I want to be a cop!i have questions!?

Question

i just want to know how can i get into law enforcement?i'm in the us army as of now deployed to afghanistan,i have about 9 months left and thinking about getting out to become a cop so i can remain stateside.i have a highschool diploma and will have 3 years of military experience.Do I need a degree in criminal justice or is there anything i need 2 do to qualify of becoming a cop.Can someone with knowledge or experience please explain to me the process of everything,where will i go to police academy?do i get to pick what state i work in?and is it possible for me to be on army reserve status and being a cop?and do you recommend police over military?i'm 21 years old and from georgia if that matters.all help would be greatly appreciated,thanks.

Answer 1

You have quite a few options to explore. First you have to decide where you want to work: City, County, State or Federal, then do you want to work in the penal system, road patrol or investigative.

A small community will give you a taste of everything as they normally don't have a large force, therefore each Officer does traffic, juvenile, detective and even parking.

Larger cities specialize, Officers are assigned to traffic only, promoted to detective etc.

County Departments are generally staffed more along the lines of the City forces, just working in a larger area.  

Most State forces are traffic orienteated and mainly work on the State Highway systems.

Federal Officers are very specialized as in the FBI, ICE, AFT etc.

The next question: Education. Today you will generally need an Associate Degree to start. This is something you can obtain while in the military and is something you should seriously consider. The degree with your military experience will give you a head start over those just applying with a H.S. diploma.

All Departments either have their own academy or will send you to one near by. Academy time can range anywhere from six weeks to six months so be prepared for that.

Where you work depends on where you apply. You can write to any and all areas your interested in and they will send you information on their requirements. You can then decide where you want to live and go from there. Most Departments also have a testing procedure, some very difficult and some very simple.

Thank you for your service to our Country and good luck in your pursuit as an Officer!!

Answer 2

if you have a good military record and a good civilian record you shouod be okay i was in the army as well and i am gonna be a cop in miami and i have no degree as a veteran especially a war vet you can claim veerans preference which helps and police departments love veterans you can be a cop anywhere you want about 90 % of departments consider veterans as college grads a degree in criminaljustice is almost pointless cause in the academy you will learn everything you need o know and most police departments have there own academies  good luck though yo need to have patience as well gettin hired takes a whilt my best advice is to start looking where you wanna work at now and contact them they have special programs for active duty applicants but it is a long process.

this is my wifes screen name by the way