Will Military Police in the ARMY Help Me Become a Police Officer?
Question by alex: Will Military Police in the ARMY help me become a police officer?
So im 21 years old. I work full time and i take classes on criminal law. But i only take 1-2 classes every semester because my job limits my availability for school. On top of that.. I only took 1 class throughout my college career. I just recently went back to school so thats why I’m late. Im not getting any younger and it would take me YEARS to complete school at the rate im going right now. I just want to start my life already instead of working paycheck to paycheck, you know what i mean? Anyways my ultimate goal is join LAPD Gang unit division but i understand LAPD is very strict when it comes to the hiring process. Although i dont have a criminal record, i have a dirty past when it comes to stealing and drug abuse. I have never messed around with hard drugs but i do smoke weed on the daily. I know I have to stop and i will no doubt about it. So i was thinking to myself, why am i working at a dead-end job when i can be getting paid about the same or possibly more PLUS benefits doing Military Police that will actually help me in my future of becoming a cop. But my question is, How much will Military Police help me in becoming a cop? and will i finish school by the time i get out of my 1st term in the military? I live in Los Angeles so Im wondering which country is the most common to be deployed to as MP? Also, can I just apply to any Police Dept right after i get out of the army? I was thinking LAPD but knowing how tough it is to get hired by LAPD, maybe i should start off with the low dept such as Torrance PD, Pasadena PD, or Santa Ana PD…Please help me Thanks…
Best answer:
Answer by Wine, wine U dirty skunk
Doesn’t matter. Military service..in any job in any branch will give you three things toward becoming a civilian Cop
1. A steady work history
2. Veterans Preference Points in the hiring process
3. A source of funds (the GI Bill) to get the required education, training and certifications you need to get hired by whatever department you are looking at working for.
Like I said you get all three of those regardless of branch or job. No branch will train or certify you to be a Cop in the civilian world.
Here is the benefits LAPD provides Veterans:
http://www.joinlapd.com/military.html
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5 Responses to Will Military Police in the ARMY Help Me Become a Police Officer?
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Yes it will your military training will help you join the new militarized police force. Now be ready to kill your fellow country men. No longer to fight for freedom but to take it away. Stormtroopers!
In my most honest opinion dont be an MP. They would help u pay for ur college but thats it. In my opinion finish what ur studying THEN become and FBI special agent. They have more options better pay and they are a geat thing to get into. If u wana do like swat or stuff. They have FBI swat and hrt. Look into itll be better than an army MP i promise.
Yes. Santa Ana is a harder Dept to get in to. A police academy will be easier the 2nd time around if you’re an MP. It shows interest and initiative. Deployed? Depends on unit. Most ops for conventional forces are training military and police over there so there is a chance you’ll be sent.
College and military equal hiring points, unless you’re a black female, you need every point you can get. Join the guard, be an MP, get the benefits to pay for your school. Air National guard pays for your tuition but most people hate being a AF cop.
Going to school will be harder on active duty but doable depending on your job.
Or get hired in a less desired dept out in the desert and lateral over. Most places take laterals since they don’t have to pay for training. You’ll have to live in Riverside or High Desert for a couple years.
Joining the military might be a good thing for you to do. There are many benefits that come with being in the military and with being a veteran. Being a veteran can help you get police officer jobs. Veterans get extra points on civil service tests and preference for federal jobs. Some police departments that require applicants to have college will waive some or all of their college requirements for veterans. Also, for different reasons, some people simply like to hire qualified veterans whenever they get the chance to. Consider all the branches. Speak with recruiters from all the branches. You could consider trying to become an MP in the Army or Marines, an MA in the Navy, or a Security Forces Specialist in the Air Force. I would consider trying to join the Coast Guard. You could try to become a Maritime Enforcement Specialist, and later try to become a boarding team member. Keep in mind that you might not do much traditional policing in the military. What duties you perform could depend a lot on where you are stationed. Many military bases or installations have federal civilian police officers (sometimes referred to as DOD Police or 0083s) that do most of the policing. You should definitely finish a college degree. Getting a college degree is one of the best things that you can do. Many police departments require or prefer applicants to have college. Having a degree could help you get hired by some departments. Some departments pay their officers more if they have a degree. Having a degree could also help you get promoted during your career. Getting police officer jobs is becoming more and more competitive. However, all else being equal, a candidate that is a veteran with a college degree has a very good chance of getting hired. Best of luck!
Here is some great advice for you. Stop smoking weed! It is against the law and almost every single LE department will question how many times you’ve smoked it and when was the last time. Using it can disqualify you from both military and police service, because most depts. in the country will not allow you to join them if you’ve smoked more than 15 or so times at any point in your life. In fact, never tell anybody that you have smoked marijuana in the military or the police world because you are only making yourself look extremely unfit for service. Be honest but definitely bury this habit right now. Using marijuana is not communicating that you are a responsible and mature citizen that is ready to wear the badge. Also, most departments will not hire you unless it has been atleast 3 or 5 years since your last encounter with marijuana and up to 10 years for anything harder. Seriously, it would be more socially acceptable to admit being a 50 year old mama’s boy living in her basement than that.
About the rest of your concerns, definitely join the military (Marine Corps and Army intelligence and anything involving maritime enforcement and boarding vessels with the Coast Guard is desirable) because it will give you veteran’s preference. Definitely earn as many credits towards a bachelors in criminal justice possible and definitely try to get deployed a couple times while in the military to look good. Other thing, becoming an MP in either of the three branches is helpful but not quite as helpful as you would think. It really depends on your department. The LAPD is known to favor former Marines and various special forces troops over anybody else that was military, so make the Marines your first choice. As a general rule of thumb, pick the Marines over both the Army and Coast Guard for police duty. I’ve had both a retired cop and an ATF agent nearing retirement tell me that many LE agencies favor the Marines over the other branches.
Last but not least, I recommend joining the Seattle Police Department and possibly Denver Police with your current marijuana history. The laws in California might change and the departments might change their requirements by the time you finish atleast 4 to 6 years in the military. Seriously, the sooner you stop smoking marijuana and even using tobacco then the better. There are some states that are refusing to hire tobacco users for government positions, including levels of police work, because their self-inflicted health conditions are a tax burden when providing their insurance. On this note, don’t be surprised to see many states legalizing marijuana refusing to hire marijuana users for the exact same reasons. The truth is, you can’t really blame them for not wanting to hire people with habits making them more likely to be a financial burden upon the state whether something is legal or not.