Pros and Cons of Being a Cop?

Off Topic
61

ive heard that its mostly boring and they dont like to hire people that are too intelligent. dont know if thats true or not, but based on my experiences i wouldnt be surprised.

if you want to make a difference, if you are a lawyer, start your own practice, limit your hours, and then start volunteering in your free time. you can choose how much money you make and choose to help people that are grateful for it rather then breaking up bar fights, so making more money without being bored silly for 7 hours of your 8 hour shift.

62

if you were a bully in grade school/high school, are a hardcore racist, love jumping to conclusions, and feel the need to overcompensate for a lot of things, then police work is a perfect fit

63

I’m a police officer in Canada, so to the OP my advice may not be totally applicable, but I thought I could offer my opinion based on my experiences as a police officer.

My experiences with being a cop have been amazing and I would recommend it to anyone who has spent some time seriously considering it as a career.

For pros I would say that it is very challenging. One of my favourite aspects of being a cop is you never know what is going to happen. Every situation is different and you always have to use your head to solve the issue. It is also very exciting a lot of the time. One second you could be writing a report in your car and a second later flying down the road responding to some unpredictable situation.

People often assume that you are disrespected by the general community but in my experience we are liked by generally every law abiding person which is the vast majority of the community. People smile and say hi when we walk past and are generally very friendly. The people that don’t like us are usually criminals and I really couldn’t give a shit about these people anyway. It is very rewarding to arrest someone who victimizes good innocent people.

Being a cop also appeals to similar type of people. It is very team oriented so it draws a lot of ex-athletes who miss being part of a team atmosphere. Generally the people I work with are awesome and I’ve made some great friends.

Also, your education will only help you become a better member. I don’t have your level of education but I do have a University degree and it has helped me a lot with my work.

I also wouldn’t worry about the stress of the job. If you are able to leave the job at the office this shouldn’t be an issue for you whatsoever. We get lots of time off, the pay is better than most people assume, and the joys of the job far outweigh the negative aspects.

This is getting long so if you or anyone else thinking about becoming a member want to PM me go ahead and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Or just ask a question in this thread.

64

Pro: Beat up hippies, legally.

65

[quote]ron22 wrote:
Pro: Beat up hippies, legally.[/quote]

66

I couldn’t bring myself to bust someone for marijuana possession. I don’t think prostitution should be a crime. Both of these things should be regulated industries.

67

[quote]tbiggz wrote:
if you were a bully in grade school/high school, are a hardcore racist, love jumping to conclusions, and feel the need to overcompensate for a lot of things, then police work is a perfect fit[/quote]

BIGGZ… dude… if i were a cop… i’d want the right to refuse service to people like you

68

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

http://www.globaltvbc.com/world/Vancouver+police+change+story+arrest+that+innocent+injured/2473971/story.html

69

People in general hate you for the sake of hating you. people also freak out when ever cops show up…they are afraid they did something wrong usually. Its dangerous…etc. If it means alot to you, it is very rewarding and you take very bad people off the street, people should appreciate police officers much more than they do.

70

[quote]Kliplemet wrote:

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

does getting a molotov inside your home a few hours later too?[/quote]

I remember a post a while ago about a guy who walked up to this man yelling at his girl and knocking him the fuck out. He broke a couple knuckles and his hand has been fucked up ever since. Cunt punt them in the balls.

71

[quote]SWR wrote:

[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.[/quote]

Me too. I would shoot a lot of people as soon as they became annoying.

72

I can think of few professions where the discrepancy between level of education and level of power is so huge.

73

please don’t become an evil cop

i hate evil cops

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tbiggz…that would be because there is absolutely NOTHING you are going to learn in college that is going to teach you how to be a cop. Or even to be a better one. I speak from actual experience in both matters. However, I realize that dim bulbs like yourself will never be convinced otherwise. So, keep on hatin, for all the good it will do you. As long as there are guys like you around, there will be a need for cops.

75

[quote]mapwhap wrote:
tbiggz…that would be because there is absolutely NOTHING you are going to learn in college that is going to teach you how to be a cop. Or even to be a better one. I speak from actual experience in both matters. However, I realize that dim bulbs like yourself will never be convinced otherwise. So, keep on hatin, for all the good it will do you. As long as there are guys like you around, there will be a need for cops.[/quote]

To play devil’s advocate…

Don’t act like there aren’t just as many shady cops as there are good ones. He’s being a little extreme with his point but it’s still a valid point. Cops have the potential to destroy someone’s life just because they wish to do so.

OP, It sounds like you already made up your mind. Go ahead and go to the academy. You can always find another way to practice law if you don’t like being a cop.

76

[quote]eic wrote:
I am an attorney and am currently working in the corrupt court system. I don’t really like my job (it is temporary) but, I do get to see a lot of cases involving criminal behavior by law enforcement and I find it interesting. I’ve been thinking about becoming a cop for a long, long time (probably 4-5 years).

However, you hear a lot of true stories about being a cop. For example, that any idiot can get promoted. Or that when you are starting out, being eager and writing a lot of tickets will get you noticed. You also hear about how easy the job is â?? after all, youâ??re not preventing crime, youâ??re responding to it.

I think I might enjoy being a cop for several reasons. First, I’d like to be mobile. I like the idea of sitting on my ass in a squad car all day every day for the rest of my life. Relatedly, I like the idea of being in a profession where being psychically abusive is not only encouraged, but required. I deeply resent that I currently witness the abuses that worm their way to our court systems but I donâ??t get to have a hands on part in it.

I think I would also enjoy the sense of teamwork and camaraderie that police officers seem to have after they get down kicking someoneâ??s ass or otherwise violating their rights. I like the idea that I am working with men and women who are depending on me to keep things quiet and I am doing the same with them.

But most importantly, I think I would enjoy the opportunity to work in a field where each and every day brings a new opportunity to break the law while wearing a badge and otherwise abuse my authority. “Excitement” may not be the best word because I don’t expect things to be like "Rodney Kingâ?? every day, but one can hope. Being an attorney can be extremely monotonous and not a day goes by that I am not watching yet another criminal case wind its way thru our court based on false testimony and manufactured evidence.

In sum, I would like to partake in those abuses and now Iâ??m a mere witness to it. I feel like being a cop would allow me to do so.

A huge downside is that I spent time and money going to law school to learn to protect the rights of the innocent. I graduated at the top of my class and could have something to offer in law. But Iâ??m thinking about throwing all that away for something that most people will hate me for.
Anyway, I thought I would start a thread on this issue. I’m sure there are a number of LEOs on this forum. Am I off the mark with the things I see as positives? What sort of negatives have I overlooked?

Two more things:

  1. My question is not necessarily confined to officers in municipal departments. While that is primarily what I had in mind, I would also be interested in hearing from those in other agencies as well (e.g., Border Patrol) â?? I hear they really know how to abuse the sytem.

  2. I am from San Diego, CA, and will be moving there in August. If I decided to become an LEO, it would almost certainly be for a city in Southern California or for the Border Patrol.
    [/quote]

Definitely fixed your post :slight_smile:

77

^^

I don’t disagree on that point. There are bad folks everywhere. I was mainly disputing his contention regarding the apparent disparity between education and power. Truthfully speaking, being a police officer is similar to being a soldier…it’s not something you learn in college. It’s essentially a blue collar job, and I think my point holds true for most jobs that run in the “blue collar” vein.

Are there shady cops? Sure. There are shady types everywhere you go in this world. Do I agree with their actions? No. But then, we get into the whole, “Who polices the police?” debate. And then who polices those people, etc, etc, etc.

Some people just don’t like police…and that’s fine. But, I do NOT feel that the number of bad cops is equal to the good ones. Not by a longshot. So I don’t feel that the criticism of the entire group is justified by the bad actions of a small minority. But that holds true for any group…does it not?

78

[quote]mapwhap wrote:
^^

I don’t disagree on that point. There are bad folks everywhere. I was mainly disputing his contention regarding the apparent disparity between education and power. Truthfully speaking, being a police officer is similar to being a soldier…it’s not something you learn in college. It’s essentially a blue collar job, and I think my point holds true for most jobs that run in the “blue collar” vein.

Are there shady cops? Sure. There are shady types everywhere you go in this world. Do I agree with their actions? No. But then, we get into the whole, “Who polices the police?” debate. And then who polices those people, etc, etc, etc.

Some people just don’t like police…and that’s fine. But, I do NOT feel that the number of bad cops is equal to the good ones. Not by a longshot. So I don’t feel that the criticism of the entire group is justified by the bad actions of a small minority. But that holds true for any group…does it not? [/quote]

The thing is becoming a cop isn’t that hard, you gain alot of power without too much effort. Without going into details I stand by my statement of there being just as many bad cops as there are good cops.

79

[quote]eic wrote:

[quote]masonator wrote:
Artem wrote:
I mean the career choice that he’s considering.

I’m all for loving what you do and all, but I’m pretty sure that you will make considerably more as a lawyer than as a street cop.

Why does that matter? I’d rather take a pay cut than hate my job, and I’m sure the OP agrees.[/quote]

You are 100% right, masonator. If I continue down the road I’m on now, I could stand to earn $230,000 my first year as an associate attorney with a firm. But the friends I have who are in that position are miserable. They wouldn’t tell you that (some would) but they definitely are wrapped up in material possessions, not quality of life and fulfillment.
[/quote]

I don’t have time to read the other pages and don’t know what has been posted since the first page, so sorry if this is repeat. You can get camaraderie by joining an athletic team, a fight club, powerlifting club, whatever. If your worried about getting wrapped up in material possessions, don’t do it. It’s easy to live below your means. I don’t make big money but I still find it easy to live quite a bit below my means.

A career making over 200k a year is not something you should give up without seriously considering ALL the possibilities for achieving fulfillment. Remember if you become a cop you will be starting at the bottom, which I will guess will pay around 40 grand. In Southern California that won’t be too cool.