Idaho, Wyoming,  Montana? Why is one better than the other?


Montana:
1) Must be a U.S. Citizen.

2) Montana resident at time of appointment as a sworn officer.

3) Be at least 18 years of age.

4) Possess a valid driver's license and three years of driving experience.

5) Possess a High School diploma or GED and AA degree in Criminal Justice or Police Science, OR Four-year degree (any field), OR 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours in a liberal arts curriculum, OR POST Basic Certificate plus two years law enforcement experience, OR Four years military police / security experience.

6) Be willing to accept assignment and work in any part of Montana and work varied shifts including nights, weekends, and holidays as well as accept call-outs.

Benefits:  The starting salary for a Montana Highway Patrol Officer is kept competitive with other law enforcement agencies. Officers also receive 15 to 24 vacation days per year based on length of service, and 11 paid holidays per year. Sick leave is accumulated at the rate of 11 days per year. Group health, vision, and dental plans are provided for Officers. Optional dependant coverage is available. Each employee is provided with $10,000 life insurance coverage, with optional group coverage available. Retirement benefits are accumulated at a rate of 2½ percent per year of service, and at a minimum age of 50. And all equipment and uniforms are furnished by the Highway Patrol Division.

Selections:  Applications are accepted only during active recruitment and may be obtained at any Montana Job Service Office. The first step in the process is the application review at which time applications are reviewed for completeness, accuracy, and possession of the education / experience requirements and minimum qualifications.

The remainder of the selection process includes a physical fitness test, a written examination, oral interviews, background investigation, psychological screening, and physical examination.

Selected applicants will attend the Montana Highway Patrol Academy for 14 weeks.

For further information including upcoming entrance exam announcements or application forms, call or write the Montana Highway Patrol at the address above

Idaho:

Minimum Requirements:

1) Be a U.S. Citizen.

2) Be willing to live and work in any part of the State of Idaho.

3) Possess a valid unrestricted Idaho Driver's License at time of appointment.

4) Uncorrected vision in each eye of 20/200 or better with the strong eye corrected to 20/20 and the weak eye to 20/60 or better.

5) - Meet all Idaho POST (Police Officers Standard Training) Academy requirements, and have completed 15 semester hours from an accredited college or university in subject areas to include English, Mathematics, and/or Behavioral Sciences, or;

- Possess a Valid Idaho POST Academy Certificate, or;

- One year full-time experience as a commissioned peace officer in addition to meeting Idaho POST Academy requirements.

Benefits:  After 12 months of satisfactory patrol duty from the time of graduation of the Idaho Training Academy Troopers are reclassified to the grade of Corporal.

The State of Idaho offers several benefits packages for Troopers and their families including medical insurance, life insurance, uniform allowances and retirement plans.

Selections:  The Idaho Personnel Commission is the central personnel agency for all the departments of State Government. When hiring takes place, job announcements are posted and application materials are available from the Idaho Personnel Commission Office. Applications are accepted only when an announcement is issued. The top applicants are determined by scoring on the written test. Other selection criteria include background checks, polygraph exams and medical exams.

Selected cadets will attend a 12 week training program in Meridien, Idaho. Cadets not already POST certified will attend an additional 8 weeks of training.

For further information including upcoming entrance exam announcements or application forms, call or write to the Idaho State Police at the address above.

Wyoming:

Minimum Requirements:

1) Must be 23 years of age on or before the date of the entrance examination.

2) Possess a High School diploma or GED.

3) Must be a U.S. Citizen.

4) Must not have been convicted nor presently under indictment for a felony.

5) Must have a minimum of 20/100 uncorrected binocular vision which is corrected to at least 20/20 in each eye.

Benefits:  A monthly allowance of $50 is given for the cleaning of uniforms. Overtime pay is paid at a rate of 1.5 times the hourly rate for emergency work and work on holidays. A 5% pay differential is paid for hours worked after 5 p.m. and before 7 a.m. The State of Wyoming contributes $175 monthly as a portion of the premium payments for medical and life insurance coverage. The remaining amount, which is paid by the employee, is variable and depends upon deductible amounts and dependant coverage requested by the employee. A schedule of payments and costs for dependant coverage is available upon request.

Retirement is financed by the State of Wyoming. A benefit of 2.25% per year of service is paid (not to exceed 75%). The percentage paid is based on the final 3 years average salary. Retirement is mandatory at age 65.

Selections:  All applicants who meet the minimum qualifications and have an application on file will be notified 6 to 8 weeks in advance of the date of written examinations. Those achieving the highest written examination scores will be invited to remain for an oral interview. A thorough background investigation will be conducted upon candidates who pass the oral interview. Any candidate who fails to meet the criteria of the Patrol based on this investigation, will be eliminated from consideration. Candidates are subject to a polygraph examination. Candidates remaining in the hiring pool will be subject to a psychological evaluation and medical exam.

All applicants accepted as Patrol recruits must serve a one-year probationary period. Patrol Officers are required to accept assignments and to reside/serve in any duty station as deemed necessary by the Administrator.

For further information including upcoming entrance exam announcements or application forms, call or write the Wyoming Highway Patrol at the address above.

Those are all for state positions. The county and city positions have different requirements and are sometimes more favorable, sometimes less.

Montana has some kind of strange things when it comes to search and siezure that can make your life a bit more difficult (like no incident to arrest vehicle inventory search).

Salery/cost of living?
re-locating bonus(money to help move) I guess depending on where you live?

seems like your going for highway patrol...
State jobs are always nice

These guys make good money once they get a few years under their belts.

agency.governmentjobs.com/oc/default.cfm?action=viewjob&JobID=33594&hit_count=Yes&headerfooter=1&promo=0&transfer=0&WDDXJobSearchParams=%3CwddxPacket%20version%3D%271%2E0%27%3E%3Cheader%2F%3E%3Cdata%3E%3Cstruct%3E%3Cvar%20name%3D%27FIND%5FKEYWORD%27%3E%3Cstring%3E%3C%2Fstring%3E%3C%2Fvar%3E%3Cvar%20name%3D%27CATEGORYID%27%3E%3Cstring%3E%2D1%3C%2Fstring%3E%3C%2Fvar%3E%3Cvar%20name%3D%27TRANSFER%27%3E%3Cstring%3E0%3C%2Fstring%3E%3C%2Fvar%3E%3Cvar%20name%3D%27PROMOTIONALJOBS%27%3E%3Cstring%3E0%3C%2Fstring%3E%3C%2Fvar%3E%3C%2Fstruct%3E%3C%2Fdata%3E%3C%2FwddxPacket%3E

Not on the list, but in my eyes the only place to be a cop is Texas.  I adore my wife and daughters, and due to my wife being a Canadian I live here.  If I could change the way of the world, I'd live right here in Toronto and work in Texas....Trust me on this one!!

Dont know if u want to, but i just got an email from a Sgt. from New Hampshire SP and they are hiring.