Posted: 10/15/2002 9:50:46 PM EDT
| For some reason latley ive beens eriously considering going to PD acadamy and joinign thr local PD and maybe the local SWAT unit. Anyhting that I shuld know before I try? Restrictions? Qualifications? Do I need military history? Just curious. THANX |
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Most agencies dont have full time SWAT teams, so even if you earn a slot on whatever team your prospective agency has, you'll still be doing more routine LEO jobs. My advice is to take a few civil service tests to see how you do; talk toa few officers and see what they think of your potential and decide whether its something you really want to do. |
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I would suggest you research the jobs available before making any rash decisions about a career path in law enforcement. Being a tactical team officer is only a small part of the job. There are alot of duties that are not as appealing as dressing in cammo or black and breaking down doors (ie.- report writing, traffic, patrol duties, court testimony, etc. etc.) |
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FieroLoki, I was being a smart a$$ when I made my first comment on your post so don't take it personal. My first thought when I read your post was we have a kid here that wants to dress up and look cool and play with all the neat toys. While SWAT DOES have there place we(LEO) need good people doing other aspects of the job which are alot more important to the community as a whole. My dept, while having several hundred deputies and working around one of the biggest cities in the country, we don't have a SWAT team. I've been on a few situations, like an armed standoff and I was the only darn patrol officer with a long gun, where SWAT has been called out and needless to say I wasn't very impressed. My personal opinion is that good trained officers can take care of most problems without armored vehicles and sharp shooters. This isn't to bash SWAT guys at all so don't think that. But this is just my opinion based on experience so take it for what it's worth. |
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Most SWAT officers are regular patrol officers. In most cases you dont have a SWAT team standing by in the "GREEN ZONE" waiting for a response to a call. Normally you must have at least 3 to 5 years of experience to try out for SRT , meet there requirements as far as physical ability, first get accecpted into the SWAT training, secondly Pass the Swat training, You want to get some experience under your belt. Start with Patrol work there for a few years (to see if you have what it takes) Try to make SGT as a patrol officer, Promote to Narcotics(this will give you some experience with serving Tatical Warrants) continue to get to know the SWAT team ( "IF" your department has one) you usually dont come fresh out of the POST training and go directly into SWAT or SRT [sniper] |
| Thanx for all the info. Im still thinking about this. I dont have the desire to join the Military anymore and I think joining the PD I would get something done and make a difference. Not to be a hero or anything just be good. jasams951, I figured you prolly were joking, but I was half asleep. :) Ive been doing alot of reading and when I get back in 2 months from current job ill go find some locals to talk to and see what they have to say. Thanx agian. |
| If you have to think about it, it's probably not for you. Know of two people who left cushy jobs for the brotherhood because they were semi interested. Ended up disliking it, couldn't get old job back, and now fall into the catagory of "collecting paycheck" and counting the days to retirement with less than 5 yrs on the job. Don't need them around when SHTF. You either want to become a cop or not. If the latter sounds more like you than check to see if your city/town has a "citizens program" to participate in first. [beer][bounce][whacko] |
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Quoted: .... and now fall into the catagory of "collecting paycheck" and counting the days to retirement with less than 5 yrs on the job. Don't need them around when SHTF. You either want to become a cop or not. [beer][bounce][whacko] Amen to that, brother! There are those that I WANT to work with and then there are those I HAVE to work with. The ones with whom I WNAT to work want to do the job, take pride in it and themselves, enjoy shooting, enjoy working out, and don't whine about the things that are screwed up each day. There's plenty of stuff messed up... just charge on. |
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I agree with Switchback and Juntau. There are too many officers that are "retired on duty". Either your a cop, or your just a observer who wears a uniform and "backs up" the real deal. Speaking of backup, what really pisses me off are the officers that run just that little bit to slow, show up to the call just a little to late, and the best are the officers that protect your squad as you take care of the call. God bless the retired on duty officers. Fieroloki, sorry to get off the subject and start venting. I had a no so great week and could not resist. All in all I love police work, but you have to really want the job. |