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?
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04-01-2012, 03:18 PM #1
Pro and cons of being a police officer in the long run?
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04-01-2012, 03:19 PM #2
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04-01-2012, 03:19 PM #3
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04-01-2012, 03:20 PM #4
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04-01-2012, 03:21 PM #5
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04-01-2012, 03:22 PM #6
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04-01-2012, 03:22 PM #7Most Influential Person of Misc
Most Prominent Philanthropist of Misc
Misc Moral Leader
Misc Earthquake Rescue Hero
Most Well-Known and Beloved Misc Role Model
Misc Top Ten Most Honorable Volunteer
Most Charismatic Philanthropist of Misc
Misc Low Carbon Emission Environmental Protection Top Advocate
Misc's Foremost Environmental Preservation Demolition Expert
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04-01-2012, 03:26 PM #8
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04-01-2012, 03:27 PM #9
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).
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04-01-2012, 03:29 PM #10
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04-01-2012, 03:29 PM #11
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04-01-2012, 03:30 PM #12
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04-01-2012, 03:30 PM #13
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
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04-01-2012, 03:32 PM #14Most Influential Person of Misc
Most Prominent Philanthropist of Misc
Misc Moral Leader
Misc Earthquake Rescue Hero
Most Well-Known and Beloved Misc Role Model
Misc Top Ten Most Honorable Volunteer
Most Charismatic Philanthropist of Misc
Misc Low Carbon Emission Environmental Protection Top Advocate
Misc's Foremost Environmental Preservation Demolition Expert
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04-01-2012, 03:33 PM #15
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04-01-2012, 03:34 PM #16
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04-01-2012, 03:35 PM #17
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04-01-2012, 03:36 PM #18Most Influential Person of Misc
Most Prominent Philanthropist of Misc
Misc Moral Leader
Misc Earthquake Rescue Hero
Most Well-Known and Beloved Misc Role Model
Misc Top Ten Most Honorable Volunteer
Most Charismatic Philanthropist of Misc
Misc Low Carbon Emission Environmental Protection Top Advocate
Misc's Foremost Environmental Preservation Demolition Expert
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04-01-2012, 03:40 PM #19
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04-01-2012, 03:40 PM #20
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04-01-2012, 03:42 PM #21
- Join Date: May 2005
- Location: Washington, District Of Columbia, United States
- Posts: 4,602
- Rep Power: 30401
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.......
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04-01-2012, 03:42 PM #22You don't pay for things with money, you pay with your time
Minimalist Crew
�And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.�- Abraham Lincoln
You can't get back wasted time- I don't know who said it
Carpe Diem - Dead Poets Society
He who cannot obey himself will be commanded- Friedrich Nietzsche
http://www.kratosguide.com/keep-goals-to-yourself/
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04-01-2012, 03:43 PM #23You don't pay for things with money, you pay with your time
Minimalist Crew
�And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.�- Abraham Lincoln
You can't get back wasted time- I don't know who said it
Carpe Diem - Dead Poets Society
He who cannot obey himself will be commanded- Friedrich Nietzsche
http://www.kratosguide.com/keep-goals-to-yourself/
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04-01-2012, 03:44 PM #24
- Join Date: Apr 2011
- Location: United States
- Age: 34
- Posts: 2,260
- Rep Power: 6695
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...../||||||\=======()
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It's a tank lol
This is the only crew I'm in crew
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04-01-2012, 03:44 PM #25
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"It's not about how much you can lift, It's about how much you look like you can lift." Bob Chic
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04-01-2012, 03:45 PM #26
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04-01-2012, 03:46 PM #27
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04-01-2012, 03:46 PM #28
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:
An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind.
Buddha
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04-01-2012, 03:47 PM #29
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04-01-2012, 03:47 PM #30
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