My son is considering joining a branch of service...

Question

he is interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement. any suggestions or opinions on what branch would be best, we have done researching and now they all offer mp positions. he doesn't want to just patrol front gates, he wants more intense duties with action. any help with this matter is appreciated, thank you.

Answer 1

I agree with Lucifer that no matter what service he chooses, he will do his fair share of the menial tasks of whatever career field he selects.  That's just the way the military works.  Ever hear the saying "Rank has it's privileges"?

One thing about the Navy:  No matter where he is assigned it will almost always be near the water and located close to a big city. ON the other hand, some AF and ARMY bases are located in the boondocks in places I call Diddlysquat, Anystate.  That's often just boring.

*However, if he wants to see "action", the Army would be a better choice.  But is he really interested in policing Afghan or Iraqi civilians?  That's the "action" the Army will have in store for him.*

Answer 2

Most of todays law enforcement agencies will hire an infantryman over an MP. This is due to the MP's operating with a different mindset than what local and state law enforcement like. It's too difficult to retrain someone on an entirely different program. They prefer infantry soldiers because they are trained to adapt to an ever changing environment and usually have the ability to learn the system quickly. They'll come to an agency with more than just law enforcement skills. They are well versed in weapons and tactics and truly understand the team concept. He'll be able to feed that "action" monster living inside of him and will arrive at the agency with a higher physical fitness level. Most infantry soldiers will put other LE academy candidates to shame physically and mentally.

Answer 3

The Coast Guard does NOT have MPs.  The Coast Guard is the ONLY service that DOES do Law Enforcement.  If he wants a career in Law Enforcement he owes it to himself to do a little research and maybe talk to a recruiter.

www.GoCoastGuard.com

1 877 NOW-USCG

Answer 4

More than likely whatever branch of service he chooses he is going to have to guard gates at least a couple of times in his career this falls under the billet descriptions for MP's.  As a Marine I know if he wants to do a bit of the tougher stuff he can try to get with a deployable unit or a grunt unit which is a bit more intense than being an MP in the Wing.  

Answer 5

If he wishes to become a meathead (affectionate term for mp's) then he will do his fair share of boring no matter what branch of the services.

The army will give him the chance to vary that more with good old roadblocks and convoy escorts.

Answer 6

If you want tough, there is Marines

If you want more bases to choose from, there is Army

If you want good treatment, there is Air Force

If you want good equipment, there is Navy.

I'm Army, but Air Force treats their soldiers better.

A LOT better.

Alex is right. I have heard of people not being hired into civilian law enforcement because they were MPs. We fall under the uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), which has different regs from civilian policy.

Answer 7

Navy all the way... There are so many jobs he can do it isn't even funny. Prisoner escort, K-9, ship security, harbor patrol, .50 cal mounts, shore patrol, and there are so many more. If it's intense duties he wants, he can get in and then ask to go to Iraq or Afghanistan. There are many options for MA's, ship or shore duty.

Answer 8

MP's as all other jobs (MOS) in the Army have their share of c**p work. They dont't just get to patrol and do MP stuff. I have a few friends that are MP's and they had to work their way into doing patrol on a post. MP's in Iraq do a lot of different things from convoys, to traffic control points (TCP), to sitting around doing nothing. I was a civilian police officer before joining the Army and also hated how the ex-military guys got the veteran's points on tests, which gave them an advantage. He can easily come in a do any MOS and get out and get on a PD. If he wants action go infantry, or Ranger. Even as a medic I receive a lot of tactical training and we receive civilian certifications which would help get on a dept. when he gets out. College is another option for him while in. He can easily get at least an two year degree or more in a four year enlistment. Also most agencies do not want an applicant under 25 due to maturity. He will grow up here, even if he doesn't want to. ....Oh, ya Coast Guard does a lot of law enforcement and just made a new police officer type position. Before it was a duty not a job.

Answer 9

I think you have to remember that while the military is just a small microcosm of society you generally don't see near the amount of serious violent crime and drugs that you do in civilian society.  So if that's what you mean by action then it is not quite like being a civilian police officer. That does not mean that he won't see other types of action especially if deployed to Iraq and Afganistan.  You also need to understand that even there a certain amount of heightened security must be maintained and so a lot of their efforts and time is spent maintaining checkpoints, desginated points of entry, escorting non combatants and civilian contractors as necessary and much of their work involves that.  So it really is a tradeoff I think.  He will get some experience in antiterrorism, handleing, firing, and using automatic weapons, see some parts of the world and probably be gone more than he wants to be.  The action part is a different kind or type of action than that of a civilian officer.  The military will give him valuble experience in other ways and also preference in hiring in any civilian or federal law enforcement agency once he leaves the military.  

Answer 10

if he wants to be the best and the toughest the navy seals would be there for him !

Answer 11

The best branch would be the Coast Guard.  First they do a lot of law enforcement.  Their "A" school is just like going to a police academy.  Also you will be stationed in the United States and not over seas.  Most likely you will not be deployed.  I say most likely because this is still a branch of the military and the Coast Guard does have members in the Middle East and Iraq right now, even though people do not like to think we do.

The police officer position that is mentioned above is not a rate yet.  The Coast Guard is still working on that.

Answer 12

Might I suggest he talks with the recruiter about the different fields available in law enforcement in the military.  The Air Force used to offer guaranteed placement.  If the position was not available within a certain time frame, they have to offer another job of your choice or immediately give an honorable discharge.  This of course is dependent on him making it through basic and meting the entrance testing scores needed for the field.  No matter what he decides, GET IT IN WRITING before he signs the forms, NOT VERBALLY OR with assurances of AFTERWARDS,,  I capitalized for emphasis.  If they won't put it in writing before he signs on the dotted line, walk out of the office and don't look back.  What the recruiter IMPLIES and the truth are not always the same.  Some are way behind on the numbers needed and are afraid they will lose the at home desk job and be put back in their field of service for failure.

Answer 13

If he is a MP in the Air Force, he will get CCAF degree in criminal justice which would be good to transfer into a civilian job.

Answer 14

I want to get into law enforcement to. I was thinking about the army for a bit but I ended up going to college instead studying administration of justice, the people in our class that went to the military always become the teachers favorites. Grr! I've heard many times in my classes that people should seriously consider joining the military before joining the police force. Anyways, I was talking to my soon to be brother in law who just got back from Iraq, he said it's actually BAD to be an MP and become a police officer after, and they might avoid hiring you because of it. The reason he says this is because you're already used to different laws, and a military way of policing (or something like that). I don't know how true it is though. However, one of my old friends stepdad was a corrections officer and he worked as an MP during Vietnam. So I don't know :/ Good luck!

Answer 15

Hello I would suggest the coast guard