Comments on: Police Officer Careers – Police Officer Jobs

By: Frank

Frank — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 02:13:18 +0000

I’m currently attending the Massachusetts Reserve Police Academy. And I’m a sworn Auxiliary Police Officer. My wife and myself are looking to relocate to Florida in a year. My question is do I have to attend the academy in Florida to secure a job with a Florida Law Enforcement Agency? Or what would I have to do to secure a job with a sheriff’s office or police department seeing i have training from another state?

By: J C Delgado

J C Delgado — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:50:19 +0000

I have a huge question, and haven’t really found a direct answer for it. I have been going to school for criminal justice in becoming a police officer for the past 2 years; however, am I wasting my time? Considering I have had a past with some drugs and some tickets, for example; I have done ecstasy when I was younger, have smoked marijuana, and have a drinking in public while the age of 18…Ever since, I have stopped with the drugs and immaturity. Now at the age of 21. Although this has all been in the past, I feel as if this while greatly impact and affect my eligibility towards being an applicant for a police officer. What do you think?

By: Charles Wilcox

Charles Wilcox — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:58:13 +0000

I am 22 yrs old. and will be getting a bachelors in history and a minor in criminal justice. I’ve played college baseball for 4 yrs, and I know I can be a cop as far as the physical and mental aspects are concerned. My real question is will having the BA in hist w/ a crim. justice minor hurt me as far as getting hired? And are the hours for most cops the 12 hour shifts in which they have to work graveyard?

Would it hurt me if I didn’t have a criminal justice minor and only had a history degree? I ask this because my university does not have a criminal justice minor.

By: Radek M. Gadek

Radek M. Gadek — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:15:05 +0000

Your high school grades may matter in pursuit of employment, especially if you don’t plan to go to college. A GED is an acceptable alternative to a high school degree and most law enforcement departments will allow one to apply with such a diploma. Be aware that many police departments, especially the mid to large agencies, will want at least some college or even a Bachelor’s degree at time of application or before attending the academy / before getting hired on OR within up to several years of obtaining employment.

As for transferring while attending police academy, I don’t think it would work in your favor. The job market, as I write this reply, is fairly fragile. And, even if certain agencies worked with each other closely, the staggering amount of money invested in each recruit who attends the academy (and then transferred to another one) would be an equivalent to “flushing money down the drain.” In essence, even if you went to the first academy and decided that the second location would be better, you would still have to start from scratch and you would forfeit your place at the first location and in all likelihood “burn your bridges” at the first police academy. Hope this makes sense.

By: Radek M. Gadek

Radek M. Gadek — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:02:47 +0000

Think of a criminal justice degree as a broader major when compared to a degree in law enforcement. The criminal justice system, as a whole, consists of law enforcement, corrections, and courts (just a few major sectors of the criminal justice system). Even forensic science and victim counseling falls under CJ. What a criminal justice degree will teach – in most cases – is the understanding of the different parts that make the criminal justice system what it is.

A law enforcement degree may only focus on the intricate inner workings of a law enforcement agency; especially, how it operates. Saying that, I have seen a number of colleges and universities mislabel their degree offerings where a degree in law enforcement or police science was eerily similar to the broader criminal justice degree. Make sure to research each school’s degree offerings and ask the admission staff questions if you’re not sure.

I can’t say which degree might be better, although I have a slight bias towards the criminal justice program.

By: Radek M. Gadek

Radek M. Gadek — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:29:13 +0000

I am 99.9% certain that you will need a high school diploma or a GED in order to obtain a job as a police officer.

By: Radek M. Gadek

Radek M. Gadek — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:26:32 +0000

Hey Brandon, I know many police officers that are shorter than you, so you can defenestrate that myth. Also, I have been trying to get this notion out of people’s heads that a degree in criminal justice is not the only option. Imagine a police department that was made-up of just CJ grads, or lawyers, or accountants… it wouldn’t offer much of a diverse workforce now, would it? I don’t know what your Bachelor of Arts is in, but given all you have mentioned you should have a shot at the agencies that interest you. The NYPD and Federal law enforcement employment is some of the toughest to obtain, however. Keep that in mind and look elsewhere just in case.

By: Brandon Cole

Brandon Cole — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 02:56:18 +0000

Sorry if this has been asked before, but i have always been interested in policing, and now at 30 find myself at a place where I could pursue the dream. I am in okay shape, but am thin for my height 5’9. Given my age and smaller stature, and unrelated college degree (BA, with no criminal justice training), would i have any chance of making it into the NYPD or a Federal law enforcement branch?

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

By: noname

noname — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 01:15:36 +0000

i just want to know if you don’t have a high school diploma can u still go to college and study, police foundation courses and get a job?

By: Radek M. Gadek

Radek M. Gadek — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 03:26:56 +0000

It all boils down to location, location, location… Despite the economy roughing things up a bit for everyone, law enforcement agencies are shifting gears as well; some are hiring and some are on hiring-freezes, or even downsizing in some instances. It’s all about where you are, and better yet, where you are willing to go in order to get work. I gotta say it has been a little rough in the last few years. Hopefully this new year will bring growth in the police job market.