Have employment questions

[Gutwrench]

Hi Bluehose,

Assuming these things happened (and ended) as a freshman in college and you've since honorably served two to four years of military service as an officer (so five to six years ago?), and the pills were a small quantity in a single isolated instance, then I venture to say it would not disqualify you whatsoever from my department or any of the allied agencies around me. Every department sets their own standard though.

Sorry for that run on sentence.

God luck.

[retdetsgt]

When I started at the community college I worked at as a police officer, my pay was about $20,800 before overtime. And that was in 2007.

Good thing you have your USMC retirement. That's terrible.

I think I was making around $10K my first year. By 1976, I was making $18K before OT. I went to a school in Texas that year and was embarrassed to tell the Texas cops what I made, it was twice what most were pulling in.

A patrol officer was making at least $35K (probably more) by 1986 because we got a bunch of big raises through the inflation of the Carter administration and the first couple of years of the Reagan until he got it under control.

We have some history though. Our wages and benefits were horrible until 1969, the year before I came on. We couldn't strike of course, but the union picketed the Portland docks. The longshoreman's union not only here honored it and refused to cross the line, but the longshoremen on the whole west coast quit coming to work..... Within days, mayors from L.A., San Francisco and San Diego were calling our mayor and telling him to settle his damn contract.... That changed our negotiating stance forever, it seems.

Not only did the wages go up, but so did the benefits as well as they started furnishing a lot uniform equipment they hadn't done before. It was a landmark contract, too bad some many Portland cops now don't about it.

I have to admit that Oregon shifting politically to the left helped too. Oregon has binding arbitration for public safety unions and we win the vast majority when something goes to that. Our union dues are a bit steep, but we can hire much better lawyers than the city has in the city attorney's office. With OT, some of our traffic guys can make 6 figures now easily. And the cost of living isn't all that outrageous. Housing is more expensive, but a mortgage payment for a comparable house is at most 500 to 800 bucks more a month. The wages make that up several times over.

Bad news is, it rains a lot....

[retdetsgt]

Hi Bluehose,

Assuming these things happened (and ended) as a freshman in college and you've since honorably served two to four years of military service as an officer (so five to six years ago?), and the pills were a small quantity in a single isolated instance, then I venture to say it would not disqualify you whatsoever from my department or any of the allied agencies around me. Every department sets their own standard though.

Sorry for that run on sentence.

God luck.

I agree with you. I don't see it as big a deal as some seem to.