<p>I’m thinking about becoming a police officer after I graduate with my biology/ psych minor degree.</p>
<ul>
<li><p>my record is squeaky clean… Except for 1 speeding ticket.</p></li>
<li><p>gpa will be around a 3.2</p></li>
<li><p>has enough time to meet the physical fitness demands </p></li>
</ul>
<p>What do I need to do in order to pursue this career?</p>
<p>In our state you have to attend a 2 or 4 year program at a community college or state university. Then you have to pass a few tests after you graduate.</p>
<p>Would you say it’s tough getting into the law enforcement field? Or will everything fall into place as long as you pass the tests and have the motivation and passion for the job?</p>
<p>In our state, you have to be hired by a law enforcement agency…police dept., sheriff’s dept. etc. Then you are sent to the state’s police academy or to a community college where you take BLET…basic law enforcement technology which is a one semester class. </p>
<p>S2 is a criminal justice major (BS). He completed all of his coursework this semester and will do an internship this summer with a local sheriff’s dept.</p>
<p>It’s tough because states and municipalities are cutting back right now.
I don’t know if the criminal justice AA or BS? are required in our state, but people I know who are trying to go that route have or are working on the degree.</p>
<p>A neighbor’s S got a degree (BA) in geography and was hired by a city police dept. a few years ago. He went to the state’s police academy. </p>
<p>In all the police dept. websites I’ve seen, people with for year degrees start off at a higher pay scale than those with a two year degree regardless of major.</p>
<p>Will having a Biology degree with a psychology minor make me stand out? Because I can physically and psychologically analyze criminals and code red situations?</p>
<p>Also, since I’m going to have a 4 year degree, will this make me very competitive in terms of getting into the police academy?</p>
<p>Also, I’ve also had 1-2 fender benders and as a result my insurance went up. Am I screwed?</p>
<p>and if your city doesn’t have enough opportunity, bigger metropolitan areas could be a consideration if you are willing to relocate.</p>
<p>Also, my bachelors was in Law Enforcement and Police Science and I intended to go to work for the feds (DEA or ATF) which you can do directly out of school with a four year. You have to take the tests for the civil service branch of government the agency is tied to - like Treasury Enforcement agent’s exam for ATF and Executive branch test for DEA (if I recall correctly). If you score high enough, they will rank you for hiring based on your score (must get above 70 to be considered)</p>
<p>To me, the feds would have been a big step up from local law enforcement with higher pay and cooler assignments that would otherwise take you a long time to achieve with a local PD. Something to think about.</p>
<p>BTW - David Koresh ruined my plans b/c that happened right before I graduated and ended up with a two year hiring freeze for ATF. I ended up being a Parole Officer just to have a job b/c I never wanted to be a local PD cop. Did that for 3.5 years then got married, had a baby and became a stay-at-home mom. Now I work in the Oiil & Gas Industry!!!</p>
<p>Good Luck to you!!!</p>
<p>If you would be interested in going fed, see a couple options:</p>
<p>[DEA[/url</a>]
[url=<a href=“Special Agents | Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives”>Special Agents | Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives]ATF</a> Online - Careers - Special Agents](<a href=“http://www.justice.gov/dea/job/agent/faqs.html]DEA[/url”>http://www.justice.gov/dea/job/agent/faqs.html)</p>
<p>At my uncle’s funeral a while back, I ran into a cousin I hadn’t seen in ages. He graduated with a psychology degree from Texas A&M and went to work for the nearby Bryan PD. I don’t know that a bio major/psych minor would necessarily help, but at the local level (at least in Texas) it wouldn’t hurt.</p>
<p>Bumping this up, as I’d like more opinions. My son shadowed a DEA agent and loved it. This guy told him not to major in criminal justice, but to choose sociology. I would think psychology would be a little more helpful, but what do I know?!</p>
<p>It depends on where you live. For NYPD, they require a minimum of 60 college credits, residency, passing the civil service exam, and a host of other things</p>
<p>[NYPD</a> - Application Process](<a href=“http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/careers/application_overview.shtml]NYPD”>New York City Police Department)</p>
<p>S2’s Criminal Justice degree had room for lots of electives. He could have easily had a minor in something else like Psyc. or Soc. but chose to take a variety of classes that he was interested in. [Criminal</a> Justice](<a href=“http://www.ecu.edu/che/just/undergrad.html]Criminal”>http://www.ecu.edu/che/just/undergrad.html)</p>
<p>Seattle PD is hiring-looking for quite a few candidates in fact. It’s been all over the news as they’ve changed to the requirements to create a wider pool to choose from. You don’t even need a 4-year degree, but have to pass written and oral tests, intense background checks, which include tax history, credit, traffic and criminal history. If after all of that you’re still a viable candidate, you’re sent for a 4-month academy training. </p>
<p>Seattle police have a pretty poor public image right now and I imagine that’s one reason applicants are down. Looking at some of the above requirements, it’s clear that each jurisdiction has differing qualifications.</p>
<p>So, PackMom, was your son able to get a job in law enforcement with his criminal justice degree? </p>
<p>It’s interesting to see the variety of requirements in different areas.</p>
<p>3 points of view-</p>
<p>In my state, a student can self-pay to attend the law enforcement academy. S2’s class had several of these students. It makes one much more employable to a local PD because he can go on the road immediately. Otherwise, the PD has to pay for 16 weeks of wages while the recruit is at the academy.</p>
<p>S1 is a State Trooper. The hiring process was long, multi-faceted, difficult, and spanned 14 months from application to graduation. There is a written test, physical test, psychological testing, and several rounds of interviews, including in the applicant’s home. People are cut all along the way. </p>
<p>The trooper academy is 24 grueling weeks. S1 made it to the final cut his first application. The 2nd, they extended 85 offers to over 3,500 applicants, including S2. 46 made it to graduation. Then he had 3 months on the road with various supervisors before he got his own car. S1 has a Sociology degree with heavy emphasis on Spanish from a T20. Many (most?) of those without a degree had military training.</p>
<p>S2 is a city officer in a small town. This hiring process was longer than I would have thought. He is one class short of an AS in criminology. What got his foot in the door though was being a jailer for 18 months–a really crappy job with horrible hours and low pay. They also aren’t allowed to carry. He did a lot of transports. He was 19 and 20 during this time. He had to be 21 to be hired as an officer.</p>
<p>City/county officers attend an academy at the same location, but different classes, for 16 weeks. His was arduous too, but not as grueling as the State Police class.</p>
<p>In our state it is common for students to go through the Law Enforcement Academy, even if they have 4 year degrees. Here’s their web site (to give you an idea of what they are like). They are basically full time for 13 weeks.</p>
<p>[Law</a> Enforcement Academy](<a href=“Law Enforcement Training Academy | Alaska Police Standards Council Certification”>Law Enforcement Training Academy | Alaska Police Standards Council Certification)</p>
<p>Also, the OP mentioned having a couple of fender benders. I don’t know how representative my state is, but here is a list of disqualifying items (fender benders are not in the list…):</p>
<pre><code>Been convicted of a felony.
Been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of dishonesty, moral turpitude, or other crime resulting in serious physical injury to another within the preceding 10 years.
Been convicted of two or more DWI offenses.
Been denied police certification, or had police certification revoked by the Alaska Police Standards Council.
Illegally transported, manufactured or sold a controlled substance within the 10 years prior to application or who has used marijuana within the last year prior to application.
Falsely applied for certification, lied, or omitted information from the APSC application.
</code></pre>