State Police vs. County Police

Question

Hi, im planning on joining law enforcement and the decision really has come down to the maryland state police and Pg county police. I enjoy traffic more than calls for service, but i hear that county police have a lot more enjoyment. I would like to know the difference in their duties, training and just a little help on my decision.

P.S. if it helps, i know more people in county police (a cousin, friends), but zero in state police so please advise.

THX

Answer 1

My first advice is to see if you can schedule ride alongs with BOTH departments.  Usually departments are very willing and accepting of letting people observe their duties.

Secondly, talk more in depth with your friends with the county police.  They obviously had to make this decision in their life too (which department and why), and can give you some more ideas as to why you should pick a particular department or not.

The differences usually between state and local police are that state will generally just do traffic.  Locals will do more domestic, thefts, etc.  State departments usually have better pay, equipment, pension, benefits, and training, although some local departments can come close to matching the state!  Obviously, jurisdiction is different.  With jurisdiction, if you work for the state, they can tell you at any time they want to pack up and move somewhere else, where you don't get that with local PDs.  

Even though I'm a Campus Police Officer, I'm planning on applying for some local PDs and State PDs soon too.  Personally for me though, I prefer to have more of a community interaction which I notice typically comes with working in a local PD as opposed to a state, and consequently would choose to work at a local PD over a state.  However, state officers are top quality and do have their benefits.  Either one is a great decision, but it does come down to personal preference.

Good luck in your career!