Looking for some guidance and foresight

[Harris hawker]

So my son is hell bent on becoming a LEO.
I think its safe to say it's been a while since most of us have been in high school.
Well it's changed for the better.
They are VERY career orientated.
He want to be an LEO so he is taking law classes as a freshman.

A friend told me about San Antonio PD explorers.
He is now involved with that also.
I am thinking about getting him a hand gun, or at least a new one for me (hehe!).
I have an M&P 40.
But I know glock is the LEO go to.
Does that look to be the same in the future?
I am also thinking about a handgun class for him, and me.

He already has shot and taken game with a handgun.
So he's not exactly new to guns or shooting.

What could/should I do to help further his career path now?

Thanx for the advice.
Mike

 

[TEXASLAWMAN]

What could/should I do to help further his career path now?

Thanx for the advice.
Mike

Harris, don't let your babies grow up to be LEO's
Don't let 'em pick guitars and drive them old trucks
Make 'em be doctors and lawyers and such.


All jokes aside it's fun at first but I would recommend a career that pays.

 

[Chopperdrvr]

Wait a minute TLM! How can you say it doesn't pay when you have a new baby and some of the best and most expensive toys of anyone I know. I was even thinking of changing careers so that I too could have a W1000.

 

[FrankT]

Putting your life on the line for ungrateful people, low pay and having to work for elected asshole bosses, not my idea of a fun time.

 

[TEXASLAWMAN]

Wait a minute TLM! How can you say it doesn't pay when you have a new baby and some of the best and most expensive toys of anyone I know. I was even thinking of changing careers so that I too could have a W1000.

My wife has a real job!

 

[Chopperdrvr]

Now thats a wife worth keeping! A job and she buys you stuff!

 

[Ratdog68]

His ability to communicate clearly and well (in writing) is paramount.
Ability to pay attention to detail is important.
Understanding that it's NOT all "action" and is often boring as hell... is important.
Often, it's akin to simply being a human garbage man.
I'd also suggest getting him involved in (when old enough) becoming an EMT and running with a crew to become familiar with the types of things he'll be facing.
I'm sure I'm forgetting a list of things. It's been a while. LOL

 

[Harris hawker]

I didn't pick this path for him.
This is his choosing and his choosing only.
And don't get me wrong, I will crush into his skull he works for the people, not the people working for him.

But I gotta do what my parents didn't do, support him in his endeavors.

I'm happy he has a path and isn't worried about, well other things.

 

[Harris hawker]

His ability to communicate clearly and well (in writing) is paramount.
Ability to pay attention to detail is important.
Understanding that it's NOT all "action" and is often boring as hell... is important.
Often, it's akin to simply being a human garbage man.
I'd also suggest getting him involved in (when old enough) becoming an EMT and running with a crew to become familiar with the types of things he'll be facing.
I'm sure I'm forgetting a list of things. It's been a while. LOL

Do you think the act of hunting could prepare for what he could see?
Obviously he has helped gutted pigs and deer, and he has dispatched game my bird has caught.
I understNd the shock factor a cop could see.
My dad was medivac in the army and is having PTSD now.
He never made it to Vietnam or any war zones, but some of the things he saw while extracting bodies really messed with him.

Is there no substitute for the shock value of a human accident?

 

[Ratdog68]

Not simply human accident/injury... but dealing with drunks, dopers too.

 

[Chopperdrvr]

I was also an Army Medevac Pilot and an avid hunter. From my experience, the hunting aspect can never prepare you for how it feels when there is a human in the middle of the blood and guts. The hardest part for me was when it was a child. The stupid drunks and dopers didn't bother me as much because as I rationalized, it was their choice to be stupid. But a child didn't have a choice. By all means, EMT training will help de-sensitize him or weed him out and make him realize that its not for him.

 

[Harris hawker]

Not simply human accident/injury... but dealing with drunks, dopers too.

That call weekend with the wife's family!!

 

[Ratdog68]

There's a reason that it's common to read from a LEO... "I deal with 5%-10% of the population, 95% of the time".

You end up doing most of your "helping the people" by dealing with the 5-10% day in and day out... watching the "system" NOT deal with 'em and push 'em back out onto the street for YOU to continually deal with.

There's always the joys of finding your work simply being used by the most current of political administrative whims... and learning whether your department's leader "has a pair" or not. LOL

The job has a lot of rewarding moments, even more "why did I/do I bother" moments, a few "what the hell am I doing this for?" moments, and a hell of a lot of "why the hell do they expect me to be a _____?" (you fill in the blanks) moments.

And, when all is said and done, after you've had to make a quick decision on the fly... you get "armchair QB'd" to death by anybody/everybody... and you'd better have documented everything correctly to cover your own butt (and the department's, and the governing body's...). LOL

 

[Harris hawker]

Update time.
Th boy has been doing the explorers now for about a month.
He loves it.
Since he is the noob he is the "bad guy" in their scenarios. So he is constantly being "arrested" during training.
He said some of the girls in the club pat him down EXTRA hard sometimes.

So yesterday I picked him up.
Before He started this I told him that since he had shot a gun and taken game with a gun, as well as ripped the head off of numerous rabbits for falconry, he was going to be light years ahead of the game.

He tells me they were doing scenarios.
That the senior members have plastic orange guns to mock with.
That the trainers there had to keep correcting the kids cause they were drawing their fake guns and putting their thumbs ON TOP of the rear sights.
0.o

To be sure they weren't carrying a M2, where the thumbs are the trigger, I asked him:
"What kind of gun are they using?"

The fake handguns!

He said most of them don't know how to hold a gun properly.

Now I know they are learning, but I would imagine that shooting a gun should be required class.
I don't know.

I told him to ask the people in the class if they have taken game (killed). Told him I bet he gets sour looks.
I also guaranteed no one there has "dispatched" animals with their bare hands.

Once again, he's ahead of the curve.
Need to get him..... Errrrrr..... Me an 223/556 so we can go plow thru cheap ammo at the range.

 

[BigRedDog]

just be sure he knows not to gut them when he arrests them.

can be confusing

 

[Harris hawker]

Would stuffing an apple in their mouth be inappropriate?

 

[TEXASLAWMAN]

Here is some advise do not put yourself through an academy. Any major department will have a academy set up. The guys who put themselves through these private or community college academy's set off all kind of red flags. Also pick a department that pays well in a affluent city. Or go federal. At least that way when he is burnt out and disgruntled in ten years he will still be making average income instead of subpar income and can enjoy his off time instead of working extra security gigs on all his days off.

 

[rgilbert]

My thoughts are join the reserves. Most large department's have them. Get a real job that pays some money. Work the reserves and if you like what you are doing then go full time.

 

[Harris hawker]

My boy in his explorers uniform.

 

[Chopperdrvr]

Does he always lay down on the door?