# Cop Jobs You Never Thought About



## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

*Cop Jobs You Never Thought About

Other options to consider

*

*JEFFREY CHURCH
Recruiting Contributor*
_Officer.com_

When I started my law enforcement career, I basically thought about the local police departments, sheriff's offices, and maybe the FBI or Border Patrol. I pondered highway patrol at the state level. Today there is a dizzying mix of law enforcement jobs. Now many state and local departments, authorities and districts have some form of sworn officers or investigators. Here are some options with pros and cons. Many times we just want to be a cop without thinking of some big factors that influence how it affects you. 
*Police* 
Generally police are city cops and expect to work weekends and nights with various assignments, but usually no jail. They have various internal assignments such as detectives, patrol, and perhaps, depending on the size of the agency, things like a gang team, K-9, motors (cycles), bike teams, horse mounted unit, etc. 
Today there are other "police:" transit police (trains, metros), school police (K-12), college police (both junior colleges & universities), tribal police (reservations and often casinos), airport police, etc. Some of these offer an advantage of more day and swing shifts and less graveyard. Their unique functions may make them less dangerous and allow more social interaction and community oriented policing with students, guests, visitors, etc., and less enforcement. 
*Sheriff* 
The county sheriff is almost always elected and provides rural patrol outside cities, often contracts with smaller cities for patrol, provides the usual detective and other functions, and usually runs the county jail. In some places the jail officers are hired specifically as correctional deputies, but in other places sworn deputies start in the jail. For example, in Los Angeles County, you may expect to spend your first few years in the jail. The sheriff often, but not always, provides court services like security, bailiff, warrant and subpoena service, etc. 
*Courts* 
In some jurisdictions, rather than the sheriff, some court duties may be handled by others, and they may be called bailiffs, marshals, constables or other titles. It's a great job for those wanting the 8-5, Monday to Friday, spend time with the family job. 
*Probation and Parole* 
Probation officers supervise people who were not required to go to prison. Parole usually applies to supervising those released from prison with conditions. There are adult and juvenile probation officers. Duties, arrest powers, and whether they are armed varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. They may be state or county employees depending on your area. 
*Rangers* 
There are park or forest rangers with various law enforcement powers that may work for a city, county, state, or federal government. Duties and authority vary and they may be separate from police or sheriffs. Once again, you are more likely to work days than graveyard (overnight), but likely to work weekends too. 
Before I go too far, let me say that working weekends and holidays can be great, except for the family situation. On your days off you have the town to yourself for running errands, taking trips, hotels are less costly and less crowded on weekdays, etc so it's not always a bad thing. 
*Marine Officers* 
No not like the USMC. These are boat officers. Some departments located by the ocean or lakes have these positions internally. In other cases they may work for a port authority or other jurisdiction. Some are actually hired seasonally for the summer crowds. 
*District Attorney* 
In large cities the district or prosecuting attorney usually has their own investigators. 
*State Jobs* 
There are many state sworn jobs as well. Most well known are state police, state troopers or state highway patrol. In places like California, their duties are centered on traffic enforcement on freeways and state highways with other duties, including protection of state officials, dignitaries, state buildings, etc. They also have become more active in organized crime related to transportation and homeland security as it relates to transportation. 
In other states, state police fulfill various duties including investigations for small jurisdictions, and investigations for various state offices, department and bureaus. 
Some states have a highway patrol and separate investigative agency, such as the famous Texas Rangers for statewide investigative work to assist local jurisdictions. 
In many states you'll find a separate capitol police, perhaps a supreme court police, etc. Then, state investigations may be handled by investigators assigned to the state attorney general or various commissions or departments may have their own positions. For example, most states have DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) investigators. Other state investigators may serve directly, such as alcohol, gaming (casinos), business licensing, tax, contractors' board, agriculture (yes even cattle rustling or brand inspectors), trucking, consumer affairs, etc. 
One caution: in many states cops like city police officers fall under an early retirement system. Some of the investigative jobs may not qualify for that early retirement, and this may make a big difference in the long run. Plan ahead! 
I bet you never thought there were so many thousands of cop jobs out there for you! So far I have not heard of investigators for the county library to collect that unpaid late fee but it has probably been suggested. 
*Federal Jobs* 
Once again, there are more federal police jobs than can be tracked. Many of these uniformed police jobs are in the Washington, D.C. area, where there are various police jobs that act as security and protection for everything from the U.S. Supreme Court to the Treasury Building. The Secret Service has a uniformed division. Of course these are armed officers, but their duties may be limited and not offer the variety of assignments as would be found in a city police force. 
*Military* 
There are DoD (Department of Defense) police that provide some police functions on military bases and that may differ with services and bases. Duties are primarily concerned with security. 
There may be other uniformed positions in other federal agencies including the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, etc. 
The U.S. Border Patrol is part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), but a unique and the largest uniformed law enforcement agency. Of course, their mission is largely centered on immigration at the borders other than ports of entry, along with border homeland security issues. The starting (GS-7) salary level is rather low, but it may be a good foot in the door, and if you don't like it, you can seek out other federal jobs. Don't expect to be assigned to Kansas. You had better like the U.S.- Mexico border areas and lots of night work. Still they are a highly respected and professional agency. 
*Customs & Immigration Inspectors* 
Before DHS (Department of Homeland Security) there were different inspectors. These CBP (Customs and Border Protection) persons generally work at ports of entry (borders such as San Ysidro-San Diego, El Paso, Nogales, etc) or international airports or seaports. These are the folks you speak with when driving across a border into the U.S., or entering the U.S. from a cruise or at an airport. They are armed positions. Many retired cops and military seek out these jobs. They are also a good way to start your career. 
*Special Agents* 
Most think about the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), but don't forget DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration), DHS, Secret Service, etc. In fact, almost every federal agency has special agents to handle investigations. Each military branch also has investigators that may be federal employees, not just active duty service members. The Army has the Criminal Investigation Division, the Navy and Marines have the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and the Air Force has the Officer of Special Investigations. Generally special agents are non-uniformed (except on raids and such), serve as investigators, are well paid, and you will need at least a four-year college degree. Generally you will need to stand out, and in addition to the degree, you may want more college, a degree in accounting and computers, some military experience (especially in intelligence), or a foreign language. Generally, plan on working in big cities at least until you get some seniority. 
You may have to spend some time online to search out all these jobs. Web sites like Officer.com offer employment information. Also, for California, I like PORAC News, which is labor oriented but has many listings. A copy will give you a good idea of pay and benefits. For a lot of those smaller jobs you may need to really work the computer or phones and seek out those jobs. If you have a particular interest area, you may need to call those agencies and even visit for information. 
If you do stop by, I suggest that you always dress business casual, as you never know who you may end up talking to, and you want to make a good impression. Bring a résumé and certificates, just in case. 
In past articles at Officer.com, I wrote about finding a job in law enforcement and finding the right job. I hope that this article has helped you in considering the specifics of where to work in your career. 
Good luck and be safe.








_*Sgt. Jeff Church (Ret.) *may be contacted at 800-554-9519. He is the owner of "DRS" (Diversity Recruiting Specialists) and consults, assists & teaches on recruiting matters.. He is a retired police sergeant and USAF reserve officer._


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## mpd61 (Aug 7, 2002)

That's a pretty decent post! Many police officers out here are from those "non-traditional" positions! Too bad many of them get BASHED for not being troopers or municipal!


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## MVS (Jul 2, 2003)

mpd61 said:


> That's a pretty decent post! Many police officers out here are from those "non-traditional" positions! Too bad many of them get BASHED for not being troopers or municipal!


Absolutely right mpd!! There are so many variations of LE that people don't know about and don't know what those duties really are. So there is bashing. The bashing usually comes from people that have never worked in those areas.


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