Info on St. Louis Metropolitan Police

[USNusp9]

Hi all,

If any of you have looked at my other posts, Im aggresively pursuing a career in LE. I recently picked up the employment packet for SLMPD. If anyone could relay any info bad or good about this department, Id appreciate it. For those of you that are going to tell me the St. Louis County PD is better, they are only taking experienced police officers right now. As for other municipalities in missouri near STL, they all require POST certification prior to employment and Im not in a position to quit my job and go to an academy on my own dime.

I know St. Louis has a reputation for being a violent, crime ridden town. Im not going to say that Im looking for "action" or some immature comment of that nature. I would like to think that there are alot of opportunities in the SLMPD. Apparently there are over 70 specialized units, and you can apply for one after 3 years in patrol. Intelligence, Hostage Rescue and Aviation Units are ones that peak my particular interest. I will be doing a ride along in the next week or so. Thanks to all who respond.

[Valor55]

Im not going to say that Im looking for "action" or some immature comment of that nature.

Why not? That's as good a reason as any. This job can already get boring, get rid of the "action" and there is nothing left. If they will hire you, train you, and you can have a good time then go for it! If you can't have fun at work (any job in the world) then what's the point of working there? There is nothing wrong with saying "They got lots of crack and meth and the cops are rocking and rolling there, I can't wait!"

Good luck!

[Babysmamadrama]

They have a residency rule. So be prepared to live on the southside with all the other coppers. Invest in alarm, don't buy a Dodge product, and remember you can be a victim anywhere in the Lou.

[USNusp9]

Regarding "action", I do want to be in a department that does more than radar and domestics all day. I am sure St. Louis is one of the busiest departments in the nation. So while not trying to sound immature or trigger happy, I am looking for a department where the officers are (if I may borrow the term) rockin and rollin.

As for residency, that sucks. I know about the req., in fact the recruiter gave me a sheet I have to sign regarding the req. I have heard that they may lift that because they are losing alot of officers to the county. Either way, I would have to move because I live in Illinois.

[Citicop]

USNusp9-

City PD is a good organization to work for, far as I can tell (except for the residency thing...If you plan on having kids, be prepared to pay for private schools) they have one of the best retirement packages around, and all of the perks (and disadvantages) of any large department.

Last I heard, though, they weren't scheduling any pre-service classes at their academy, though. (Bit of a hiring freeze, apparently). If you apply, be prepared to wait a year or two unless you have a connection politically.

If you really want to get into local law enforcement in the St. Louis Metro area, I'd suggest putting yourself through an academy. There are very few local departments willing to train a brand new hire here any more. Most of your competition will already be POST certified, and the departments tend to lean toward them due to a lower cost to hire as well as a quicker start date (since they don't have to wait until graduation to put them into field training).

If you want some more info, you can respond here or PM me.

Babysmamadrama is a local to the area also, so he may also be able to offer some advice.

Hope this helped-

Citicop.

[mdaley]

I would caution you that from what I've observed (again, this is just personal observation so keep that in mind), morale in in the SLMPD is significantly lower than at any other similar department. Obviously they're mostyl good people, but I know more than a few officers who are tired of being understaffed. There have been budget cuts left and right and in a highly publicized (locally anyway) event, the Chief did not stand behind his officers and chose intstead to play politics. Yes, these are things that can be found anywhere, but it seems that St. Louis has found a way to bundle a lot of bad stuff in package.

On the good side, you will get more experience on the streets of St. Louis than you will most other places in the area and perhaps in the country. 3 years in you will have seen more than what guys in the County-Munis have seen in 25 years. It seems at least a few people have gone with the SLMPD and then moved on to other departments.

Just my $.02

[JudgeDredd]

They have a residency rule. So be prepared to live on the southside with all the other coppers. Invest in alarm, don't buy a Dodge product, and remember you can be a victim anywhere in the Lou.

ROFL! :D

[USNusp9]

Everything I pull up about St. Louis Police is the County department. Does SLMPD even have a SWAT type unit? It seems like the county has alot more assets, or SLMPD just doesnt use theirs.

[Newbie31]

It is hard to find info on STL PD. For a long time they did'nt have a department web page. I think they have one now, but it only pertains to their crime reduction program.

I know a guy that got hired by them right out of college. He told me that the city was being sued by a bunch of white males who were claiming that they were discriminated against during the hiring process, otherwise he prolly would'nt have been hired. According to him the pay sucks compaired to what departments on the Illinois side pay.

[Citicop]

Yes, as far as I know City DOES have a tactical team and resoueces similiar to County. County PD has more interaction with surrounding agencies (because there are more than 90 seperate municipal departments within the county that all use county servicies to a greater or lesser degree) so I can agree that people know more about them than City PD.

City also has an anticrime team, and just as many special units as County.

According to this List of Missouri Police Departments City has more than double the number of officers that County does.