Texas SOT

Too Late For LEO Career?

The #1 community for Gun Owners in Texas

Member Benefits:

  • Fewer Ads!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • Code3GT

    Active Member
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Jun 12, 2008
    610
    21
    Austin
    Soliciting advice from the neighborhood experts. Long story short, I'm 33, started off after high school perusing a career in LE but realized I was too immature and enlisted in the USAF. Ended up working in EMS as a 911 paramedic for the last 8 yrs but have always wanted to get back to my dream of police work.

    I'm currently applying with departments that sponsor and am also busting my butt through my associates degree in addition to working 48hrs a week and saving to self sponsor myself through an academy.

    Is mid 30's too late to be competitive as an officer applicant?
    Military Camp
     

    majormadmax

    Úlfhéðnar
    Rating - 100%
    9   0   0
    Aug 27, 2009
    15,839
    96
    San Antonio!
    The San Antonio PD accepts applicants up to age 45 (at time of appointment to the SAPD Academy), so it's not too late at all! In fact, many of the recruits I have seen are older and prior military. Given your background, you would be very competitive. Here's their website, you can download an application from it if you're interested...

    San Antonio Police Department Careers

    Good luck! M2
     

    Dredens

    Well-Known
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jan 11, 2014
    1,462
    31
    Sealy
    I wanted to jump on into LE (I'm getting ready to transition out of the Army), but my driving record is less than satisfactory (mostly from high school). I think I'm gonna go to college for a few years to get my degree and let my record smooth itself out before I join.
     

    benenglish

    Just Another Boomer
    Staff member
    Lifetime Member
    Admin
    Rating - 100%
    7   0   0
    Nov 22, 2011
    23,933
    96
    Spring
    Is mid 30's too late to be competitive as an officer applicant?
    Assuming you can get some sort of degree, there are a ton of federal options that go away when you turn 35.

    For really interesting work (if interesting is what you're looking for), go to https://www.usajobs.gov/ and do some searching. To save time, in the keyword field enter "1801", "1810", or "1811". Only the last of those necessarily carries a badge and a gun but some of the most interesting law enforcement jobs in the world are in the first two.

    It helps if you're willing to sign a mobility agreement, which basically means that once you complete training, you'll work anywhere they send you without much warning about when you'll need to move. God only knows what shithole you'll start in but with experience comes better and better posts of duty and assignments.

    If you're not willing to sign a mobility agreement, there are still plenty of opportunities but you'll just find your advancement is slowed.
     

    V-Tach

    Watching While the Sheep Graze
    Lifetime Member
    Rating - 100%
    7   0   0
    Sep 30, 2012
    8,895
    96
    Texas
    My Son is in a police academy in Corpus..he is 28..the oldest in his class is 53......
     

    jrbfishn

    TGT Addict
    Lifetime Member
    Rating - 100%
    3   0   0
    Aug 9, 2013
    28,316
    96
    south of killeen
    I know in central Texas, many of the smaller PDs are mostly retired military.
    Smaller departments are willing to play a little with age figureing maturity is better.
     

    preyn2

    Active Member
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Sep 26, 2012
    373
    1
    Burnet
    Austin Police Department accepts applicants up to the age of 45.

    APD Recruiting Web Page

    I work for Austin, although not the Police Dept. For all our bitching, the City of Austin really is a very good employer.

    ETA: To answer your question, no, it's not too late for you to start your law enforcement career. Many police departments actually prefer older applicants because they are, in fact, more mature.
     
    Last edited:

    breakingcontact

    TGT Addict
    Rating - 100%
    13   0   0
    Oct 16, 2012
    18,298
    31
    Indianapolis
    From what I've seen, folks often start off on county level or in smaller departments working part time. Some even work for 2-3 small PDs to add up to full time work.

    Once you get the credentials and experience, then it seems like folks move to the higher paying areas.

    Also look at what the different departments pay, it varies pretty widely.

    Also, good for you for pursuing something you want to do instead of always wishing you would have done it.
     

    Code3GT

    Active Member
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Jun 12, 2008
    610
    21
    Austin
    Thanks for the help. I don't have a squeaky clean background, I was fired from a jail position when I was 21 which knocks me out of APD even taking a look at me, but no arrests or patterns of bad behavior, just sporadic bad choices. To me that's better than someone who's never made a mistake and is naive.

    I'd rather work for a small to moderate city like Georgetown or Round Rock. It's small enough that there's high camaraderie and accountability and big enough for nice equipment, etc.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     

    RACER X

    TGT Addict
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jun 18, 2013
    2,982
    46
    Richmond/Houston
    Check out the FD, was talking to a buddy yesterday

    33yrs, retiring next yr

    Over $1mil in his pension and they don't have to put up w the BS cops do, and are still helping the community
     

    Code3GT

    Active Member
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Jun 12, 2008
    610
    21
    Austin
    Yep, gotta have a BSN. Plus nursing isn't independent enough for me. I know there's options out there for adventure nursing but I'd rather be here and an LEO. Medicine isn't fun anymore for me, it's routine, not enough problem solving or cranial exercise :)


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
    Top Bottom