Hello,

Soo, this topic was posted in the LEO section and I have yet to earn the ability to see that content. I hope this repost does not annoy anyone!

If you were a Chief, would you hire someone straight from college or the military? (I am currently in my final year of college.)

Thank you!

i have asked this question numerous times and the answer i got was... "in the law enforcement world veteren status and a 2year college degree are weighted equall. If you really want to shine above the rest get a 4year degree"

toutvabien says ...

Hello,

Soo, this topic was posted in the LEO section and I have yet to earn the ability to see that content. I hope this repost does not annoy anyone!

If you were a Chief, would you hire someone straight from college or the military? (I am currently in my final year of college.)

Thank you!

 

I'm not annoyed   I applaud your enthusiasm lol good luck in your future endeavor of LE.

 

SuzanneNGa says ...

toutvabien says ...

Hello,

Soo, this topic was posted in the LEO section and I have yet to earn the ability to see that content. I hope this repost does not annoy anyone!

If you were a Chief, would you hire someone straight from college or the military? (I am currently in my final year of college.)

Thank you!

 

I'm not annoyed   I applaud your enthusiasm lol good luck in your future endeavor of LE.

 

I agree with Suzanne...I think the fact that you reposted this shows enthusiasm, determination, and problem solving skills.

rickm says ...

personally I prefer ex military, which is what I said in the previous thread, but dont be dismayed as your in school However, you need to work school to your advantage, as, do honors classes, join a peer group, write a good research paper on some aspect of policing, perhaps work in a cohort with other cj students, and of course, see if you can intern, there is a lot of internships open to students which close once you graduate. I beleive the fbi has a internship, as well as the cia etc, that you might apply for.

You and me both prefer ex military

All thing else being equal I would opt for the Military person. Understand that it is VERY seldom all things else are equal.

Aj, I would recommend a degree in something other than LE. All degrees look good on an application, but you can only use a CJ degree for LE or something similar. If you find LE is not for you, you could use that Psych degree for some other career.

Short Answer...........Military

Long Answer............Military

Deja vu..................HUMMM...................ALMOST and identical thread on the boards at the same time..............makes answers easy ..........(copy / paste)

AjSchiffman says ...

schultzy0004 says ...

Aj, I would recommend a degree in something other than LE. All degrees look good on an application, but you can only use a CJ degree for LE or something similar. If you find LE is not for you, you could use that Psych degree for some other career.

that is exactly my plan. My dream is working for the fbi and a psych degree is more valuable than le in their eyes. The military will provide me with leadership skills and discipline that will look good on my resume. If I have a bachelors in psych and work for the PD would i still be eligible for promotions to detective?

I would think that you could still be promoted. A lot of trainings and schools are available to certify officers in different fields. You can go to schools for about anything LE related. For detective, Crime scene, evidence collection, interview and interrogation among others would be good. The department pays for them, and you get credits toward POST certificates. It is comparable to continuing education for teachers.

First of all - although I am in law enforcement, I am not yet involved in the hiring process, other than an occasional assistant in the physical testing portion.

That being said - every applicant is reviewed based on individual merit, not compared to other appplicants.  First, check to see if minimum qualifications are met.  If they are, then they come to test - physical or written is usually first.  If an applicant passes that, then maybe to oral or background.  At the oral, answers may be compared to get the best applicant, not just someone who knows the "right" answers.  The background tells alot about a person - personality, work history, attitudes, etc etc etc.  These are all individual attributes and cannot be compared to others.

As for preference to military or college - each has its own place in a department.  When I first got into law enforcement, I was one of only a couple who had college.  Many had military, and the majority had nothing.  I had no problems with the reports and computer work, while the military guys tended to have trouble putting together prosecution files.

Now, in my current job, I have seen military people come in and have no problems with computers.  I've also seen them not be able to turn on a computer.  Personally, I would prefer either over someone with nothing.  I can teach someone how to work a computer.  I can teach someone tactics.  But I can't teach someone who is competely clueless and has no drive.  Having gone to college or served in the military builds drive and determination.

Also - just as a side note - I think how a person went to college should be considered.  Did "mommy and daddy" pay for school, car, insurance, all living expenses while kiddo partied his/her way through?  Or did kiddo pay at least part, work hard, and took the classes seriously as a part of his/her future?  That shows personality and attitude.  If I had to choose between a person who had college handed to him/her and partied through (as evidence by grades usually) and a person who paid for it and worked for decent grades, I would prefer the person who worked for their college.  If the choice was between the person who worked for college and a person who served in the military - I would have to look at other factors to "break the tie."  But that's just me.

And I agree completely with getting a degree in something other than criminal justice to start with.  My first degree was in history/political science, which has served me somewhat well.  But I am now working on a degree in CJ, with plans for advanced degrees after I finish in other areas.  Many agencies are requiring degrees of some kind for advancement beyond a certain level.  I'm not sure about federal, but it seems like FBI and CIA both require a degree just to apply - and they prefer degrees other than CJ.  Someone else here may know more about those requirements.

Sorry this is so long....

All things being equal and if the deciding factor was college or military....I'd choose military.  You can find plenty of knuckleheads in either group.  It seems there are fewer  problems from military as it applies to LE.

I'm proir military (9 years USAF), have college (9 units shy of AA, but working towards that right now), and I have recently graduated an academy and I still can't land a LE career here in CA.

jakemoore says ...

I'm proir military (9 years USAF), have college (9 units shy of AA, but working towards that right now), and I have recently graduated an academy and I still can't land a LE career here in CA.

Start applying to federal LE agencies like VA Police and Department of the Army Police, spread your search to agencies in other states. And take notice of the agencies that are not city/county/campus agencies...there are police agencies out there most people never see. And dont be afraid to move out of state.

Klamm143 I'm slinging about as much mud as I can, lol seems as if the economy keeps scraping it off the walls.

PSD team leader/ Robocop33 I've actually looked into out of state departments, is the a source i could tap that would tell me what states would honor CA POST training? I would love to relocate to Texas, I hear tell they like prior military.

Those of you who would prefer military, what departments do you work for?!?! I applied and tested and passed and they hired family members or drinking buddies. Told them that they are missing out on one hell of a cop! I digress. Seriously, I'm a vagabond who can move where a good job is on a good department.