CA Advice

[bigeagle]

Looking for an experienced CA officer willing to give some honest advice. I'm 29 y/o, working full-time as a paramedic in Grand Rapids, MI. I've decided to go through the academy next year and transition into law enforcement. (I have my bachelor's degree in CJ)

There are basically no law enforcement jobs in MI currently. Most academy graduates are leaving the state.

My wife and I are seriously considering looking at southern CA however I obviously have some concerns. (Cost of living, lifestyle, locations, etc.)

Are there any officers here willing to answer some questions over the next few months as we make a decision?

I appreciate it. You can reach me at joshuatromp@gmail.com.

Thanks.

[ElDiabloJoe]

Sure, just fire away. Oh, I'll be out of town until Monday so website access will be limited.

EDJ

[bigeagle]

OK....let's start with the cost of living. As much as I think we'd love California, it fits our outdoor lifestyle well, I don't want to be so broke we can't enjoy it. One of the reasons I'm switching from EMS to LE is to increase our income/lifestyle. I certainly don't want to take a step backwards by moving to such an expensive area.

I currently make $40k, and my wife makes $30k in management at a YMCA. We own a brand new 1900 sq ft condo in the suburbs with a house payment/taxes of $1200.

The sheriff's department that I'd try to get hired on here pays $40k - $60k. Enough to easily pay our expenses as well as save for retirement.

It appears I could start out in some CA cities around $55k and top out around 75, or even higher. The YMCA seems to pay about the same in the LA and San Diego area's as my wife's Y pays here. So we'd really only be bringing in an extra 15k pre-tax.

I've been looking on-line for houses and they seem to be 400,000 plus for something similar to what we have now.

If we rent (tough to tell anything about the property and neighborhoods on-line) we'd be paying $2500 or more.

So, how do LEO's make it out there? A cop here lives a very decent, middle class, life. Certainly not wealthy but a respectable home, lifestyle, etc.

What standard of living is a police officer able to provide his family out there? Specifically, I'm looking towards an LA suburb or county but that is certainly subject to change.

Do they live in small apartments their whole career? Do they have to commute way out to the boondocks to find an affordable house?

I certainly don't need to live right on the ocean but if I'm going to move to CA I want to enjoy the waterfront and the dynamic cities. If I have to drive several hours to get to the beach I might as well stay here where I'm 30 minutes away!

Outside of housing, what else drives the cost of living so high? Groceries? Gas?

I sincerely thank you for any advice you can give.

JT

[Kieth M.]

Do they have to commute way out to the boondocks to find an affordable house?

Outside of housing, what else drives the cost of living so high? Groceries? Gas?


Most LAPD Officers can't afford to live in/near the City, not that they would really want to, anyway. Most don't like the people supposedly running the city...Mayor Villarabozo, Councilmembers Parks, Wesson, Perry, Hahn, et, al. So many of the cops will buy about 60-90 miles out of town...Lancaster, Palmdale, to the north; Alta Loma, Fontana, Victorville, Riverside and Moreno Valley to the east.

Insurance...both home and auto...is more expensive. I just left CA for CO, and got more coverage for less money. I can't recall where I heard it (or when) but I once heard that insurance rates were based on the attorney-to-population ratio...CA has way too many attorneys. The insurance companies know that most CA folks are lawsuit-happy, and have to keep their war chests full to the brim, just in case they need to defend themselves.

Gas is made more expensive by the additives CA mandates be put into it to cut down on pollution. It gets taxed at both the county and state level. More expensive fuel drives up the cost of everything delivered by truck...which is everything in the market - very little is grown locally in enough quantities to keep the markets fully/regularly stocked.

In my own case, I left a 1645 sq. ft. house, with four small bedrooms and 2.5 baths, on a tiny plot of land, 20 miles from downtown L.A. to Colorado. I now type this from my 4400 sq. ft. home, with four large bedrooms and 4.5 baths, with a 1900 sq. ft. basement, on 1/3 of an acre. The cost? $8K less than what I sold my house for in L.A. County. Noise there? Plenty, 24/7. Noise here? Zero-to-none. Rude people, tatted-up, onion-headed, one-foot-in-the-jail-cell pinheads, Oakland Raider fans, and non-English speakers (of all ethnicities) there?...too many. Here? None that I can't accept, because they're so few in number.

[ElDiabloJoe]

^ I'm moving in with Kieth!!! ^

EDJ

[Kieth M.]

^ I'm moving in with Kieth!!! ^

EDJ

Dude, we've got the room! Douglas County SD is hiring.

On another note, last week I walked into a local gun store. They had one wall strictly devoted (it seemed) to weapons banned in CA. There were AR 15's, AK's, Steyr's...and sitting on the countertop, where you could touch it (if you dared) was the Barret .50 cal. I told the guy I just moved from CA, and couldn't believe the state trusted its citizens with such items. The clerk responded with, "Welcome to Communist-free Colorado."

[savage1]

You can move to Palmdale/Lancaster area. It is about 1 1/2 hours north of L.A. L.A.S.D. serves this area and it is reasonably affordable. They still have new homes in the high 200k range and you can get a mansion for 500k. There are good parts and bad parts of town, but that is the same with all socal towns. I live in Lancaster and it is not too bad. Let me know if you decide this route and I can give some advice on areas or I know a good realtor if you need one.

[MSoCal]

I agree Palmdale & Lancaster is still very affordable and still has great schools (non inner city).. You would have a great lifestyle if you make more than $55k. The only thing you will have to sacrifice is time since you will be commuting. All LE Agencies are an hour plus drive away so even if you get hired by the LA County Sheriff's Dept who patrols both cities you would still have to commute your first couple years to one of the very many jail facilities.
Good Luck!

[bigeagle]

I'll have to get out the map and see where Palmdale and Lancaster are. It'd be tough to get excited about the commute though.

I'm not partial to any departments at this point. Santa Monica and Newport Beach seemed nice and paid well.

Any other cities/counties worth looking at? I don't like too rural, and definitely want to be near (<30 minutes) a decent sized city for restaurants, entertainment, etc.

[savage1]

Santa Monica and the surrounding areas (especially coastal) are outrageously priced for a postage stamp sized piece of land. The Antelope Valley (Lancaster/Palmdale) is a rather large city. It should have just about everything you would need but it is in the high desert. It is 45 minutes north of the San Fernando Valley and if you can't find something you need there, chances are you are not going to find it. I right now commute from Lancaster to Northridge (San Fernando Valley) daily, it is 50 miles one way (45 minutes) and you get used to it really quick. You could also look out in the inland empire area (San Bernadino Sheriff and local agencies, not sure of all of them) and some areas out there are in the same price range as the Antelope Valley.

[ElDiabloJoe]

You guys are neglecting to tell this Michigan guy that Lancaster is in the High Desert. Very cold in winter, EXTREMELY hot in the summer.

EDJ

[bigeagle]

You guys are neglecting to tell this Michigan guy that Lancaster is in the High Desert. Very cold in winter, EXTREMELY hot in the summer.

EDJ

Sounds like Michigan! I don't think your winters are quite as cold, snowy, and long as ours though.

So I suppose if I ask you how hot it gets in the summer you'll say 110 degrees but it's a "dry" heat!!

[MSoCal]

I've decided to go through the academy next year and transition into law enforcement.
If you really are planning to come to CA and pursue law enforcement, You very well could be waisting your time going through an academy in MI because you will be required to attend a CA POST Academy to get hired with any agency. Also the graduation from a MI police academy will not help you get your foot in the door any faster then someone that hasn't.. Just a heads up.

[Kieth M.]

Consider applying, testing, and processing for all the L.A. City agencies: LAPD, LADOAPD (Airports), Port, and LAUSD (Schools) police. There is expedited testing available: written, oral, and physical agility, followed by the BI questionnaire. You're done in about two days and don't have to come back to L.A. until you get a start date. The wait (with BI complications) can take anywhere to 33 months, so why not start testing now, wait to get an offer and decide.

[savage1]

Sounds like Michigan! I don't think your winters are quite as cold, snowy, and long as ours though.

So I suppose if I ask you how hot it gets in the summer you'll say 110 degrees but it's a "dry" heat!!

Winters can get cold. It will regularily get in the teens at night and sometimes some snow, but not often or much. Summers can get hot, but it is no worse than the San Fernando valley. It has been 110 ish in the valley while it is in the low 100's in the Antelope valley this week. Although the humidity has been killer this week with some monsoon storms from the east it is generally very low humidity. But it can get get 110+ but that's why they invented A/C lol.

[SoCalFed]

I myself am not sold on Palmdale or Lancaster. It seems like so many of the folks that got thrown out of LA (i.e. too much heat on them from police, etc.) moved to the Antelope Valley. And boy, there seem to be a TON of 290's (registered sex offenders) out there and more than a few gang bangers.

I know the 909/Fontucky area is pretty popular, as your housing dollar goes further and they are building more shopping centers like the outdoor mall. But the commute will kill you!

Why is no one mentioning Santa Clarita? I know the homes aren't cheap (what is in Southern Cal), but it is closer than the Antelope Valley, and the schools are better there than Palmdale/Lancaster IMHO.

If you want to see what schools are like in a particular area (i.e. you see a house/condo/apt on the net and wonder how the schools are in that area), check out: http://www.greatschools.net It allows you to see the test scores and gives you a rating from 1 to 10...

[FPD GUY]

There are many different alternatives to LAPD/LASD. There are Inland Empire agencies that pay about the same and have as good or usually better (3.0@50), city paid retirement. I am within an hour to the beach, less than a half hour to the mountains and 20 minutes to the desert. To buy a nice home is around $350-$400k and about $300k for a nice condo. My dept gets many of the LAPD/LASD laterals who are sick of the drive or living in LA. I would look into Fontana PD, Riverside PD, San Bernardino PD, Pomona PD, Redlands PD, and the Orange Co. depts, in no particular order. Most or all of theses depts pay your whole retirement contribution and pay 100% medical, which is more than can be said for many LA depts.

[bigeagle]

Thanks all...FPD guy I'll be looking into those departments as well. If you don't mind me asking, what city do you live in?

I'm looking at apartments all over the LA area and finding some pretty nice ones around $1800/mo.

[Blackavar]

I agree with all of the above posters. I also think you should look more inland. Corona PD and Murrieta PD both pay well and have good departments.

[Blue Leader]

Departments.....the bigger the department, the better chance you have of getting hired and sponsored thru the academy. They have more spots to fill and are much more likely to hire people with no experience. The smaller departments (Newport Beach and every other dept in Orange County for example) generally hire laterals from the bigger departments. I know San Diego PD pretty much staffs Murietta PD with laterals.

Pay.....**for the most part***, all the agencies in Orange and LA counties compete for recruits and have pay in the ballpark of each other. I'd say $85-90K in Orange County and that is before OT. I had friends making $115K in Irvine 10 years ago.

Housing....I'm no expert in the LA area but most Orange County cops live 30-45 miles (which equals a 90 minute commute) from their station. In San Diego, most live in east county (20 miles away) or up in Murrieta/Temecula (60 miles away). "Average" home prices are $600K in San Diego, a lil more in OC. All my friends buying houses now have house payments of $3000 and up.

My advice is to come out here and check out the area to see what you're willing to live with and without. Cheapest housing would be in Riverside County (Norco, Corona, Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, etc...) but it can get sweltering out there on day shift. San Diego may be the nicest area overall but our pay is less than Orange and LA counties.

[Garbage Man]

I would research Anaheim PD. The base pay is at the higher end for the OC but that's not half the story. They have so much OT (Angel stadium, the Pond the convention center) that they have to work the 3/12 to get their guys some days off. they even have a bunk room because many guys just work straight through. OT is important in an agency, even more so than base pay. You will adjust to whatever your base pay is but OT is how you get out of any debt. Also Anaheim is a huge city that extends way east so you can work out in Anaheim hills and be very close to cheaper homes in Corona.

The housing market here is artificially high and due to collapse. last month they posted record lows on home sales. I, like many cops here, have a home but only because I purchased it 6 years ago (purchase price $148,000, current value $525,000) Most cops can not afford to live here now but soon (within a year) it will be possible. I see at least a 20% reduction coming. Experts say 10% but they are experts because they work in the real estate industry and are biased.

As for going thru the academy in MI we hired a lateral from Detroit and all he had to do was the two week refresher course, but he has his MI post I don't know if that opportunity exists just for academy grads.

The plan for most Cali cops is work here for what we make then retire to other states, where 90% of our salary is still way more than 100% of what the local Police Chief makes.

Although I must say Keith in Colorado sounds like he has got it good. I would not dismiss that advice if I were starting out.

[eagleI]

Don't rule out Central & Northern California. Santa Cruz & Monterey areas aren't bad. Pay up this way is usually better & less smog. San Jose PD is an excellent city & not far from the coast. Housing south of the town is rural & can be much more affordable.
If you pass a MI academy but don't complete probation with a dept, you are not a lateral & will have to do the entire academy. If you "lateral", then you have to go to the 3 week recertification academy. Check the POST.org website for requirements. Also check Calopps.org for agency openings & benefits. (It isn't all Calif. agencies but it's a good picture.)
Good luck. (Most of us are bailing out of this state so think carefully! Colorado sounds good to me!)