Dallas TX PD, Austin TX PD or San Diego PD?? Which should I choose?

[Odin]

Haha, you're funny, I like the crape myrtle thing. Thats unfortunate about the pay, and the no civil service? No thanks, thats too risky. You're not the first person to say they're unsure about Allen.

You say "don't mind living in FW" is that a bad thing or are you just speaking because of the residency requirements? Do you have any idea on their call load?

How about Mesquite? I've heard they're pretty "cocky" but I dunno. Not sure if you're familiar of the colony, but I spoke via email to the chief there and he seemed like a really good idea..

Are there any cities we havent went over that you'd suggest?

The crape myrtle thing is no joke, I'm dead serious. It's sad, I'd rather pay more taxes and give the police and fire a raise than buy another damn flower or tree for the medians in McKinney.

I don't know anyone in FW and I have a nice house so I'm not interested in moving there, but I'm not suggesting that it's not a good place to live. I'd probably prefer the political climate there, in fact.

I grew up in Garland and we had a "rivalry" with Mesquite, so I never spent much time there as a kid. Mesquite PD pays good and I've never heard anything bad about them, and Mesquite is a pretty "blue collar" no-nonsense town so I bet it's a good place to live and work. Mesquite is, and has been, growing for years and they border Garland and the Grove (SE Dallas) so that alone should make it a busy place for police.

The Colony is a growing place, nice and close to the lake. They pay really low and their step raises (found on the city website) don't raise that pay much even after several years. Not a lot going on in that town, but that's about right for a suburb with no major highway access.

Other cities - Farmers Branch, Carrollton, Addison, Richardson, Irving, Lewisville, Plano - all are "bigger" suburbs (or at least more populated) that pay well and would offer a good balance of being busy but not being run to death like in Dallas.

[matt87]

The crape myrtle thing is no joke, I'm dead serious. It's sad, I'd rather pay more taxes and give the police and fire a raise than buy another damn flower or tree for the medians in McKinney.

I don't know anyone in FW and I have a nice house so I'm not interested in moving there, but I'm not suggesting that it's not a good place to live. I'd probably prefer the political climate there, in fact.

I grew up in Garland and we had a "rivalry" with Mesquite, so I never spent much time there as a kid. Mesquite PD pays good and I've never heard anything bad about them, and Mesquite is a pretty "blue collar" no-nonsense town so I bet it's a good place to live and work. Mesquite is, and has been, growing for years and they border Garland and the Grove (SE Dallas) so that alone should make it a busy place for police.

The Colony is a growing place, nice and close to the lake. They pay really low and their step raises (found on the city website) don't raise that pay much even after several years. Not a lot going on in that town, but that's about right for a suburb with no major highway access.

Other cities - Farmers Branch, Carrollton, Addison, Richardson, Irving, Lewisville, Plano - all are "bigger" suburbs (or at least more populated) that pay well and would offer a good balance of being busy but not being run to death like in Dallas.

Thanks man. I spoke with an officer from Garland and he mentioned in Richardson he heard they required the officers to keep their camera's on all shift and they have to get approval from the shift sgt before they can make an arrest, only negative I've heard. Plano would be nice but I can imagine it's hard getting on there because of their pay. Whats your opinion on Lewisville? I know they're crime rate is really low so they seem to be doing a good job.

[Odin]

Thanks man. I spoke with an officer from Garland and he mentioned in Richardson he heard they required the officers to keep their camera's on all shift and they have to get approval from the shift sgt before they can make an arrest, only negative I've heard. Plano would be nice but I can imagine it's hard getting on there because of their pay. Whats your opinion on Lewisville? I know they're crime rate is really low so they seem to be doing a good job.

I've done seveal ride outs with Richardson. They have in-car cameras with body mic packs, but the officers turn them off and on whenever they choose as far as I could tell. They definitely weren't on all the time when I rode with them. I'm not sure about the permission to arrest thing because I always rode with the same guy and he has stripes, but I don't think that's accurate.

I imagine that Plano is very selective, because they can be and a lot of people want to work there.

Lewisville I've heard a lot of good things about, haven't done a ride with them (they don't do that if you're not a resident there). I applied there, passed the tests, got on the loooong list of eligible people, probably won't get hired because there are a lot of qualified people on the list and not too many openings.

[matt87]

I've done seveal ride outs with Richardson. They have in-car cameras with body mic packs, but the officers turn them off and on whenever they choose as far as I could tell. They definitely weren't on all the time when I rode with them. I'm not sure about the permission to arrest thing because I always rode with the same guy and he has stripes, but I don't think that's accurate.

I imagine that Plano is very selective, because they can be and a lot of people want to work there.

Lewisville I've heard a lot of good things about, haven't done a ride with them (they don't do that if you're not a resident there). I applied there, passed the tests, got on the loooong list of eligible people, probably won't get hired because there are a lot of qualified people on the list and not too many openings.

What was your ride alongs with Richardson like? Were they pretty well taken care of there?

[Odin]

What was your ride alongs with Richardson like? Were they pretty well taken care of there?

Seemed like a great place to work. Morale seemed great, things worked smoothly and everyone seemed to like their job. Everyone was talkative and open with me on the ride alongs, answering any question and (unlike some departments) they allowed me as an observer to stay with the officer on all calls (as opposed to sitting in the car all night) so I was able to see how they did things. The officers were aggressive and professional, the department appears to be well funded, nobody had anything but positive things to say. They pay pretty decent and they're big enough to keep things interesting but small enough that you don't become a number. Unfortunately, after passing everything in the process I screwed up on the oral board and didn't get hired. It was my first application and I could have handled some of the personal questions better on the board. I'm eligible to reapply, but they have a waiting period before you can reapply. I'd suggest applying with them if you're interested in the area.

[matt87]

Appreciate all the advice and explaining, Odin. I know when I drove to richardson to pick up a mustang a couple years back we went for a test drive and the goober had to ride with us in the backseat. My dad was getting on it a bit and he keeped freaking out saying Richardson was all over the highway and they write tickets all day. lol