Posted: 9/24/2007 7:45:27 AM EDT
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I am unsure of my future and would like someone to possibly help me with my questions. I have less than 1 year left at college and i will have my degree in criminal justice. I have always wanted to be a police officer being that my dad and a good chunk of my family are or were. I especially look up to my dad for doing what he did. A little background on myself: I am a 2nd degree black belt in tae kwon do, but i had to stop because i went to college for obvious reasons. I also shoot frequently and enjoy firearms. One flaw i feel that i have is that i don't always speak up when I should. My dad told me that is a big problem and that as an officer you never let anyone get the better of you which i totally agree with. I also feel that even though i am "smart", i may not be able to think of what to do on the spot. My dad said it is all in experience. Is there anything i could work on for either of these problems? Lately, I keep asking myself am i ready to become a police officer. Some of my friends are now officers in various departments and have told me its no big deal and that i will do fine. I just feel that i may not be cut out for the job, but another part of me says that i will be just fine and make a good officer. At school i have been lifting, running, etc. to prepare for the physical fitness tests that i may take. I already did my internship with my local PD and I enjoyed it greatly. I know ultimately it is my decision to accept if i get hired, but i guess i am looking for advice from other officers on the forum. TIA for any and all replies. I really appreciate it. STAY SAFE!! |
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You sound pretty humble. That's a good thing, however, you also sound like your self esteem or confidence level is low. LE is not for everyone & it's not just a job for the benefits, but as long as you are wanting to be a leo for the right reasons I say go for it. A good atribute of a decent leo is decisiveness & good judgement. If you go into an interview with a prospective agency appearing unsure of yourself, you will more than likely get canned. No big deal, but work on your confidence. You don't have to be arrogant or conceited. I had the jitters before I got hired & so do thousands of other leo's. There are some things agency heads know can be worked on if they hire a candidate & somethings cannot be that will get you canned. Also, not to scare you, but if you are unsure of yourself, there are things that the head shrinker you will see prior to employment may pick up on as to your fitness & red flag something that could potentionally bar you from ever becoming a leo in the state you are trying to get hired in. For example, we had a young man go through the process with us & the shrink deemed him unfit for LE work & his conditional offer of employment was revoked. Something to do about an issue during his childhood. He was not able to get hired with any other dept in our state. He had to journey 2000 miles to the west for the big hippy state before he could find a dept to hire him all due to pne psych eval. |
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There are times when your command bering is needed. For that you need to speak up. Here recently I have noticed one officer who seems pretty quiet all the time. I have noted that it makes suspects wild. He only speaks when he has to but he stares at them with the crazy eye look. That look says "i am gonna f you up." I have often thought of just not saying a lot at scenes. I am a talkitive guy though so i enjoy interacting most of the time. |
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Thanks again all for the response...I talked to my dad and he said that he was just like me before he was hired. I dont know why but i always thought that you had to be (don't take this the wrong way) cocky and lay downt the law immediately. I feel that i am fit for the job, but just nervous about the whole hiring process and the fact that i just turned 21. I feel that i am going to have to grow up as soon as i join the force if hired. I appreciate your help and wish you all the best of luck. BE SAFE OUT THERE!!! ~ISherman |
I have seen more problems started this way than solved. Simple... YOU TREAT PEOPLE THE WAY THEY ALLOW YOU TO TREAT THEM. It's not a bad thing to let some one blow off a little steam during a call, you just have to know when "enough is enough" and that will vary from person to person and call to call. You can at times let folks vent and still maintain control. It will also depend on your mood, it should not, but it does as "cops are perople too". I have seen "Billy bad-ass cop" create a problem as many times as I have seen "Shy cop" create a problem. It's a balance that you must learn or you will be in for a hard time... |
Here's one you probably wouldn't expect. I credit much of my abilities with dealing with people to training/teaching Martial Arts. Before I took my test, I was an amature kickboxer and began helping my trainer with beginers in the class, then taking on the beginner classes and finally conducting private lessons of my own. Aside from giving you confidence from the respect given to you from your pupils, you also had to think fast with the unending "what if" questions you were bound to get from people. Commanding voice? Have you ever had an instructor that didn't have one?
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Give it a try. Even if you doubt yourself. Push yourself. If you can't step up when the time is right then you will not make it out of FTO, but I think you can make it. I spent my life trying to avoid fights and now there are times where I wish someone would try and fight. (mostly because they deserve to have their ass kicked and that's about all the justice they'll get, but alas, most do not go for it and I don't give it out unless it's legit on paper) A little self doubt in this case is not bad as you haven't been forced by circumstances or experience to do this stuff (telling people they are wrong/being stupid/ etc..) You will know quick if you can do it once you get into FTO. Just remember, when you show up, "I'm the police and I'm in charge." It doesn't mean you have to be a prick, but when you have to carry yourself from head to toe with confidence. I've had an occasion or two where silence was better than talking. Each circumstance is different. Go for it. |
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thanks again to the replies...i am definately going to give it a try. I just thought that doubting myself would not make me a good officer. I am sure when the time is right i will make the right decisions. I just want to make my dad proud of me and not screw up. BE SAFE OUT THERE!! ~ISherman |
Don't worry about making your dad proud. Just go about your life doing your best and doing good at what you love to do. Your dad will either be proud of you or he won't. Most likely he will be proud of you. But if you spend you life trying to make your dad proud you will be doing yourself a disservice, in my humble opinion. To be happy you have to be yourself and if your spending your life energy making decisions that are aimed at making someone else happy you will not be happy yourself. |
Whoa killer. I hope you're not wanting to get into LE just to make your dad proud? That would be a bad decision. If he's proud as a result of making it into LE than that's fine, but you don't do it for the sole purpose of getting a reaction out of someone. |