Expert: Chris Wagoner - 1/19/2010

Question
Hello, first of all i would like to say thank you for taking the time to answer these questions. I have plenty so i hope you can answer all of them. I am an 18 year old female and i have not graduated from high school yet. I've been wanting to join the police explorers for a while now but have not returned the application.  I have been thinking of SWAT a lot as an occupation however i do not know what are the requirements especially if i am going to a junior college after high school does that affect me in any way? what requirements do i have to complete there? does being a female affect me in any way? would joining the military help me in getting the job faster? would it help in other ways?Do i have to be a cop before i get to become swat even if i go into the military? and since swat is a secondary position like you have mentioned does that mean that i am obligated to choose another division for a primary full time job? i  would really like if you could get back to me please once again i appreciate your time sir.

Answer
Hi Gladys,

Get that application in! That experience in the explorers is going to come in really handy should you ever decide to become a police officer for sure.

Having college will help, the more schooling the better off you are in law enforcement in general. Being a female means nothing these days, if you can pass the test then your fine. One of my former students is now a SWAT officer and she is diing great theya ll love her and think she really adds to the group.

As you know you have to become a police officer first before you can become a SWAT/ SRT team member. And in order to be a police officer you have to keep a clean record and stay away from drugs. Also you should keep your driving record clean. A lot of people ask me questions on here about does this or that that I did as a teen disqualify me? And they are surprised when a lot of the time it does. What you do today can have far reaching affects on your future career choices, so please think ahead and be smart. I am guessing your record is pretty good if your in the military or are former. By that I mean staying out of trouble and away from the wrong influences and such, which you say you are doing already, good for you!

But you have to be a police officer first before you can become a SWAT member. As for SWAT. Many people are under the impression that being a SWAT team member is a full time position. In 99% of departments its not, it is what we call a secondary position. That means that you are a patrolman or detective or whatever position you are serving in and a SWAT member second. You carry all the SWAT gear in your assigned vehicle or its carried in the SWAT response vehicle, and when you are needed for a SWAT call out, they notify you and you respond to the location and become a SWAT team member.

That’s how secondary positions work. Other secondary positions in most places are teams like Dive team, Search and Rescue and others like these that are not needed all the time. SWAT teams require a lot of physical and mental discipline.

As for pay, SWAT members make a little additional on top of regular police officer pay. I have heard of $100 to $500 a month extra, plus overtime and call outs. Plus the cool gear you get! :)

Before you can apply for any additional position you have to have been on the force a year in some places, more in others. Its up to the department.

Here is a list of just some of the additional units available in the police department:

Aviation Unit
Bicycle Patrol
Bomb Squad
Canine Unit
Child Protective Investigations Section
Contractor Licensing and Fraud Unit
Crime Scene and Crime Lab
Crime Stoppers Unit
DUI Unit
Economic Crime Unit
Evidence Unit
Marine Unit and Dive Team
Mass Transit Unit
Motorcycle Unit
Mounted Patrol
Regional Investigations Division
School Resource Deputy Unit
SWAT Team
Victim Services Unit

So you see there are many other specialty units you can get into.

Read this also: http://dept.sfcollege.edu/IPS/CEW/So%20you%20want%20to%20be%20a%20cop.pdf

It will answer most of your questions.


Good luck and be safe. And I commend you for thinking of Law Enforcement as a career.