Can a policeman easily support his family?

Question

Hello , I am a college student working on getting his criminal Justice degree, to later become a officer. From what I have learned so far , cops work ridiculous shifts , graveyards ect. and usually get 3 days off. So I was wondering if any former or active cops on here could tell me if it is easy to support your family emotionally and financially being a policemen, Specially with all the stress you get from the job.

Also I think the average income for a patrol officer is 35,600 to 60,000 . Was that enough for you and your family?

-thanks for reading

Answer 1

hey,i really wanna become apoliceman too and i want to get my bachelor in sociology.look you chose this program because you really want to clean the streets from criminals and crimes,so if you really want to do this then be it.about your family and if you can support them financially?i can say yes but dude we wont make that much money, 3000 to 4000K per month for someone who has a family is nothing but i 'm sure you can still manage your family especially emotionally and even  financially if you both work,so don't worry ,but remember if you really want to be an officer dont quit and never back down. you gonna havea chance to be a detective too if you are a very good cop then you  will make more money.IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING.take care and goodluck,hope i could helped you.  

Answer 2

Police officer's families don't live great lives as far as finances, but if it is a dual working household, they get by.  I know, my father is a cop.  I know my parents made due when my father was a street cop (started at $26,000/yr) and once he became a detective, it was a lot easier.  He earned a better salary and got overtime, etc.  While finances can be worked out, the other issues are permanent.  It takes a lot out of police officers, the things they see and if they don't deal with them, they isolate their families, drink, etc.  It is very sad to see.  Police officers have heroic jobs but they, and their families, pay a high price for the things they see.  You have to consider if it is right for you....

Answer 3

It depends where you live. 60K goes further in Texas than NYC.  You'll never know until you try it. If it's not for you, switch majors and get a degree in something useful. A criminal justice degree is useless,sorry.

Answer 4

Where I live, county cops start out at $13.00 an hour. That's $26,000/year.  

Answer 5

Depends on where you live. In Las Vegas and Phoenix you start around 50k and it goes up pretty good over the years and yes you can make a good living. Also depends on if your single, have bills, or married. Some places like San Jose start you at 70k a year but you will live below poverty with this and raising a family is that much more stressful. Check the wages and cost of living. Do your homework. Going to NYPD for that lousy $$$ will make you want to steal every$$ you just to put break on the table.

    

Answer 6

Cops don't get paid enough for putting their lives on the line every day.