I need to make a tough decision...

[camarosuper6]

Ok.... I have a tough decision to make, and would like some friendly input from yall.


A quick background on my situation.

I moved up to Northern California back the first of August of 2004 (and when I say northern, I mean 40 miles from Oregon, northern). The place I moved to is very secluded and for me, extremely lonely. All my old friends, family, and my fiance are 600 miles south of here.

I moved up here because of an opening in a Police Department. I was fresh out of the academy, and this was the first place to offer me employment.

Now... all of this wouldnt be so bad IF, I was getting paid. Thats right, NO mula. The department lost some funds it thought it was going to get and as of right now, I am non-paid and close to going broke. I have attempted to get work elsewhere, however, the economy sux up here, and I have applied everywhere with NO success (this inlcluded McDonalds ... which is very humbling, let me tell you) to keep my head above water.

The good side of all of this is the expereince I am getting. For whatever reason, getting hired in California is very tough, and being young (23 at the time) and with very little "life" experience, at least up until this point, I was having a hard time getting hired.

But I'm also miserable. I miss my family,friends, and especially my fiance. I have no money, a small apt payment, with other bills, and NO income. From talking to my immediate supervisor, leaving now may leave a bad taste in the mouth of the Police Chief. (I gave them a verbal committment of one year, and apparently they have big plans for me). He feels if i leave, that it may look bad for future referece. (Mind you I work in a VERY small dept)

I dont know what to do. IM going home for Christmas and I need to figure out whats going on. I wanna stay the year, but dont have the funds. I have been here for 5 months with no pay and dont really understand how they expect me to live on nothing, when Im 600 miles away from home.

I left a 20 dollar an hour job (not bad for a 23 year old kid) and hefty savings account to come up here and work for these people, and now Im stuck.

Understand that the first few years of your law enforcement life can make or break the rest of your career, and THAT is the only reason I am still here.

What do you think...

 

[Arnold]

for me it would be very simple, move!

not sure about Cali., but you could get hired on the police force here (Colorado) no problem.

 

[camarosuper6]

I never thought Id have a problem here either, but I did.

On the outside it does seem very simple. But looking at it from almost an intership point of view, its different. But thanks for the reply.

 

[Arnold]

not sure I understand...there is no reason to have to work for free, this is America!

also, most internships pay at least minimum wage.

I just did a quick search, this job is actually in the county where I work, it starts out paying $3681.00 per month, and for Colorado that is pretty decent money:
http://www.careersite.com/perl/vaui/Search/top/job/9E506-1283D?pid=269&matches.page=0

This one is actually close to where I live, next county over, pay range is $2,643-$4,123 per month:
http://www.careersite.com/perl/vaui/Search/top/job/9E506-128A4?pid=269&matches.page=0

 

[Little Wing]

i think it really sucks. could you take out a loan to get by because i am thinking if you do stick it out it will say a tremendous amount as to your commitment to your job and what your word is worth as a man. getting hired elsewhere after the year is over will be eased quite a bit by the fact that you stuck it out. being lonely sucks but this year is going to pass no matter where you are and at the end of it i think you will have one big thing to be really damn proud of if you find a way to make it work. you should look around the community there for help and support. i live in a small mill town where the mill was what kept this place alive. well it's been closed for a yr or so now and the town is taking care of it's missplaced workers. my daughter volunteers at a food bank.
best of luck to you in whatever you decide.

 

[shutupntra1n]

If you are not getting paid you obviously don't have an option. You either stay until the electric company shuts you off or you leave and go back home.

 

[ponyboy]

I can't believe they are expecting you to work for free. In this day and age that's totally ridiculous - you are a qualified person who could get a job somewhere else. I say get the heck out of there and go back to where you will be happy. ANYTHING is better than working for nothing, even if you can't work as an officer for a little while. No brainer IMO.

 

[Little Wing]

look around you... are the people you work with worth it? do they fully understand what your situation is? are they taking advantage or do they truly need you to stay? no one really knows all the intricacies of the situation but you and no one can decide this but you.

 

[min0 lee]

Start shaking down dealers.

Just kidding, have you ever tried applying for US Customs or DEA. They have good benefits and you do get to travel.

 

[LAM]

Ok.... I have a tough decision to make, and would like some friendly input from yall.


A quick background on my situation.

I moved up to Northern California back the first of August of 2004 (and when I say northern, I mean 40 miles from Oregon, northern). The place I moved to is very secluded and for me, extremely lonely. All my old friends, family, and my fiance are 600 miles south of here.

I moved up here because of an opening in a Police Department. I was fresh out of the academy, and this was the first place to offer me employment.

Now... all of this wouldnt be so bad IF, I was getting paid. Thats right, NO mula. The department lost some funds it thought it was going to get and as of right now, I am non-paid and close to going broke. I have attempted to get work elsewhere, however, the economy sux up here, and I have applied everywhere with NO success (this inlcluded McDonalds ... which is very humbling, let me tell you) to keep my head above water.

The good side of all of this is the expereince I am getting. For whatever reason, getting hired in California is very tough, and being young (23 at the time) and with very little "life" experience, at least up until this point, I was having a hard time getting hired.

But I'm also miserable. I miss my family,friends, and especially my fiance. I have no money, a small apt payment, with other bills, and NO income. From talking to my immediate supervisor, leaving now may leave a bad taste in the mouth of the Police Chief. (I gave them a verbal committment of one year, and apparently they have big plans for me). He feels if i leave, that it may look bad for future referece. (Mind you I work in a VERY small dept)

I dont know what to do. IM going home for Christmas and I need to figure out whats going on. I wanna stay the year, but dont have the funds. I have been here for 5 months with no pay and dont really understand how they expect me to live on nothing, when Im 600 miles away from home.

I left a 20 dollar an hour job (not bad for a 23 year old kid) and hefty savings account to come up here and work for these people, and now Im stuck.

Understand that the first few years of your law enforcement life can make or break the rest of your career, and THAT is the only reason I am still here.

What do you think...

Look for work elsewhere.

Metro here in Vegas is so undermaned, they are always hiring. You could get a job here in a heartbeat the cost of living is cheap and no state income tax..

 

[Witmaster]

leave. The fact is you cannot continue on the way your are going. If the police chief expects you to live in poverty now what on earth would lead you to expect he has any concern for your future? I'm willing to bet he would understand your desire to leave simply based on your current living conditions. If he doesn't understand then, frankly, he's not worth working for in the first place. Get the hell out of there.

Now listen, you are young, educated, and motivated. You will be fine.

 

[maniclion]

If you quit now and then move on I can guarantee any employer would understand that you weren't able to live on nothing. Now if you stay and things get worse a future employer may think "What kind of idiot would stay at a job this long without getting paid?"

 

[ZECH]

Did you go into this at the get no for no pay?
In NC you have to work for one year before you get your general certification. If you leave before that, your time starts over and any department you go to you will start at the bottom. It's better to get your general before leaving a department, but when you aren't making any money, it's not a hard decision.

 

[Little Wing]

Look for work elsewhere.

Metro here in Vegas is so undermaned, they are always hiring. You could get a job here in a heartbeat the cost of living is cheap and no state income tax..

i met a lot of cops in vegas and no not because i was a bad guy.... vegas cops rock.

 

[min0 lee]

i met a lot of cops in vegas and no not because i was a bad guy.... vegas cops rock.

Strippers are not bad guys.

 

[Little Wing]

i was not a bad girl either

 

[min0 lee]

i was not a bad girl either

.

 

[QuestionGuy]

hey man, sorry about that. I can only imagine how it feels, i know how much you love your job because if i won the lottery i would do police patrol for the rest of my life for free. But if they are not paying you then you have no options, its a small town and you probably dont even get enough experience anyways, you probobly deal with drunks and kids stealing ( im assuming that ). Seek some help and go do some research, my police department is huge and its busy all the time, plus they are a union and they would never let anything like that happen, im sure if you move other places would be understandable, i know how hard it is to get a job as a cop, ( I was 4th out of 5 people to get sponsored thru the academy, and around 800 people applied) but you are a cop already and im sure someone else would hire you and understand your situation. Plus working for a bigger department is better and more exciting, always something else to do. But check them out see if they really do need you or if they are just using you, sound to me like that department is going down fast. The city is probably gona close it down and call in the sheriffs to do their patrols, thats much cheaper.

 

[Dale Mabry]

IF you went into it knowing you were not getting paid then you should stay. If they cut you off later in your employment then leave. I can't see how you would have started it if you couldn't have afforded it.

What exactly do you do there anyway? It would be a bitch to get shot while working at a job that isn't paying you shit.

 

[BoneCrusher]

You need to pay your bills and ya can't do it in this situation. Does it have to be all or none? Look at another kind of job search ... online. Medical transcriptionist, eBay, Craigslist ... I know a female that gets yardsale stuf and turns it over on craigslist.com. She makes an average of $200 a week as a part time job.

As an independant contractor I used to hit the yellow pages when I needed more work. Dial and smile man. You start cold calling the yellow pages and you will get a job. You just need to sell your ability to whoever answers and it will happen.

Your desire to do what you feel is right should be completely exausted before you back up. You set yourself on a one year dues paying internship ... go forward till you have no choice. You could go live with Duncan till he pays you to go away ...

 

[camarosuper6]

I came into the job knowing I would not be paid at FIRST. The thing was, they thought the budget was going to allow for one more officer within the next month or two. Many "budget" ideas have come and gone since then, and nothing has come up in almost 6 months.

I saved a lot of money to be able to come up here, with the idea that I would be getting paid soon. It has not happened yet.

Granted they never guaranteed anything, but they told me they expected something to happen "soon".

Now word is it could be until the summer. I really cant wait that long.

But thanks for the replies. I appreciate the input.

 

[camarosuper6]

Another consideration in this area is the fact that I have frozen my eligibility being hired by a department.

In California, after you graduate from the academy, you get what is called an Academy Certificate which is good for 3 years. If 3 years expires and you are not hired, then you have to re-do everything. As of being hired, my Ac. Certificate is "frozen", which means if I leave, I start all over, 3 years eligibilty again... which is a good thing.

 

[maniclion]

Are you going to get back pay or are you working pro bono until the funds become available?

 

[maniclion]

This sounds odd to me, how can a police department be run like this? What kind of parties does the mayor throw every weekend? What's the Chief cruising town in, a Hummer? Sounds like a little media couldn't hurt to bring a quicker conclusion. It sounds to me like you're being used and abused, stop being a nice guy and put your foot down.

 

[camarosuper6]

Techincally Im a reserve, which is common among police departments. Most reserve programs in California are either low pay, or non paid volunteer posistions. However I still risk my life just like a regular fully paid officer would.

 

[PreMier]

That is bullshit.. you should leave. I would.

 

[maniclion]

You should join the Air Force, get the experience, get paid and then when you get out the jobs will fall in your lap, I know several guy's I served with who got great jobs in Law Enforcement straight out of the service.

 

[Twigz]

This doesn't maek much sense to me. I also work in law enforcement, and at a small department. I like small departments becuse you actually get to do the work yourself, not just take a call and then turn it over to the detective. Anyway, I would say that they have used you enough, and to get out now. Having said this, I am curious to know how many hours you work per week there, if they supply you with any equipment, etc. I started my carrer as a reservist. The job was payed at minimum wage, and we only worked for fairs, parades, etc, so it was only like 10-20 hours a month. The really good part is that they payed for my academy training. If they are not offering you any type of incentive to stay then I would tel them "thanks for fucking me in the ass, and piss off". You don't deserve to be treated like this, and you were lead to believe that by taking this position that you would have been hired and payed in the near future. Now they are just saying wait, wait, wait, it will happen, we promise. They took advantage of you youth, and wanting to get your foot in the door.

As far as contacting the papers, they wil probably ust lie and tell them that they told you that you would be working for free.

One more thing, think abot it this way, you are doing everthing that I am, and I am getting payed, insurance (medical, dental, vision), equipment,etc. If something were to hapen to me I would get workmens compensation, or death benifits to my family. You on the other hand would be sitting there holding you broken knees, or broken back with no support, and in the fact of death you can leave your family your emptied bank account (thanks to them).

Its really something the way some departments act, and then they are the ones that are supposed to take care of the criminals? Which ones?

 

[camarosuper6]

Oh yea... no retirement either

 

[Vieope]

I think that you will eventually make a decision.