I will be graduating with my BS degree in CJ. I am also going through the COPS Program to get my cleet cert. After all this do I apply at different agencies and hope to get hired.

What about having no work experience do agencies take the education and cleet for experience?

i was hired as an intern for a sheriffs department, i was slated to do 4 weeks in the jail 4 weeks in dectives and 4 weeks on patrol..after 2 weeks in the jail, the investagators pulled me into their departmentbecause they wanted a lackey to do their paper work, after get in there i turned some cases on my own earning me a spot with them. i got into law enforcement assbackwards, i was a det for approx 1 year and then into narcotics for about 2 years then patrol.. most of my patrol supervisors didnt like me because of all the training i had..i was also on swat before patrol.

i can tell you this, so get ready to be pissed,if you are weak you are a liability to me as back up , i trained the smartest female i have ever seen, she was 5'4" and weighed approx95 lbs..she wanted to be an investigator. i hired her in narcotics because i had know her for years, she made a great undercover agent went to the academy and is still working dope today.she never worked a day in patrol. she told me before i hired her that she had no interest in being a patrol officer because she didnt feel like she could back up the men in the field. i know from expirence that she will use a maglite to take someones head off for a fellow officer.

FOR ME IT TOOK HARD WORK, BUT SOME PEOPLE ARE JUCIED IN.

Thanks for talking to me I have a million questions.

Liddy I've worked 8 years in 2 different County jails and have 12 years of patrol experience. Although strength makes it easier it is technique and skills that make the difference. I train all the time in several different styles. Can't say all, but most criminals are not in the best shape and you better be able to stay in the fight and not get tired. I've had my share of fights, knock down drag out, ended in the hospital fights but I always win. It is attitude. If you don't think you can do it then you can't. If you don't train to win you won't. I know that many of my partners would rather have me as back-up then some of the other male officers that do nothing to stay in shape or train for the job. Our department you have to work patrol first before going to any speciality units like narcotics, detectives or SWAT. There are departments that do not have this requirement. If you want to bypass patrol then you better apply with those that work that way. Although you have an impressive educational background what life experience do you have? Our background investigators look at life experience as well as education...are you matrue enough for the job....have you experienced enough in life to prepare you for what you will see in this line of work. You are already saying you don't think you will be good back-up then you won't be. I don't mean to sound like a bitch or a hardass but find a profession in the criminal Justice field that will not require you to be on the streets if that is the attitude you will have. Don't jeapordize officers safety by forcing then to watch out for you because you don't think you can do the job. Attitude if everything.

Shadow phase is part of the FTO process. Ride alongs will get you zero experience. Just start PTing and maybe take a martial arts class to improve your confidence. You don't have to be the toughest SOB on the street, just make sure you know who is. Try to apply what life experience you do have to situations that present themselves. Glad you are asking questions, that shows that you are thinking, and that is hard to find in a recruit. Good luck to you.

recruit... i miss those days now.. live these days well.

nothing to it my brother, welcome to the jungle.. keep in mind during the hard times, right now there are people that wish they were you , and wish they could become a cop, they cant keep with you now and you are ahead of others.

I don't know about other places but here you have to do your time. Walk the beat, bounce around as a fill in. We do have the occasional person who everyone can't stand that just skips the system and get their hand held all the way through their career....

For sure Odin, and thanks again. It's hot out on the grinder (cement slab in the middle of a field) mid-day here in CA; I think that someone told me that it was like 102 or something like that. Not super bad, but when you're doing a couple hundred push-ups for people not knowing the Code of Ethics or for having strings, or doing mountain climbers and burpies...it gets mighty hot. But I just keep thinking about the end-goal and that gets me through just about any pain. And now off to bed...1910 and i have to wake up at 0400. 'Nite all....