Law Enforcement Officers in the Reserves...?

Question

Are there a lot of reservists in law enforcement and if so, have you found it difficult to obtain or keep the job because of your reserve commitment?

Answer 1

Yes there are many reservists who are cops. When I was in the Reserve, there were many police officers in my unit, and their positive influence helped me in my choice to become a cop.

Some depts offer great terms and benefits (in addition to what is legally mandated) for Guardsmen and Reservists, while other depts offer the legal minimum.

It is illegal for any employee to discriminate against folks based upon their reserve commitment.

Answer 2

Yes there are (and I was one in fact).  I was a police officer in Missouri from 1997 until 2004 when I got deployed to Iraq with the Army Reserve.  There were 3 other such reservists in my department, and all but one got deployed overseas.  I personally did not encounter any problems in finding or keeping employment due to my military commitment.  One reason for that was because the chief I worked under was a former Army MP, and he help military personnel in very high regard.