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Civilian Police to Military Police

LifeChanges

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I've been a police officer for six years.  While I love working in the law enforcement sector, I've started considering the possibility of applying to be an MP.  Would the army recognize my previous training?  Would I still have to take Basic Occupation Training in addition to Basic Training?  And, honestly, at 33 years old, is this a good option? 

Thanks
 
I'm not sure if the trade has the signing bonus for applicants with required experience or education. Best call your recruiting center for that one. That would be about the only consideration your existing status might get you.

You will have to do the entire 6 month MP QL3 course.

Is this good for you? That all depends. Second hand, I can tell you that MPs generally spend far less time on patrol before moving on to specialty sections than all the municipal police forces I know. Older people have made it through just fine.

 
NinerSix said:
I'm not sure if the trade has the signing bonus for applicants with required experience or education. Best call your recruiting center for that one. That would be about the only consideration your existing status might get you.

The OP could probably submit a PLAR, but a CANFORGEN came out in June stating there were no recruitment allowances for any trade.
 
A PLAR should be requested by whatever RC you end up dealing with, that said, make sure you have your graduation certificate from whatever police college you went to (OPC, Depot, JIBC, etc) and any course outlines you may have (as well as courses/training you have done on the job).  FYI there are components of an MPs job that are not similar to a civilian officer (dealing with POWs for instance), as well as things like arrest authority on/off base.  Much has been discussed here, about many of the differences.  So with that in mind, be prepared for the fact, that even if you go through the PLAR process, depending on how training in Borden is structured, you may not get to bypass initial trades training.
 
I've worked with ex civvie cops from Newfoundland, the OPP, 2 ex-Mounties and an ex Niagara Regional cop.  One was an MPO and the rest were Cpls on up.  All of them who did not already have the required community college diploma had to submit their civilian qualifications and experience in order to be considered for employment without the diploma but that wasnt much of an issue given their experience and courses.  All were still required to complete recruit school and their QL3 or MPO course along with everyone else thought so they learned our directives, policies, orders, standards and duties.  They also entered at the entry ranks but because of their experience they tended to raise through the ranks a bit quicker but it was an individual thing.  Other then thzt your age wont be an issue.  The ex Newfoundland cop was in his late 30s when he joined and he had no issues.
 
Journeyman said:
And....and....spankings?!!  WOOHOO!!  :nod:

Receiving, not giving.  I live in slight fear you may have already known this.

I was going to add sandwiches without crusts and juice boxes, but then I realized... boxed lunches.
 
MPs do "Mickey Mouse" police work 95% of the time.  Your reports are then scrutinized by people that had minimal time on the road and minimal real policing experience.  A civilian police officer in a larger center will do more files and arrests in their first year of policing than an MP will do in their entire career.  That is fact.  MPs are glorified security guards that do minimal police work.

Just ask any MP who has spent some time in the trade that hasn't drank the Kool Aid...
 
That is not necessarily correct, rocksteady.  Most police work is esoteric at the best of times.  You don't always see the results of your work as you might in other career paths.  Granted the pace of things were different in my personal experience between Army, Air Force and Navy bases but such is life.  Of course it's not fair to expect the job to be like a large metropolitan department, your community you police is smaller and more like small town work.  If your comments are to be taken at face value, then by your standards if I understand you correctly, means that all small town type policing isn't worth jack when set aside big city policing.  That, is a "Mickey Mouse" attitude.

As for the professionalism of your supervisors...  I worked with many when I was in the trade who were just as good as those I saw on the civilian side before I joined the CF.  And there also were those on both sides who were less than stellar.  That goes for anywhere or any trade. 

And, no.  I didn't drink the Kool-Aid either, so you can get that thought out of your head too.

 
rocksteady said:
A civilian police officer in a larger center will do more files and arrests in their first year of policing than an MP will do in their entire career.  That is fact. 

MP versus city police Call Volumes were discussed here. ( I believe the OP was referring to Regular Force MP's. )

Call Volume
http://army.ca/forums/threads/104516.0

"Just curious as to what would be the majority of calls an MP would receive, and what would they spend the most time on? Traffic? Assaults? Thefts etc. and does it vary from element to element i.e. army to navy to air force?
How many calls would you average in a shift?
Just a professional curiosity. In Toronto every division gets a little bit of everything, but the downtown divisions will get more drugs, edp's, homeless etc, and the burbs will get more domestics and b and e's.
Working in 52 Division you could answer 20 calls in a 10 hour shift but working in 33 Division you could answer 5-10.
Just looking for a little perspective."

Jim7966: "Judging by the event numbers issued for each call/arrest in Toronto we averaged 100,000.00 calls per month. That's city wide but only includes calls where a car was dispatched or an arrest made. It wouldn't include walk ins or things that were handled over the phone."



 
rocksteady said:
MPs do "Mickey Mouse" police work 95% of the time.  Your reports are then scrutinized by people that had minimal time on the road and minimal real policing experience.  A civilian police officer in a larger center will do more files and arrests in their first year of policing than an MP will do in their entire career.  That is fact.  MPs are glorified security guards that do minimal police work.

Just ask any MP who has spent some time in the trade that hasn't drank the Kool Aid...

Maybe where you are posted
 
rocksteady said:
MPs do "Mickey Mouse" police work 95% of the time.  Your reports are then scrutinized by people that had minimal time on the road and minimal real policing experience.  A civilian police officer in a larger center will do more files and arrests in their first year of policing than an MP will do in their entire career.  That is fact.  MPs are glorified security guards that do minimal police work.

Just ask any MP who has spent some time in the trade that hasn't drank the Kool Aid...

"reports are then scrutinized by people that had minimal time on the road and minimal real policing experience".  Really? 

I am one of those you speak of and I'd put my 11 years on the road plus 9 years of Invest/CFNIS experience up against yours any day.  Reports get reviewed and approved in order to ensure completeness and to ensure patrol MPs and investigators have thoroughly examined the matter and done their job in a thorough manner.

Comments like the ones you make show either your inexperience in the trade or your personal bias.  If you had a problem with a particular supervisor then keep your comments in context.  If you had problems with multiple supervisors then perhaps the problem was you. 
 
Schindler's Lift said:
"reports are then scrutinized by people that had minimal time on the road and minimal real policing experience".  Really? 

I am one of those you speak of and I'd put my 11 years on the road plus 9 years of Invest/CFNIS experience up against yours any day.  Reports get reviewed and approved in order to ensure completeness and to ensure patrol MPs and investigators have thoroughly examined the matter and done their job in a thorough manner.

Comments like the ones you make show either your inexperience in the trade or your personal bias.  If you had a problem with a particular supervisor then keep your comments in context.  If you had problems with multiple supervisors then perhaps the problem was you.

I've got no problems with MPs on the NCM side of the house, in fact, all of my experiences with the rank and file MPs from Cpl all the way to MWO have been very good.  The same can't be said for the MP Officer Corps.  I think it's one of the few trades where Officers should probably come exclusively from the ranks, the fact it doesn't work that way is scary.  Not to say I haven't met some good ones but the vast majority of experiences have been negative. 
 
Speaking as a police officer......it absolutely boggles my mind that the MP higher ups have never actually been police officers, or done the job of a police officer.

Astonishing really.
 
ExRCDcpl said:
Speaking as a police officer......it absolutely boggles my mind that the MP higher ups have never actually been police officers, or done the job of a police officer.

Astonishing really.

My point exactly, and from what I have seen, this has a direct impact on their ability, or lack thereof, to make good judgement calls a seasoned police officer would make.  :2c:
 
I knew several who spent time in harness, they were the exception, however, not the rule. 

I do like the RCMP way of things, they all start out from Depot first and have time on the street before they commission.  It was one of the major peeves of mine that most of my officers who were making the policy decisions on how I did my work and with what equipment etc had a minimal concept of what my work was really like as far as I could see (many were washouts from other trades too boot).  About as much sense as me dictating on how they would do their jobs without any real knowledge or experience of it.
 
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