What classes should I take if I want to be a Police Officer?
13 replies, posted
I saw the requirements for my local police department for becoming a police officer and it said "60 semester/90 quarter hours accredited college "
what does this mean?
Law, I'd imagine
[QUOTE=ImpSnob;48364667]Law, I'd imagine[/QUOTE]
Will I also be required to take anything like math?
[QUOTE=Episode;48364699]Will I also be required to take anything like math?[/QUOTE]
Core stuff and anything law related. Most stuff job-related you'd learn in the academy.
Look it up, that shit can vary from place to place
Mindfulness classes, gonna need those quick breathing exercises considering you live in a country where people like to pretend they can be recognized by the UN as "sovereign citizens"
Like, either you are going to have a whole day of hearing the person you are arresting screaming "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPE" or "ASSAULT! ASSAULT! ASS ALT!!!" or you will have to dodge bullets and magdump some crazed lunatic on bath salts.
Also god save your soul if you are white.
Perhaps self defense classes, any extra knowledge on defense is always great. They will teach you some of this already, but doesn't hurt to know more.
[QUOTE=FLIPPY;48366148]Perhaps self defense classes, any extra knowledge on defense is always great. They will teach you some of this already, but doesn't hurt to know more.[/QUOTE]
Anything MMA-related is a good one to take. Ninjitsu is a good one. (Studied that myself for ~12 years)
Psychology seems like it'd be a good topic too
[QUOTE=Megadave;48366640]Psychology seems like it'd be a good topic too[/QUOTE]
Sociology maybe too?
Take some good self-defense classes if you can(even though they aren't really considered college classes they will come in handy.), and make sure you can truly handle the pressure of the job. As others have suggested, Sociology and Psychology wouldn't hurt at all to take, and can help as well.
[QUOTE=agentfazexx;48366184]Anything MMA-related is a good one to take. Ninjitsu is a good one. (Studied that myself for ~12 years)[/QUOTE]
Krav Maga would probably be the most useful as it is centered around self-defense and a lot more practical than Ninjitsu.
That being said, OP, it means that you need 60 credit hours. That's equal to roughly 20 classes (afaik most classes from universities are 3 credit hours, with the exception of classes that contain labs which are 4 credit hours, unless colleges outside my state are vastly different for some reason). A usual semester contains 15 credit hours, or 30 credit hours per year. So 60 credit hours would be finishing your sophomore year of college.
You're going to want a criminal justice degree.
You'll have to take core classes - english, math, etc.
I would suggest based on what you wish to do with your criminal justice career take classes related to your field. I highly suggest taking courses that relate to court systems, judicial systems, Juvenal courts, community policing, health/mental disorders etc.
You can take psychology but it isn't really that important. You're not going to be do criminal profiles and stuff related to that as a beat cop. You would want more of criminal psychology but it mostly covers criminals with mental disorders.
You can take all the self defense classes you want, but police academy's teach you how to fight. You can learn MMA all you want, but if your department does not authorize the use of most of its tactics then you can't use it and thus are useless. Being fit and actually strong is more important.
I would suggest talking to a academic adviser, they can get you on track.
[QUOTE=WitheredGryphon;48368636]Krav Maga would probably be the most useful as it is centered around self-defense and a lot more practical than Ninjitsu.
That being said, OP, it means that you need 60 credit hours. That's equal to roughly 20 classes (afaik most classes from universities are 3 credit hours, with the exception of classes that contain labs which are 4 credit hours, unless colleges outside my state are vastly different for some reason). A usual semester contains 15 credit hours, or 30 credit hours per year. So 60 credit hours would be finishing your sophomore year of college.[/QUOTE]
I second that. I've done japanese jujutsu, boxing, wing chun and am currently focusing on kickboxing. krav maga has taken all the useful techniques from these and other arts and added a lot of "self defense theory" which is important to know. MMA is good because you will get used to the feeling of taking hard strikes and you will not be clueless if the fight ends up on the ground, but it is only a sport and I don't recommend fighting like you would in a cage in a life-threatening situation. They will probably teach you what is needed for the job in the academy but if you want to train real easily employed self defense, krav maga is the way to go.
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