I get it. He and I have discussed it. It wasn’t his initial plan, but he found a calling. I like to think he’ll be a real asset to his community when all is said and done.
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Although I would keep my opinion about a career in LE to myself, should either of my daughters express an interest in enlisting, I would do everything in my power to discourage it. The military is not a particularly safe place for women. The military’s sexual assault problem is only getting worse
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I wonder how many male-dominated fields are really safe for women?
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Yes to this. Lots of opportunities to practice law enforcement in addition to the standard “police force”. Border patrol, corporate security, etc. My H was a park ranger/management and retired with state law enforcement. He carried a gun and “night stick” and had to gun qualify annually and pass other physical tests.
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I can handle the risks from bullets and car chases, as they really are pretty rare and my kids are pretty sensible about following SOP to control the controlable. No, the danger I’d be worried about for them is that largely invisible psychological wear and tear that doesn’t always manifest itself in ways that are easy to detect or treat. Our family has a long and colorful history with alcohol and middle age depression, which I’d be really concerned about in the context of a LE job. In fact I have one DD that’s going to the Coast Guard Academy now. The USCG is not quite as dangerous as the other branches in terms of training accidents or people shooting at you during war, but it does have a law enforcement role that might weigh on some people. Fingers crossed, but as long as she’s wearing it well I’ll remain proud and happy that she’s found a path she loves.
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@StPaulDad I agree about the mental toll the job could take on people. Luckily, my son has a serious girlfriend that is also a first responder, but getting her nursing masters degree. She has seen first hand the very types of things that could weigh heavily on a LEO’s mind. They both talk through things together. What they have already seen and experienced is incredible.
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Difficult to quantify. But all are a big part of the job. I worked in a suburban city of about 40,000 within a metro area of 1.5 million. Homeless camps were rare but the homeless were around and got called on frequently. Homelessness and addiction often go hand in hand.
Domestic situations were very common and incorporated all of the situations you ask about. Many were just glorified babysitting but many were downright nasty. Seeing children used as pawns by the parents to get at each other is so common and irritating.
Mental health is a tough one. First of all police and mental health workers don’t always see eye to eye. Making decisions such as is there enough cause to force said person to go to psych ward or can they be convinced to see someone or do you just leave them as is? If there is cause for action a lot of times there is nowhere available for the person.
So many people demand of the police to solve their problems but the police are not a permanent solution for anything, they are a band aid until people make real changes for themselves.
It would be so much easier to sit down and talk face to face about this. My weakness in writing makes it difficult to articulate what I would like to say.
None of my children have chosen to follow in my footsteps. I don’t mind but I would not be against it if they were interested.
Now for my own little rant. Over the last 2 years police have been blamed for an overwhelmingly unrealistic portion of society’s problems. Just another hat they are expected to wear.
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Actually, it is pretty clear what you wrote, and consistent with lots of other things indicating that individuals and society as a whole seem to be unwilling to try to solve some of these problems, so they just dump them onto the police departments.
I wouldn’t be thrilled. I would prefer a safer job. I also think there is a stigma here, especially after Michael Brown. A flag supporting the police here is pretty much being racist. I know that is a more local issue, but it is hard to view police as open and accepting. I’m sure it is different in different areas.
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I think there are many parents, and people in general, that feel the way you do.
It’s sad that a flag supporting the police is indentified as racist.
I get the impression that many agencies are genuinely trying to diversify now.
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Seems like a vicious cycle where a police department with a poor reputation can have difficulty recruiting those who would be better officers who would improve the reputation.
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I think the flag thing is specific to STL. There is a lot of racism here and people started displaying signs with the black and white flags with the blue line to be intentionally racist after Ferguson.
I do think that cities should have social workers and other mental health professionals who can respond to many of the situations left up to police now. I also wonder if there is anyway that police could not carry guns, which I believe is the case for some in the UK?
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Ideally, before the social work or mental health problem gets bad enough that police get called. However, it does seem that people and governments they elect are not all that willing to fund social work or mental health services (but end up paying for the problems anyway through costs incurred when police departments end up having to deal with the problems after they get worse).
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Many candidates get disqualified after the drug test these days.
When I originally started this topic my 2022 graduate was about half way through the police academy. After 6 months in the academy they transitioned into another month of intensive, agency specific training before heading out onto the streets as an LEO.
For the first 14 weeks on the road they were paired with various Field Training Officers(FTO). At the end of the 14 weeks you are either cleared to operate independently by all of the FTOs, or you continue FTO until you meet the agency’s standards. From entry day at the academy, until released as a LEO, there was more than 10 months of training.
Since being released onto the road there has been even more training during days off. It is fortunate that this particular agency is both well funded, and prioritizes continuing education.
The stories I hear now range from day to day minutia, to very involved and/or dangerous situations. I find myself worrying less than I anticipated about potential dangers on the road. This occupation certainly isn’t for everyone, but it can be a very viable career path with surprisingly good pay and excellent benefits.
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How much social work? (i.e. neglected social work problems that get dumped onto the police department, like addiction, homelessness, domestic disputes, mental health)
Not many calls seem to be overt mental health issues. Addiction and domestic disputes are prevalent. I don’t remember hearing about homeless issues, but I’ll ask.
Thank your child for serving. It’s not easy work.
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My daughter’s fiance is trying to get into the FBI (after he finishes his tour in the army next March). I’ve been watching Night Agent and boy, the FBI looks a little rough.
He wants my daughter to apply too, and I told her maybe as an office worker but I don’t think she should be an agent. A nice safe researcher? Yes, that’s the job for her.
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The FBI has lots of jobs of various types:
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