LEO question

[Yellow109r]

I am looking into becoming a LEO
have some questions
Where is a better place to work I'm guess NOT Okc?
Also what are the benefits ( health retirement??
Any info would great thank you

 

[ArGyLe64]

I went from county deputy to federal officer and love it so far. The federal TSP is a great gig for retirement. Pay raise every year. Retire in 20/25 years. Great medical and dental benefits. Federal law enforcement pension + your 401k/TSP. I started off at a GL5 (higher pay than a GS5) and the base salary is $38,619. This year I'll make close to $42,000 and get a promotion in September. You get a 10% shift differential for shifts between 1800hrs and 0600hrs and an additional 10% when you work on Sundays. The ability to move anywhere in the country and get a promotion for doing so.

Think about what you want to do. If you want to patrol and issue citations then look at city or state. If you want an easy LEO job without the risk of pulling over someone at 2:00am out in BFE with 5% tint on their windows then look federal. I worked on patrol for almost 6 years then came to the feds. I don't regret that decision one bit.

 

[dx3]

I am looking into becoming a LEO
have some questions
Where is a better place to work I'm guess NOT Okc?
Also what are the benefits ( health retirement??
Any info would great thank you

Here is the Tulsa one

http://tulsapolice.org/join-tpd/recruiting.aspx

I'm sure less than 5 seconds on Google would yield you one for OKC...

 

[ripnbst]

From what I understand it is more difficult to get on with smaller PD's where your job is easier than OKC for example where you are probably going to deal with a lot of **** on a frequent basis.

 

[SgtMojo67]

From what I understand it is more difficult to get on with smaller PD's where your job is easier than OKC for example where you are probably going to deal with a lot of **** on a frequent basis.

Actually as an officer at a smaller pd, your job is NOT easier. Large pd's such as OKC have more detective's to handle a more variety of crimes. At smaller pd's, officer's have to do most of the investigating themselves. I know, I work for a dept. that only has 50 officers. Tulsa for instance has 700-800 officers. They have street crimes, homicide, fraud, vehicle theft, narcotics among other types of detectives....just sayin'. I would say smaller pd's are harder to get hired on because they just don't hire all that often and when they do it is usually 1-2 officers instead of 50....

So Argyle, which agency do you work for?

 

[Fatboy Joe]

I would never be an stinking cop....it is much more interesting being an accountant.

 

[Glock 'em down]

If you like long hours with low pay, working weekends, holidays, missing your kid's birthdays, ballgames, school plays and constantly fighting with your spouse, then law enforcement is the job for you!

Oh! Did I mention the cursing, screaming, yelling, physical altercations and general violent activity that you have to endure? And that's just from your fellow officers and dispatchers. Then you have the public to deal with!

Law enforcement is definitely a love of the game profession, because the work sucks and the pay is even worse.

But it's the best job I ever had and I'll be damned if I ever plan on doing anything else for a living!

Read this...

http://lawenforcer.net/whycops/whycops.htm

...and then you'll have an idea of what police work is all about and why we cops are the way we are. :subath:

 

[ripnbst]

I guess I should not have said easier. Perhaps, job doesn't suck as bad as often. Smaller PD's in smaller towns typically don't have the level of crime that bigger cities do so the likelihood of ending up in a situation where your life is on the line is lower. There are many more police who have worked in small departments who have never had to draw their gun in the line of duty than those in large cities. I'd bet you'd have a tough time meeting an OKC or Tulsa PD officer with more than 10 years in who could say that.

It is my understanding that having military background helps with getting hired too. If you've done work on a two way range before that usually gives you an edge over someone who hasn't. As was already mentioned college education is also usually a plus.

 

[SgtMojo67]

Shoot....I put a bail bondsman on the ground at gunpoint yesterday.........Received a man with a gun call. The caller stated a man was taken out of a store at gun point and walked over to a black truck. I pull up behind said black truck and proceed to start putting people on the ground at gun point. The man yells " I'm a bail bondsman"....I said I don't give a sh*t....don't move!!! Back up arrived, he was cuffed, searched, etc....Turns out he was a bail bondsman.....I told he needs to give us a heads up before he get's shot next time.....


ripnbst........you must be talking about REALLY small departments.....lol....I draw my gun all the time. Every burglary alarm with an open door, etc....

 

[NINEROUND]

If I were you (which I'm not,) I would reconsider this train of thought for all the reasons mentioned in Glock 'em Down's post. There are better paying jobs with a lot less grief. But, if it's what you REALLY want to do, then go for it. I can't comment on the larger (100+) officer departments, but the smaller local PD's are usually a game of not messing with the wrong family. I work for a federal police agency now and it isn't much better....

Like the knight in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade said, "Choose wisely."