Hello, and a question...

[RTB]

Hello.

And for the question:

(Background)

I am 27 years old, and a Systems Admin. at a major manufacturer here in sunny Detroit. I have no criminal background, but I do have 2 speeding tickets in the past 2-3 years. I am white, catholic school educated. I am in excellent health, and don't you believe what my friends say, I am actually fairly intelligent. I have NO college. Zip.

(Question)

Do I stand a chance in heck of making it into a PD? I know Detroit PD (and several other big cities), do not have a college requirement, but is it implied that an applicant will have a LE degree?

I am getting out of the computer buisness. LE is definitly what I want to get into. (Originally was, but I sort of fell into computer jobs). I just want to set my expectations realistically. If anyone has any tips/suggestions as to my chances of getting into a PD (or any LE org.), let me know!

Thanks in advance,
Robert.

[Josh]

Hello Robert,

I think that I asked the same question about 2 or 3 weeks ago.  Take a look at the topic that says "Question. Help Please" that was started by me.  That should help you out because it looks to me that you are in the same situation that I am in.  Stick around, you will pick up a bunch of info from the kind men and women at this site.

See ya,

Josh

[Josh]

Robert,

Here is a link to that thread entitled "Question. Help Please."

cops2be.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=1&action=display&num=1018131677

Josh

[Charlie]

RTB--I'll be more than happy to re-post basically what I conveyed to Josh since you are essentially asking the same questions. I'll also add a little more too:

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"Josh--I have to agree with a lot of the information Junior has suggested to you. I would highly recommend that you also get some college. As Junior pointed out, a lot of agencies MAY advertise that they may only require a high school (HS) diploma or GED but, logically, what do you think they're looking for? Obviously, the better well-rounded and preferrably better educated officer! There's nothing wrong with having only a HS education but the reality these days is you often have to have some college or a "piece of paper" that says you've earned a degree in something.

I'd suggest that when you attend college, even at a part time level, try and work on a lot of the basics: English, Social Studies, Math, etc. I would also see about taking some sociology or psychology courses too as well as criminal justice-realted courses as well.

Getting hired at most law enforcement agencies (LE) is often times a very competitive process. To give you a hypothetical idea, often times a department could have 5 openings. You'll often have several hundred people show up for the initial written testing process! Commonly, at large urban agencies, you'll also have to contend with competition as well even though they may be hiring a lot of people. There are big demands for females and/or other minority applicants. If you fall into the minority category, a large urban agency might be something to look at if that interests you. Again, however, it is STRONGLY recommended that you work on the college thing.

Finally, I'd recommend that you participate in a ride-a-long program and I want to suggest one other web site:

LAW ENFORCEMENT SITES ON THE WEB
www.ih2000.net/ira/ira.htm

There are literally hundreds of LE agencies listed. Each department is different and have different qualfications one has to meet to get hired with their department. Not all departments are the same! When you figure out which departments you want to work for, I'd recommend that you find out all you can about their requirements. Then, you'll know what criteria you've got to meet ot get on board.

Hope that helps. Good luck!"

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Plain and simple and coming from a completely objective standpoint: If you re looking at a large urban agency such as Detroit PD, most agencies (which likely includes Detroit PD) are very interested in hiring minority & female applicants. Good or bad, (and NOT intending for this to sound derogatory but rather factual ONLY), regardless of your view about this issue, this is the reality in the LE job market at larger agencies. Since you are a W/M applicant, you are likely going to need to have some college under your belt to be more competitive amng other applicants.

Please register with this site. Stick around and you'll likely find a lot of varied responses to your questions.

If I can be of help, I'll answer whatever I can for you.

Good luck.

Charlie