Do you have to have a reason to be a police officer?

[elisabeth anne]

a ton of people have asked me why i wanted to be a cop i have always replied that I had no real reason except I thought it wood be fun. I never really had a reason but I have been saying i wanted to be a police officer since i was 8 but i feel that a lot of police officers i meet these days have a reason to be one. either its because they wanted to help people or it was a family tradition, so i started wondering "do you have to have a reason to be one?"



Any response would be nice because I have to be able to decide if i really want it, or it was a dream. see, i am 19 years old and feel lost and like i am just running through life without even trying.

Please help me...\

Thanks

[retdetsgt]

I just wanted a job that paid decent. I never felt like it was some sort of religious calling. I got in it and found it fun, challenging and satisfying.

Hint: if you want to be a cop, get out of the habit of writing like a kid. Writing skills are highly valued, including proper punctuation, grammar and capitalization. Not getting on your case, just giving you some advice.

[ChesCopPodz]

I mean at the base of it, there is a reason you want to be a police officer, you may not just realize what yours is. But SOMETHING is making you want to be one.

[Sgt. Slaughter]

Any response would be nice because I have to be able to decide if i really want it, or it was a dream. see, i am 19 years old and feel lost and like i am just running through life without even trying.

What are you doing now that makes you feel like you're doing nothing? 19? You haven't even begun living yet. In most places you'll need to be 21 to be a cop. You'll also be competing with military veterans and college grads. Do one or the other and explore your opportunities and see what things interest you.

[elisabeth anne]

Hello...
I am replying to everyone who answered my thread. Thank you so much.

Without further ado....

What are you doing now that makes you feel like you're doing nothing? 19? You haven't even begun living yet.
I feel that I am wasting away at 19 due to the fact that I have not started going to college and I have also been kicked out of the US Air Force and this was a major part of my life plan. I was intending on being one of those Veterans that become Police officer. I am a past victim of child neglect and was lucky enough to been taken awawy from my parents and they were sent to jail. I believe a Police officer was the first person I met that was generally nice to me. I had a ton of trust issues when I was younger but I knew that the Police Officer was there to assist me. Some of my family believes that this is why I trully wanted to be a Police Officer for as long as I have. I know that maybe eventually I will have a case that deals with child abuse but I will be able and willing to be helpful to that child. I have always believed that every child deserves to have a great childhood like I was given after I was helped.
I also feel that I have done nothing and just flown through life becasue I only work and Kroger as a bagger. I sit around on my days off and wonder why I haven't done anything to start school or made a decision. I mean as I said earlier I have told countless of people since I was 8 that I wanted to be a cop so I dont understand why I haven't starting pursuing my goals in life. I know its upto me to do so... I am just putting that out there.

[Sgt. Slaughter]

If you couldn't make it in the Air Force, why do you think you could handle being a cop? What discharge did you get and why were you already booted?

[retdetsgt]

If you were kicked out of the Air Force, your chances of being a police officer are nil.

[elisabeth anne]

I got kicked out of the air force for a mental thing as a child. It was classified as being an entry level seperation with a failure to adjust. I was told by the discharge Sargeant that I would be able to pursue employment as a local Police Officer. He did say that it would be kinda hard to move up into the higher levels but eventually I could try to prove myself good enough to move up. He said he was sure because it had happened to his brother.

And I got kicked out for something that I didnt remember happening and also i fought to stay in but it did not work out in my favor. I am mentally ready to pursue my dream. I have been through a lot in my life but I dont let it define me. Being a cop would prove a lot of people wrong in there perception of me. But that is not why I am trying to become a Police officer. I am doing it to prove to me that I am capable of anything

[Sgt. Slaughter]

I am doing it to prove to me that I am capable of anything

First things first - reality check. You're not capable of doing anything. You couldn't make it in the Air Force. You can't be an astronaut. There are likely hundreds of thing you cannot do.

I got kicked out of the air force for a mental thing as a child. It was classified as being an entry level seperation with a failure to adjust.

"A mental thing"? You now have a history of mental problems. Doesn't mean you're crazy or will go around killing people if given a badge and gun, but who wants to take the risk? You couldn't adjust to Air Force life? They're uniformed corporate America! (Not disparaging the Air Force peeps - just inter-service rivalry.) However, as they're not known for being the toughest branch, they're still part of the U.S. military. That's a huge thing to overcome.

I was told by the discharge Sargeant that I would be able to pursue employment as a local Police Officer. He did say that it would be kinda hard to move up into the higher levels but eventually I could try to prove myself good enough to move up. He said he was sure because it had happened to his brother.

Never trust advice of someone who had it happen to someone they know. You are not his brother. You are a totally separate entity with your own hangups and issues. You face the oral board and hiring process, not his brother.

And I got kicked out for something that I didnt remember happening and also i fought to stay in but it did not work out in my favor.

Say what? You don't remember what happened that got you kicked out but you remember fighting to stay in?? I call BS on that.

I am mentally ready to pursue my dream.

You may be ready, but that doesn't mean you're qualified or will be accepted because of your past.

I have been through a lot in my life but I dont let it define me.

Actually, Psychology 101 says that is precisely how we are defined - by individual experiences.

[retdetsgt]

Elisabeth Anne, I'm sorry, but again your chances are not worth much. Police agencies scrutinize any military discharge and failure to adjust is not something we have any interest in. Being abused as a child is horrible, I spent lots of years working that, but that doesn't qualify you to be a police officer by any stretch. We don't want to hire anyone who has any sort of mental problem, especially one that's bad enough to get you discharged from the military.

And the discharge Sgt. has no idea what he's talking about. I suspect he said that to make you feel better and he knew he would never see you again.

Best of luck in the rest of your life, but don't count on being able to get into law enforcement. There are way too many people out there who completed military service with an honorable discharge. One thing you might do is see if you can get back in the military later to try again. I don't know if that's possible or not, but it's worth a shot.

[Sgt. Slaughter]

You've got excellent motivation to do social work, though. Maybe something in juvenile probation/corrections.

[elisabeth anne]

I know you're all right. Thank you for the help. I will keep posting as to inform you of my status

Plus, I thought about social working before so I may continue looking into again

[Kimble]

Plus, I thought about social working before so I may continue looking into again

Social work is a very honorable profession, and doesn't have as stringent hiring requirements as law enforcement. If you decide to go into social work to help others, and stay motivated in that goal throughout your career, you can do a lot of good in your community for those truly in need. Good luck.

[Kimble]

Plus, I thought about social working before so I may continue looking into again

Social work is a very honorable profession, and doesn't have as stringent hiring requirements as law enforcement. If you decide to go into social work to help others, and stay motivated in that goal throughout your career, you can do a lot of good in your community for those truly in need. Good luck.