Is it hard to be a cop? I think i want to be a cop. Any suggestions for me good or bad?

Question

I need help. I think I want to be a cop I went on patrol with an officer for a whole shift (12 hours)and now I think I really want to do it. I know they don't get paid much and that it can be dangerous but its such a rush? I am not old enough to go to Police Academy but I am in college and am working toward an associate which can get me into the academy early, but I dont know if its what I want to do for the rest of my life, its fun, a lot of paper work but, I dont know. Please tell me good or bad things about being a cop!!!!

Answer 1

Yes, being a police officer is a very demanding job.

Ask yourself what about law enforcement insterests you?

Don't take offense but you used the word "cop" twice just in your question. Since I have never heard this term used in law enforcement it leads a person to believe that you are watching movies and making a major life decisions based on something that isn't real.

If you are already in college I was suggest to stick with your studies. If you don't or can't finish then you know you can be a "cop" without a degree.

However, if I were facing the job market without a degree, the military has far more to offer and you can still study law enforcement there while earning credits for the GI Bill. There are heaps of other benefits that will last a lifetime just by signing on for a few years in the military branch of your choice. They will also train you how to do something else useful while you are in the military. After that and you finish your degree you can qualify for something interesting like the FBI or one of dozen other federal law enforcement agencies where you will be working with professionals.

If all else fails you can always fall back on being a "cop". As long as you have never been convicted of a felony, can read and write a little, and don't mind enforcing the law even when it goes against your own morals, you can get a job as beat cop somewhere in the US.

I have sort of a negative slant because of my friends who went into law enforcement only one is still working in the field. The answer they gave for leaving was the same in each case. No One is really on your side. You can't count one your co-workers to back you up like in the movies, and most civilians have little or no respect for the job. I believe that if all police officers were required to have completed at least 4 years of college than the public perception would vastly improve. The one friend I have who still is a "cop" is a sort of bully and he always has been. He is my friend. but the reality is he just really enjoys the power play that he gets from the job. He has no real interestest in serving others, he never has. This is the same guy who when we were kids was always torturing animals, or picking on kids 3 years younger. Now he gets paid to keep doing the best thing. Why is he my friend? Because we grew up together, he is loyal, and I have no doubt that he would choose our friendship over doing his job. That probably doesn't make him the best law enforcement officer but it makes him a better human being.

If you are honestly seeking career direction Yahoo Answers is probably not the best place to start or finish your research. Take advantage of career counseling at the university that you are currently attending.

Law enforcement is one of the hardest and least rewarding jobs that someone can choose. Are you really willing to shoot someone to death or get shot over a traffic incident?

Answer 2

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Is it hard to be a cop? I think i want to be a cop. Any suggestions for me good or bad?
I need help. I think I want to be a cop I went on patrol with an officer for a whole shift (12 hours)and now I think I really want to do it. I know they don't get paid much and that it can be dangerous but its such a rush? I am not old enough to go to Police Academy but I am in college and am...

Answer 3

First the bad news. In some places such as parts of Puerto Rico where I live, there are so many corrupt cops, bought out by gangs, that if you try to do your job and be honest, you can get killed.

The good news is that such a bad situation is not normal in most developed countries where the police do serve the people, except in cases of corruption which you might see on the news.

It is so important to have good people as cops, and you could be a great cop if you are really motivated but be aware that there are dangers. Criminals can be very dangerous and well armed and may buy off some cops and justice officials.

Answer 4

The rush only comes once in a blue moon. Mostly being a cop is about dealing with beligerant people and babysitting them. The chases and shootings are rarely encountered unless you live in a highly populated area. Also the benfits are not the best. I have better benefits than my buddy who's a cop.

Answer 5

Mostly everybody in my family has been a police officer. My uncle, my brother-in-law, several grandfathers, as well as fire chiefs and firefighters. My whole family resides around the service industry. Well, it sounds like depending where you are that you live possibly in the UK. Because here in the US, to become a law enforcement officer can be quite a rigorous process. You can however enter earlier. Most people go to get their associate's degree in criminal justice or just straight to the police academy if they want to. You can apply to do this immediately after high school.

After about a year of the academy, you can start applying for the various forces that you may want to serve with. If you get acknowledged by one or two, then go and take the interview by both and see which one will accept you. But, it doesn't end there, it only starts there. If accepted, you have to undergo a background check, psychological check, credit check, and similar other things. During the psychological check or lie-detector test they ask you one of the more important things, "have you ever stolen anything?" My brother-in-law answered yes to it. He had stolen a magazine when he was younger. Everybody has stolen something, don't believe those who say they haven't. Anyway, the police force refused to accept him. He was the top in his class and had already worked at another two police forces for five years each.

Once you pass these examinations, you will have to undergo that police force's traing program to become accquainted with their routine with policing. After that, then you are pretty much on the force. Around here, however, there is blanant corruption, with it's who you know to get onto the force.

Policing has its highs and its lows. For every person you arrest, there can be one, two, sometimes four to five hours of paperwork depending on the situation. My brother-in-law worked in Chalfont, Pennsylvania about ten years ago, he arrested some teen late one night, who had broken curfew, he had two-and-a-half hours of paperwork after that. That is what you are mainly trained for in police academy as well, is the proper procedures of paperwork and law. Most of policing is about sitting around and filing paperwork. Now of course, in cities it tends to be a little more different. City police officers over here are always needed. Because cities also tend to lose more more often than not.

Yes, there is danger and there are thrills. Besides policing, you will be most likely trained as a first responder, where you must learn and pass basic requirements in CPR and basic first aid. You may have to deal with in-order corruption too, you never know. There is goodness in being a police officer. They are looked at most of the time as respected members of society.

Good luck to you in your plans.

Answer 6

with all the crazy people out there no way would i become a citizen on patrol or cop for short . to many drugs to many crazy people that would shot you just for the fun of it just try putting on a bullet pr off jacket and see if it 's still fun go into crime investigation where you don't get hurt sure it was fun but if someone got out of there car and shot at you would it still be fun winshield blown out glass every where cop laying on the ground and he is coming to shot you would it still be fun NO

Answer 7

Ever since I was little I have always thought about being a police officer. My mother always told me to think of this. If you can throw yourself in front of a bullet to save a civilian, go right ahead. If you think you will hesitate and let them be shot instead, this job is not for you. Simple, but it works.

Answer 8

HI,IF U HAVE A CONFIDENCE IN UR SELF THEN ONLY U CAN ACHIEVE WHAT U WANT TO ACHIEVE.U HAVE A DOUT, CLOSE UR EYES, RELAX FOR SOME TIME & THEN BY TAKING THE NAME OF GOD, ASK FROM UR SELF THAT WHEATHER U WANT TO BECOME A COP. IF YES, THEN ASK, WHY U WANT TO BECOME A COP & WHICH SPECIAL FEATURE U HAVE IN UR SELF FOR BECOMING A COP. EXAMINE UR SELF THAT WHERE U ARE CAPABLE FOR THIS POST,IF U HAVE A CONFIDENCE IN URSELF, THEN APPLY FOR THIS POST,U DEFINATELY ACHIEVE UR DESTINATION.

Answer 9

what do you think? if you have some crack head waving a gun, and you do anything but be nice to the guy then you get in trouble from the whiney democrates.

Answer 10

no