Decisions, Decisions! (Where to apply)

[TWH]

Hi Everyone.
Well, I've been toying with the idea of becoming an officer for years, but I've finally decided it's the career I wish to pursue. I'm very excited and I'm in my research stage. I'm talking to people/friends that are cops. It's cool, but everyone has their own opinions about which departments are "cool" and which ones aren't. I even went on a ride along recently and loved it (not too much excitement in CH, but still awesome). The deputy I rode with was great guy all around. I live in Chino Hills at the moment, I'm 23, and I'm trying to decide which departments I want to apply to. I hardly have any college units, so I've decided to become an officer first, and slowly work towards a degree once I'm settled.

For many reasons, it seems like you would NOT want to apply to a department that has a fairly close proximity to your house. How do you guys feel about that? I would say one would probably want a "buffer" of at least 20 miles so just so that you can relax when you're off - not to mention other reasons.

So I was thinking about LASD, and the various local PDs around orange county.Anyone work at Orange or Tustin or around that area? I'm looking closely at those departments.

Overall, I'm just looking for some advice from people that work in those areas about what they like about their departments, and any tips for when I apply. Thanks in advance.

-TWH.

[LeeRoy]

I have experience on both sides. I was a reserve for three years in the city where I grew up. One of my main jobs was to transport our arrests to jail and I took a lot of people to jail with whom I had some kind of connection (knew them, knew their kids, or knew their parents). As a Level I reserve I was very active and made a lot of self initiated arrests also. I ended up arresting a neighbors for dope & DUI and then saw them frequently afterwards but I don't think they ever recognized me.

As a reserve I could not carry off duty and would frequently run into people I had enforcement contacts with. I never had a problem with anybody but many cops would like to avoid these situations entirely. Whenever somebody recognized me I'd say hello and go on about my business just as if I had run into anybody else I knew keeping in mind to watch my back.

The majority of my full time career I've lived away anywhere from 8 - 17 miles from work and I prefer it that way. There is no risk of being dispatched to a neighbor's house for a domestic violence. The closer to your home the greater your chance of encountering somebody you know while you're at work. Another concern when your kids get older is them being harassed by classmates because of some enforcement action you took against somebody they know.

[LA DEP]

It gets pounded into us VERY early....NEVER live where you work.

[Horse27]

Why not go to school first and then go to the academy? Having a degree will put you ahead of others in the process and give you a competitive edge. Also trying to balance work full time while trying to earn a degree is hard. If you take that path it will be a 8-10 year program to get your bachelors, thats if you can easily work it into your schedule.

If you go to school first you have a heads up on some of the other applicants and you will get paid more. You said you hardly have any college credits- I think most of the agencies require at least an AA from community college.

[LA Copper]

It gets pounded into us VERY early....NEVER live where you work.


I second that...

[Retired96]

During my entire career with LASD, I never lived in the county I worked for..

[jato]

For many reasons, it seems like you would NOT want to apply to a department that has a fairly close proximity to your house. How do you guys feel about that?

I live where I work, but I don’t live in LA ;)

My commute is less than 10 minutes. I can swing by my house to see my family or to eat on the cheap. I have a fence and dogs, so I don’t have to worry about people showing up at my front door in the middle of the night looking for a deputy.

I have also lived 50 minutes from my (different) station. That experience sucked.

[Stugotz]

If I'm fortunate to be hired, I'll be facing this dilemma. I'd like to move to the foothills (e.g. somewhere between Glendale and Sierra Madre) but I'd also like to work the area (Altadena, La Crescenta Station, Temple Station)...

[TWH]

Thanks for the replies. Yes, I figured it's nice to have a buffer. I currently work in the same city I live in, so I constantly run into people that I know or know of. It's hard to not get recognized!

I saw that Orange PD has openings, so I put in my application online since they have a deadline coming up tomorrow. I'm probably going to apply to LASD and possibly a third department. Since the whole process takes a long time, that'll leave me some time to get back in shape and get used to running a few miles.

As far as the education goes, several cops have told me I'm at a good age to get in, and that I shouldn't sweat the education too much. Some regretted getting in around their late 20s. So I think I'll just go with my gut feeling and just go for it.

Ha, my neighbor is retired Compton and he said at one time he lived in Compton while he was an officer. He said one time some homie walked by his house when he was standing by his front window and was brandishing his knife. He just smiled and brandished his gun, :D

As they say, "never bring a knife to a gun fight"

Again, thanks for your experiences and stories. I'm glad I found this forum.

Oh, and good luck Stugotz! I hope everything goes smoothly with the rest of your hiring process.

[Jhelrey]

I live .5 mile from where I work. Yes, 1 mile round trip when I actually have to drive to work. Even the towns within 30 mins from where I live/ work, I run into people all of the time from work. Just be a fair, honest officer, and you should not have any major problems. Look at it this way, it also shows the person you are human, have a life out of work, etc. I talk to people I have arrested outside of work and I have never ever brought up work, nor do they.


If you PM me, I can further explain issues I have had.

[geek4life]

I live .5 mile from where I work. Yes, 1 mile round trip when I actually have to drive to work. Even the towns within 30 mins from where I live/ work, I run into people all of the time from work. Just be a fair, honest officer, and you should not have any major problems. Look at it this way, it also shows the person you are human, have a life out of work, etc. I talk to people I have arrested outside of work and I have never ever brought up work, nor do they.


If you PM me, I can further explain issues I have had.
You probably work in all white middle class area.


I work in an area call Maryvale aka Scaryvale in Phoenix. There's no way I would live in that area.

Google 'Maryvale' and see what you get.