Pro and cons of being a police officer in the long run?

[2FAST4YU]

Just wanted to hear some opinions others have about it. I'm considering going to a CC and follow through a police or fire academy. I was looking in to the fire academy, but you had to be EMT certified beforehand so it's a bit iffy on that one. Seems much easier to join the force. Anyways, what are some thoughts you guys have about being a cop? How is the pay? Does it generally gets better? Heard it was stressful too, how so?

[ase19]

pros: get away with murder

cons: dead inside

[trexmoad123]

Pros: You start making 80k a year in 4-5 years, around 45k starting (atleast here you do.. not sure what it's like where you live).

Cons: Dangerous as phuck cuzz.

[Laxman09]

Pros:desperate badge bunnies

Cons:everyone hates you

[2FAST4YU]

Pros: You start making 80k a year in 4-5 years, around 45k starting (atleast here you do.. not sure what it's like where you live).

Cons: Dangerous as phuck cuzz.

Starting around my area is approximately 45k as well. Where you from? Danger is part of the game.

[trexmoad123]

Starting around my area is approximately 45k as well. Where you from? Danger is part of the game.

Winnipeg , Canada

[StateIron]

Pros:desperate badge bunnies

Cons:everyone hates you

Actually it's only internet losers and insecure beta males that "hate" you. I get a lot of love from people.

And chicks dig the uniform.

[2FAST4YU]

Actually it's only internet losers and insecure beta males that "hate" you. I get a lot of love from people.

And chicks dig the uniform.

So you're an officer? What area? Also, how difficult is it to complete the academy and exams, and what is the likelihood of getting hired?

[DTRrex]

Not a cop but have a few family members that are:

Pros:
- Pay is pretty decent. Most places start around 50k and by the time you retire you can be near 100k. Add in all the benefits and pension and you make out pretty well financially.
- Early retirement. My aunt is a county sheriff and is eligible for retirement at 52 with full pension. If she works 2 days a week doing side security work + pension she'll make more being retired than she did when working.
- You get to carry a gun everywhere.
- Some people treat you with immense respect.

Cons:
- If you work in a busy area, the stuff you see can make you very cynical and many cops end up being dead inside and quite depressed.
- A lot of people hate you and assume you're an *******.
- Pay is more or less capped at $80-100k depending on area. Not bad at all, but you'll never "do well" on a cop salary.
- Dangerousness of job if you work in a city or crime heavy area.
- Working nights, weekends, holidays.
- Uncomfortable uniforms.


Working SWAT or something like that would be great... being a beat cop is tough though and it's hard to argue for pros outweighing cons. I've considered law enforcement but I simply fear that I'll grow too cynical and develop a poor outlook on the world/society (worse than I already do at least).

[eddiegoodfellar]

Winnipeg , Canada

Pretty low cost of living there I hear.

[reaxeshon]

I cant stand cops they always use excessive force and have egos. Rip trayvon those cops did you dirty my dude

[ase19]

I cant stand cops they always use excessive force and have egos. Rip trayvon those cops did you dirty my dude

cop didnt even kill him dumb fuk

[WIPump]

pros: excellent job security, benefits, respectable pay, overtime, uniform/gun/drive fast, girls do get wet when you tell them you're a cop, fun job at times

cons: shift work, a lot of downtime, stress, sleep deprivation, exposed to a lot of crap, possibility of death, interdepartmental politics, stereotyped as a cop

<am a cop

[StateIron]

So you're an officer? What area? Also, how difficult is it to complete the academy and exams, and what is the likelihood of getting hired?

It wasn't difficult for me. If you're not a scumbag or a retard it shouldn't be difficult for you.

I cant stand cops they always use excessive force and have egos. Rip trayvon those cops did you dirty my dude

notsureifsrs

[sippiboy1987]

I cant stand cops they always use excessive force and have egos. Rip trayvon those cops did you dirty my dude

Hope thy angus is peppered

[reaxeshon]

cop didnt even kill him dumb fuk

Yes they did Zimmarman was armed by the police as a meighborhood watch captain thats the law to me my dude then them other cops came in and cleaned the seen to protect their own why else is the case so shady?

[CoreMaster75]

Main con:
-You'll never be anybody. You'll never be known. You'll never make over 150k a year. You'll be doing the same job for the rest of your life.

[StateIron]

Yes they did Zimmarman was armed by the police as a meighborhood watch captain thats the law to me my dude then them other cops came in and cleaned the seen to protect their own why else is the case so shady?

[YourIHero]

Yes they did Zimmarman was armed by the police as a meighborhood watch captain thats the law to me my dude then them other cops came in and cleaned the seen to protect their own why else is the case so shady?

[Seego]

Winnipeg , Canada

You're from Canada and yet talking about danger.
Gimme a fuking break.

[USMARINE8152]

Only down side to my job is the face that I have had many close calls example: being shot at, car chases through a busy city, almost stabbed, almost hit by cars while chasing people on foot....etc, etc.

Other then that I have a great retirement set up and pay is steady increasing and overtime is pretty much all over the place so I am able to provide a decent life for my family.

And I guess writing tickets....this is the only part of the job I hate. Its a con to me because unless I have to issue a ticket I hate being told that I need to write more. I give a **** ton of warning tickets

[BeastMode101]

pros: excellent job security, benefits, respectable pay, overtime, uniform/gun/drive fast, girls do get wet when you tell them you're a cop, fun job at times

cons: shift work, a lot of downtime, stress, sleep deprivation, exposed to a lot of crap, possibility of death, interdepartmental politics, stereotyped as a cop

<am a cop

how long does it take brah to become a detecitve?


also, is there anyway you could be recruited into the fbi or something?

what about swat?

[BeastMode101]

Only down side to my job is the face that I have had many close calls example: being shot at, car chases through a busy city, almost stabbed, almost hit by cars while chasing people on foot....etc, etc.

Other then that I have a great retirement set up and pay is steady increasing and overtime is pretty much all over the place so I am able to provide a decent life for my family.

And I guess writing tickets....this is the only part of the job I hate. Its a con to me because unless I have to issue a ticket I hate being told that I need to write more. I give a **** ton of warning tickets

lol, you're a dc area cop= bad drivers everywhere

[FiniteAutomaton]

I think it more or less depends on where you work. When I worked at the public works I would see or work with the cops from time to time, and even hear stories from the other public works guys.

In my area, they didn't really have much to worry about, and I don't believe they actually ever did much. Sometimes we would pass by this hidden empty lot and we would see a cop car just sitting back there lol. I don't know how much they would get paid though.

However, from what I understand there can be some really bad areas with shootings, and so that I imagine is much more stressful.

As others have said though, I do believe the hours can be pretty bad especially if you need to work night shifts.

[RhoidRage]

POST was phuckin easy. Pay aint bad, but dont expect yearly raises. Can be hard to get hired on, very competitive right now. Department politics suck azz, get ready to do some serious suckin if you want to move around. Good job security. Exciting work and boring the next minute. Defininately cynical outlook. MISC all day if you want. See more **** than the average person, heinous accidents, dead bodies. When everybody wants to see whats going on, you're there to tell them to get the phuck moving. Get involved in very high profile cases. One of mine has been all over national news for the last two years.

Last, chicks do get wet. Any game at all canland some serious pussy

[reaxeshon]

Yall just dont about them laws man they are all in cahoots. If you get a concealed weapon permit you have to go through the police so that makes you on of them thats why all my burners are unregistered because i dont wanna be a police spawn

[USMARINE8152]

lol, you're a dc area cop= bad drivers everywhere

U have no clue how full retard people go when driving in DC.

[Code3Miscr]

Cops deal with stress on a daily basis. So much so that when they get off duty they bascially crash below the normal level. About 70ish cops die in the line of duty each year to violent crimes and over 300 commit suicide each year. My advice would be to join the Fire Department. But if you really want to be a cop.
Read this:

[USMARINE8152]

Yall just dont about them laws man they are all in cahoots. If you get a concealed weapon permit you have to go through the police so that makes you on of them thats why all my burners are unregistered because i dont wanna be a police spawn

Please stop posting. When you register a firearm it does not MAKE you a Police Officer....

[2FAST4YU]

Only down side to my job is the face that I have had many close calls example: being shot at, car chases through a busy city, almost stabbed, almost hit by cars while chasing people on foot....etc, etc.

Other then that I have a great retirement set up and pay is steady increasing and overtime is pretty much all over the place so I am able to provide a decent life for my family.

And I guess writing tickets....this is the only part of the job I hate. Its a con to me because unless I have to issue a ticket I hate being told that I need to write more. I give a **** ton of warning tickets

pros: excellent job security, benefits, respectable pay, overtime, uniform/gun/drive fast, girls do get wet when you tell them you're a cop, fun job at times

cons: shift work, a lot of downtime, stress, sleep deprivation, exposed to a lot of crap, possibility of death, interdepartmental politics, stereotyped as a cop

<am a cop

How much college hours do you guys have? Is it of main importance in terms of pay?