First off, a bit about myself:
I'm 21 years old, an MSIII in my schools Army ROTC program, and a Mechanical Engineering student (senior in the program), and 185 at 5' 8" (10-11%bf last i was dunked).

With the track that I am on, I will commission in May 2016  as a 2LT (either active, reserve, or ARNG). I am planning on active duty, but have put some thought into reserve/ARNG as well.

Is it possible to be ARNG/reserve as well as LEO? If so, what are your opinions on the matter?

Otherwise, I would love to hear anything you have to say on the matter--anything.

Are you planning on staying in WA?  What part of the state are you thinking?

My opinion is that you use your degree to make money and if you want to, then play LEO (reserve) on the side. That or be a Firefighter.

I know tons of guys who are reservists in my department. It works out well for them, although without proper planning it can lead to the detail being short staffed but that's not their fault. If you get a good gig as a LEO and like the work you should do it, if you decide you dont like it you can always go active on your contract.

The LE industry is changing, and very quickly. In the past 5 years alone there have been a bunch of changes that tie our hands.  

I'm not sure the reward is worth the risk anymore.

Yep... all of us are one call away from making national news...

I am not sure where I would want to be--I am not opposed to moving elsewhere, I've had enough of the city. I am in the Lynnwood area, but do not want to be apart of Seattle PD. Please do not take offense to this if you are apart of it--I have utmost respect for those in SPD--I say this only because I have read of the ridiculous policy changes they have been forced to deal with.

Exactly!!!  Especially with the climate in this country I'd recommend a different career path.  If I didn't have 18 years in this career field I'd find something else to do.  At 21 I think you should pursue developing some more life experience, and develop more experience in dealing with people in a customer service setting.  That is something that younger applicants seem to be lacking, which becomes apparent on panel interviews.  If you are looking for a career where folks appreciate you then become a Firefighter!!

The retirement systems in LEO jobs is changing for the worse.  25/48 has become 30/53.  The culture of policing has changed.  I would recommend being a fireman instead of entering policing.

Depends on the area. It's 22 years on the city PD here and 20 years on the county PD. Tons of guys retire in their early 40s.

It's possible, I just retired from the USAR with just over 20 years, and currently a LEO for the past 26 years.

The key thing...a department that will support you being in the ARNG/USAR, some departments are better than others.

The job has changed dramatically. Whether it's the public or coworkers attitudes are very different.   Depending on the PD, standards are lowered for hiring and mgmt wonder where they went wrong when it comes to bite them in the ass.   Besides, EVERYONE loves a fireman.

I am not SPD...enough said there.  Feel free to send me a PM if you have any WA specific questions, Im sure I can give you an unbiased look into what this career really is, and ignite your desire to be a fireman!

They aren't lying. On average everyone is happy when my big red truck shows up. And you could always go fire Marshall. Best of both worlds. All the fun of fires with all the power of a cop. I should really go take 1031 and 1033. Either way, good luck.

Just to open your eyes to it (and my brother is a cop fwiw), go look at GD threads about cops. Conservatives are constantly hating cops in there. They hate on firefighters too, but just because we cost them money not that they hate us. They actually irrationally hate cops. It's truly scary.

This does concern me. I honestly do not understand it. I've interacted with some jackass cops, but most of the time they've been helpful and they've helped when needed.

I have a lot of thinking to do, I suppose.

True that. Also it all depends on what you wanna deal with as well.I'd rather be shot at ANY day then go in a burning building. Been there done that for both of them. I guess since I've no training/experience for the fire portion it was more unknown/scarier.  I know fire guys who love putting out a fire but if it comes to dealing with someone armed with a gun or a knife they are like F that I'm out.




As for the GD's opinion of cops/firefighters its probably a good representation of the type of people who hang out there. To put it nicely I'd say its probably closely related to their social economic status.


If you can get a degree in engineering I'd say become an engineer and become a reserve firefighter or police officer if your into that. Lots of places have reserve programs where you can get training/equipment and you only have to work like 8-12hr a month in turn. And that 8-12hr a month will seem fun because you'll be doing cool stuff. Go on a few ride alongs if possible to see if your interested in the LE portion.



As for jackass cops yeah some people turn into dicks. You deal with criminals, drug addicts, alcoholics/drunks, mentally ill people, etc. for hours on end every day and after awhile you kind of get an attitude if you can't handle it.

If I was in your position, I would go active and do your career that way.  You can still do a career in Law Enforcement afterwards.  Plenty of guys go through the academy in their 40's.