US Park Police Hiring

[FormerEMSLT297]

Starting Salary of 46K, goes up to at least 50K after academy. Medics who are hired may have the opportunity to apply for the Aviation Section after 3 years of service. (1st year of training+2 years on the street)

http://jobview.usajobs.gov/GetJob.aspx?JobID=83404135&JobTitle=Park+Police+Officer&lid=32352%2c17361%2c17514&fn=4607%2c4606%2c4249&brd=3876&jbf573=15514%2c15515%2c15669%2c15523%2c15512%2c15516%2c45575&FedEmp=N&FedPub=Y&salmin=&salmax=&jbf785=&jbf574=&jt=2&ssname=LE+Agent&ssid=69488545&AVSDM=2009-10-06+14%3a41%3a00

Info. on the Park Police mission can be found here:

www.nps.gov/uspp

Photos of the Aviation Section can be found here:

http://www.alea.org/PhotoGallery/gallery.asp?rid=174&gid=218

[Fox800]

Sounds like a great place to get some experience, if you don't mine working in the cesspool that is D.C. Plenty of places to work that pay better and have lower costs of living.

[scubanurse]

Sounds like a great place to get some experience, if you don't mine working in the cesspool that is D.C. Plenty of places to work that pay better and have lower costs of living.

Have you ever lived in or near DC????

[spenac]

Who would work for that low pay?

[scubanurse]

A job is a job in this economy...if you had no job right now and weren't making ANY money right now then I bet that 46-50k would sound really nice... Why are people so judgemental?!?

[46Young]

Sounds like a great place to get some experience, if you don't mine working in the cesspool that is D.C. Plenty of places to work that pay better and have lower costs of living.

SE DC can be rough, but there are planty of nice areas as well. I currently live in the Garrisonville area of Stafford Co VA, where starter homes are going for around 200k. Great schools and a large number of military, public service and Gov't employees living here. Maybe an hour from DC, maybe less. Just go in early and PT before your shift. Plenty of nice areas in MD as well.

I got my experience in some rough areas Queens and Brooklyn, and I've lived in some pretty shady areas as well (Bushwick for one). It's a great place to be from, and I wouldn't trade the life experience and job experience that I'm fortunate to have for anything. It's given me the tools to face any situation that I may encounter in my travels.

Many families are losing everything they own and worked for, and would be very fortunate to land a secure pensioned career such as this. 50k post academy (that's entry salary, mind you, not top out) is pretty good. I'm sure that you get much better experience than working (rotting) out in the sticks somewhere, running 2 calls a day if you're lucky.

[HERBIE1]

Thanks for the info. I know a couple people who may be interested in this.

[46Young]

Who would work for that low pay?

The pay isn't the only factor to consider. Your retirement benefits and medical are as important if not more so. Many have become bankrupt due to medical costs. Many have exhausted their 401k/403b, not having a pension to rely on. Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't federal employees vested with medical benefits for life after only 5 yeasr of service? Also remember, that 50k is only a starting salary.

Municipal employers typically offer lower salary ranges when compared to the private sector. That's because the municipal employees are getting job security, pension, superior medical that they can take with them post retirement, so on and so forth. Judging a position solely on the basis of annual compensation is an extremely myopic view. Consider also that some employers, municipal or private alike, may offer a generous starting salary. This may serve to distract the prospective empolyee from any number of undesireable aspects to the position such as lousy schedules, forced OT, horrendous working conditions, prohibitive leave policy, lousy retirement, lousy medical, lack of career advancement, lack of tuition reimbursement, lack of a grievance process rather than favoritism from management, residency requirement in a region with a poor quality of life, lack of substantial raises after that initial generous starting salary, etc. etc.

One needs to consider the big picture when looking for a place to work. Do your research.

[scubanurse]

46--you nailed it. A lot of DC is actually really nice with some great amazing people there. Yes there are parts of the city I would not hang out in, but having grown up less than 5 minutes from NW and did my intermediate training at Washington Hospital Center/MedSTAR, I really grew to love the city and its people. Most citizens are working class individuals who have worked for the city or in the city their entire lives. DC is not a cesspool by any means.

I have a really good friend who used to work for the Park Police, but he was stationed in CA. Just because it is Park Police does not mean you will be in DC your entire career. The aviation division had some pretty great publicity last winter when the 8" Water Main broke on River Road in Potomac, MD and they assisted in the swift water rescue of several trapped motorists. The rescue took place on a narrow stretch in Potomac with a high tree line and took some major skills to do what they did. Park Police do not just work in DC, they work into Maryland and VA frequently on some of the park roads such as the GW Parkway in VA, and Canal Road/Clara Barton Pkwy/Cabin John Pkwy in DC/MD. I worked with them on car accidents and various river calls that I used to respond to and are all really upstanding officers.

46 was right also about the pay. $46k in the academy and up to $50k starting out...hell I would jump on that right now if I were not in school. That is a starting salary and in this economy if you do not have a job, $46k looks mighty good right now I bet.

[HERBIE1]

46--you nailed it. A lot of DC is actually really nice with some great amazing people there. Yes there are parts of the city I would not hang out in, but having grown up less than 5 minutes from NW and did my intermediate training at Washington Hospital Center/MedSTAR, I really grew to love the city and its people. Most citizens are working class individuals who have worked for the city or in the city their entire lives. DC is not a cesspool by any means.

I have a really good friend who used to work for the Park Police, but he was stationed in CA. Just because it is Park Police does not mean you will be in DC your entire career. The aviation division had some pretty great publicity last winter when the 8" Water Main broke on River Road in Potomac, MD and they assisted in the swift water rescue of several trapped motorists. The rescue took place on a narrow stretch in Potomac with a high tree line and took some major skills to do what they did. Park Police do not just work in DC, they work into Maryland and VA frequently on some of the park roads such as the GW Parkway in VA, and Canal Road/Clara Barton Pkwy/Cabin John Pkwy in DC/MD. I worked with them on car accidents and various river calls that I used to respond to and are all really upstanding officers.

46 was right also about the pay. $46k in the academy and up to $50k starting out...hell I would jump on that right now if I were not in school. That is a starting salary and in this economy if you do not have a job, $46k looks mighty good right now I bet.

Every city has their " bad" areas. DC proper is known for it''s violence and high crime rates. Correct me if I'm wrong here, but doesn't anyone who makes a decent living opt to live OUTSIDE of DC proper? NYC has Hell's Kitchen, Chicago has its ghettos, LA has East LA, etc, but there are also very pricey areas in each of these cities.

You are right about the pay issue- "lousy pay" is a very relative description, especially when you consider other benefits like insurance, pensions, benefits, cost of living, and job security. For a brand new graduate, or a young person with limited job experience and/or education, this job is nothing to scoff at.