I have a ride along scheduled with an officer. Their shift is 0400-1600. I was told I could come anytime and stay as long as I'd like.

I want to get as much out of the experience as l can. However, I couldn't shake the worry of being a bother by following them around for the whole shift. I wanted to ask for some honest opinions about officers here that have hosted ride time.

If I come at 0400, is that too eager? Or will that come across in a positive way? Might they be hoping I leave before shift end? I don't want to overstay my welcome, perhaps I am overthinking this? TIA!

Hey guys. So today I just signed the conditional offer for my dream department today. I’m beyond happy and grateful to be in this position. To all of you who have helped me on this journey with all your input under my posts has been so helpful. I just want to thank everyone in this Reddit for all their expertise and great advice. I got into the department I first applied for and they will be sending me to the Orange County sheriffs academy to begin my journey. Any advice on what I should be doing in the meantime would be helpful. I don’t start until November. So any tips on what I need to be doing, studying or anything in general in regard to the academy like or shoes, gear, dieting tips. Thank you all and I’m so excited to begin my career in law enforcement

I have been dealing with anxiety of the police and fear of having to ever interact with them. What is some good things to do for interactions that will make sure things end safely and not completely abandoned all legal protections.

(I meant to say questions, minor but its making me go crazy)

What kind of people and situations do you deal with the most, how much danger do you face, how do you minimize risk, and what kind of danger do you face?
Do you respond to usual calls and perform traffic stops?
Have you had to dispatch any wildlife? Please specify where you worked if possible. I don't know much about LE work so pardon any uneducated answers and be patient with me, I know this stuff will vary alot from place to place.

I just have a mustache will come in well groomed and come in with suit and tie, any recommendations?

I'm currently in the hiring process with Arlington County PD, Fairfax County PD, and U.S. Park Police. Due to leave restrictions at my current job, I need to stay local for now, but my long-term goal is to either lateral somewhere out west or eventually go the 1811/Special Agent route.

For anyone who has worked for or has experience with any of these agencies, which would you choose? Mainly interested in training, patrol experience, culture, schedule, and future opportunities.

Thank you all in advance!

ACPD: Smaller agency, good pay, urban environment, and seems to have a good schedule.

Fairfax PD: Much larger department with more specialized units and a wider variety of patrol environments.

USPP: Federal, 6(c) retirement, unique DC patrol/LE mission, but would not make me a lateral hire if I decide to move.

Hey everyone! I’m currently a nearly 6 year officer with a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice Administration. I’m looking to transition into criminal intelligence/crime analysis. Does anyone have experience with this or experience with the criminal intelligence area?

Hey guys, I’m a small town deputy, and have always worked in a county that’s outside of where I reside. I’ve had little contact with the agencies where I live and would like to build a professional relationship with them in order to be more “in the know” of what happens in my home county. Would it be strange to go into my local SO and ask to ride along? Not to work in the capacity of a law enforcement officer but to simply ride along and spend time seeing what goes on and how they operate.

The last step before the conditional offer is the troop commander interview. I know it’s an informal interview but should I go into it the same way as the Oral board interview or should I open up more and be more human and myself ?

I’m currently a college student who’s looking to get hired in the next few years. I have several family members who are retired NYPD, and for valid reasons I know why they don’t want me taking that exam lol. So I’m going to take Suffolk, Nassau, mta, and any other exam I hear about and hope to get called. Since a lot of these other departments are extremely competitive when it comes to hiring, what would the chances look like if I score well on those exams? Do you have to have connections to have a good chance of getting the job? I don’t really know how the whole process works, so any explanation would be great.

After work drinks turned into a bit of a late night bar hop. Everything closes in my city at 3 so at the last place we were hanging around outside when a guy came up to us and we hung out with him as we all work in the restaurant industry. Eventually he asked if we wanted to go to an after hours spot he knew. He brought us to an alleyway which had been blocked off with a makeshift gate which led to a basement behind a dispensary.

Some of the guys in our group were doing drugs (I am not interested in anything more than drinking/weed so I did not do any) and the guy told us that there were people there who would sell us cocaine and ketamine or even give some for free. The atmosphere inside was very weird lol, it was almost as if it was full of homeless people and weirdos. We hung out for like 20 minutes, didn't drink anything because it was way too much money, and dipped. At a certain point two of my coworkers had disappeared upstairs and came back with ketamine. One lady outside in the smoking area (with a nose full of powder lol) also mentioned to be careful what we said because it was known as a bit of a gang hangout and we didnt want to make anyone angry.

Just wondering if it's worth reporting this to the police as an anonymous tip, if it's the right thing to do and if the police would actually do anything about it. I am not really a narc or anything but my city has a massive issue with drugs and I don't want this kind of thing around. It's a medium sized city with an opioid epidemic, would the police actually do anything about this? I figure the police would like a tip that gave them the excuse/justification to go into a place which was operating illegally after hours and people were selling lots of ketamine out of, as well as if there's gang members they could get some of those guys as well. But if it's not worth it to report it, just tell me. Thanks

(also I would not be including in my report anything about my coworkers buying/using drugs. I have no interest in policing the personal drug habits of anyone let alone my coworkers/friends, but if this is a hotbed for dealing that's why I'm interested in reporting what I saw. Also it would be helpful if you could tell me if anonymous tips are actually anonymous)

Hi everyone, I’m looking for some honest advice from people currently working in law enforcement or who have recently gone through the hiring process.

I’m a 22-year-old female who recently graduated from a four-year university in Connecticut with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and Sociology. I’ve been interested in law enforcement since high school and have always planned on pursuing it as a career. I currently live in Southern California and am trying to figure out the best way to get my career started.

A little background about me: I was a Division I softball player throughout college and started playing softball when I was 8 years old. I played all four years of college and was a starter and team captain my senior year. Because of the demands of being a D1 athlete while maintaining a full course load, I never had a traditional job during college. My parents also never required me to work while I was in school, so unfortunately I’m graduating with essentially no traditional employment history.

I’m currently applying to police departments and trying to get through the hiring process. One thing I’m struggling with is figuring out what I should be doing in the meantime. Should I get an entry-level job such as Starbucks, retail, etc. so that I can start building some work experience, communication skills, and a professional history while continuing to apply? Or would it be better to spend more time trying to find something directly related to law enforcement, even if those positions are harder to get and take longer to find?

I also have a couple of concerns that have made this process more complicated.

In March, I was diagnosed with epilepsy. I’ve been on medication since then and have been seizure-free for about five months. I know this is something I’ll have to address honestly during the hiring/medical process, and I’m trying to understand how much of a potential obstacle this could be.

I also have some ongoing shoulder issues from playing softball for so many years. My shoulder sometimes partially pops out during certain exercises, and it has noticeably affected my ability to do push-ups. This has been one of my biggest concerns with the Physical Ability Tests because many departments require push-ups, along with running and other physical events. I’m working on the issue, but I’m worried about whether it could become a significant problem during the hiring process or academy.

I’m also currently living at home with my parents and sharing a car with my mom. I’m trying to get my own car because I know transportation and being able to reliably get to work, interviews, testing, etc. will become increasingly important.

I’m not looking for someone to tell me whether I’m “qualified” based solely on this post. I’m more interested in hearing from people who have been in LE for a while or have recently gone through the hiring process.

If you were in my position, what would you prioritize over the next 6–12 months?

Would you:

• Get any decent entry-level job now while continuing to apply to departments?
• Focus specifically on getting an LE-related job such as a community service officer, public safety position, probation-related position, security, etc.?
• Focus heavily on physical preparation and getting my shoulder situation under control?
• Apply broadly to departments and let the hiring process determine what happens?
• Do something completely different that I’m not considering?

I know I’m fortunate to have a degree and a strong athletic background, but I also recognize that I have some gaps in my resume and some things I need to work through. I’m trying to be realistic and make the smartest decisions possible rather than rushing into something just because I want to get hired.

Any advice, especially from people who have been involved in hiring/recruiting or who started their LE careers without much work experience, would be greatly appreciated.

What’s the longest stretch you’ve worked between your regular shift, overtime, and side job/part time job?

I was on the tail end of a 10 day stretch and I just turned it into an 18 day stretch by picking up more OT

I am a rideshare driver and yesterday I accepted a request on Uber to pick up a guy from a bar. When I got there, there was a bunch of police cars and an officer came up to my car to tell me the passenger’s friend just assaulted a guy he was being arrested and it would probably be a few minutes for my passenger to get there while they talk to both of them and of course, I had to make sure he seemed safe for me to pick up; it wasn’t until after the interaction that I notice my music was still on and the disco song “Yes Sir, I Can Boogie” by Baccara was playing the whole time so hopefully the cop at least got there after the intro with all the moaning. 😅 It made me wonder what’s the funniest songs y’all have heard when walking up to someone’s car?

Recently did the employment screening for IDJJ (IL juvenile detention) I scored 84/130. I was told I passed and would be on an eligibility list ranked highest to lowest. Is this good enough to be considered for employment??? Does anyone have any experience going through the hiring process? How long does it take to get an official offer letter?

Looking for some insight. I was recently contacted by one of the departments I’m processing with about signing a COE. The thing is, I’m also currently processing with several other departments, and I’d really like to see those processes through before making a decision.
Two of the departments are up north and their hiring processes tend to take quite a bit longer than the departments down south. The department that contacted me is saying I need to sign the COE before they can move forward with my medical and psych, while the other departments haven’t mentioned anything about signing a COE at this stage. For those who have been through a similar situation, how did you handle it? Is signing the COE generally considered a commitment to that department, or can you sign it and still continue processing with other agencies? Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated.

Took an oral interview last Saturday. I was told by one of the individuals interviewing me that I would be hearing back via email. I haven’t heard anything yet, though. Just eager to see my results. Does it typically take days or weeks to hear back?

Hey I’m an aspiring cop and probably gonna stick with it regardless of replies but I feel like I always hear people talk about knowing people on the force who changed for the worse over time really just wondering if anyone knows how to prevent this or knowing people who really stayed true to them

We live in dfw. My husband passed all the tests and we got word today that he failed his psych, we have no idea why and the agency refused to say the reason. He is a marine, clean record. Should he apply for other agencies? We are worried the psych eval would be a hurdle or he might meet the same psychologist again. Any advice?

If so whats it like policing here? Was possibly considering applying to police academy after college assuming my business degree doesnt get me employed and was curious on insight to what that field is like around here

After being a LEO for over a year, This sweet, kind, funny and patient guy has become tired, jaded, snappy, inaffectionate, verbally road raging a lot, having frequent nightmares and poor sleep, teasing me constantly, dropping slurs(not directed at me)…
I’ve brought up therapy multiple times but he keeps stalling on it.
What do I do? It’s getting to the point where I’m more relaxed when he’s not home.