[slygirrl]

Okay I'm posting this thread because I'm going to ask my "online family" to help me with this and maybe you girls will see my point. I know I haven't posted in a while and usually when I do it's the general divorce nonsense (which I migh add is coming to a close this next week, we met with a mediator all issues have been hammered out and even the ex and I are communicating SO much better than we have in months so there is nothing left to do but sign the papers. The gf is still an issue but she will be history soon anyway and I'll leave that story for another time) BUT okay so I am having very serious problems being able to survive on my sad little grocery store job. Not only are the hours inconsistent (with how many I get and the hours actually scheduled/worked) I just flat out do not make enough to survive even with child support (well I can but it's literally week to week) so I began thinking of things I could do to get a "real job". Ever since I was in high school I have wanted to be a homicide detective (I know morbid right?) and I remember having a conversation with 2 police officers on what I would have to do to actually be that and they advised me on what I needed to do. Well 10 years later I'm seriously considering becoming a cop. I know this doesn't bode well with the recent slayings in Pennsylvania and it re-affirms why my mom doesn't want me to do it. But I have some belief that in doing this not only will I achieve my goal (you have to be a street cop for no less than 2 years in St. Louis County to even be considered for this but in reality it takes about 5 because you have to have 5 years investigative experience to be eligible for a promotion into that particular part of the department. I researched it all). I am aiming to try to apply for the police academy next year because I need to get in the best physical condition I can to pass the physical test.... plus I have no experience with shooting a gun so I'm going to have a friend take me out shooting so I can at least get a feel for it. The people I have chosen to tell about my possible choice of a career have been less suportive than I would have hoped. Not only because of the fear that I am putting my life on the line but just because it's "me" whatever that is supposed to mean.

I honestly want to do this because we all want to feel like our lives mean something and honestly I have had enough experience with bad in my life if I could help just 1 person in any of the situations I have been through it would mean something. I want to make a difference ya know? I don't understand why this career has such a stigma and why some of my "friends" are so quick to disown me should I choose to go down this road. That's why I have been selective in who I have even mentioned this to thinking somewhere I would find someone who understood why I wanted to do it. The outcome has not been so great. So here I am asking you- do you think it's an unwise choice to go into this particular field? We all come from different backgrounds and we all have a different story to tell, but what if your sister, friend, whatever came to you and said they wanted to make this their career? What would YOU say?

[DivasMomma]

i have always wanted ot become a cop...and you obviously have too. Only issue is I live in Philly....and its not a place anyone wants to be a cop anymore :/ I live on the same street that 2 of the cops that were shot this year lived and its been so depressing...their poor families. I am also on the same road as the funeral home where all the slain officers funerals and viewing are...seeing all of this first hand has made me change my mind...but because of where i live.

I say go for it...if its what you want to do, then you need to at least try or you will be spending your whole life wondering "what if". And good luck next week...its great to hear about you and the ex communicating


and where are new pics of skylar??? Im sure she is HUGE by now! Her and Kaydee are just about the same age

[mollymae]

I don't think a police officer is a bad career choice, but personally I couldn't ever choose a career where there is an increased risk of being killed and leaving my children without a mother. I would hate to be in a situation where I couldn't give my 110% to my job because of the worries in the back of my mind about my child/children. There are plenty of careers where you can make a difference without risking your life. Maybe I have an different view because police in this country don't carry guns and all I have to compare US police too is what i've seen on TV. If it was my sister was single with a child and asked my opinion I tell her to wait till her daughter was older then condsider it.

[Magic_Mikki]

I LOVE your career choice!! I went to school to be a cop. Right now there are very few full time police officer positions, so I have been applied to Hennepin County (which is Minneapolis) and Ramsey County (which is St. Paul) in Minnesota for a detention deputy- someone who works in the jails. Anyway, my point is that there are TONS of options available if there are no cop jobs available, and they will give you experience, too.

I don't know the exact situation of PA's job market, but police officer jobs are incredibly difficult to come by right now in the midwest. And it is a very competitive market. So I would advise that you gain some sort of experience NOW! And while you're in school next year. Join the police reserves for a local department. It's volunteer, but it's just 10 hours a month, which is doable for most people. Or Community Service Officer jobs are good experience too, and it's paid, but not high pay, so that's not always a good option for someone with kids! But I can't stress enough how important experience is!

I'm not sure how your police academy works there, but here we have two years of school, and then four months of "skills", which is full time 8 to 5, Monday through Friday, for the full 16 weeks. There you become licensed to carry a handgun and you learn how to fire properly. You also learn how to make proper stops and arrests, etc. At the skills here, there is an entire week devoted to making a DUI stop. You also learn all the equiptment in the patrol cars. And then after skills there is a POST test (Police Officer Skills Training) and when you pass, you are finally able to become a licensed police officer, assuming there are jobs! LoL!! It's a tough, tough market right now. I think you're getting in at a good time because by the time you are done with school and Skills training and test taking, the market should be looking up! Way up!

The other thing that they don't always tell you before entering school is that you have to have a nearly flawless background and good credit. I'm sure your background is fine, but I'm just throwing that out there.. My professors advise us to go to the BCA before we get too far into the program and request a record of our own backgrounds. Then you can know for sure what exactly is on your record, and you can find out what will automatically disqualify you. Here in Minnesota, too many speeding tickets will disqualify you! (I'm worried about that for myself! ) A DUI within the last 7 years also disqualifies you right off the bat, as well as domestics, or any type of assault at all, any kind of possesion, etc. So it can be really touchy.

I also have to add that the stigma of the job is worse than the actual job!! The number of police shootings is soooo low! But when it does happen, you hear about it right away, and the media really play it up. If you're worried about working in Philly, apply elsewhere! You don't have to work in the city in which you live.. actually, they encourage you to apply outside your own "home". I can't STAND it when people diss my career choice because I am a woman and I have children. That drives me absolutely NUTS! I have a better chance of being struck by lightening than being killed as a cop. This is based on the percent of all cops being killed on duty compared to all people living in the US who were struck by lightening. Not good odds! I worked at the Homicide Research Center in Minneapolis and there was a study done that showed that citizens believed that cops were over a 1000 times more likely to be killed on duty than they actually were! There were only two police shootings in Minneapolis that year, and neither were fatal. And two is HIGH!!! Most years there are zero.

Anyway, I could talk forever about this stuff! If you have any questions you can PM me if you want! I'm sure I will think of more and come back to post later! I love this topic. I originally went to college for Spanish, and then went back for Criminal Justice to be a cop. When I was in school for Criminal Justice, I have never enjoyed myself so much! It's awesome if you love what you're learning!

[browneyes01]

I say to go for it, someone has to make the streets safe and if it is waht you want to do then why not. I personally wouldn't want to be a cop but like I said before someone has got to do it

[slygirrl]

Thanks girls!! I kind of needed some kind of support because I think the more open I have been with people in my life the less and less support I receive for my decision. I think this just kind of shows how many negative people I have in my life because some people have even said "Oh you won't make it, you're not disciplined enough" Excuse me?! Who are YOU to tell me what I am capable of accomplishing and what I'm not?! What are you doing with your own life that you feel that you can say that to me?!

I know there are other jobs that I could do that don't put my life in danger but something about this has always piqued my interest and I'm very heavily drawn to law. Always kind of have been. It's the one thing that interests me and I spend a lot of time learning for no real reason other than I like it. The long term goal is to get into homicide but I have to start with small potatoes first.

And I am in the midwest but I looked at the St. Louis County PD and they are hiring and I could go to the StL County Police Academy (well try to get in anyway lol) as soon as I am in physical condition to do so (running is kind of a problem right now lol). I'm also going to have one of my friends teach me how to shoot necause I have never even touched a gun and I want to at least be comfortable with it before I get there and not just go in blindly. Anyway girls thanks for your input I do appreciate it.

[Magic_Mikki]

For some reason I thought you lived in PA! I don't know where I got that from!

Anyway, I attended a seminar last night for Law Enforcement that had some great information! I was thinking about you... First, I would like to correct myself when I said that POST stands for Police Officer Skills Training. It actually stands for Police (or Peace, depending and where you live, the academy, etc.) Officer Standards Training. Here, the people call it PO Skills T because the nickname for it is Skills.

Anyway, another thing that made me think of you was concerning the whole gun thing. The women who was speaking was from a local academy, and she brought up the gun situation. She asked who already knows how to shoot, and a few people raised their hands. She was sooo happy that most people do not know how to shoot because they would rather teach someone the "correct" way (their way) than to reteach someone and break old habits. She said that she has never come across someone who shoots the correct way already, unless they have been through Skills training or another academy before. She partiularily is annoyed with military folks, but that is beside the point! She said over and over and over NOT to learn how if you don't already know! She even went as far as to say if it comes down to it, if two candidates are very similar in their application, they will take the candidate who doesn't know how to shoot over the one who does because they are able to learn the correct way without being so headstrong. The other thing is that they don't want you to buy a gun, and this is most schools/academys. Some counties/cities use a Glock but more and more are using other guns. The school, when you're in skills training, will provide you with a gun for your time in the training, and then the department that you work for will tell you exactly which gun they want you to use. If you buy a different gun, you get used to the feel of that one rather than the feel of the one you're using for your department. Also, then you end up paying for two guns instead of just the one you need.

Of course, this was all her (wise, professional) opinion. And it is just the opinion of one person at one academy (in St. Paul). So you could definately call the academy you are looking into and see what their preferance is.

And you mentioned physical condition... Don't let that be a deciding factor of when you apply for the school. Physical condition is not a huge factor, no matter what school or Skills training you attend. I am in the process of going through MN's strenth and agility testing (for the Sherriff's office, not for police officer, but it's all the same!) and it's a piece of cake. And believe me.... I am OUT OF SHAPE!!!! The course (for MN) is kind of difficult to actually go through, but they make it really easy to pass! Compare it to a hard test in math class where a good, passing grade is still a D. Also, it's Pass/Fail, so whether you get an "A" or a "D", it doesn't matter! I just don't want it to discourage you!

Sorry!! I could talk about this forever! I definately know what you mean when you say there is just something about the Law that attracts you. I feel the same! I love everything about it. Being a cop isn't all the glamour that Law and Order shows, (they never show the @ss in the backseat puking and peeing everywhere and you have to clean it up!!) but that's not the point for those of us who want to go into this career.

Anywho, good luck!!!

[twinzplus3]

I would say go for it.

[ruthann8]

I am going to add a few suggestions. Since you want to do this to support yourself and your children make sure it is feasible. Go make sure it isn’t too difficult to get a job and what they require. Find out what the starting wages are and make sure there would be advancement opportunities. I think it is a great idea, I just don’t want you to spend all that time and money and then not get a job that would support you. Good luck!

[Samual]

I agree with Mollymae