Exploring a second career in law enforcement

[TGS]

Louisiana State Police has one of the best defined benefit pension systems in the country. It’s 3 1/3% per year and you can stay for 100%. I left at 100% of my salary and saw an immediate raise in take home because I wasn’t paying into the pension system. There is also a deferred comp plan and a DROP plan.

Holy cow. Not only that, but the pay is really good compared to what I was expecting to see. LSP Troopers are making what cops in Northern Virginia make, where the cost of living is much higher.

Is the pension sustainable?

An interesting one I heard of was the Alaska State Troopers. No pension, but they have a 401k that matches up to 11%....an unusually high number which also promotes good financial habits.

[LSP552]

Holy cow. Not only that, but the pay is really good compared to what I was expecting to see. LSP Troopers are making what cops in Northern Virginia make, where the cost of living is much higher.

Is the pension sustainable?

An interesting one I heard of was the Alaska State Troopers. No pension, but they have a 401k that matches up to 11%....an unusually high number which also promotes good financial habits.

There is an unfunded liability because the Legislature didn’t pay as they should but kicked the can down the rod a bit. However, the Troopers pension system is separate from the State’s regular civil service retirement system. The smaller number of participants is what allowed the benefits to be significantly higher than regular civil service employees.

The State’s Constitution requires that pension payments be made before any other expense, so no worry about the system going under.

There were some pretty significant pay raises a few years ago to help attract and retain good folks.

[andre3k]

Time to get this one back on track and not let it turn into a retirement thread.

[RyanM]

Time to get this one back on track and not let it turn into a retirement thread.

Thanks andre3k. I definitely appreciate ALL of the discussion so far. As an aside, some of my finance background relates to "pension management" and so it's interesting to read that discussion as well.

Do rookie patrol officers always get the midnight shifts? I did do a ride along back in 2017. It was on a Friday during the day. The office I rode with had recently been been "cut loose", as he put it, by his FTO and said he was working mostly days but wanted to be working nights because that's when you're more likely to stop drunk driving, etc. Reading the comments here, it would seem like his schedule given his tenure was an anomaly.

[BobM]

Thanks andre3k. I definitely appreciate ALL of the discussion so far. As an aside, some of my finance background relates to "pension management" and so it's interesting to read that discussion as well.

Do rookie patrol officers always get the midnight shifts? I did do a ride along back in 2017. It was on a Friday during the day. The office I rode with had recently been been "cut loose", as he put it, by his FTO and said he was working mostly days but wanted to be working nights because that's when you're more likely to stop drunk driving, etc. Reading the comments here, it would seem like his schedule given his tenure was an anomaly.

He may have been filling an opening pending a permanent shift assignment.

[Trooper224]

Thanks andre3k. I definitely appreciate ALL of the discussion so far. As an aside, some of my finance background relates to "pension management" and so it's interesting to read that discussion as well.

Do rookie patrol officers always get the midnight shifts? I did do a ride along back in 2017. It was on a Friday during the day. The office I rode with had recently been been "cut loose", as he put it, by his FTO and said he was working mostly days but wanted to be working nights because that's when you're more likely to stop drunk driving, etc. Reading the comments here, it would seem like his schedule given his tenure was an anomaly.

I worked midnights my last twelve years. The dog watch was all volunteer, which resulted in an entirely different attitude among the crew. All agencies differ.

[RyanM]

I worked midnights my last twelve years. The dog watch was all volunteer, which resulted in an entirely different attitude among the crew. All agencies differ.

Sorry, what do you mean by "dog watch"? Day shift?

[BehindBlueI's]

Do rookie patrol officers always get the midnight shifts?

Here you are most likely to end up on middle shift, late shift for the rest.

[Trooper224]

Sorry, what do you mean by "dog watch"? Day shift?

Midnight shift, nights, working when the sun isn't shining, when normal people are asleep, 3rd shift.

[voodoo_man]

Depending on the PD and the culture rookies may get the worst shifts until a newer rookie gets their spot.

Expect to work every crappy detail, every annoying swing shift schedule, every holiday, use the oldest and most broken car (if it exists anymore), and expect the old timers to be salty as hell and piss on you for a myriad of reasons, age and breathing being in the same category.