Anyone going or did go into law enforcement?

Did you go the route as in applying and going through say Raleigh's police academy?
Or attend BLET and go into a smaller department?

Pros/Cons? Stories?

I'm just looking for some local insight here, I've been doing some research, and maybe it would be best to talk to someone who has actually picked a route..

4/9/2007 12:21:07 PM

I don't have any first hand experience... but my bro-in-laws route was:

Criminal Justice Degree
Correctional Officer in Raleigh Central Prison
Wake County Sheriff's Deputy
Now he's on the SWAT team.

4/9/2007 12:24:13 PM

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

4/9/2007 12:27:37 PM

Mildew, did he get a 4 year or a 2 year in criminal justice?

Swat is pretty hardcore... I've seen some crazy training videos

4/9/2007 1:48:22 PM

4 year degree

and yeah, he has some pretty badass toys to play with too.

[Edited on April 9, 2007 at 2:31 PM. Reason : devil]

4/9/2007 2:30:49 PM

Get a 4 year progra - or better. I promise you will become tired of rolling around with drunks and ducking flying objects - then you are better set up to go fed or get promoted. ATF and DEA are the more investigative agencies - the others are pencil necks and wannabe's (Marshal's aren't too bad. Stay away from corrections if you can find another way in. Good luck. (Don't rely on BLET to keep you alive).

4/13/2007 6:34:56 PM

Republican18

4/13/2007 6:51:29 PM

My sister and her husband have both been pretty successful in law enforcement and both did it different. She had a 4 year degree in CJ , went to BLET, went to High Point, and moved pretty fast through the ranks, became a persons crime detective (rape and such), then started doing SBI/ATF taskforce gigs, and now works completely for the ATF. Her husband started out more traditionally, got his degree after the fact (night school), spent a good deal of time with the K-9 unit and Tact/SWAT, head the NARC and Tact Team units, and I believe is now a Captain. The thing they both say GET YOUR DEGREE! My sister doubled her salary when moving from Detective to the ATF. Federal jobs are great for benefits and pay.

4/13/2007 8:00:17 PM

I did the 4 year criminology program at State (which really has nothing to do with law enforcement, it's really just a pretty piece of paper on my wall that says I went to college). RPD accepted me pretty quickly (well, quickly for law enforcement, it still took a few months of me getting polygraphed and psychologically tested and stuff). They said I was really well qualified. I start BLET at the end of June, I'll be in their prehire program until then. Paying for BLET on your own (at somewhere like wake tech) costs about 2 grand and it's enough work to more or less keep you from doing much of any job for money, so I went the route of joining on somewhere that would train me (and pay me while I'm doing it). If you want to talk to RPD, their recruiters are pretty friendly.

4 year program is the way to go, if you can afford it. It opens up more possibilities for climbing the ladder later.

4/13/2007 9:26:42 PM

i gots a 4 year degree, and got on with a good dept that runs their own academy. thats the best way to do it. BLET through comm college is ok but the training isnt as good and you pay for it unless you are sponsored

4/14/2007 6:16:44 AM