OP,
Here's what I would start doing immediately to get your foot in the door. First off, at 18, start doing ride-alongs with multiple departments in your area. Don't make yourself a constant presence with one guy or one shift on a single department but try to get to know a few guys that work there. I would also only do ride-alongs with departments that you would consider working at when you turn 21.
I would try to get at least an associates degree but preferably, a bachelors. While school is not required to become a LEO, it helps you stand out from the crowd. When my department recently did interviews for hiring, all of the applicants that made it that far had either a bachelor's degree, prior LE experience, or 6+ years of military experience.
While in school, you may have an opportunity to do an internship. If you have done some ride-alongs and expressed interest in joining a department (and they think you would make a good candidate) they will often times take you on as an intern. Be ready to do filing, work with detectives, but also get a little more information on what happens behind the scenes of a police department.
When you are getting close to being 21, start looking at reserve programs in your area. I know a county department in the area has one as a classmate of mine at the academy was a member of it. This is great experience and allows you to get an idea of what doing the job full time for the rest of your life may look like. It also gets your foot in the door again and allows both the department you're a reserve officer for, as well as other agencies in the county, if you have what it takes to become full time.
Lastly, be patient. Decide who you would like to work for and apply there. Do not apply to 14 different departments. I went through the reserve academy with my current department, went through through all the field training, and only applied for the one department again. I was hired at that time but planned to apply only for this department for one more year before expanding my search to include the county department in my area.
I am in the Indianapolis area and would be happy to let you go on a ride-along down here with me if you would be interested in that. Good luck with your search.
Here's what I would start doing immediately to get your foot in the door. First off, at 18, start doing ride-alongs with multiple departments in your area. Don't make yourself a constant presence with one guy or one shift on a single department but try to get to know a few guys that work there. I would also only do ride-alongs with departments that you would consider working at when you turn 21.
I would try to get at least an associates degree but preferably, a bachelors. While school is not required to become a LEO, it helps you stand out from the crowd. When my department recently did interviews for hiring, all of the applicants that made it that far had either a bachelor's degree, prior LE experience, or 6+ years of military experience.
While in school, you may have an opportunity to do an internship. If you have done some ride-alongs and expressed interest in joining a department (and they think you would make a good candidate) they will often times take you on as an intern. Be ready to do filing, work with detectives, but also get a little more information on what happens behind the scenes of a police department.
When you are getting close to being 21, start looking at reserve programs in your area. I know a county department in the area has one as a classmate of mine at the academy was a member of it. This is great experience and allows you to get an idea of what doing the job full time for the rest of your life may look like. It also gets your foot in the door again and allows both the department you're a reserve officer for, as well as other agencies in the county, if you have what it takes to become full time.
Lastly, be patient. Decide who you would like to work for and apply there. Do not apply to 14 different departments. I went through the reserve academy with my current department, went through through all the field training, and only applied for the one department again. I was hired at that time but planned to apply only for this department for one more year before expanding my search to include the county department in my area.
I am in the Indianapolis area and would be happy to let you go on a ride-along down here with me if you would be interested in that. Good luck with your search.
