I am looking for contractor jobs specific to my LE experience or that would utilize my experience.

I have 9 years active duty experience, mostly as structural maintenance and low observables, but with past security clearances.

I have 9.5 years LE experience as a patrol officer, all the way up to mid-level narcotics investigator building federal investigations with DEA, FBI. DHS and various other federal task forces.

I worked for a larger department (450 officers) and I am looking for something similar to law enforcement to continue utilizing my experience and love for the job.

What companies are out there that I can look into?

Why did you get out of LE?

A combination of things. Where I worked was not close to where I was born and raised and I wanted to be closer to family and raise my daughter around her grandparents as well as to be in a safer, quite environment. We had planned to move back for years but the job kept me away from home.

In terms of professionally, my agency had gone downhill and was continuing to decline. There was no integrity amongst the leadership and they could not be trusted. Pay and benefits were continually declining and the quality of officers continued to spiral downward as the social climate and recruiting and retention rates fell.

I absolutely loved my work. But, the atmosphere had become so toxic that there was no reason to stay other than the love of the job and my teammates.

Now that I'm out of LE, I realize how much the work meant to me. I want to continue service and be a part of a career that makes people's lives better and safer. My whole life has been some form of service and protecting people and I've found that I need that sense of purpose. I also miss the comradely and the structure.

I did what I thought was best for my family and myself and I think my family is better for it. I just need something in my life that is fulfilling again.

I've applied locally with little to no return calls. The area is very small with small budgets. So, they tend to prefer certified officers and who you know plays a huge role in your selection here.

I can understand the issue with a deteriorating department.  I went through that myself with my last agency.  Once I realized I was fighting a losing battle, I left for another agency.  My current agency isn't perfect (none are) but it's nothing like what my old department had become.

I'm not sure what kind of contracting work would give you what you are looking for.

Have you been out for a long time?  Are you still certified through your original state?  If so, most if not all states have a system in place where you can transfer your certification from your last state to your new state.  Then, you can apply with a current certification.

I've been gone almost a year. There was a reciprocity process, but there was still training I had to go through and had to be paid for. I couldn't go straight into the FTO process.

The local areas I'm in that are in the same state as my cert are in the same boat. It's not impossible, but very difficult and it hasn't worked out so far.

I'm just looking for other alternatives in the meantime. I was hoping some form of security contracting overseas such as base security or police training like the advisers in Afghanistan at one point.

I don't think you're in the right forum to get that kind of advice.

I would seek out other places that contractors frequent or go to. Do some googling.

Once that first year is over its a lot harder to get hired.   Even if you have a two to three year active certification window.  In the northwest, when I was looking many years ago, they wanted 12 months continuous service in the last 24 months.  I dont know if thats changed or not but if at all possible if you can find the funds the new training certs nows the time to do so.

There are a couple giant firms that do 98% of the security contracting overseas. Most are hiring guys fresh out of the military. I work with a few guys who did some contracting for a couple years when they first got out. They made serious money, but had no family life and looked at it as blood money. All except one guy have said they would never do it again.

If you are looking to stay stateside and want to do some type of security contracting, Wackenhut does 75% or more of all the security contracts for the US Government at everything from secret installations to FAA control centers. I have seen them doing everything from checking ID's inside a lobby of .gov building in DC to doing armed patrol around nuclear storage facilities.

If you want to get back into LE, maybe look into the Feds. if you have active duty military time, it will give you a waiver against the maximum age of 37.

Lots of companies looking for police advisers/trainers OCONUS. Probably more up your alley. Indeed and SOCNET are good places to start.

Unless you are some sort of special operations qualified HSLD operator type, you're not getting the high paying, high speed jobs.

You'll most likely be stuck at some static post, getting paid a paltry wage (which only benefit is being tax free if you stay out of the US for more than 330 days), and bored out of your mind.

Until the next war pops off, the days of getting paid well and getting some excitement out of it are over, for now.