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Calguns LEOs LEOs; chat, kibitz and relax. Non-LEOs; have a questions for a cop? Ask it here, in a CIVIL manner. |
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#1
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Would you......???
Would you consider becoming a deputy sheriff at the age of 50?
So I have a buddy who is a deputy sheriff and he is now in an administration position. He approached me the other day and asked if I would be interested in becoming a deputy. At first I thought he was joking. But no, he is serious. The thing is, I have been self employed for about 25 years. And setting aside the whole LEO thing, the thought of being on someone else’s schedule is worrisome. And, I never thought of myself as someone who would be a “good cop”. Plus...I have a history. He is fully aware of my past and says no worries, it would not be a problem as far as hiring. I pointed out again to him that I am 50. I am in pretty good physical condition. Most folks think I am in my mid 30’s. But...let’s face it..,I’m 50. So....what say you of LEO wisdom? .
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Bring hay for my horse....wine for my men....and mud for my turtle! What do you hear ???...... Nothing but the rain. Well grab your gun and bring in the cat. "A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." - Sigmund Freud |
#3
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Well...my buddy said I was probably in better physical condition than 90% of the whole dept.
I laughed but, that is kinda disturbing on many levels. .
__________________
Bring hay for my horse....wine for my men....and mud for my turtle! What do you hear ???...... Nothing but the rain. Well grab your gun and bring in the cat. "A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." - Sigmund Freud |
#4
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One thing to consider is when retirement will be. If you wouldn't be on long enough to be vested in whatever agencies pension and medical programs for retirees, that's a significant factor.
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#5
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Ask yourself this; can you live with the thought that you passed up a chance
to do your best for someone on their worst day..? if the thought really doesn't register to you- then you're probably good where you are in life. ..but if the thought of the above makes you stop and think of your life so far, and how you can add to it?, Then take that step fwd and find out what difference you can make in someone's life. |
#6
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No. Enjoy your life, you are a few years from retirement.
Plus if you don’t think you would be a “good cop”, why bother. Buy a fishing pole, find a good spot, and enjoy taco Tuesday’s. Do what you want, not work some wonky schedule and start at the bottom. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
#7
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Quote:
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Keep the input coming. .
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Bring hay for my horse....wine for my men....and mud for my turtle! What do you hear ???...... Nothing but the rain. Well grab your gun and bring in the cat. "A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." - Sigmund Freud |
#10
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There are freaks of nature out there, I’ve worked with a couple, but for the most part, police work is a young person’s game. The hours, stress, adrenaline dumps, shift work (not to mention all the crap you have to wear) will age you prematurely. Not saying you couldn’t do it, and with your life experience you could be at an advantage over other candidates, plus it’d be a huge help in dealing with the people and problems you’d experience during calls for service. However, you may have too much life experience in that much of the bs, both internal and external, you will have to deal with be that much more frustrating. As long as you go in with your eyes wide open, and you’re honest with yourself and your prospective agency, I say go for it. Feel free to pm me if you have any questions about my experiences. |
#11
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No. IMO, at your age it's not worth it. Cop work now-a-days is a young man's game.
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The satisfaction of a job well done is to be the one who has done it Quote:
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#13
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Why in the world, at any age, would you want to put yourself in such a dangerous, thankless, and politically mixed environment?
Even doing everything right can result in you being labeled as a racist member of the blue gang... No thanks. |
#14
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Possibly. What would your career goals be as a Deputy Sheriff? What positions are available within the department and what are your skills? At 50 years old if you are not looking to live out childhood dreams of chasing and arresting people, then maybe working in the courts would be a great option.
As was already mentioned, it is a case by case basis. I'm sure your buddy would be able to fill you in on what positions might be available to you straight out of the academy, and what benefits you can hope to earn before retirement age. |
#15
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Don't forget Sheriff's time working the Jail for several years. Right now it is a thankless job that even Supervisors fang you for their own good. After 32+ years I'm glad it's over. Don't get me wrong I loved going to work I started at Lynwood (between Compton/Watts) in the early 80's. I always felt that I had the best job in the world until the last couple of years. The Dept. promoted inept people upon gender not qualification. Though I must say Retirement Is Awesome with ccw creds!!! Good luck in your decision.
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#16
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Don't do it. I graduated the academy at 36 and I'm just staying long enough (2 years to go) to get my medical for me and the Mrs. And believe you me, after all the physical stuff I got into I'm going to need that coveted benefit.
Ask yourself is it worth for you (and your family) if you got seriously injured on duty at your age. If you still want to get a taste, go through the Reserve academy and keep your day job. At LASD you donate 20 hours a month, but any other time you work you'll get paid. |
#17
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It is my personal opinion, that we all can benefit more from having people with longer life experience (and hopefully wisdom) out on the streets with badges, as the mix seems these days on average to be pretty young. In 2019 being 50 years old is not what being 50 in 1990 was about.
That's one of the biggest factors - these positions are mostly weighted about serving time in for the pension benefits. If those numbers don't work for you with the risk you would undertake and you giving up what you have now, especially with this kind of position, that's a real big consideration.
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"Just leave me alone, I know what to do." - Kimi Raikkonen The moment the idea is admitted into society, that property is not as sacred as the laws of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence.' and that `Property is surely a right of mankind as real as liberty.' - John Adams http://www.usdebtclock.org/ |
#18
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I know there was a 55? year old female recruit in the academy. She kicked many young ones' butt. There is no age limit that I know now. If one can make it, all the power to the person.
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#19
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I would think it is a decision that you have to make. The biggest thing most of have in life is regrets so you need to make a decision that your comfortable with as you don’t wanna be 70 years and regret not trying something because you had reservations or fears. I know several late in life officers that made it and became successful law enforcement officers as you have a lot more life experience and common sense than a 21 year old does
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#20
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I don't see the age as a big issue if you really wanted it. But you seem pretty lukewarm about it, and the academy will be a much harder slog if you don’t really want to be there. The older guys I went through with all did well, but they had the fire in their belly to compensate for any physical disadvantages.
If you want it, do it. But it is a commitment and it just gets tougher when you leave the training environment and start doing actual LEO work. I wouldnt have any expectation of landing an admin spot of any sort until you make your bones in the trenches first. |
#21
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-- 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0 |
#22
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No, don’t do it. If it isn’t/hasn’t been a burning desire of yours it ain’t worth the risk, heartache, stress, and likely injuries.
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Stay classy, CGF and Calguns. |
#23
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My opinion as someone who has the pleasure of being a full time training officer on patrol with this wonderful millenial generation:
Academy - sure no big deal if you're in shape Jail - sure easy money but gets boring after a while Patrol - absolutely not. I've had a few 50+ year old trainees and while they were good people, they quickly realized running around chasing and fighting young criminals around was not for them. So they either stayed and became a slug on patrol (lazy), or went back to work at the jail. Obviously I can't speak for everyone but looking at myself I'd say 100% I couldn't start this job in my 50s. |
#25
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lots of good input - ultimately depends on you and your goals. In general, it’ll take 5 years to vest in the retirement system
Perhaps help the department as a volunteer, search and rescue To be a reserve nowadays, will basically require a full academy (full time academy or modular). |
#26
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Many here keep suggesting that age 50 is really “nothing” for academy PT. While that may be true, in reality though the academy is a mere grain of salt for what’s really to come with the job AFTER the academy. It definitely is a young man’s/woman’s job and when starting out new.
I’d say you’re nuts and if not already divorced from starting a new career like being a cop, you’ll soon end up divorced. At 50, everyone’s mental acuteness is diminished big time. The job is though and mentally demanding these days, and now more than ever. And you’re just starting out trying to learn all the inns and outs with being in LE at that age? Plus, your mindset says the job isn’t for you. If one has to hymn and haw and contemplate if the job is for them, then it probably isn’t. That bus for this type of career left you years ago buddy.
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It`s funny to me to see how angry an atheist is over a God they don`t believe in.` -Jack Hibbs -ΙΧΘΥΣ <>< |
#28
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For Civil Service why not go to the Postal Service? |
#30
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Don't do it.
I don't think age is the limiting factor for you. LE doesn't seem to a lifelong dream or anything for you; you sound more curious than anything since your buddy mentioned it. If you're not properly motivated the bull**** in LE will consume you very quickly. Even the "wanted to be a cop my whole life" guys turn very bitter after a while. Looking at your post you seem like a nice enough guy with a fulfilling life. Keep it that way and stay out of LE. I assume your buddy has time in since he's in an admin position now (not a prerequisite at my agency). He's probably been off the streets for a while and doesn't fully realize how much patrol has changed even in the last five years. Patrol based police work has been dying a slow avocado toast fueled instagram broadcasted death and it will never come back. It is NOT what it used to be. I cannot stress this point enough. Oh, and you're right. being on someone else's schedule sucks. I cannot even imaging going to midnights with rotating days off after being self employed for 25 years. I just landed in a specialized unit with a "normal" schedule and realized how much 12 years of a patrol schedule has drained me. Hope this helps. Good luck with your future endeavors. |
#31
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I have been self employed for about 25 years. And setting aside the whole LEO thing, the thought of being on someone else’s schedule is worrisome.
Don't do it, it only looks cool on tv but especially for your situation there isn't much benefit. The biggest benefit is early retirement which won't benefit you. Now for some new college grad or military vet it's a great job to get started in. For that money they are making they have to work a lot of overtime. Not a cop but work with them daily. Last edited by Beagle; 04-30-2019 at 6:17 PM.. |
#32
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This right here is the one that gets most guys our age. this far along in life do you really want to deal with a 34 year old guy critiquing you and telling you what to do? being your supervisor?
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#33
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34 is generous
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#34
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Early in my career while working graves my partner & I got a call of a solo vehicle t/c in the McD’s drivethrough. It was 1 or 2 in the am and dude was passed out behind the wheel. He basically just coasted into the side of the building. So we pry the passenger door open & the STENCH hits us. Dude had crapped his pants but huge. Medics arrive & we assist with “extrication”. Apparently he had some serious diarrhea & had been in the car so long that his pants were stuck to the seat. Sounded just like velcro as we peeled him out. So we get him to the hospital and are waiting for the blood draw when the nurse brings us his clothes in a bio bag. They needed to know who he was (as did we) and, of course, his wallet was in his back pocket. So my partner & I flipped a coin to see who would dig around in the bio bag & go through his wallet. Thank GOD my partner lost.
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Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought.
~Pope John Paul II |
#36
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I know a guy who went to the academy at 52 and did 20 years, patrol and detectives in a busy, med-high crime city. However,
He was a reserve officer for 4 years prior and had the LE bug. I’m not getting that feel from your post that you have that strong of a desire to do this job. I think to be successful in this profession, it has to be a calling. It isn’t just a job. I’ve been out 5 years and miss parts of it. However, in the current political environment, political correctness, cameras everywhere, social media, and lack of support in general, I can’t recommend a career in LE to anyone. If AB 392 passes, why would anyone who understands what cops face want to go into the profession just to be second guessed and prosecuted. |
#37
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And as others have said, you do seem lukewarm about the idea. Probably because of your maturity and experience.
__________________
"You fickers are all cray cray in my opinion. Non of you have an iQ over 80." - SandyCrotchSurfer aka SandyEggoSurf "News stories and the truth are a bit like fraternal twins. They are related but only vaguely resemble each other." "The things that will destroy America are prosperity-at any-price, peace-at-any-price, safety-first instead of duty-first, the love of soft living, and the get-rich quick theory of life." - Theodore Roosevelt |
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