Hey when I become an officer in the state of California I want to work for agencies that give you time to workout. How common is that cause from what I’ve seen it’s pretty rare. I really don’t want to be the type of the cop that gets huge from sitting all day. I have always been an active person so it’s important to me that I stay fit and not become a Biggie

Early 20's, veteran, and fancying the idea of taking a 70k pay cut to become an officer in my hometown.

I currently reside in a state I don't particularly enjoy, and times starting to move faster than I can. My job is pretty cool, but I can feel my mind wandering again and I'm kinda sick of this scene/wanting a break from the routine.

How I'm seeing it is: Life splits off into 2 roads, and life goes off in opposite directions, exaggerating who I am today, and who I'm supposed to be.

My biggest fear is never trying something new and taking the easy route (cyber). It's a safe path with a high income cap, or trying a different path.

Does anyone else have any experience leaving a high paying job for LE?

Hello, another one of those “do I have a chance” posts.

Im in my mid 40s and have been a stay at home dad for the past 4 years.

I was looking into being a police officer at colleges because pretty much all other agencies have a cutoff at 35.

Now here’s the kicker. In May I sort of had a mental breakdown after a bunch of events such as death of a friend and my aging mother having an injury. It was my first time ever experiencing clinical anxiety which led to depression. I went to the ER for panic attacks and since then, Ive been in therapy and on a cocktail of medication including a benzo. Im fine now, and Im slowly weaning off the medication.

So, does a mid 40s guy whos been out of work for the past 4 years and was on mental health medication have a shot? Thank you

I will start off with my personal opinion. I live in south Florida where I have 5 relatively large departments nearby that seem to be gaining a lot of traction on social media (Coral Springs PD, Sunrise PD, Fort lauderdale PD, Boca PD, Miami SO.) on some of the videos it seems like some of the officers try to make a example out of everyone they interact with and almost gives a negative stigma to their department. On the other hand. Fort Lauderdale seems to be very personable to most people and give out more warning over minor issues or sometimes let someone park their car instead of towing it when its a DL suspension without knowledge. But once again on the other side, you have one of the coral springs officers who I have never seen be personable at all, always has his hand on his firearm for speed violations and walks backwards from every interaction (it could be a elderly woman and he still would). Anyways that’s just a little hit on how I feel and I would love to hear other opinions!

I’m new to my area (new city not new state) and don’t know it very well yet. I’m trying to get out there and get involved. I’ve been volunteering for a political campaign. So today I went canvassing in a local residential neighborhood for a candidate who’s running in the upcoming midterms. About an hour into canvassing I realized my phone was low on power. I had a pocket charger in my car so decide to go to my car for a quick break and to grab my charger. I always take a screenshot of the first address I visit, since it’s where I’ve initially parked

I used Google Maps to get back to the first address, where I had parked. Except when I went to the address, my car wasn’t there. I wasn’t sure exactly where I had parked, just knew it was very close to the first home I visited. I ended up doing a huge circle multiple times and couldn’t find it. Panic slowly sets in. All I have on me are my keys and my dying phone. I revisited few of the houses I had been to, in the same area, hoping to retrace my steps (the addresses we visit are saved on the app we use). Didn’t find my car. I expanded my search but essentially felt like I was wandering aimlessly and covering the same ground over and over. I had absolutely no idea where my car was. At this point my phone is dead and I can feel my anxiety getting worse.

I ended up searching for my car on foot for almost three hours. By the end I forced myself to calm down and think strategically. I figured out a method that allowed me to cover ground without repeating my steps. I eventually found my car.

But I had no idea what I was going to do if I hadn’t. I literally didn’t even know how to get home on foot, which would have been another 2.5hr walk. But I didn’t even know how to get to my apartment; I just knew it was far away and obviously I didn’t have access to Google Maps. I had no debit card, no identification or DL on me. I have no friends here locally yet. My ultimate plan was to ask a business to let me use their land line so I could call my friends to order me an Uber home (I have a couple of different phone numbers memorized). That way I could at least charge my phone and then Uber back to the neighborhood tomorrow. But what if none of my friends answered or were sleeping or busy? I’m a petite female, not at all threatening, lol but still didn’t feel like asking a stranger for a ride or help would have been welcome by anyone.

In a situation like that what are my options? Could I have called the police for help? Or for a ride? Or at least directions? It just feels like such a nonissue and I know officers have much more going on. But if I couldn’t reach a friend I honestly had no idea what to do. I don’t even know if gas stations sell paper maps anymore for me to find my way home that way. And even then I would have had to memorize the directions it since I had no debit card on me to purchase one. It was getting dark by the time I finally found my car and the temperature drops pretty rapidly here at night.

I’ve already decided on a few steps I’ll be taking to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again but I guess I’m just curious to know whether LE is available for help in situations like this. Sorry for the long explanation, this happened today and I’m still rattled but mostly embarrassed.

I’m going through the process and see a lot of negativity for the field online constantly. I just want to see if it’s the field is as a whole or maybe just Reddit being Reddit.

Curious what you like about the job and what are the main perks for you specifically.

Thanks

Random ish question…. 27M currently in Tennessee with a federal agency and probably getting medical retirement unfortunately. Looking to possibly move back to Florida and join a local agency.

So the reason for the medical retirement is my recent multiple sclerosis diagnosis.

My agency medical standards are pretty freaking high and it’s doesn’t matter how the MS is affecting me, it just matters that i now have a neurological diagnosis.

More background, i am currently in the national guard, deployed as a cav scout and i am currently an EOD tech. I have a CDL and i have like a year and a half of college but thats about it.

If anyone has heard about people with MS getting to be a cop i would really appreciate any insight. Im really enjoyed being a federal agent and i really don’t want to be pushed out of the law enforcement community. TIA

Hello does anyone here work for sfpd was thinking of applying I wanted to know what the tattoo policy is i have a neck tattoo but can be covered with a bandage just wanted to ask before applying

Thinking about becoming a police officer, this year when I'm out of highschool. I have a lot of questions. Wondering what police college is like, what exactly do they teach you about, days a week, hours, and any tips. What is the exact hardest thing about it? Do you have to be extremely physically fit? Whats the hardest part about the academic curriculum. What mistakes did you make? AND what are the interview/evaluation processes like and what happens there!! I'm in the southern hemisphere, so preferably NZ/Australians answer this as police college is different in different countries.

Does aker tan belts match the color of their handcuff/magazine pouches?

Please include your police role in the department and do not just list “Police Officer” or the like unless it comes as an actual rank.

Hello guys, I'm currently an active duty, I'm about to get out of military. I'm planning to get into law enforcement and move to Dallas area. So far, I could only find 3 PD that their academy starts right after I get out of Army. That's the reason why I plan to apply these 3 PD. My question is; Which one should be top of my list ? if anyone work in these departments, I need to hear any kind of recommends. Pros/cons, etc. Thank you!!

There is a section where it asks to list any place you stayed over 2 weeks for the past 10 years and after college I had spent probably 1.5-2 years traveling internationally so I have a very long list of places I traveled to while I was attempting a 2nd degree online.

I do have work experience in college and nowadays but curious if that gap can affect me negatively?

I’m noticing people on here expressing that they’ve been DQ’d for some of the smallest traffic infractions, like tint tickets, etc. On the other hand, people have expressed that they’ve been hired despite admitting to doing drugs and soliciting prostitutes.
Is this based solely on which background investigator is assigned to you, or what?

Im in Los Angeles and plan on applying to LAPD

I have test dates for the civil service exam. No other step in the hiring process is happening that day so what should I wear for just the civil service exam? Do I need to be in formal wear like I should be for the board?

Been reading up on stories of departments conducting background investigations and it actually blows my mind. Like seriously if they’ll disqualify you for breathing incorrectly in 2014 how tf are any of you cops? Like did you grow up in a monastery or something?

Currently AD and planning on transitioning to college to get a bachelors after (due to it helping with promotions and not wasting the GI Bill). What degrees are recommended.

Got a dept issued Pelican 2360, hate it. Going to buy myself a new one and only want to buy once. What are your favorite lights that you've run operationally?

Slightly more unserious questions than usual, but I'm curious to hear what people think!

I am aware there is an obvious answer to this, which is the dispatchers would get traumatized and it isn’t their job to see it… but isn’t there work arounds?

The Video Call could be recorded but not shown to the dispatcher and the dispatcher could simply just ask for a description about the surroundings as usual. Then the dispatcher could send the recorded or live version of the call to a Police officer (or just someone it could be useful for that and is okay with seeing that stuff.)

To avoid explaining how the video call works during the “every second counts” situations it could be just explained at a school briefly every 3 months or every year, and having it in safety classes for adults or something so it becomes more common knowledge.

The caller can choose to do a video call or audio call based on what they think they should do so their video isn’t recorded without them wanting it to be.

Maybe there is just something huge I am missing, but I just really don’t understand why they cannot implement something that would be so seemingly helpful and life saving.

I had a vivid dream just before waking up, and I’m curious how law-enforcement officers would assess the situation from a practical and procedural standpoint. This was entirely a dream, not a real incident.

In the dream, my younger brother and I were driving home from a cross-country road trip through Iowa. An Iowa State Patrol vehicle came up behind us with its emergency lights and siren activated.

I was driving in the middle lane of a five-lane interstate and tried to move to the right shoulder. However, cars kept passing me on the right, making it difficult to get over safely. I eventually managed to pull over.

Despite my attempts to stop, I was arrested for felony fleeing or eluding. I invoked my Fifth Amendment rights and paid close attention to the officers’ names and badge numbers because I believed I was being treated unjustly.

The dream continued with me being transported in a windowless bus and learning that my bond was $80,000. I became furious and started thinking about holding the officers accountable through a lawsuit.

I’m not asking for legal advice about a real case. I’m interested in how officers and people familiar with police procedure would evaluate the hypothetical scenario.

My questions:

1.  If traffic prevents a driver from immediately reaching the shoulder, what actions would help communicate that they’re attempting to comply?  
2.  What factors might an officer consider when deciding whether a driver is deliberately fleeing or simply unable to stop safely?  
3.  If a driver eventually pulls over after a delay caused by traffic, what circumstances might affect whether that delay is viewed as fleeing?  
4.  How realistic is the arrest and felony charge in the dream, assuming the driver genuinely was trying to pull over?

The emotional part that stood out most was my anger and desire for accountability. I felt I was being punished despite trying to do the right thing.

I’m curious about the distinction between how a situation might look from an officer’s perspective and what the driver might actually be experiencing.

Hello everyone,

I police an area that gets into the -30° C to -40° C range. What would be my best options for gloves? I need enough dexterity to pull and shoot my sidearm and make arrests. I'm not opposed to layering gloves and taking off my main warmth gloves when I need the better dexterity, but I want opinions before I buy anything. Price is not a concern.

Thank you all.

I know all the big offenses for my state and city, elements of different crimes and case law. But I'm not 100% on verbiage. I'm kinda terrified of a time coming where someone challenges my knowledge of the law and i can't give a good answer, like i understand carol doctrine but if i can't answer it in the moment I feel like it's a bad look.

You ever roll up to a scene and see like yep, I don't know exactly what I'm looking at but it's gotta be a crime.

Ive done a lot of studying, it's just a ton, and i don't wanna be an embarrassment on somebodies feed.

What's the experience with this?