another thread asking for advice

any kind of advice is greatly appreciated, Ill try to keep it from turning into a novel.

I am 26 and I'm one of those people who could never find their true calling, until recently. Long story short, ive been enrolled in schools both in Arizona and Michigan for various things and have worked jobs ranging from customer service to working in construction.

4 years ago due to a layoff I started bouncing at a night club for extra cash. Thats when I was bit by the bug, before anyone makes assumptions I was not the meat head "club cop" with the velvet rope authority complex :doh: I got the job through a friend from the city job i was laid off from. The owner liked my attitude so he hired me on the spot. Within the first 6 months i was made head of security because of of my interpersonal skills, i was happy about that because before then i had never worked any type of security job. while there i made alot of friends on local police departments.

about a year ago and wanting to get closer to LE work i moved on from that job into bail bonds. half because I wanted to get more relateable experience and honestly i needed more money! and the economy had picked back up so people actually started hiring again. My uncle tried to get me into the sheriffs dept as a C/O to get started but one week they were putting a class together for the academy and the next week they laid off 5 more guys.

I am still in school and have switched my major from business to criminal justice starting next semester. I started out in the bail bonds industry just doing recovery as a subcontractor, and the company liked me so much they sent me to take my test and get licensed. so I both write bonds and work in enforcement.

My question to you guys is what kind of work history do police departments like to see?

I have a clean record and my driving record is cleaned up. i havent had a ticket in a very long time let alone been pulled over. I am starting to look around for any kind of reserve program out there just to get even closer experience. Ive done a ride along with one of my friends and this is the first time I've felt that I really know what career path i need to take.

All of my friends made the decision back when they were in highschool and went to college straight out of school, and I'm afraid that my random job history before all of this will hinder my chance.

what opinion do police officers typically have of bail bondsmen??

I know alot of wannabe's and slimeballs out there give the industry a bad name. But in most encounters myself and my partner have even if we are out of town, when we talk to an officer they end up treating us sort of like little brothers (mostly because we have our shit together and dont look like idiots when we go to work). I'm just trying to get experience working in a legal setting, conducting investigations and making arrests, but am I wrong in this instance? I dont want to be doing more harm than good for my future.

sorry for the long post but i have a million questions running through my head!

Departments vary, but work history usually isn't a significant factor to getting you hired. Either your history disqualifies you, or it doesn't and we move on to your test scores.

I think of bail bondsmen as a step above security guards. :) I very specifically don't work with either group: if they've chosen to involve me in their problem then it's my call now and they need to stay out of it. They won't be making any decisions and I won't be using them as backup. Your little brother analogy is spot on.

Some bondsmen are yo-yos (see Duane "Dog the Bounty Hunter" Chapman). Many are just guys doing a job, playing their role. Some are actually quite good and professional about what they do.

I generally say that there are three types of security guards, and the same categories apply to bondsmen, bouncers, and others that are in the private security arena. You've got the "wanna-bes" that are so impressed with themselves and are sure what they're doing is almost LE... and they're sure they're gonna get hired soon as a cop. Lots of these guys get squirrelly and call the cops in for such heinous offenses as sitting in a parked car on a private apartment lot where you live without a driver's license. They lead us to the "wanna-be/never-gonna-bes" who are nuts and may want to be a cop -- but they are just too squirrelly in any of numerous ways. Think mall ninja... Move out of the wanna-bes, and you get they guys who are just doing a job, out to earn their money and do the job right. They'll do it right, they understand what they can and can't do and generally don't cause cops problems. Finally, you've got the real pros. They're doing security jobs because it's what they want to do. They'll do it to the best of their ability, and bring that pro attitude to it. Some of the last two eventually become cops, by choice. Some stay in the private role, by choice.

Work as a bondsman here would likely be eyed with suspicion.

Nobody would ever tell you that wasn't why you got hired, but chances are it would.

Work history looked for? Reliable. Honest. Punctual. Consistent.

Professional security is a different ball game. I mean the real pros. Some of them knock down twice what cops make, but you generally don't wander into that gig without military or police experience.

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Originally Posted by MacLean

....Professional security is a different ball game...... I mean the real pros. Some of them knock down twice what cops make, but you generally don't wander into that gig without military or police experience.

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Professional, that is the difference. They go and do the job, and they do not "hang out"or talk of what they do, or what they did. Non-visibility is their format.

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Originally Posted by sgtbear111

Professional, that is the difference. They go and do the job, and they do not "hang out"or talk of what they do, or what they did. Non-visibility is their format.

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Yes.

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4 years ago due to a layoff I started bouncing at a night club for extra cash. Thats when I was bit by the bug, before anyone makes assumptions I was not the meat head "club cop" with the velvet rope authority complex I got the job through a friend from the city job i was laid off from. The owner liked my attitude so he hired me on the spot. Within the first 6 months i was made head of security because of of my interpersonal skills, i was happy about that because before then i had never worked any type of security job. while there i made alot of friends on local police departments.

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No one should be faulted for taking a legitimate job to earn a living. Generally speaking though there is a stigma attached to your professions just as there are for others. In this case it may your claim of interpersonal skills that lands you the LEO job you seem to be looking for.

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about a year ago and wanting to get closer to LE work i moved on from that job into bail bonds. half because I wanted to get more relateable experience and honestly i needed more money! and the economy had picked back up so people actually started hiring again. My uncle tried to get me into the sheriffs dept as a C/O to get started but one week they were putting a class together for the academy and the next week they laid off 5 more guys.

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I hear what you're saying but unfortunately it is a common misconception that bounty hunting is similar work experience with LEO. It isn't.

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honestly i needed more money!

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Honestly, I can't fault you here as I said before. Whether anyone agrees with that job, of which I'm not a fan, it is legitimate employment. My personal view point is if they weren't bonded out no one would need to go get them. Bailing/bonding and bounty hunting have little to do with law enforcement and everything about a dollar. Unfortunately bondsman and bounty hunters involve cops in the recovery effort. We don't get them out of jail we put them in. This is probably the main viewpoint of bounty hunters by LEO's.

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I am still in school and have switched my major from business to criminal justice starting next semester.

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I actually would stay with the business major in anticipation of a possible administration position some day. Criminal justice degrees are not necessarily an "in" when it comes to LEO employment especially in my area.

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Ive done a ride along with one of my friends and this is the first time I've felt that I really know what career path i need to take.

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No one can say what or when a person becomes interested in law enforcement work. If it was a ride along that finally did it for you then that's great in my opinion. At least you know where you want to go. If you like the department you rode with and the department allows it try to do a reserve with them. Depending on the department training follows from an appointment. If no official training follows then you will definitely learn from your FTO or senior officer. If you can't land a job full time a reserve position certainly doesn't hurt your desirability. It's actually how I did it.

what opinion do police officers typically have of bail bondsmen??

It's just a general observation and not directed at you personally but see above.

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I'm just trying to get experience working in a legal setting, conducting investigations and making arrests, but am I wrong in this instance? I dont want to be doing more harm than good for my future.

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See above concerning a possible reserve position in lieu of full time employment.

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we have our shit together

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Key element in any employment. Good fortune in your endeavors.

I work where dog the bounty hunter works when he's not in Hawaii. Don't ask my opinion on bounty hunters.

I certainly appreciate all of your responses!

In my eyes there is a difference between a legit bondsman and a "bounty hunter" it seems that everyone dislikes bounty hunters lol. Even im not a huge fan of the way Duane chapman operates but I know that its only to make the show watchable, and because of that people seem to throw everyone in the same category when the subject comes up.

I had to work out of state one time with a guy who had a few segments on the show All worked up, him and his son in law were the biggest douchebags I have ever met. The whole trip I didnt stop hearing about him or his pro wrestling or his "tv show" (what a joke)

But myself and my partner try not to bother the police when we are working. other than the fact that we legally have to call and notify that we are working in the area or clearing the area, I usually just leave it at that. the only time officers have ever come out was in a small town and they were bored. personally I'd rather not take a car off of the road that could be doing something more important.

I guess now i just have to hit the streets and ask around to see which departments have reserves. im not expecting much due to the budget cuts and all of the layoffs in michigan right now but thanks again for the insight guys!

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Originally Posted by MeUGENe

I certainly appreciate all of your responses!

In my eyes there is a difference between a legit bondsman and a "bounty hunter" it seems that everyone dislikes bounty hunters lol. Even im not a huge fan of the way Duane chapman operates but I know that its only to make the show watchable, and because of that people seem to throw everyone in the same category when the subject comes up.

I had to work out of state one time with a guy who had a few segments on the show All worked up, him and his son in law were the biggest douchebags I have ever met. The whole trip I didnt stop hearing about him or his pro wrestling or his "tv show" (what a joke)

But myself and my partner try not to bother the police when we are working. other than the fact that we legally have to call and notify that we are working in the area or clearing the area, I usually just leave it at that. the only time officers have ever come out was in a small town and they were bored. personally I'd rather not take a car off of the road that could be doing something more important.

I guess now i just have to hit the streets and ask around to see which departments have reserves. im not expecting much due to the budget cuts and all of the layoffs in michigan right now but thanks again for the insight guys!

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GREAT attitude towards it. If your approach to the career path is anything like your approach to the discussion here, you're ahead of many other candidates.

You may be suprised in regards to Reserves. Because of budget issues, a lot of departments may rely more heavily on their volunteers for smaller tasks that they cannot justify paying a full time officer for.

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Originally Posted by MeUGENe

I certainly appreciate all of your responses!

In my eyes there is a difference between a legit bondsman and a "bounty hunter" it seems that everyone dislikes bounty hunters lol. Even im not a huge fan of the way Duane chapman operates but I know that its only to make the show watchable, and because of that people seem to throw everyone in the same category when the subject comes up.

I had to work out of state one time with a guy who had a few segments on the show All worked up, him and his son in law were the biggest douchebags I have ever met. The whole trip I didnt stop hearing about him or his pro wrestling or his "tv show" (what a joke)

But myself and my partner try not to bother the police when we are working. other than the fact that we legally have to call and notify that we are working in the area or clearing the area, I usually just leave it at that. the only time officers have ever come out was in a small town and they were bored. personally I'd rather not take a car off of the road that could be doing something more important.

I guess now i just have to hit the streets and ask around to see which departments have reserves. im not expecting much due to the budget cuts and all of the layoffs in michigan right now but thanks again for the insight guys!

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My opinion on bondsmen is based on my own experiences with them.

I understand and appreciate the legal role of the bondsman; they allow an accused but not convicted person to go free pending trial even though they don't have the resources themselves to post their bond. That's fine; it's a legitimate role.

But when they go after a skip, I've seen too many create stupid and avoidable chaos, like the time that the first we knew of them was when they created a hostage barricade. I've had them call us to take someone into custody without any paper in hand. Or verifiable. These are the types of idiots who cause the guys who go about their job professionally to get a bad name -- and I've dealt with those who were professional before, too. They let us know that they were in the area, had their paper in order, and if they asked for our help, did so before things went to hell.

I think you have a good attitude.

I agree.