Question for Florida Cops

Hi fellas, I need some advice;

I have passed CJBAT, and PAT with Brevard CC, I have not committed there, I am also looking at Saint Johns River CC. I also got invited to test with FHP. I am sitting in a Melbourne Hotel right now. All I want to do is get hired anywhere North of Lauderdale, and on the East Coast. I can afford to pay for the academy, but as a business man, the FHP seems like a better deal. After all, they pay you and feed you and give you a place. I have read several forums, and I get the feeling that FHP are not the most respected LEO's in the Sunshine State? So, I have come to the conclusion that if I pay my own way, its gonna be a 15K deal,( I'll be pay out of state which is 6K, and I figure 9K for the 5months) if I go to FHP, I get paid 15K, so, thats a 30K swing........What should I do? P.S. I"m 38, and have ZERO military, and only a AA degree. I have been in restuarant ownership for 12 years, money is not a real issue, but I don't want to work for free, and I don't want to live/work in Miami

FHP is good if you like two things...

1) LOW pay
2) Nothing but traffic enforcement.

I have the utmost respect for my FHP brothers and sisters here in Florida, however, they have some pretty crappy working conditions. A trooper fresh out of the academy will make the same amount of money 20 years from now if he stays the same rank. You will most likely be assigned to the Miami area out of the academy and will have a SMALL cost of living adjustment in your paycheck, but not enough to live ok on in South Florida.

Their job is traffic. Traffic Crashes, and traffic enforcement will be all you will do. If you want more, you'll need to go to another agency.

If that's for you, have at it. But I always recommend trying to apply at other agency's, or just sponsoring yourself through the academy if you can afford it. If you have to go the FHP route after that, you just take an abbreviated FHP academy covering just the stuff they have to learn, job specific.

Thank you so much for your reply, I have only done internet research, and I admit I am lost. All I've done is pass CJBAT, PAT, and an initial interview. I appreciate that you take the time to talk to someone green and wet behind the ears.

Good luck brother!

Outside of Miami is not my subject... so I can't really help you there.
I am MDPD.
I know you can live in Broward now and be in MDPD, because that is what I do. Many also live in Palm Beach but they don't get a take home to there.
Our academy they pay you and you go like a normal job during the day 7-4. It is ten months long. Application process is about one year before you make an academy class. The pay is unreal and awsome... I make anywhere between 70k and 100k a year depending on any off duty, courts or overtimes as a road officer.
anyway, good luck to you.

Wow!, thats some fat cash based on about 40K base. Obviously you are happy and doing well! Congrats to you. Where do I sign for your job? Peace

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Originally Posted by lechleidner

Wow!, thats some fat cash based on about 40K base. Obviously you are happy and doing well! Congrats to you. Where do I sign for your job? Peace

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Yeah at the academy for about a year I was at that salary to start...but it changes all real fast if you want it to.
You said you didnt want to work in Miami LOL... I work the north east corner. :o

Man, I have been I Puerto Rico for 15 years. I picked up some Spanish, but not nearly as much as I should have. I absolutely cannot see myself living in the USA, in a city (Miami), where someone says you have to learn another language other than ENGLISH to get by? In Puerto Rico, they tell you if you don't like the culture, and/or the language, then leave. I guess the reply in the USA is a little different?

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Originally Posted by lechleidner

Man, I have been I Puerto Rico for 15 years. I picked up some Spanish, but not nearly as much as I should have. I absolutely cannot see myself living in the USA, in a city (Miami), where someone says you have to learn another language other than ENGLISH to get by? In Puerto Rico, they tell you if you don't like the culture, and/or the language, then leave. I guess the reply in the USA is a little different?

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Yup. Come to the US and we will cater to you, and bend over backwards for you while pushing our own culture to the side.. :rolleyes:

This post was not meant at you by any means. It's just that the government bends over backwards to illegal immigrants and to people of other cultures first. Then they tell the primary citizens to "adjust".

I feel discouraged that of all the LEO's in the great state of Fl, and I only got 2 replies? One from NE Miami, and one from small town FL? At the academy the instructor referred to FHP as "tail light checkers". I feel that if I train with them, and serve a year, I'll be frowned upon as an applicant to any other agency? I kinda had the feeling that if I train with FHP, I'd get some respect because they seem well trained and very military in the way they do things? Is that not the case? I was thinking that I'd take the low pay, for a year in exchange for the valuable training, and then I'd use my experience to pursue opportunities in county, or SO? Will I be branded as a tail light checker by everyone in Law Enforcement? My dad was Navy for 32 years, and I heard all the jokes regarding Marines/Airforce/Army........but aren't they all family? Is FHP considered the Black Sheep of the Law Enforcement Feild?

Reason why you only got two reply's, is because we are the only two FL. LEO's on this board that I know of.

FHP gives good training, don't get me wrong. It's just they are very specialized. Traffic only. If you go to another agency after FHP, your going to have to learn how to deal with domestics and average calls that city/county LEO's deal with daily, on top of traffic.

FHP is not a black sheep of the LE field, we are all family. We do have "issues" that arise from time to time, but any family has that. FHP is by far a very professional agency, I respect them. I personally just don't like their working conditions, and neither do a lot of other LEO's. They have some perks though, but not many.

Traffic every day would just bore me though. lol.

Brother,
in many states the State Patrol strickly enforces Traffic, Handles Crashes, and thats about it.
i know around here, most of the troopers wouldnt know the first thing to do on a domestic violence call, and alike.

not bad mouthing any trooper, I have high respect for our troopers, however they are not trained like we at the sheriff, or any city or village Officer.

In our state, the troopers are the highest paid, above any department that i am aware of.
i very much could be wrong, however the troopers start at around like $60,000 a year from what i hear.
starting out pay is pretty damn good if you ask me.

I say that the FHP is not a bad agency, but like countryboy said it's not the best place to work. I have a relative in FHP and he made a carreer out of it, but I would say get paid to attend any academy (MDPD, FHP, or whatever) and get your feet wet. When you have a year or two on and you have kept your record clean you are marketable to any other agency out there. Also FHP is in the FL retirement system (FRS) so when you leave FHP check for another agency in FRS too. That way you are still working towards your 25 year retirement no matter what color your uniform is. Most (if not all) FL Sheriff's Departments are FRS so you can find one that suits you. Possibly Palm Beach County or Brevard Co, Broward Co, or even Volusia Co, all of which are on the ocean.

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Originally Posted by lechleidner

Man, I have been I Puerto Rico for 15 years. I picked up some Spanish, but not nearly as much as I should have. I absolutely cannot see myself living in the USA, in a city (Miami), where someone says you have to learn another language other than ENGLISH to get by? In Puerto Rico, they tell you if you don't like the culture, and/or the language, then leave. I guess the reply in the USA is a little different?

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hate to tell you this but... I am a white girl from New Hampshire and I speak NO>>>>>NO spanish... I lead the squad in arrests, traffic and reports.
You dont need spanish here to be a cop at all. If I desperately need an interpreter there is a 24hour hot line number I call OR... that is what a back up unit is for.
as far as the dont like the culture thing or get out... well yeah.. I have said that to a few folks LOL... but it is like that anywhere to some degree...

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Originally Posted by cntryboy0531

Reason why you only got two reply's, is because we are the only two FL. LEO's on this board that I know of.

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Have no fear, I is here! Central Florida here :D

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Originally Posted by Durros

Have no fear, I is here! Central Florida here :D

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Not far from myself then. :)

I worked for an agency in Brevard County for about a year before coming back to South Carolina. I was lucky because I was already certified her in SC and didnt have to go through the full academy but I had to pay for the cross over crap out of pocket and Brevard CC wasnt a whole lot of help. There are alot of agencies in Brevard County if you want to stay in that area some better then others, I too was looking a FHP when I went down there but the Sheriffs Office and Local PDS seemed to have better contracts, as far as salary and benefits. No offense to anyone from there, but I really thought Florida was a shit hole and not sure why I went back there after growing up some in the sunshine state. Just a tip for you in the area you want to be in I would say some growing agencies that are always hiring are Palm Bay and Melbourne. Just go with your gut man.