Criminal Profiling / career change

[Tob2]

Hello all - I have a few questions . . .

I am currently an established forensic mental health professional. I have an masters degree in clinical psych. and am a licensed therapist. I've been working in urban jails for about 9 years and am now considering changing into LE.

I am interested in, eventually, getting into homicide or sex crimes investigation and/or criminal profiling. Given that these are highly, for lack of a better word, "popular" sub-fields in LE, would this sound too cheesy to mention in an oral board?

How much of a foot up - if any - does my background give me in pursuing these goals?

Thanks in advance for any feedback,
Tob2

[lich]

I wouldn't mention these long term goals, as they are not only popular, but popularized.

I wouldn't want to give the board the impression I had said, "I want to be like that guy I saw on t.v. last week."

[T.COTE]

Tob2

I have a different view than lich on this one. I understand his point of view where you don't want your life to be like the fiction you see on television, but who better than someone with 9 years experience to be able to tell the difference between the two.

I would push that you have a long history of dealing with these people, including monitoring and studying their behavior. What an asset to a cop. Being able to look at someone and say, " hey, he is doing the same thing this other guy did that I already worked with in jail"
The best cops have long lasting memories of what has happened to them in the past. We call that experience. I wouldn't hesitate to go for what you want. I would also stress you know what the job REALLY is, and that you feel you are capable of doing it.
To answer your question if this would give you a leg up...I would say yes.
In an oral board I would stress that people without your experience don't really understand the job that you ultimately want.
You also have to understand , and let the board know that you understand, that this is a goal. Not what you are applying for.
(sorry for the gramatical errors)

best of luck

T.COTE

[lich]

I like your take on the situation, T.COTE. If Tob 2 were to talk about how his experience would help in police work, I'm sure it would help him stand out from the crowd.

Also, I agree it's a little early in the employment process to talk about future police positions which aren't on the table. They are looking for the next recruit class, so all your efforts should be focused on showing the board how you can be the recruit they are looking for.

You can make the argument either way. The board could be impressed with your future goals, but in the same way nobody here would say they plan on being the chief of police or making lieutenant by forty when they haven't even gotten their foot in the door, I can't agree with the idea of discussing long term plans. Become a cop. Be a good one, and then move up and into the fields you enjoy most.

[Tob2]

Thanks to both of you for the feedback. I'm leaving the mental health field really because I'm not being challenged. I'm bored. Now, I have colleagues who will quickly tell me that I should study so and so theory and that will keep me occupied. I'm definately not saying I've learned everything about my field. Far from it. It's just that the study itself has become less interesting.

Patrolling around - OUTSIDE!!! - looking for bad guys, this sound like fun. But the fear is that, I'll get bored with this too. So, I'm trying to explore what options would be available to me down the line. Ultimately, I agree with the person that said, in effect, "just get the job, do well at it and then see what's available."

Changing careers is a bit of a gamble. I guess there's no way around that. As I reflect on this, I think I'm looking for some hiring board to say: Hey, you're soo special, we GAURANTEE that you'll NEVER be bored here. We'll bend over backwords to ensure you don't become bored!

Given that this wont be happening, I think I just need to take a chance. Thanks, again, for the feedback.

Cheers,
Tob2