posted ago by Luminouswolf
+10 / -0
Since elementary school, Ive wanted to be a cop. Grew up, did explorer program for years, worked security and went to school, still working out to prepare. But now? I dont know. Im at a lost for what to do.
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I think you can become the type of cop you wanted to be, if after several years, you found out this job is not what you want to do, you can quit then.
I totally disagree. Cops are 100% the go along to get along.
If you do not fall into goose step with the rest of the cops, you will be fucked.
Look at the few cops who tried to do the right thing, they got shit canned really fast.
I retired out as a cop. I'm proud of my service, but I wouldn't point my kids in that direction. Everyone has strong opinions on cops (and feels comfortable in their assumptions about all 800,000 of them), but very, very few have any idea what cops even are.
If you decide to go into the business, it's crucial to find a community where you will be supported and where corruption won't be tolerated. Police departments are no better than their communities. You might want to uphold the law and defend the Constitution, but that doesn't mean your civilian leadership or the political toadies running your department do. As recent events have demonstrated, you can do things exactly by the book and still end up prosecuted or forced to move away and start your life all over again.
Police work isn't defined in the Constitution. There are constitutional limits (and case law) applied to it, but there's no real definition of it. These days, it's hard to make an argument that the Constitution is even in effect. You'd be taking an oath to uphold a Constitution that comparatively few people understand or really care about, and you may find that your leadership actively opposed it (you know, like much of the judiciary and a strong majority of the legislature). You have to decide what you're willing to do, and where you'll draw the lines for yourself.
The job has its moments. I've saved lives, and I've helped people reassemble broken ones. I've stood up to nasty, dangerous people on behalf of others. I've brought comfort to the grieving. But I've also had a front-row seat for the decline of our society, and I've seen the Constitution assaulted by those sworn to protect it. I worked at an agency with excellent training and high ethical standards, but I've also seen that not all agencies are the same.
If you go in, go in with your eyes open. Find a community that still looks like America, and be ready to do the right thing, which may sometimes not just be the legal thing. No job is worth your soul.
You can go the private route and become someone who helps individuals who get in shit to get out.
What sucks is to do stuff like that you might need to either shift tracks to go be a criminal defense lawyer or get experience by being one of the scumbags who fuck us over to become a specialist to assist those who hire lawyers needing help.
If I was you, I'd look into changing track toward the lawyer route since you're smart enough to smell the shit already.
Defunding the police without actually passing laws..if no one wants to be a cop there won't be any
You can be a good cop and not follow seditious orders
It really depends on where you want to be a cop. If you want to be a DC cop, I wouldn't recommend it, but there are plenty of places where cops are still based and respected.