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Too late to become a LEO

gamma19 said:
I've heard that Transit only hires veterans since they don't do residency preference. Is this still the case?
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Not accurate. They do hire many Veterans, but they also hire many non-Vets.

I’ve seen classes of 40 recruits, with only 3,4,5 of them being Vets sometimes and other classes with about 80% Vets.

Varies with each class and what department they’re going to as the T academy also trains (no pun intended) many of the municipal towns/city police and they go off to their respective departments upon graduation.
 
sharona said:
This. I just saw this at court the other day. Poor trooper
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The truth is that they're mostly immune to it, and are only there to collect the overtime pay.

I was in court trying to get a kid out of a speeding ticket. I recognized the trooper as being the guy who gave my son his driving exam. The trooper and the instructor decided to pull one on me, and when he got back from the test, the instructor was driving and my son was in the back seat.

So I was discussing this with the trooper when my client's case was called. Once the trooper was on the stand, in inferred that he was blind, incompetent, and just plain stupid.

When the hearing was over (and my client was found responsible), we picked up the conversation about my son as if it had not been interrupted.

The court system is not justice. It's sport.
 
The Mass dept of Corrections will be hiring a ton of staff. All institutions are very understaffed and it's about to get worse. Shirley max is 20 years old this year so a bunch of officers will be eligible to leave.
 
Wickedcoolname said:
The Mass dept of Corrections will be hiring a ton of staff. All institutions are very understaffed and it's about to get worse. Shirley max is 20 years old this year so a bunch of officers will be eligible to leave.
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Couldn’t pay me enough to take that job, besides I’m too skinny. Most of the screws I know are built like power lifters, imagine they have to be to survive in that place.
 
cams said:
Look at applying for Transit Police, no age limit and you’ll get your fair share of just about everything policing has to offer. They are always hiring and have their own academy in Quincy.
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This
Lots of good guys at the Circle T Ranch.
Never a dull moment when I was there.
 
cams said:
Couldn’t pay me enough to take that job, besides I’m too skinny. Most of the screws I know are built like power lifters, imagine they have to be to survive in that place.
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Don't worry about size. There are plenty of smaller people, both men and women, who are COs. Just be in shape and fit for your size. Fitness will be an asset in any law enforcement job.
There are some shitty jobs in the DOC but there are some pretty decent ones too. I started out working the blocks on the 3x11 shift with Tues/Wed for days off. But when I retired I was a Lieutenant on day shift with weekends off and an office.
It's a better job than most people think. Great pay and pretty good bennies and a very good pension.
 
Take the civil service test. Any state or local time can usually be bought back. You may not be able to get in 32/35 years for a full pension, but between your social security and what you will get ,should make for a decent retirement. Especially id you make up for lost time with a defeted compenstion plan in addition.

Be advised unless your making 40k a year youll be living lean during the academy. Can you honestly afford to work for scraps for 6 months. Granted youll be able to make the money up after graduation but its something tp consider.

The other major factor is the city you live in. How many peole tke the test and how many vets are ahead of you? Good luck. I did 4 years in the Army to get the job I wanted. Good luck
 
One of my friends became LEO in his late 50s. Here's fitter than hell, but if that is your dream go for it.
 
bigalf said:
Take the civil service test. Any state or local time can usually be bought back. You may not be able to get in 32/35 years for a full pension, but between your social security and what you will get ,should make for a decent retirement. Especially id you make up for lost time with a defeted compenstion plan in addition.

Be advised unless your making 40k a year youll be living lean during the academy. Can you honestly afford to work for scraps for 6 months. Granted youll be able to make the money up after graduation but its something tp consider.

The other major factor is the city you live in. How many peole tke the test and how many vets are ahead of you? Good luck. I did 4 years in the Army to get the job I wanted. Good luck
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If you get a state or municipal pension you will not get your full social security benefit. Thanks to the Windfall Elimination Act you'll get the higher of the two...asumedly your pension, and then just a tiny fraction of your social security. When you get hired by the state you are no longer allowed to pay into Social Security. Instead a portion of your pay will go to fund the pension system.
Don't get me wrong, I'd still take the cop job. Any pension will more than likely be far better than SS.
You're right about starting pay. It's not so great. When I went to the academy I took a rather large pay cut from my civilian job. But between civil service step raises, contractual raises, promotions, and overtime my pay increased every year.
I worked the 3-11 shift for the better part of twenty years which left me time during the day to run my part-time remodeling business. Between the part-time work and the fact that I took every promotion that I could, I was able to make Lieutenant and retire at 49 with no mortgage or any other debt.
Working in law enforcement is a complete life change. Between things you'll do and see on the job and what your friends and family and colleagues expect from you combined with working nights, weekends, and holidays, etc. It's not for everybody but if it's your cup of tea you can make a pretty decent life for yourself. You'll need a very understanding wife,(probably the most important piece of the puzzle), and if you're smart you'll find some hobbies and past-times that have nothing to do with work. Including making some non-LEO friends. You don't want to live the job 24/7. That part's easier said than done.
Try to spend as much time in the gym as you do in the bar and you just might live to collect a few pension checks.
When I was first hired by the Department of Corrections a retired officer lived to collect a national average of 11 pension checks.
That's why the pension system was developed with the option of getting out before alcholism, drug adduction, suicide, heart disease and other stress related illnesses did you in.
Having said all that, I wouldn't change a thing and I'd recommend police, fire, corrections, parole, Environmental and any other LE career whole heartedly.
 
Shawn F said:
I definatly have to work on that I do text likea 15 year old texting his friend.I will work on that. I have always had an eye for detail little things now one else would notice.Everyone always would say to me I should be a dective or something. I just wanna do something with my life .Last few years I just work a job to pay the bills but its not something that I enjoy. I just think being an LEO would be something I would enjoy.
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One thing that helps is picking a voice. Most people don't have one. A "voice" can keep you consistent and help docs flow.

I recomend Dr. Feynman. There is a really short book called "What do you care what other people think." The appendix is the report on the Challenger disaster.

Worth a read on any day, but also one of the best safety and detail oriented "voices" I have ever heard.

Trying to emulate it will give you a strong head start .
 
After working a 9-5 job, law enforcement/corrections will be a HUGE lifestyle adjustment. The 24/7 365 days a year job, working holidays, nights, mandatory overtimes(somedepts.). There are no snow days, no long holiday weekends, no leaving work early on fridays,. You will see your family very little. think about it.
 
Think outside the box. There are tons of non leo jobs with LEO agencies.

ATF industry investigator
DEA diversion investigator.
Just to name a few

Great bennies and no age restrictions.

usajobs.gov
 
Wickedcoolname said:
If you get a state or municipal pension you will not get your full social security benefit. Thanks to the Windfall Elimination Act you'll get the higher of the two...asumedly your pension, and then just a tiny fraction of your social security. When you get hired by the state you are no longer allowed to pay into Social Security. Instead a portion of your pay will go to fund the pension system.
Don't get me wrong, I'd still take the cop job. Any pension will more than likely be far better than SS.
You're right about starting pay. It's not so great. When I went to the academy I took a rather large pay cut from my civilian job. But between civil service step raises, contractual raises, promotions, and overtime my pay increased every year.
I worked the 3-11 shift for the better part of twenty years which left me time during the day to run my part-time remodeling business. Between the part-time work and the fact that I took every promotion that I could, I was able to make Lieutenant and retire at 49 with no mortgage or any other debt.
Working in law enforcement is a complete life change. Between things you'll do and see on the job and what your friends and family and colleagues expect from you combined with working nights, weekends, and holidays, etc. It's not for everybody but if it's your cup of tea you can make a pretty decent life for yourself. You'll need a very understanding wife,(probably the most important piece of the puzzle), and if you're smart you'll find some hobbies and past-times that have nothing to do with work. Including making some non-LEO friends. You don't want to live the job 24/7. That part's easier said than done.
Try to spend as much time in the gym as you do in the bar and you just might live to collect a few pension checks.
When I was first hired by the Department of Corrections a retired officer lived to collect a national average of 11 pension checks.
That's why the pension system was developed with the option of getting out before alcholism, drug adduction, suicide, heart disease and other stress related illnesses did you in.
Having said all that, I wouldn't change a thing and I'd recommend police, fire, corrections, parole, Environmental and any other LE career whole heartedly.
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This is not entirely accurate/complete information. You certainly will still pay social security, just not at the municipal/state job that you are contributing to the pension. The SS website list exemptions to the windfall elimination. If I am reading this correctly if you have 30 or more qualifying years of "substantial earnings" that contribute to ss then you are exempt from the windfall elimination. Substantial earnings are inflation adjusted and is currently about 24k a year. Example you work an FD job or corrections job for 32 plus years (35 for new hires) while earning over 24k a yr at the side gig I believe you are entitled to both in full.
 
If I am reading this correctly if you have 30 or more qualifying years of "substantial earnings" that contribute to ss then you are exempt from the windfall elimination.
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Maybe so... I had 60 something quarters of self employment and retired from the FD with 28 years. Some of those years were just s few dollars in my own businesses, like 15-18K.

I took SS when I turned 62 and it was around 300 a month. It now pays for my medicare, deducted from the check and the check is 160 a month.
 
Yeh. Depending on what year those earnings were in they may have qualified as "substantial earnings". Its a gradient how many years you put in to what percentage of your ss you should be receiving. I'll try to find the link.
 
Not to worry, the formulas are person/job/time/extra employment/years specific. It needs to be looked at by the individual and not taken as a blanket answer. Not worth thinking about others, it is their search.

My biggest beef about all that crap was in the 80's when Regan pulled the tax cap and charged the people that had already paid into the pension system WITH FED TAXES, not to be taxable after retirement, and then that was overturned and all that previously TAXED pension money became TAXABLE AGAIN when received as a pension. 20% times 2!!!!! That's like a 401K and the gov says, "F U! Pay taxes on what we said were not taxable and pay it twice." That still pixxes me off.

We saved US Savings bonds for our kids college. They were supposed to be nontaxable if cashed for college tuition. All those years making 20-40K combined income and when we finally got to the point we cashed the bonds, we were OVER THE TAX LIMIT on our combined income and ALL the interest was TAXABLE!!! 20 years of savings to be nontaxable was now because we made too much money. 40% taxes.
 
Switching from the private to public sector this late in life has MAJOR retirement implications. You would be wise to vet that out.

You'll not work long enough to earn a full pension and you'll pretty much lose social security. In fact your pension can and likely will cost your wife her social security too. I'm being serious, look into it.

You really need to do your retirement planning before taking that leap. Make sure you COMPLETELY understand the long term implications of switching from private to public sectors at this point in life. Or you and your spouse could be working for the rest of your lives because of this career change. In fact if your wife is working in the private sector now as well I can pretty much say with absolute certainty, absent you having a million dollars in a 401k already - you WILL f*** your family over if you make the move. Neither of you will ever be able to retire.

Don't make a decision now that you will regret later in life. Hate to rain on the parade, but that's life. I'm just trying to do you a solid because you probably don't know...
 
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