What is your career in law enforcement like?

What steps would the current and former members of law enforcement on Quora suggest for a young person who desires a career in that field?

• If a young person plans on becoming a member of law enforcement, what would the current and former members of Quora suggest that they do or don’t do in working towards that goal?

• Answer:

  Some of these things might seem to be obvious, but I constantly run into people who have not considered them: Study the Three Rs: the most common reason new officers in my agency were dropped from the academy or field training was an inability to write clearly and concisely. High school can prepare you for this, but most students don't take advantage. Read as much as you can, especially material that causes you to think and analyze what is being said. Classical literature, political science, philosophy, and history are all good choices for this. When you write an assignment for class and get anything short of a perfect grade, take it to your teacher or professor and ask them what you could have done to make it better. The only way to learn to write well is to write a lot. Cops write a lot, but you will have far fewer opportunities for do-overs once you're hired. Get into good shape and remain that way: obesity is a nationwide, and quickly becoming a worldwide, epidemic. Good cops stay in good shape. Aerobic capacity is probably more important than pure physical strength (I mention this because there are powerful weightlifters who can't run a block without becoming winded), but both are necessary. DO NOT USE DRUGS TO ACHIEVE THIS. You can get into great shape with simple exercise, and you don't need an expensive gym membership. Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker, who was characterized at the time as being one of the fittest men in the world, got that way through a regimen of push-ups, sit-ups and leg lifts, pull-ups, and running (and he did it without steroids). If you feel you need more structure or professional instruction, learn a martial art like akido, karate or Tae Kwan Do. It will encourage aerobic fitness and physical strength, but also flexibility, self-control, respect, and the ability to think clearly under stress. Learn as much as you can. Criminal justice classes are an obvious choice, but you can pick up just about as much from self-study. Buy a legal dictionary (trust me, you';ll need it), and learn the criminal portions of your state statutes. Read news accounts of local crimes and determine what charges could be applied to each scenario. Get some books that summarize U.S. Supreme Court decisions on criminal justice issues, and suss out what effect each has or had on law enforcement. Be able to apply these decisions to real-life or dramatic scenarios, e.g. "The fruits of that search would be suppressed under the law of Mapp v. Ohio." Consider joining the military. There is a reason that many law enforcement agencies require X college credits or an honorably completed term of military service for applicants. Military service may teach you nothing about law enforcement, but it will teach you respect for authority, how to work in stressful conditions, and teamwork with people very different from you. The military occupational specialty is not particularly important. Military policing is very different from civilian policing, though there are some parallels. But any military experience, regardless of what job you had, is respected. You will often get bonus points on your application exam for being a veteran. Live right. I can't emphasize enough how important this is. Many people have the idea that transgressions with the law, bad driving records, bad credit, drug use, or a spotty work history somehow vanish after X years and are of no consequence. Understand this: everything counts. Bad behavior a long time ago can be partially balanced by a record of good behavior, but it's far better not to have any bad behavior to defend. If you use alcohol, don't drink to excess. Pay your bills. Drive responsibly. Obey the law. Do a good job for your employer, and when you part ways, do so honorably and give proper notice, even if the job sucks and your boss is an asshole. Expunged or sealed arrests or convictions still have to be reported. Your employer is interested in what happened, not what is on the official record. Do not delude yourself into believing that you can hide past bad behavior from your background investigator. Consider the legacy of former Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Eddie Dutchover (http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/nevada/nevada-justices-uphold-firing-nhp-trooper). After working for the NHP for 11 years, which included the arrest of a guy who was on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List, his employer learned of a brush with U.S. Customs before he was in law enforcement. Dutchover attempted to bring anabolic steroids into the country from Mexico by hiding them in the dashboard of his car. He wasn't arrested, but his vehicle was impounded and he had to pay $500 to get it back. He neglected to mention this to his background investigator. Despite an excellent work record with the NHP, he was fired, and his firing was upheld by the Nevada Personnel Board and the Nevada Supreme Court. Everything counts.