He wants to become a cop

[Anonymous]

My BIL is an LAPD cop who has worked his way up the ladder to detective. He's been singled out as a "rising star" and is now in his late 30s, acting as adviser to the brass at the Office of Operations (he's doing a rotational position, will lead a Division station after this current gig).

Your boyfriend WILL start his career in either the Rampart Division of Central Bureau or the South Bureau. That sh#t is no joke. If he wants to become a detective, he will be running on the Narcotics and Gang Taskforce teams. Depending on his ethnicity, he maybe assigned a lot of undercover work.

If he is savvy and motivated, he can have an amazing career. But it will be dangerous, he will keep insanely unpredictable hours, and he will bring home A LOT of mental baggage from the job.

My BIL and his wife were VERY happy to get his current adviser role. It's an 8am to 5pm job, he has his weekends off. He hasn't had that kind of schedule since he started on the force over 13 years ago. His wife is also happier that he is much more relaxed and spends more time with the kids.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No future as a security guard. Being a cop is not easy - a high percentage of applicants wash out at the application stage, e.g, lie detector. Can provide for a family. Can be rough mentally, always watching one's back, especially those one must work with.

Hi, op here. I mentioned in ge post his next step is background check but I meant the polygraph and then background I believe. What is the polygraph test for?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No future as a security guard. Being a cop is not easy - a high percentage of applicants wash out at the application stage, e.g, lie detector. Can provide for a family. Can be rough mentally, always watching one's back, especially those one must work with.

Hi, op here. I mentioned in ge post his next step is background check but I meant the polygraph and then background I believe. What is the polygraph test for?

They pretty much cover same questions on the application. This is where a lot of people fail at least in my agency. The other area is financial info as part of the background investigation. Generally, personal finances have to be extremely clean, at least in my agency.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No future as a security guard. Being a cop is not easy - a high percentage of applicants wash out at the application stage, e.g, lie detector. Can provide for a family. Can be rough mentally, always watching one's back, especially those one must work with.

Hi, op here. I mentioned in ge post his next step is background check but I meant the polygraph and then background I believe. What is the polygraph test for?

They pretty much cover same questions on the application. This is where a lot of people fail at least in my agency. The other area is financial info as part of the background investigation. Generally, personal finances have to be extremely clean, at least in my agency.

Op here. his income has been from working. Do they check anything else?from what I’m aware of his financials are clean

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No future as a security guard. Being a cop is not easy - a high percentage of applicants wash out at the application stage, e.g, lie detector. Can provide for a family. Can be rough mentally, always watching one's back, especially those one must work with.

Hi, op here. I mentioned in ge post his next step is background check but I meant the polygraph and then background I believe. What is the polygraph test for?

They pretty much cover same questions on the application. This is where a lot of people fail at least in my agency. The other area is financial info as part of the background investigation. Generally, personal finances have to be extremely clean, at least in my agency.

Op here. his income has been from working. Do they check anything else?from what I’m aware of his financials are clean

I am talking about financial responsibility, paying bills and taking care of just obligations. This is huge. Financial irresponsibility raises a red flag
because of nature of the work. Among those who fail BI, about 50% or more is due to financial irresponsibility.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would not date or marry anyone who has to have a gun for a living.

Op here and yes that’s also a concern of mine. I don’t like guns

+1
Not what I signed up for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It can be dangerous, but probably not as dangerous as you think.

Let him get a couple years in, then push him towards federal law enforcement. Better pay, better benefits, easier work.

Disagree completely. It’s every bit as dangerous as you fear. Anything can happen at any time.
Cops are targets and there is very little fear or respect for the profession anymore.
OP, you’re right to be concerned. It’s not a good life.

+1

[Anonymous]

The great majority of police officers have never drawn their weapon, except for target practice. We are all dependent on officers to help us when we are frightened or victimized. It's an honorable profession and should be treated as such. By the way, today is National Peace Officers Day, which is why the flags are at half mast.

[Anonymous]

he has better odds being accepted to Harvard than landing a job with LAPD ... Target security guard? he won’t make it, so you shouldn’t worry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:he has better odds being accepted to Harvard than landing a job with LAPD ... Target security guard? he won’t make it, so you shouldn’t worry.

?????

How's LAPD that hard?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The great majority of police officers have never drawn their weapon, except for target practice. We are all dependent on officers to help us when we are frightened or victimized. It's an honorable profession and should be treated as such. By the way, today is National Peace Officers Day, which is why the flags are at half mast.

Speak for yourself. There are millions of Americans who would never dream of calling the police no matter what happens, as in their experience the police only make things worse.

It could be an honorable profession, but the bad apples and unions have ruined that. Respect isn't automatic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The great majority of police officers have never drawn their weapon, except for target practice. We are all dependent on officers to help us when we are frightened or victimized. It's an honorable profession and should be treated as such. By the way, today is National Peace Officers Day, which is why the flags are at half mast.

Speak for yourself. There are millions of Americans who would never dream of calling the police no matter what happens, as in their experience the police only make things worse.

It could be an honorable profession, but the bad apples and unions have ruined that. Respect isn't automatic.

Bad apples are everywhere. Cops don't have a monopoly on this. Most people couldn't pass the background check.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:he has better odds being accepted to Harvard than landing a job with LAPD ... Target security guard? he won’t make it, so you shouldn’t worry.

?????

How's LAPD that hard?

It's not. PP was just being a dick.


Being a LEO is a lot less dangerous than many "safe" jobs. What he and you should worry more about is getting caught up in a scandal, either real or fabricated, that might cost him his job and pension, or land him in jail. It's a real thing. It happens way more than cops getting killed by criminals. They'll either do something stupid and get caught, or someone will falsely accuse them of something and they get tossed as a sacrificial goat.

Lots of cops in my family. I tried to join when I was younger, but failed the psych evaluation. I'm an independent thinker and a questioner of authority constructs. Police need order-followers who accept their places in a chain of command without question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The great majority of police officers have never drawn their weapon, except for target practice. We are all dependent on officers to help us when we are frightened or victimized. It's an honorable profession and should be treated as such. By the way, today is National Peace Officers Day, which is why the flags are at half mast.

Speak for yourself. There are millions of Americans who would never dream of calling the police no matter what happens, as in their experience the police only make things worse.

It could be an honorable profession, but the bad apples and unions have ruined that. Respect isn't automatic.

Bad apples are everywhere. Cops don't have a monopoly on this. Most people couldn't pass the background check.

Cops have a monopoly on bad apples with guns who are allowed to empty them into humans whenever they're afraid.

Most people, eh? Surely you know what had been already documented about the cop that killed Tamir Rice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The great majority of police officers have never drawn their weapon, except for target practice. We are all dependent on officers to help us when we are frightened or victimized. It's an honorable profession and should be treated as such. By the way, today is National Peace Officers Day, which is why the flags are at half mast.

Speak for yourself. There are millions of Americans who would never dream of calling the police no matter what happens, as in their experience the police only make things worse.

It could be an honorable profession, but the bad apples and unions have ruined that. Respect isn't automatic.

op again. I personally do not like law enforcement in this country. I am a student and study mass incarceration amongst other forms of oppression. I come from immigrant parts and I know for a fact that if I ever had to call police I would think twice even if my life was in danger. that is why I'm worried in addition to it being a dangerous line of work.