Your child wants to go into law enforcement?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The best law enforcement is a wealthy, small town sleepy place without gun crime like Falls Church City. There are more opportunities like that in NJ and NY where cities and towns run their own governments than here but you find a few of them here too.

Federal LEOs make close to 200k after 10 years. When I was a DOJ lawyer my federal LEO spouse earned more than me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The best law enforcement is a wealthy, small town sleepy place without gun crime like Falls Church City. There are more opportunities like that in NJ and NY where cities and towns run their own governments than here but you find a few of them here too.

Federal LEOs make close to 200k after 10 years. When I was a DOJ lawyer my federal LEO spouse earned more than me.

Federal seems less dangerous but the relocation requirements could make family life tough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MoCo PD has a cadet program where college students can work 20 hours a week alongside officers to get a feel for the profession. They earn $26/hr. Wouldn’t that make an interesting internship line item on a resume?

https://joinmcp.com/police-cadet/

This is a really good program. And it's $28 an hour now with paid time off and health insurance benefits.

It works around their college schedules and they get exposed to all different aspects of policing. So they can figure out whether it's a job they actually want to do. Not like what they see on TV.

And yes, even if they don't choose to be a police officer, it's valuable experience. My neice did it and she is now a crime analyst in Northern Virginia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MoCo PD has a cadet program where college students can work 20 hours a week alongside officers to get a feel for the profession. They earn $26/hr. Wouldn’t that make an interesting internship line item on a resume?

https://joinmcp.com/police-cadet/

This is a really good program. And it's $28 an hour now with paid time off and health insurance benefits.

It works around their college schedules and they get exposed to all different aspects of policing. So they can figure out whether it's a job they actually want to do. Not like what they see on TV.

And yes, even if they don't choose to be a police officer, it's valuable experience. My neice did it and she is now a crime analyst in Northern Virginia.

Excellent information and a great outcome for your niece, congrats to her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Since they were little my kids have been told they don't go into a career where it's their job to risk their lives. They know they wouldn't be supported if they did.

When they have a career where they may have to risk their life why would they need parental support? What type of support are you talking about?

I'm pretty sure they are talking about political and community support. Not parental. If a police officer chooses to defend themselves or another, and in doing so kills a suspect, the community often turns on them, even if they were following policy 100%.

[Anonymous]

Hi OP, I’m going to give a genuinely helpful answer

This all depends on what age the child is

I would be perfectly comfortable if my kid wanted to go into law enforcement

If they’re like, 8 years old? Just say that’s nice honey and move on

If they are 15 and considering it, we will have had discussions their entire lives about the strengths and weaknesses of American law enforcement systems

I have law enforcement in my family, so they could easily talk to their uncles about the actual experiences and difficulties of that career

If they are graduating high school and definitely want to do it then that’s great, I support them, and they have to go to college. I’m from El Paso where a lot of people go into law enforcement in general and college degrees are the standard

I would definitely make sure that federal is the only option (sorry to the first person who responded but ICE is legitimately seen as bottom on the barrel by American law enforcement people (ERO, not HSI of course))

Then you just support them in general

Law enforcement is statistically a very safe job, so I would not be worried about their safety

[Anonymous]

Some parts of the IC also have civil service law enforcement positions; sometimes these are called security, but they are the same GS series and get the same pay/benefits as other Federal LE.

Other parts of IC contract out their security.

[dony898]

Anonymous wrote:What do you do if your child expresses an interest in a law enforcement career? Do you steer them away from it? Would you suggest they pursue federal law enforcement instead of state and local departments? What would you say to your friends? This is obviously a different conversation if your child is 14, 18, or 21.

What would be your level of comfort, or discomfort with their chosen profession?

I wouldn’t shut it down, but I’d make sure they understand the reality of the job early. That means talking about stress, public scrutiny, safety risks, and long term mental health, not just the uniform. I’d encourage ride alongs, honest conversations with officers, and keeping options open, especially when they’re younger, so the choice is informed, not idealized.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi OP, I’m going to give a genuinely helpful answer

This all depends on what age the child is

I would be perfectly comfortable if my kid wanted to go into law enforcement

If they’re like, 8 years old? Just say that’s nice honey and move on

If they are 15 and considering it, we will have had discussions their entire lives about the strengths and weaknesses of American law enforcement systems

I have law enforcement in my family, so they could easily talk to their uncles about the actual experiences and difficulties of that career

If they are graduating high school and definitely want to do it then that’s great, I support them, and they have to go to college. I’m from El Paso where a lot of people go into law enforcement in general and college degrees are the standard

I would definitely make sure that federal is the only option(sorry to the first person who responded but ICE is legitimately seen as bottom on the barrel by American law enforcement people (ERO, not HSI of course))

Then you just support them in general

Law enforcement is statistically a very safe job, so I would not be worried about their safety

Why only federal law enforcement?

[Anonymous]

dony898 wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do you do if your child expresses an interest in a law enforcement career? Do you steer them away from it? Would you suggest they pursue federal law enforcement instead of state and local departments? What would you say to your friends? This is obviously a different conversation if your child is 14, 18, or 21.

What would be your level of comfort, or discomfort with their chosen profession?

I wouldn’t shut it down, but I’d make sure they understand the reality of the job early. That means talking about stress, public scrutiny, safety risks, and long term mental health, not just the uniform. I’d encourage ride alongs, honest conversations with officers, and keeping options open, especially when they’re younger, so the choice is informed, not idealized.

It’s important to find the right organization also. Generally a very well funded organization has better morale. They should get a feel for the culture of all the organizations they plan to apply to. Additionally, the larger they are, the more room for growth there is across specialized units.

[Anonymous]

Law enforcement??

You mean blue line matter morons? This right here when the jerk stole their 9/11 funds sure blue line matters people are idiots.

Not only did Trump & his sycophants write down that law enforcement is garbage he doesn't believe they should be paid!

Project 2025 denies all hope of a living wage for law enforcement, denies benefits if injured on the job, denies overtime etc... and you want this for your kid?

Morons

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Law enforcement??

You mean blue line matter morons? This right here when the jerk stole their 9/11 funds sure blue line matters people are idiots.

Not only did Trump & his sycophants write down that law enforcement is garbage he doesn't believe they should be paid!

Project 2025 denies all hope of a living wage for law enforcement, denies benefits if injured on the job, denies overtime etc... and you want this for your kid?

Morons

You’ve posted this same diatribe at least a dozen times already. It’s such a bad look.

Law enforcement wages are going up. Arlington PD’s starting salary goes from $72k to $90k on July 1st. That’s a 25% increase.

How does the federal government control the compensation of town, county and state law enforcement? How does Project 2025 reduce town, county and state benefits? How does it control overtime?

A bill signed in 2025 actually provides a tax credit for overtime worked(no tax on overtime), which demonstrably proves how out of touch you are.

No one is buying what you are selling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The best law enforcement is a wealthy, small town sleepy place without gun crime like Falls Church City. There are more opportunities like that in NJ and NY where cities and towns run their own governments than here but you find a few of them here too.

Federal LEOs make close to 200k after 10 years. When I was a DOJ lawyer my federal LEO spouse earned more than me.

Federal LEO is a great career with fantastic benefits.

[Anonymous]

Happy National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The best law enforcement is a wealthy, small town sleepy place without gun crime like Falls Church City. There are more opportunities like that in NJ and NY where cities and towns run their own governments than here but you find a few of them here too.

Federal LEOs make close to 200k after 10 years. When I was a DOJ lawyer my federal LEO spouse earned more than me.

What moron would work for Pam Bondi?