 lbs. is too thin for a cop, etc.) was that cops don't get paid much.

Hopefully, you told them that it greatly depends on where you live and what department you work for. I earn a salary that keeps me quite comfortable. I daresay that several other LEO's on the board will agree.

[That Guy]

Hopefully, you told them that it greatly depends on where you live and what department you work for. I earn a salary that keeps me quite comfortable. I daresay that several other LEO's on the board will agree.


*Rasies hand*

[ftlaudcop]

Yeah it does. But how would you survive meanwhile. Good on the guys that do it. You must really like the job to do it for what you do.
************************************************** *******

survive: no credit cards, get a room mate, no car pay ments....

it's called make sacrifices....or go flip burgers at burger king.....





www.schackdaddy.com

[Bigg Dogg]

I mean it. Get a spouse that can support your law enforcement habit. That's how most of us do it.


That is exactly what i had to do.She is a RN and makes about 50 grand a year,for most of our marriage,my take home has been less than 10 grand a year.

[EMTFirefighter]

I mean it. Get a spouse that can support your law enforcement habit. That's how most of us do it.
My girlfriend's going to law school, I can't wait until she becomes a lawyer. :D

[Tikidaddy]

Bottom line is, if you want it bad enough and you love the job...You'll do it. Besides NYPD officers get alot of overtime and that helps.

[That Guy]

Bottom line is, if you want it bad enough and you love the job...You'll do it. Besides NYPD officers get alot of overtime and that helps.


That's great they have the ability to make some extra dough but when do we draw the line?
I used to work all the OT I could get my hands on because I liked the money and the work. I found that I was burning myself out and not spending much time at home. Now I work a small amount at a time.

TGY

[Trix]

This points to a fundamental question: What are salaries like.

I live in Ottawa, Ontario Canada and am a psychological profile away from being hired. Now initially I'll be taking a huge paycut 43k(US) to 24(US) (I currently work as a research assistant for the City) but will the pay scale reaches 57k(US) after 36 months. Is this sort of range 24-57 over a 3 year period comparable to anything any of you have experienced?

[Washingtonian]

This points to a fundamental question: What are salaries like.

I live in Ottawa, Ontario Canada and am a psychological profile away from being hired. Now initially I'll be taking a huge paycut 43k(US) to 24(US) (I currently work as a research assistant for the City) but will the pay scale reaches 57k(US) after 36 months. Is this sort of range 24-57 over a 3 year period comparable to anything any of you have experienced?

Yeah, it's fairly common. Once you get through with training/probabion, you start making decent money.
The first year is rough a lot of times. But then again, you're getting paid training.

[chktovegas]

Once again: Live within your means. If I want material possessions, I work overtime for them. I did not come from money and I am a transplant to the GA area. There are several cops that I work with that do this job as a hobby. This is because "mama and daddy" owned land and sold it as the population got larger, then passed the money down to their pampered kids. There are other cops that like to "keep up w/the Jones's" They have all the materials but are a slave to their part-time gigs. I constantly hear their spouses whine about how they are never around

[Five-0fromSoCal]

Not that hard. Our dept. has unlimited overtime and its not going anywhere for a long time. We have over 1500 vacancies on our dept right now. The pay isnt bad either for the guys just starting out. You just have to move out a little further. Everyone does it.