Good morning,
I think it is important to note that the Law Enforcement field is not a field where you will make a lot of money or become independently wealthy! Yes, you can earn a decent living and if you work long hours or excessive overtime, you will far exceed your base salary, but overall I recommend joining the law enforcement field for its "non monetary" benefits rather than for monetary reasons. What agencies you apply to also will play a major factor in what your income may be. If you work for a Federal agency, you will do fairly well and as a general rule, will have excellent benefits. If you join a state agency, you will probably have a decent salary and benefits. It usually is the county or municipal agencies that you will have to do your homework on. I recommend participating on "ride alongs" with potential agencies that you are looking at. By doing this, you will get to ask the questions that you have and you will get "real" answers to the questions from "front line" officers who usually do not hide or "sugar coat" the information. You should then be better informed and make a more educated decision on what agency(s) to apply to.
The bottom line is, you should join the law enforcement field for the love of the work--not for the money-- LE is not an easy field and it is dangerous. Your life is on the line every time you put the uniform on and most officers I encounter, do not enter the field for the money--they do it for the love of the position they maintain. Last edited on Mon Oct 9th, 2006 12:23 pm by FMPDsgt3002
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