Police Officer Preparation & Law Enforcement Resource - Archive

Hi, I'm new to this forum, but I have some questions. I am 29 yrs old and have always wanted to be a state trooper, but life circumstances have prevented this.

I do have a family, own a home, etc. and I would have a general area in TX that I would like to live in (north tx).

1st Question: I have 2 young daughters and a wife at home. My home is about 6 hours from Austin, but I would like to be able to see my family on the weekends. Is this possible and how much time do you get to come home during academy?

2nd Question: What are the chances that I would be able to relocate after the academy to North TX? Do you have any control over where you are stationed?

Thanks for any help and I look forward to visiting.

1. Most weekends you do have off to go home as long as you are back by the set specified time on Sunday. I have heard since they shortened the academy that some weekends are required to stay in Austin.


2. When you go through the application process and are offered a job with DPS they will give you a list of openings to pick your duty station. We have over 300 available spots around the state. You should be able to get close.



good luck,


Be Safe.

Thanks Steve. The academy is 6 months long isn't it?

Also, is a 29 yr old as very likely to get accepted in the academy, assuming they meet all the prerequisites?

Any troopers please comment on on this: Do you like your job? Do feel like being a trooper allows you to be a good family man? (I have a good job now, and I want to know if pursuing this career is worth it from a family and personal contentment point of view) Thanks for any comments and thank you Steve for your previous response.

PM me and I will answer your questions in the next fe days.



Be Safe.

And you get to wear a really cool hat!

And you get to wear a really cool hat!

Amen to that!

I have heard rumors that there is talk of us going to the smokey the bear hat! :ack2:

I will quit or promote just so I wouldn't have to wear one of those hats.




Be Safe.

I have heard rumors that there is talk of us going to the smokey the bear hat! :ack2:


Now that ain't right, ya'll gittin' all yankeefied and sh!t.:mad2:

Amen to that!

I have heard rumors that there is talk of us going to the smokey the bear hat! :ack2:

I will quit or promote just so I wouldn't have to wear one of those hats.




Be Safe.

I love my campaign hat. This comes from a Southern Deputy who's surrounding agencies wear stetsons.

We had the old bus driver hats. Fortunately, hats became optional in 1976. Some time in the 80's guys could wear baseball caps if they wanted, a lot of people do.

PM me and I will answer your questions in the next fe days.



Be Safe.

Safety Steve I sent you a PM with some questions. Thanks for your time.

Amen to that!

I have heard rumors that there is talk of us going to the smokey the bear hat! :ack2:

I will quit or promote just so I wouldn't have to wear one of those hats.





Be Safe.

Would you rather wear one of those "Bus Driver" hats. I'm sure your chief could help you out with that. LOL

I've read some of this forum with interest. I'm an old man now. OK, here's my 2 cents.
Ever since I can remember I wanted to get into the State Police. The cutoff age limit was 30. During that time (from age 21 to 30) I have taken the test once in NY, once in NJ, once in Vermont, and 7 times in PA. The highest percentile score I got was 93% out of 5,000 applicants.
Not bad, but no cigar.

In my spare time I went around with a deputy Game Warden. I took a part time job as a security guard (visualize the movie, Mall Cop).
I even tried to get into the city Police here (Altoona) and down in Hampton Virginia, . . . and the Logan Township PD back in 1986. THAT was interesting trying to get into their little 7-man force. They acted like I was trying to get into some superior holy order or something – they had their own little "click" and even showed their disapproval when I waited til the chief showed up to ask him some questions. The fat ***** that was there kept telling me the chief won't have time to see me when he comes in, and I told her 'Oh yeah he will!' Needless to say I didn't get too far there either.
I joined the military in 1976. I tried to get into Law Enforcement. The recruiter told me the field was too small to be guarenteed (Law Enforcement, NOT Security Police. I didn't want to babysit airplanes). . . so I became an aircraft mechanic instead. I stayed and got good at the job, till I retired from the military in 1998 as an E7.
The hardest thing in the military (I must add) was keeping my weight down. I worked out in the gym for 2 hours a day, EVERY day. I ran 2 miles every day. EVERY day. But I loved to eat too. I recall one guy got kicked out because he was 3 pounds over the weight limit. (His pupils dilated every time I held a cookie in front of his face). That was the only hardest thing for me.
Now at the age of 59 I see the PA State Police have upped the age limit to 40. Some states don't even HAVE an age limit (I recall reading about one academy graduate who was 52. Imagine that!) Not sure if they did away with the weight requirement either (I saw one trooper last week who looked like a gray watermelon in his uniform). And, of course, the height requirement no longer exists.
You know what that tells me? It tells me even an old fat little bugger of a dwarf could be a State Trooper nowadays. Ha ha ha!

Am I a little bitter? Well, yeah, kind've . . . I always wonder . . . what if???

The following are a few quotes I like:

"How can a blind man be a lookout?"
"How can an idiot be a policeman, answer me that!?"
"Very simple, all he has to do is enlist – "
Shut up!"
Chief Inspector Dreyfus to Inspector Clouseau
in RETURN Of The PINK PANTHER

How to get a cop to pull you over . . .
. . . if a guy pops up behind the backseat and puts a gun to your head.
4Give him the finger.
4Turn off your headlights (at night).
4Wander over the double yellow line to appear drunk.
MEN'S HEALTH, September 2002, pp 149



"Fair? You want me to be fair? Listen, fair is a place where you go to ride the rides, eat cotton candy, and step in monkey ****."

"I'm glad to hear the Chief of Police is a good personal friend of yours. At least you know someone who can post your bail."

"You didn't think we give tickets to pretty women ? You're right, we don't. Sign here."
Real Police Car Recordings

I am aware of no departments anywhere in the United States that have an age cutoff as low as 30.

Federal Agencies use 37, and most agencies I know have no official age limit for hire at all.

Can you cite a source for your "30 year old age limit" claim?

-Citicop.

So far as the old age requirement goes, when I took the final test at age 30 in 1983 I was told "this was it. This is the cut-off."
In regards to your question that the cut-off should have been age 37, well, times have changed, as did the age requirements. I called four State Police agencies (the academy, human resources, the local barracks, and a recruiter. The first three were secretaries who didn't know anything, the recruiter was an answering machine and he just got back with me a week later, which is today). Yes, the age cut-off back then was 30. He informed me they changed it to age 40 in 1998 or 99. I also sent an EMail for written confirmation and finally (a week later) got a reply saying that they "have up to 30 days to answer my (simple) question." When (and if) I finally get it, if interested, I will attach it.
OTTO

Ever think of moving to the Lone Star State? We don't have an age requirement.




Be Safe.