Hello..

jsalgado

Good Evening, I am not even a rookie yet, compared to many of you i have no experience. I am currently a college freshman in California who is majoring in Law Enforcement, and so far picking Law Enforcement as my major has been the best choice i have made. I joined this forum, because i think i will learn a lot from all of you, and see other perspectives of the job (since many of you have a lot of experience) I have always wanted to work for the government, and becoming a police officer has caught my attention since i was in middle school.

Carl

Stick with it, you won't regret it.

jsalgado

@carl:
I totally will, and yeah i cant wait to be a LEO

vcallahan

I agree, stick with it. There are so many different phases of law enforcement you can specialize in. I'm been with it for 26 years and I'm still not tired of it. I wish you all the best.

jsalgado

@vcallahan i totally will, law enforcement is far interesting, and i hope i am in it for a long time as well, thanks so much, would you recommend me anything?

vcallahan

Definitely get a college degree, but if you can, get your master's degree. That will be a huge benefit in being promoted. As far as specialties, i enjoyed homicide investigations. You have a choice to be local police, Sheriff's Office, State Police, or Federal. If I were to do it over, I'd go into Federal. If I can ever help you with anything, please don't hesitate to ask. Best of Luck.

lawman11

They are times it is tough and you will wonder why I did this,but I will tell you if you do it right you will be rewarded...I saved a life and I was called a hero but I never thought of it that way.Good luck and never stop learning...

jsalgado

@vcallahan those are actually my plans, i was planning on double majoring but i have not decided yet. Since I want to work for the FBI but i am still debating.. Thanks for the advice and i will totally have that in mind, whenever i have a question i will ask you. Thanks again.

@lawman11 i will never stop learning, i know at some point i will say that, but like you said the job is worth it at the end.. thanks for the advice..

Lawman

If you ever get to where you think you know it all, get out...you're fixing to get hurt.

OfcDunkinDonut

C.Y.A. Cover Your Assists, if you don't doc. It never happened..

RevChar

Isn't there an age limit to being hired for Federal work in law enforcement? Young people need to know this if there is an age limit!

RevChar

George Washington has a story about saying "Laus Deo" instead of taking glory, thanks, praise. He was President instead of King because he knew how to give the glory, thanks honor and praise to God in Latin. I liked what lawman11 said. It sounded a lot like George without the Latin, which is not religious. If the first President said it non-stop, anyone can. 1st Amendment.

jsalgado

@RevChar there is, for example the FBI at least you need to be 23, but younger than 37, but i think if you major in law enforcement you need at least 3 years of experience in LE.. For DEA you need to be at least 22, but younger than 36.. so it depends..
And i know i agree as well

HeaveToo

Good luck in your chosen field.

I have been in Law Enforcement for almost 14 years. I am currently a shift supervisor at a University Police Department.

The best advise I can tell you is for you to finish your degree first. Try to get some ride along time with different departments (State, local, county, etc.). Some places offer apprenticeships and that may give you some valuable insight into how departments function.

Remember to P.T. and keep that up. Most law enforcement agencies have P.T. tests in the hiring process. Beyond that, P.T. is needed conditioning and should be considered as part of the job.

Enjoy your years in college and use it to prepare yourself for your future.