Expert: Jack Toomey - 5/30/2006

Question
Hi, im 24 and im active duty military, my ETS is in NOV 07

Ive got a wife and an 11 month old daughter. Im looking for a cop job that is in a city without an abnormally high cost of living or extremely high crime rate (i only say this for my family's sake, not my own).
and a department with a descent retirement system and budget and ability to move up and or specialize.

Im not all that worried about being swat or being this or that, not that i wouldnt be interested but im really serious about doing this job. Im excited for the first time in a while about a job because i think ive finally found something that fits me. I watch courttv all the time now.

Whats the difference in lifestyle between working for the county, sheriffs department. and the city.
does working for the state have any perks?


Also when do cops take lunch and when do they find time to workout?
BTW why do people worry about 12 hour shifts?
its more pay! but why do they have rotating 12 day rotating shifts?  

Answer
Robert,

   Some states call their police departments the "sheriff's department" while others call it the police department.  Usually you hear "sheriffs" in the south and the midwest and "police" everywhere else.  However there are some counties and states that have both.  In my state the police departments take care of law enforcement while the sheriffs department take care of security in the courthouse and serving warrants and subpeonas.  City departments are obvioulsy those found in cities. Which is busier?  It depends on where you are.  A large suburban county police depatment on the boundary of a large eastern city would probably be very busy as would be the big city that it borders.  A rural department would be less busy and also smaller.  

   Most departments have unions and meal periods are pre-designated by contract while other departments do not have that built into their contracts if they have one at all.  Some departments prefer 12 hour shifts because that means a three day work week in most cases instead of four or five days. Not sure that there is more pay but thats the way the officers like it.  

   Some deparrtments have permanent shifts.  My old department has had permanent shifts since 1995.  I don't think that there are many departments left that have rotating shifts.

  So you see that there is no national standard for police work and almost every department works differentely.