New member, aspiring new LEO, in Central Texas

[Conquest351]

Hello all,

My name is Brian and I live in the Brownwood, TX area. I'm aspiring to become a licensed peace officer, something I've wanted to do since 11th grade or so (many years back). I'm glad I found a forum where peace officers, and aspiring officers can converse. I'm sure I'm going to bug quite a bit of you with newbie questions, I'm just going to apologize ahead of time.

Thanks in advance and glad to be here,

Brian

[Reconciler]

Welcome to RP

In reference to your questions...you may find it helpful to utilize the search function. There's a lot of good info around here and it's possible your questions have already been addressed in depth.

[pac201]

Welcome to the site.

[Safety Steve]

Hello all,

My name is Brian and I live in the Brownwood, TX area. I'm aspiring to become a licensed peace officer, something I've wanted to do since 11th grade or so (many years back). I'm glad I found a forum where peace officers, and aspiring officers can converse. I'm sure I'm going to bug quite a bit of you with newbie questions, I'm just going to apologize ahead of time.

Thanks in advance and glad to be here,

Brian

Howdy Brian or should I say, "Neighbor." Glad your here at RP. There is a bunch of good people here and a wealth of knowledge. Enjoy your stay here and your nice lake in Brown County!


Be Safe.

[marinepilot]

Welcome to RP Brian from a Panhandler in Florida! Like Reconciler said above, check out the search function, there are really good chances that many of your questions have been asked & answered there. Otherwise, enjoy your stay and explore the space!

[Conquest351]

Wow, thanks for the warm welcome guys!

Sorry I haven't been back on here in a while, I actually just had my first kid on Friday 23-07-2010!! I've been a little busy preparing for her, as you could guess. Now I'm back getting in gear to pursue my career. I do have a question though, and I tried the search and didn't find a clear cut answer. Forgive me if it's blatantly obvious and I just missed it. LOL

As I mentioned earlier I am looking to get my TCLEOSE license, and need to attend the academy in order to take and pass the exam. The Brownwood Police Department doesn't have an academy, so perspective officers need to attend an academy on their own, and hence it's an out of pocket expense. As I just mentioned, I have a young family and can't just dump $2k on the education and not have a paycheck for 16 weeks, as I'd have to quit my job in order to attend the academy full time (part-time wouldn't work either as the hours would conflict with work). My question is this, are there any grants or programs that are offered by the government or state to help pay for this education? I don't mind a loan either, but if there are state or government offered loans, that's what I'm after first, before heading to the bank. Is there a site or somewhere I can go on in order to find out and apply for these loans or grants?

Thanks so much again for the warm welcome and thanks in advance for any help or information you may have to offer!!

Brian

[Safety Steve]

Wow, thanks for the warm welcome guys!

Sorry I haven't been back on here in a while, I actually just had my first kid on Friday 23-07-2010!! I've been a little busy preparing for her, as you could guess. Now I'm back getting in gear to pursue my career. I do have a question though, and I tried the search and didn't find a clear cut answer. Forgive me if it's blatantly obvious and I just missed it. LOL

As I mentioned earlier I am looking to get my TCLEOSE license, and need to attend the academy in order to take and pass the exam. The Brownwood Police Department doesn't have an academy, so perspective officers need to attend an academy on their own, and hence it's an out of pocket expense. As I just mentioned, I have a young family and can't just dump $2k on the education and not have a paycheck for 16 weeks, as I'd have to quit my job in order to attend the academy full time (part-time wouldn't work either as the hours would conflict with work). My question is this, are there any grants or programs that are offered by the government or state to help pay for this education? I don't mind a loan either, but if there are state or government offered loans, that's what I'm after first, before heading to the bank. Is there a site or somewhere I can go on in order to find out and apply for these loans or grants?

Thanks so much again for the warm welcome and thanks in advance for any help or information you may have to offer!!

Brian

Hey Brian, contact Carolyn at West Texas Council of Government in Abilene TX. I believe she is still in charge of the LE academy and classes. That would be my only suggestion.


Be Safe.

[Reconciler]

Congratulations on the birth of your daughter

[Conquest351]

Thanks to the both of you for the information and kind words. I'll try to get in contact with Carolyn today.

[Conquest351]

Well, looks like I'm not eligible to become a licensed Texas Peace Officer due to my criminal history. I have a class A misdemeanor from 10+ years ago that was differed adjudication, but apparently that is a permanent bar on my eligibility. Damn. Well, thanks again for all the kind words and the welcome I received in coming here. I'll stick around and be a wannabe I guess.

Laters,

Brian

PS
The misdemeanor aggravates me too because I was a supervisor of a bunch of guys who were stealing, but since I was signing off on the fake returns, I got lumped in with them during prosecution and termination. I've been fighting that for 10 + years. I'm not a crook, I just happened to manage a few. LOL