Pros and Cons of Being a Cop?

I work in fairly large city in southern CA. I know a friend from the academy who was a lawyer and quit for the exact reasons your experiencing. He was in his mid 30’s and had already committed 10plus years of his life to being a lawyer.

So far he has ZERO regrets. PM me if you have any other specific questions, I dont have much time on the job, but I can offer you a different perspective from the other 2 officers with more years on. But I agree with them, its a great job.

[quote]Makavali wrote:
The idea of beating up a guy who just hit his girlfriend sounds pretty appealing.[/quote]

How’s the idea of not being able to beat up that guy who hits his girlfriend sound?

I don’t think I, personally, have enough control to be an officer. I get too angry and let emotions waver my decisions with disrespectful drivers; couldn’t imagine how I’d keep my job dealing with pricks who do much worse, when I can’t use excessive force against them, let alone avoid getting my ass kicked…or worse.

How long have you been an attorney? Really you must have gone into law for some reason, so there must be something you enjoy about it. All careers will have there positives and negatives. You have already invested much of your life to law, sure its not going to be perfect but really nothing will. Your going to be giving up a lucrative career for a CHANCE at a better job-which would pay MUCH less-

[quote]shizen wrote:
How long have you been an attorney? Really you must have gone into law for some reason, so there must be something you enjoy about it. All careers will have there positives and negatives. You have already invested much of your life to law, sure its not going to be perfect but really nothing will. Your going to be giving up a lucrative career for a CHANCE at a better job-which would pay MUCH less- [/quote]

Piggy backing off this - you could have the best of both worlds. District Attorney/Commonwealth Attorney/Prosecuting Attorney - whatever they are called in California. Use your law degree in conjunction with police work. Police and prosecuting attorneys always work hand in hand. Advice with charges, interviews and interrogations, search warrants, etc. Granted you’re not getting your hands ‘dirty’ like the police, but you’re certainly ingrained and an integral part of the law enforcement community. And, it seems the rare occasion there’s an attorney on the side of right that actually gives a crap.

[quote]shizen wrote:
How long have you been an attorney? Really you must have gone into law for some reason, so there must be something you enjoy about it. All careers will have there positives and negatives. You have already invested much of your life to law, sure its not going to be perfect but really nothing will. Your going to be giving up a lucrative career for a CHANCE at a better job-which would pay MUCH less-

[/quote]

I haven’t been an attorney for very long at all. In fact, I just graduated in May '07. I am already pretty damn sure I do not want to practice law for a career. I might try it out for a little while, but I cannot see me being happy doing that. My first clue is that I look at a lot of the people I know in law firms and I wouldn’t want to trade places with them. Most are over-weight, middle-aged males with over-weight wives. They have a ton of money, but that does not stop them from working like dogs 6 days a week. They run more on status than anything, I think. Status is cool, but not at the expense of genuine happiness.

I do, however, think that I would like to teach. It may sound dumb, but I went to law school were to become either an FBI agent or (eventually) a professor. Becoming a professor is tough, though. It is even harder to get a good teaching job in a location where you want to be. I have about a snowball’s chance in hell of being a professor in San Diego, for example.

And for the last time, the money really is not a factor for me. One thing I refuse to do is compensate for a job I don’t like simply because of the salary I’d make. My highest priority, above all else, is finding something that I really, really enjoy.

[quote]5.0 wrote:

Piggy backing off this - you could have the best of both worlds. District Attorney/Commonwealth Attorney/Prosecuting Attorney - whatever they are called in California. Use your law degree in conjunction with police work. Police and prosecuting attorneys always work hand in hand. Advice with charges, interviews and interrogations, search warrants, etc. Granted you’re not getting your hands ‘dirty’ like the police, but you’re certainly ingrained and an integral part of the law enforcement community. And, it seems the rare occasion there’s an attorney on the side of right that actually gives a crap.[/quote]

I thought about this, too. This is the first thing that any professor/attorney/judge who I’ve talked to about this has to say. While that would allow me to work on some pretty interesting cases, I’m afraid that getting my hands “dirty” is actually what I am more interested in. If I do practice, however, it will definitely be in the capacity you suggest.

Thanks to all the officers who chimed in and offered to answer my questions over PM. I really, really appreciate hearing from all of you. I hadn’t really thought of specific questions to ask, but I’ll try to put some together and send them along to those who offered. Thanks again.

[quote]eic wrote:
I thought about this, too. This is the first thing that any professor/attorney/judge who I’ve talked to about this has to say. While that would allow me to work on some pretty interesting cases, I’m afraid that getting my hands “dirty” is actually what I am more interested in. If I do practice, however, it will definitely be in the capacity you suggest.[/quote]

Further, as I think about it, any experience you get as a prosecutor would make you a phenomenal officer. Constitutional issues are always on the forefront of police matters, especially with search and seizure. No matter what, though, you’d need to be prepared for a fair amount of ribbing once your brothers in blue found out you were/are an attorney!

[quote]5.0 wrote:

Further, as I think about it, any experience you get as a prosecutor would make you a phenomenal officer. Constitutional issues are always on the forefront of police matters, especially with search and seizure. No matter what, though, you’d need to be prepared for a fair amount of ribbing once your brothers in blue found out you were/are an attorney! [/quote]

Ha, no doubt. Actually, my specialty is in constitutional issues, particularly those related to Miranda and search and seizure. I’ve written an article on search and seizure and several published judicial opinions on Miranda. That is what is fueling my fire to be a cop!

[quote]eic wrote:
Ha, no doubt. Actually, my specialty is in constitutional issues, particularly those related to Miranda and search and seizure. I’ve written an article on search and seizure and several published judicial opinions on Miranda. That is what is fueling my fire to be a cop![/quote]

Interesting. Any links you can post?

If you just graduated I personally think you should give law a chance. You are still young, hopefully, so if you give it a few years you could still become a cop/detective/FBI and have many years to have a good career in that.

Don’t get me wrong I completely agree that job happiness/satisfaction is one of the most important things in life. However, If you can suffer law for a few years, or find an area of law you like, you could make decent bank. Seriously, spend 4 years refining your law skills and make a few hundred grand or close to a million. Live dirt cheap and hey you got money for a house, family, future college funds, emergency cash, way to substitute shitty cop pay.

Plus your application should look pretty solid. “Lets see here we got a highly educated attorney with 4 years experience or a bunch of 18-21 year olds with maybe a few credit hours of college.”

What about giving law a chance and going for work-life balance. For instance, working less and only earning like 80k a year. Is this possible, or is being a lawyer all or nothing when it comes to work?

[quote]ab_power wrote:
What about giving law a chance and going for work-life balance. For instance, working less and only earning like 80k a year. Is this possible, or is being a lawyer all or nothing when it comes to work?[/quote]

Unless you work in private practice-which is rare- I’m pretty sure most attorneys work quite a bit. Sometimes up to 100 hours a week, so its pretty tough work.

[quote]shizen wrote:
ab_power wrote:
What about giving law a chance and going for work-life balance. For instance, working less and only earning like 80k a year. Is this possible, or is being a lawyer all or nothing when it comes to work?

Unless you work in private practice-which is rare- I’m pretty sure most attorneys work quite a bit. Sometimes up to 100 hours a week, so its pretty tough work. [/quote]

It doesn’t get any better in private practice, that’s for sure. Firms are probably the biggest work factories of them all. Even here in Nebraska, it is normal for guys to go in at 7 and come home at 6 Mon-Sat. That’s almost 80 hours a week and they are cranking for the entire time to make billable hour quotas.

Again, I’m pretty sure that I won’t be able to practice law as a conventional attorney for more than a couple years. The only thing that is keeping me from being a cop right now is the possibility of a career as a professor.

[quote]eic wrote:
shizen wrote:
ab_power wrote:
What about giving law a chance and going for work-life balance. For instance, working less and only earning like 80k a year. Is this possible, or is being a lawyer all or nothing when it comes to work?

Unless you work in private practice-which is rare- I’m pretty sure most attorneys work quite a bit. Sometimes up to 100 hours a week, so its pretty tough work.

It doesn’t get any better in private practice, that’s for sure. Firms are probably the biggest work factories of them all. Even here in Nebraska, it is normal for guys to go in at 7 and come home at 6 Mon-Sat. That’s almost 80 hours a week and they are cranking for the entire time to make billable hour quotas.

Again, I’m pretty sure that I won’t be able to practice law as a conventional attorney for more than a couple years. The only thing that is keeping me from being a cop right now is the possibility of a career as a professor. [/quote]

If you get the professor job definitely take it, the job security is awesome and its good paying job that is very relaxed it seems. If your teaching a subject you enjoy also it would be awesome. Being a professor is basically a dream job for many people, too bad its ridiculously competetive.

Best description of the profession I’ve heard when doing a ride-along about 15 years ago: “It’s 95% pure boredom; 5% sheer terror”.

My father was a cop in LI NY for 30 years. I know many cops, dated several etc…

The ones who loved their job are the ones who before joining the academy wanted it, dreamed about it and wanted nothing else for a long time. I don’t know if this describes you or not.

All I’m saying is that it’s one of the toughest jobs around, especially in a big city, so you need to have that passion to do the job to make it worth while.

I also wanted to ask if you have considered just changing your work environment or specialize in another area of law. You may enjoy something that you have not considered before.

[quote]5.0 wrote:

Interesting. Any links you can post?[/quote]

Missed this earlier. I haven’t published the article yet, unfortunately. It is about Fourth Amendment limitations on canine sniffs. The whole background section discusses the limitations on the ability to make Terry stops. This is a huge area of law enforcement activity (think every roadside encounter).

No links to the opinions, unfortunately. They would be super boring without legal background anyway. Are you a lawyer?

[quote]shizen wrote
If you get the professor job definitely take it, the job security is awesome and its good paying job that is very relaxed it seems. If your teaching a subject you enjoy also it would be awesome. Being a professor is basically a dream job for many people, too bad its ridiculously competetive. [/quote]

Well that’s just the issue. I really think I would enjoy teaching. But it will require at least another four years of education most likely. It would be a huge shame to jump through all those hoops and still be unable to land a good teaching job. Especially if, by that time, I could be making $85k as an officer.

[quote]AmandaSC wrote:
My father was a cop in LI NY for 30 years. I know many cops, dated several etc…

The ones who loved their job are the ones who before joining the academy wanted it, dreamed about it and wanted nothing else for a long time. I don’t know if this describes you or not.

All I’m saying is that it’s one of the toughest jobs around, especially in a big city, so you need to have that passion to do the job to make it worth while.

I also wanted to ask if you have considered just changing your work environment or specialize in another area of law. You may enjoy something that you have not considered before. [/quote]

I think I fall into the “dream” category. It is something I’ve thought about for a long, long time and I think about/talk about it daily with my family and girlfriend (none of whom think I should do it, of course).

The question I have to sort out is whether I want it for the wrong reasons.