What should I do first before applying for a cop job?

Figuring out where to get started can be frustrating and honestly a bit of a pain in the ass. There is tons of information on the internet on law enforcement and even the hiring process, yet it is scattered and often doesn’t make much sense to those just starting out. What can I do NOW to either start preparing myself, or better educate myself about the realities of a cop job? There are a lot of things you can do, but before you do anything else

you should absolutely read these two books:

On Combat is one of the best sources I have ever read that discusses the physiological realities of stress as it pertains to cops, firefighters, soldiers or even to a lesser degree everyday life. This book will teach you about what happens to your body during a gunfight and how to overcome it. On Combat not only talks about the unique stresses that our cops and warriors are going through, but also teaches the importance of the warrior mindset and educates the reader about surviving the aftermath of a violent confrontation. Not just physically, but emotionally, psychologically and spiritually as well. I truly believe that On Combat helped prepare me mentally when I was involved in a uses of deadly force on the job and numerous other “critical incidents.” I cannot stress enough how important this book is for any cop, soldier, or other warrior in the modern age. I own a physical copy, digital copy on kindle and listen to an audio book version through Audible.com once in awhile.

You can also go to Col. Dave Grossman’s website http://www.killology.com/ and order additional videos and the “Bulletproof mind” series. Though to be honest I have never gotten to watch these. They are like Bigfoot at my department….I hear it’s out there somewhere and even got my hands on an (empty) box once, but I’m not sure it actually exists.

Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement is also a critically important book to read. This book explains in detail the potential effects of the “hypervigilance roller-coaster.” This book is important for not only you to read, but your significant other, children or other family members. I can attest to how true this book is and how important it is to try to regulate yourself with exercise and normalizing activities with friends and family to avoid burnout. Though to be fair if you spend 5 years on graveyard shift dealing with the drunks, mentally ill, disturbances, stabbings, domestics between drunken idiots and just plain assholes you tend to get burned out regardless! At that point it is time to make some changes and remind yourself not EVERYONE is an idiot…just most people lol ;)

Both books are required reading for most police academies out there. If you click on the links above it will take you to amazon.com where you can purchase the books. This costs you nothing additional and helps offset the cost of maintaining this webpage.