Michael Wright

Thank you for that Mike. Its hard not to be able to follow a family tradition, especially when you are told "you don't have the character". Its also hard to watch the TV for 10 years wanting to make a contribution you weren't allowed to make, but hey ho.

And the irony? I ended up teaching the Royal Marines, and also a unit from another area in aquatic Special Forces that I can't type, because I'm under NDA. As is customary at the end of a long day taking shit from these guys, they took me to the bar and indulged my love of Guinness as a thanks. As I seem to recall from the invaluable (and rather blurred) round the table chats, they struck me as men of an impeccable moral code and unswerving belief system that I admired greatly. It did leave me wondering.

Anyway, there we go, thats life.

DickHardman

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Tom Yum

Things have changes since those days...lol. No beer drinking in the barracks, at least for the Navy. They've got a strict no drinking policy during basic training.

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warrior_artist

I don't know about other states but in Arizona you have a maximum life limit of 5 uses prior to 21 (described as experimentation only) of marijuana as a permanent disqualifier. 1 time of any other controlled substance or after 21 for marijuana.

I'd imagine similar qualifications for other agencies in the nation. I checked out www.joinsjpdblue.com under disqualifiers. anything beyond high school experimentation is disqualifier.

Police Departments are hella strict on entrance qualifications. There are somethings they're willing to give on, but if it's illegal anywhere, odds are it's a DQ'er.

I dont know what to say. thats just the way it is. i know the nation needs more cops. cities are undermanned everywhere. (not to mention underbudgeted). but for every 300 on average applicants 1 or 2 get hired, at least I think that's the statistic. it's something crazy like that. especially for western states, where it appears to far stricter.

DickHardman

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warrior_artist

www.joinlapd.com

"You must have a history of making responsible choices regarding the use of drugs and alcohol."

Taken directly from their recruitment website. I figured California would be pretty much in line with the rest of the country. Remember the Legislative (state law) Branch of government is different from the Executive (Law Enforcement) Branch. California might legislate more liberally on marijuana, but entrance qualifications for PD are set on a different standard.

Most western state agencies use LAPD as an example as well as California POST.

Drug use as an adult is in every case a disqualifier. It's just the way it is. I don't know what to say for you. If drug use has been a choice in your life...well, we all have to live with the choices we make. I admire your desire to serve and it's unfortunate that you might not be able to. Like I said, we need more cops on the streets.

As for training cops...that will be tough. Cops like learning from other cops or at least military guys. I don't know of any civilians that teach cops things outside of psychology or stress management. CQC and the such are taught by cops. There's a lot to be said for someone who has done the job of a police officer to teach a police officer useful things for a police officer.

Unfortunately, that sometimes limits the teacher pool. But, from a practical standpoint, how many civilians actually encounter the situations and fights a cop does and as regularly? Most normal people are trying to avoid them. Most cops go to them because they have to. And cops like a been there done that now I can help you teacher. And fact is, not too many civilians can say that.

Additionally, it helps to have a teacher who also knows what it's like to work under policies, laws, and guidelines. Each department has different policies, some are very similar. In Arizona police departments have a very strict pursuit policy. however the more you move to the east the more they pursue for just about anything.

I mean, can I ask? Have you ever had a suspect drive an suv almost colliding with the front of your patrol car, slamming into a parked minivan moving it six feet and then slam it into reverse and charge at your responding partner? Then stop the suv and give you an opportunity to react. Where you jump dukes of hazard style over your patrol car, because you were going to ram the front of the suv to move it from hitting your partner, gun drawn and then remove the suspect and then struggle to handcuff him.

Or you stop an obvious DUI (or DWI depending where you live) the driver is belligerent, puts the car into drive and speeds off into a light pole before exiting the vehicle and running. You get in a foot pursuit and catch him (because he's a fat bast@rd) where in he turns around and decides to fight you because he doesn't want to go to jail.

These are just two examples (from plenty I can tell you about) where cops who want to learn better techniques like to hear from others who have had similar experiences. It's a very tight organization. Like Mike said a brotherhood. There's a cop mentality referred to outside of cop circles as the Thin Blue Line. Cops don't call it that, but if you've ever had cop friends you know they talk about different things with their cop buddies than they do with their other friends. It's just hard for cops to expect anyone else to understand what it's like out there.

Another example is that cops see alot of the things normal people in society don't want to see or even want to acknowledge exist. Death, suffering, poverty and not just on scumbag criminals, children too. There's a whole sub-culture out there in the worst parts of towns/cities. It's something cops don't like talking about with non-cop friends. They get enough of it at work. And then they only feel their cop buddies can understand.

I'm not trying to discourage you. If you are good at what you do, you might find individual officers to teach. I know in AZ there are a couple of martial arts schools that offer discounted rates for PD to attract officers to their schools for officers looking to enhance their empty-handed arsenal. I know of none contracted by departments. Your best bet would probably be to teach individual cops.

Here’s a good quote about why cops like being taught by cops:

“Until technology enables me to handcuff you from afar, I will need to arrest you, face-to-face, man-to-man. This means that, when we fight, when I call upon those elements of the warrior within, I will be close enough to smell you, to touch you, to strike you, to cut you, to hear you, to plead with you, to wrestle with you, to shoot you, to handcuff you, to bleed on you and you on me, to tend to your wounds, to hear your last words. Our meeting may be brief, but I will have had a more intense contact with you, my unwanted adversary, than with most of my loved ones.”

--Scott Mattison, Chief Deputy
Swift County Sheriff’s Dept. Benson, MN

Now there are some cops with an open mind who are always to seeking to better themselves regardless of where the information comes from and then find ways to apply it to the job. Most cops, though, would rather have the information already filtered into a readily usable form so they don’t have to think about how it will on patrol. In some ways, that’s a good thing.

WA.

warrior_artist

Good advice from Mike. Can't say much more.

DickHardman

........................................d and stuff.

Tom Yum

Again, I'm relatively new to the military; at the same time I'm not you're typical recruit in terms of age and situation - so take my opinion for what ever you think its worth.

First, ask yourself where do you want to be?

Do you want combat experience? be in the rear with the gear? or in an administrative role?

When you go to a recruiter (which ever service), you should already know what you want to do and have completed some basic research as to which job you want, what you'll be doing in this job and how to get there. Subscribe to military.com and check out some of the websites that offer Q&A and general info (i.e. Armyranger.com).

Recruiters have recruiting goals to meet. They've got pressure to put you according to the needs of the service, but you have to stick with what you want. I've found that most recruiters will work with you, if you come in knowing what you want to do and being prepaired - it makes their job that much easier. If you come in because you want to join, they will be a little more professional with you.

Some jobs are very specific about what they are looking for in terms of general health, vision, age etc. - so you'll have to dig deep for that information. You should have no problems with age at this point. For example, being color blind would barr you from electronics jobs and special warfare, I believe.

Second, you have to take the ASVAB.

Its an exam that covers a broad range of math, science, reading comp., mechanical and logical aptitude. If you haven't read anything in a long time, start reading. Pick up a prep book if you think its necessary.

Your ASVAB score will determine whether certain jobs will be available to you, since some jobs require certain scores. The higher the score, the more likely you will get the job you want.

Third, you want to be 'military' fit.

If you want to go USMC, Army infantry or Special Operations Candidate for any of the branches (which it sounds like), you need to have excellent cardio stamina and muscular endurance. That means lots and lots of running and being able to move your own bodyweight around (calisthenics, O-course etc.). If you go Navy (or Airforce) Special Warfare, you also want to be a better than average swimmer, tread water well and comfortable on the bottom of a 12' pool.

The PST for Navy Special Warfare is a 500-yd timed swim (using breast stroke or side stroke), 10 minute rest, max pushups in 2:00, 2 min. rest, max situps in 2:00, 2 min. rest, max pullups - no time limit, 10 min rest, 1.5 mile timed run. Most decently fit guys are exhausted by the first time they complete this, about 1/2 don't pass the first time. To be even considered for the program, you have to pass the PST. To be considered a competitive candidate you have to have high scores (i.e. < 9:00 swim, > 90 pushups, > 90 situps, >16 pullups, < 10:30 run).

Check out the Army bootcamp book by Sgt. Volkin - obviously its more Army focused, but I'd say its pretty good knowledge about bootcamp for whichever branch you go into. His workout stuff is basic, but on spot.

If you want to go into an infantry or spec war role, check out Stew Smith's materials. He does alot of thorough fitness prep for the SEAL/SWCC/EOD and USMC programs - he also goes over O-course preparation and CSS technique (Combat Side Stroke).

Lastly, get some basic familiarization with pistol, shotgun or rifle at a range even if you've shot a little before. Have someone more experienced look over what you're doing - Mike B is an excellent resource here! Be patient. If you've never touched a weapon before, you need to practice to where you can hit the target consistently. The tighter the groupings, the better - of course the more accurate, the better.

If you want to test the waters, sign up for a military-fitness bootcamp and see first hand what the physical training is like. From then, get with a mentor from the school you want to be in. The mentor programs are excellent! You'll meet some great guys to train with.

Bottom line. Before you sign on the dotted line, try to bring as much to the table as you can from your own research so you can get the job you want, then come physically and mentally prepaired as best as you can.

If you decide to go, good luck!

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osopardo

sounds like me...
Time was, all you needed to do was show up and be breathing... but then, certain choices would just be made for you.

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Le Bear Extraordinaire!
Mike Brewer's 2008 Athleticon Challenge!!!
Pushups Completed: 5 1/2
Situps Completed: Does using my hands count?