Thinking about LAPD

[BigDogatPlay]

Don't know your age but something to bear in mind is that there is an upper age limit for federal armed LEO positions. 37 is the cutoff for pretty much all the agencies IIRC.

LAPD is a great agency, one of the best, but don't stay too long.

[bigmike82]

Yeah, the test will be a joke compared to what you're used to at SC.

[Jonathan Doe]

I was told that the city was in decision making process now to see if they will lay off some officers. Not a good sign and not a good time to apply for them, I guess.

[Trigger Finger]

If LAPD lays any officers off it will be the first time in the last 30 years!!!

They have talked about it a couple of times but it never happened. They just let attrition cut down the officers. About 250 officers retire or leave for other reasons every year. So the department needs to hire about 250 officers every year just to maintain there current number of about 10,000.

[greenpea76]

The written test is a joke especially for college students. I am sure you will do fine.

Very true!

I've been out of college for over 10 years and I passed the LAPD essay portion without much fret. The only hard part was getting used to writing so much again and constantly erasing sentences and rewrite. I'm so used to typing, I have troubles writing now I'd recommend bringing along a larger eraser as I did see other candidates erasing lots.

I would have loved to join, but I withdrew after the budget cuts that affected the Jan 1st 2010 start of a lower starting pay scale. It was too much of a decrease for me over my current salary.

Good luck to the OP in pursuing your LEO endeavors.

[nrvnqsrxk]

Thanks all. I went to the Newport Beach Police Department orientation today and it seems like a great place to work. I will test for both and see which one I make it into! Kinda nervous and excited at the same time

[bluestaterebel]

Thanks all. I went to the Newport Beach Police Department orientation today and it seems like a great place to work. I will test for both and see which one I make it into! Kinda nervous and excited at the same time

Newport Beach and Los Angeles, to very different animals

[Hop Sing]

Going to SC and then going to be LAPD? Are you crazy? Why not Fed Law Enforcement right out of college? The LAPD is not going to add to your resume as far as the FEDS are concerned. You sound like a pretty smart kid judging by the degree choice and school.

Secret Service, FBI DEA, or Air Marshalls.

Better than directing traffic in the the rain on Thanksgiving, or having a 647f throw up on you from the back seat of the patrol car, and YOU have to clean it up because you are the rookie.

Cop work isn't as cool as they make it on TV. SWAT is awesome if you make it and you have to work patrol for 5 years.

The LAPD test is cake, write a 5 paragraph essay and complete it in something other than crayon and you are good to go.

Run, run, run, and do lots of pull ups.

[Trigger Finger]

Hop Sing, I don't know if you are employed by the FEDS but I know several, a couple were old partners and they all say the same thing " prior LAPD experience absolutely did not hurt". I don't see how ANY prior law enforcement would hurt your chances.
Even rookie police work on LAPD is much more than traffic and drunks as you suggest!

[BigDogatPlay]

The Secret Service, according to people I've talked to who are with that organization, somewhat prefers prior LEO experience. Many other federal agencies, not as much.

But having said that, any LEO experience and particularly involving investigations, is a potential leg up with the federal agencies.

[artthestampede]

I majored in biological sciences and was going to go to med school. However LE was my dream career, and I looked into local and fed positions. The fed paid less and make you move around the country so I applied to and went into LAPD. Love what I do to this day and I'd do it even if I wasn't paid.

[usctrojan]

I don't know if somebody has told you yet... but 6 months is a pipe dream. I am going on a year and have only done my poly. Some people are lucky and go through quicker. Frankly I think I am getting screwed and if you go to caps you will find others in my boat. I am a USC Comp Sci alumni. Apply with multiple departments and spare yourself the pain of waiting. Police backgrounds has already been recommended and it is an awesome site.

[drummerdude1188]

I don't know if somebody has told you yet... but 6 months is a pipe dream. I am going on a year and have only done my poly. Some people are lucky and go through quicker. Frankly I think I am getting screwed and if you go to caps you will find others in my boat. I am a USC Comp Sci alumni. Apply with multiple departments and spare yourself the pain of waiting. Police backgrounds has already been recommended and it is an awesome site.

pm sent

[nrvnqsrxk]

Going to SC and then going to be LAPD? Are you crazy? Why not Fed Law Enforcement right out of college? The LAPD is not going to add to your resume as far as the FEDS are concerned. You sound like a pretty smart kid judging by the degree choice and school.

Secret Service, FBI DEA, or Air Marshalls.

Better than directing traffic in the the rain on Thanksgiving, or having a 647f throw up on you from the back seat of the patrol car, and YOU have to clean it up because you are the rookie.

Cop work isn't as cool as they make it on TV. SWAT is awesome if you make it and you have to work patrol for 5 years.

The LAPD test is cake, write a 5 paragraph essay and complete it in something other than crayon and you are good to go.

Run, run, run, and do lots of pull ups.

I'll let you in on a little secret. (I hope you don't tell anyone) I have my heart set on FBI. They however, don't hire fresh college grads. (I don't know if I should be typing this on the internetz...needless to say when they ask me what I see myself doing in 5 years I'll be replying I wanna try out for Metro / SWAT team) Hearsay on other forums tells me that very very few SA's are hired straight from college, with the median applicant being 28 years old with prior LEO experience. I remember they had an internship program last year, where you do supportive work for an SA in the field for 2 years before going to SA school, but I've heard that they've stopped doing it due to budgetary restrictions. I should have applied to that program, but it was only this year that I decided against going corporate like my peers.

Out of the critical skills that the FBI are looking for, I will have a finance degree, and proficiency in a critical language. I plan on working in law enforcement for a few years to satisfy that critical skill, while studying and obtaining a CPA and CFA during my tenure as an officer. I believe going this route will make me a strong applicant for the Accounting route as a special agent. If I can't get into law enforcement at this stage due to deficiencies in California's budget (Ahnold should have listened to our state controller...), then I'll apply to the military with a 11X Option 40 contract, and get life experience there as a Ranger! I quit smoking 2 months ago and have been doing PT every day. Luckily I've been in decent shape so results have been good.

Everyone goes WTF when I tell them I want to go into law enforcement with a business degree from USC. It's nice to have something to fall back on, but I've found what I wanted to do and I'm going to go for it. I appreciate all the input I've recieved from here!

[bluestaterebel]

I majored in biological sciences and was going to go to med school. However LE was my dream career, and I looked into local and fed positions. The fed paid less and make you move around the country so I applied to and went into LAPD. Love what I do to this day and I'd do it even if I wasn't paid.

This