Do I have what it takes 23/f/fl

[pensacolachik]

I am a female and a small one at that. I am 23 I weigh 120 pounds and i am 5 foot 2. My question is will I be taken serious as a police officer? I am going to be starting school for a criminal justice degree and I am really interested in being a police officer on top of that i would love to be a K-9 officer. Both of my parents are completely against me doing this especially since the economy is turning for the worst and plus I'm an only child. But really this is what i want to do! I want to help others! I want a job that is self fullfilling and meaningful! So i would like any and everyones advice or opinion.

[Kimble]

I am a female and a small one at that. I am 23 I weigh 120 pounds and i am 5 foot 2. My question is will I be taken serious as a police officer? I am going to be starting school for a criminal justice degree and I am really interested in being a police officer on top of that i would love to be a K-9 officer. Both of my parents are completely against me doing this especially since the economy is turning for the worst and plus I'm an only child. But really this is what i want to do! I want to help others! I want a job that is self fullfilling and meaningful! So i would like any and everyones advice or opinion.

Only you can answer whether or not you'll be taken seriously, as height/weight/gender alone don't say anything about whether or not one will be a good officer or not. I've met plenty of short females who were great officers, and a few tall male officer who were walking disasters. It's the whole package that makes a good officer, not just one characteristic.

[DeltaV]

There are officers your size who are good officers, and there are others your size who are incompetent or never make it through training. Your size and gender have nothing to do with that, it's mainly your attitude and aptitude. Everyone has physical limitations, and you just need to understand yours and not try to "prove yourself" by trying to act like you're 6'00" and 220 lbs.

[marinepilot]

I'll reiterate what the others have said, it's all in how you act, what your attitude is, and how you project yourself that determines if you'll be a good officer or not. It's in your hands.

My question is, where are you going to school for your CJ degree? I'm also in Pensacola and I have a feeling I know where...

Also, just realize that a CJ degree is not going to really help you get a Law Enforcement Officer job. A two year degree is going to get you an extra $30 per month and a four year degree will get you an extra $80 per month. Most departments don't care what you're degree is in, just that you have it. (It shows perseverance and determination to get your college degree!)

Okay, PM me if you want to talk off line about the job situation here in P'cola.

marinepilot

[nikerret]

I am a female and a small one at that. I am 23 I weigh 120 pounds and i am 5 foot 2. My question is will I be taken serious as a police officer? Can you demand people take you seriously?I am going to be starting school for a criminal justice degree and I am really interested in being a police officer on top of that i would love to be a K-9 officer. From what I understand, a K9 officer has to be very strong both in personality and physically. How are you going to control a dog that is an alpha to everyone but you if you are a wuss? Both of my parents are completely against me doing this (This will cause a hiccup as family is more important than anything else and many Agencies will not hire someone whose family does not support the candidate. LEO's tend to have undue difficulties dealing with the lesser glamorous aspects of the job without a strong support network. Elaborate on your parents being completely against this...*)especially since the economy is turning for the worst LE jobs are one of the few with a reasonable amount of job security, however, as people become more desperate in their own lives you can expect the amount of lawsuits to increase as people find a means to an end. What may have been a small mistake a few years ago may become a bad case law and huge settlement now. The larger issue will be getting hired with more applicants getting hired just for a job. The good new is most of these people will probably filter out. and plus I'm an only child. ? But really this is what i want to do! I want to help others! I fully understand that. Nothing brings joy like truly helping someone in need. It can be tough to not be able to help some of the most hopeless people, including kids, that most people will never meet. It can also be hard to arrest someone who is a good person, who made a bad decision, when you know they will likely lose their job, possibly their spouse, and may become irrational and hurt themselves. In LE the good times are rarely only good. Most of the good comes from what you can make out of an otherwise terrible situation. At times, everything is only bad for all parties involved, including the LEO. I want a job that is self fullfilling and meaningful! Reread the blue sentences which are grouped before this one... So i would like any and everyones advice or opinion.

Your insecurities you face over your size now will only be extrapolated when someone is fixing to kick your *** if you cannot get the mean to the surface in a flash and maintain it until it is no longer necessary.

The glitz and glamour of being in LE are there, but for every high mountain there is a low valley. Your friends and family will not understand why some things make you happy or what may haunt you that they have never truly experienced.

Most of the time you will love being a LEO, if you are like me. I feel like I am truly making a difference in my immediate social and economic vicinity. Sometimes, it is stressful dealing with weak prosecutors and realizing how strong of an engine money truly is, but I don't feel I could learn this much using any other avenue in such a short amount of time.

Feel free to PM me if you'd like. I am 23 and have been a Deputy Sheriff for over a year. There are some dynamics at our age group that automatically handicap us without us ever stepping foot into an office. No matter how long you have lived away from your parents, they probably see you as more of a child than an adult and are still trying to retard the transition.

*My parents are proud of me being a LEO, but would prefer if I had chosen a career that was less dangerous. My mother hates firearms, because of her ignorance of them. My father used to be a criminal and knows how desperation can make some small time thugs, who feel backed into a corner, into big time criminals. They support me fully, even though it is not the path they would have chosen for me.

[CityOfChicago]

[CityOfChicago]

OK - I was going to apologize for that by posting a scene of Judd Nelson in "Breakfast Club" and admitting that I'm John Bender, but in searching for that I found this:

[CityOfChicago]

OK last one I swear. But check out the Shelly Duvall chicklet teeth.

This man is brilliant

[PJMurphy]

Your DESIRE to do this job is the most important thing you can offer. I rode with a 5'2 female officer in a very rough town last weekend while doing an assessment and she was excellent. Understand that we really don't help people in way most people think of "helping," that's what the firemen do. We hold them accountable for their behavior. It's a better kind of "help."

[pensacolachik]

Thank you very much for taking the time out to read my post! I appreciate everyone’s words of encouragement and advice. Alot of points made me really think about the decision I was making! It makes me feel even better about pursuing my career as a law enforcement officer.

[lawduck]

Understand that we really don't help people in way most people think of "helping," that's what the firemen do. We hold them accountable for their behavior. It's a better kind of "help."

I wish I got to help people more. My shift last night consisted of a DWI and getting a guy going 104 in a 55. Neither one of my interactions were pleasant but I had to do my job. If you want to help people so bad this isn't the line of work. I do help people a lot though and I am always getting thanked for doing my job the way I do it. But as you'll see it isn't about helping folks so much. Most of the time the folks you're dealing with would rather not be dealing with you.

[marinepilot]

I wish I got to help people more. My shift last night consisted of a DWI and getting a guy going 104 in a 55. Neither one of my interactions were pleasant but I had to do my job. If you want to help people so bad this isn't the line of work. I do help people a lot though and I am always getting thanked for doing my job the way I do it. But as you'll see it isn't about helping folks so much. Most of the time the folks you're dealing with would rather not be dealing with you.

Duck, I'd say you definitely helped a ton of people! Think of those that aren't dead or wounded or worse due to a jerk driving drunk or too fast to control his vehicle. Maybe it wasn't pleasant for those you took to jail (or cited as the case may have been) but as a father of a teenage girl who's going to be driving on her own soon, I believe you helped not only my daughter, but my entire family as well. Had either of those jacka$$e$ been able to stay out on the road because a person like you hadn't taken care of them, I could possibly have lost a daughter and a friend, and my family would be broken beyond belief. So, just think of the silver lining of what you do, and you'll see that you truly DO help people even when those you're dealing with couldn't care less about you, or would kill you just as soon as talk to you.

Oh, and Happy Fathers Day to all the Dad's out there! :D

[usmarine0352]

I am a female and a small one at that. I am 23 I weigh 120 pounds and i am 5 foot 2. My question is will I be taken serious as a police officer? I am going to be starting school for a criminal justice degree and I am really interested in being a police officer on top of that i would love to be a K-9 officer. Both of my parents are completely against me doing this especially since the economy is turning for the worst and plus I'm an only child. But really this is what i want to do! I want to help others! I want a job that is self fullfilling and meaningful! So i would like any and everyones advice or opinion.

This thread is worthless without pics.

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[MPcorpssmprFI]

I'm a "Small guy" and I used to have doubts about myself when I was in High School. but then I joined the Marine Corps and they showed me that my size wasn't all that important and I took what I learned from the Corps and I have applied that to my life and I have been nothing but succesfull. I had a couple girls in my academy that were about your size, and beleive me no one should mess with those girls. They got put through the same tests as everyone else and were held to the same standards. If you beleive in yourself then you will be fine. A perk to being small is you get underestimated a lot and I like that challenge. :D;) im on my 3rd tour in Iraq right now and I see nothing but benefit's to being small (I don't have to duck as much)

[usmarine0352]

I am a female and a small one at that. I am 23 I weigh 120 pounds and i am 5 foot 2. My question is will I be taken serious as a police officer? I am going to be starting school for a criminal justice degree and I am really interested in being a police officer on top of that i would love to be a K-9 officer. Both of my parents are completely against me doing this especially since the economy is turning for the worst and plus I'm an only child. But really this is what i want to do! I want to help others! I want a job that is self fullfilling and meaningful! So i would like any and everyones advice or opinion.

Besides this post needing pics I'll add my 2 cents. lol



I'm small, 5'3 and 118lbs and no one has put me down for my copper abilities so far.


You've already got the greatest tool/weapon you'll ever need and that's your brain. Combine that with a desire to do a good job and you'll be fine.



On another point, your just starting out school while the economy is bad, hopefully it will turn around in 3-4 years, right when your graduating, so you'll be looking at a good job market.

Plus, a lot of students who are ready now will be looking for regular jobs since they can't wait for an LE job, once you are ready for school many of these people will just stick with their current job and you will no longer be competing with them for a job. And your young, which is the best, so that you can retire somewhat earlier in life.
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