2LT Private RallyPoint Member 3005245 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Hello RP community, I need your help. I am commissioning next year in May, and I am torn between branching MP or TC with the Army National Guard. My civilian career goal is to become a police officer. If my civilian career will be law enforcement, is it redundant to branch MP? Does that help me reinforce skills in my civilian side or is that redundant? Should I branch in a different field such as TC? Does it matter at all what I branch in terms of life/civilian and military career? Thank you! 2017-10-16T21:42:11-04:00 2LT Private RallyPoint Member 3005245

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Hello RP community, I need your help. I am commissioning next year in May, and I am torn between branching MP or TC with the Army National Guard. My civilian career goal is to become a police officer. If my civilian career will be law enforcement, is it redundant to branch MP? Does that help me reinforce skills in my civilian side or is that redundant? Should I branch in a different field such as TC? Does it matter at all what I branch in terms of life/civilian and military career? Thank you!

2017-10-16T21:42:11-04:00 2017-10-16T21:42:11-04:00 PFC Private RallyPoint Member 3005260

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>It all depends on what you see as best for you. I have many NCO in my reserve units that are cops and base security and with Infantry being our MOS it helps them but there really isn&#39;t a right or wrong answer here it&#39;s all what you think is best for you.

2017-10-16T21:48:54-04:00 2017-10-16T21:48:54-04:00 SGT Private RallyPoint Member 3005340

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>This will require a lot of soul searching. <br /><br />On one side, doing the same job in two different industries gives you a major advantage compared to peer and against the learning curve. <br /><br />On the other side, the economy in most recent years have shown two separate careers are best for doing more than &quot;just getting by&quot;. There&#39;s also an unique perspective and specialization you can potentially merge into the other.<br /><br />I started as IT/TACCOM&#39;s (end user level tech support), but was always creating music and in the gym. I&#39;ve merged these skills to create exercise tutorials with original music, for example.<br /><br />Look 50 years ahead and figure out what positive changes you want to be able to say you&#39;ve made in life and why. Then fill it in with the how, when, and where.

2017-10-16T22:23:14-04:00 2017-10-16T22:23:14-04:00 CA Delete D. 3005351

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>If you are earnestly jonesin&#39; to be a cop, then I would go with MP. Military-grade law enforcement training (i.e. directly applicable experience complementing your resume, which very well may come in handy when you are up for Detective/Sergeant, Capt., etc....I smell a pay raise). The synergy of civilian and military training - plus your developing experience - will undoubtedly enable you to not only be a better cop, but also to be even more respected within your department and community. I imagine the more inclusive experience might also bring you much more palpable job fulfillment, benefits, and a STRONG NETWORK that can attest to your skills (i.e. personal branding, accolades, letters of recommendation, trust, hot dates with a huge uniform fetish....and so on). <br /><br />As far as I can see, the downsides are the potential burn-out from dealing with bullshit (on the beat and in the office), and personal risk of injury or death, but my guess is you have already made peace with those facets of law enforcement. That said, military training can develop and strengthen poise, critical thinking, problem solving and attention to detail ....skills that can help you avoid similar incidences that have been exposed in the media which gave framework to the BLM movement and others in kind. I think you will be put in an equitable position to develop a more articulate level of judgement, enabling you to fare better than those who did not benefit from military training. <br /><br />Other than that, if you do go the MP route, take it from me - Don&#39;t rub your eyes after getting blasted with capsacin! It&#39;s a total drag, man! Thanks in advance for your service.

2017-10-16T22:28:57-04:00 2017-10-16T22:28:57-04:00 SSG Alan Pelletier 3005355

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Two kinds of regret. Regretting what you&#39;ve done, and regretting what you haven&#39;t done.<br /><br />It&#39;s your story to write...<br />So go and write it.

2017-10-16T22:30:58-04:00 2017-10-16T22:30:58-04:00 CPT Private RallyPoint Member 3005395

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I&#39;ve seen it done both ways. I was in a MP unit that had a ton of civilian police and they seemed to love it. On the flip side I served with a guy who a lawyer on the civilian side, but held a PsyOp job in the Reserves. When I asked him why he didn&#39;t become a JAG officer he told me that the last thing he wanted to do on the weekends was powers of attorney and wills. For him being in the Reserves was pretty much a way to break the monotony of his daily grind.

2017-10-16T22:48:20-04:00 2017-10-16T22:48:20-04:00 SPC Private RallyPoint Member 3005461

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I went MP for expirence alit of civilian police in my unit still no guarantee of a civilian police job by being an MP but it can give you a lot of expirence that may help when you go to a civilian academy.

2017-10-16T23:29:06-04:00 2017-10-16T23:29:06-04:00 Capt Daniel Goodman 3005593

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I&#39;d like to try to give you a few hopefully creative suggestions, for whatever they might be worth. I&#39;d seem you&#39;d listed transportation corps (TC). I did three years Army ROTC at a program that, unfortunately, no longer exists, before I&#39;d gone USAF OTS afterward. I !erepy !mention that to try to illustrate at least a passing familiarity with some of the content of Army ROTC coursework. I&#39;d also actually drilled with my unit at West Point a good deal, went through their obstacle course, did orienteering there with West Point cadets, and repelled down their cliff for that, as well as ate with them in the dining hall, and also stayed with them sometimes in their barracks, not app the time, however, enough, incl formations with them, sufficient to get at least some of the feel.one of my brothers went to one of the academies, where I got to commission him, and a few friends were also SUNY Maritime College, as well as others in the church my wife and I go to, a Pentecostal (she went there before we:d met) were USMC as well as Army Natl Guard, and other friends ehod been Army Reserve. Now, having said all that, I&#39;ve known of some instances where academy grads though I&#39;m not sire about Army or other service ROTC, are occasionally allowed to commission in other services. I&#39;m not suggesting you ask for that, I merely mention I&#39;d encountered it sometimes, albeit rarely, someone had to generally be pretty stellar to be allowed to do it. Also, if you wamt transportation, a way I think could actually be quite good might be, if you might be so inclined, could be to ask for grad school, either UAF AFIT at Wright Pat, or possibly Naval Postgraduate School in Monterrey, CA. Similarly, if you&#39;d want to go masters, possibly Ph.D., and really wamt TC, what could, I think, be of inordinate help to you there is being industrial engineering (IE), and or operations research (OR). Look IP a topic if you haven&#39;t covered it yet called PERT/CPM, used in multiple engineering and/or logistic fields, its a numerical technique for project planning. Also, a little known facet, I&#39;ve found, in TC, is that the Army actually has a pretty extensive fleet of ships, often supporting Corps of Engineers. I realize ypid saidmyoud wanted paw enforcement, I realize that. However, consider, also, that, ifmyour vision is adequate, there&#39;s nothing to prevent you from either going pilot, or mav for helicopters, which would be an excellent eau to bridge to police aviation, just a thought, of course. I realize most At!u helicopter pilots and or navs (WSOs) are frequently warrants, however, I&#39;ve read of instances for commissioned At!u aircrew, though I don&#39;t know, of course, if its done now. Likewise, I know, going Army ROTC, you&#39;ve always set your sights and.or thouhgjts on commissioning, I did also, I realize that. However, very frequently, as I reflect on the matter, I often find warrants of interest, as they get to specialize inmwhay they do, even if ROTC programs normally emphasize the commissioning route. I just wonder whether an ROTC grad could actually request to go warrant; I&#39;m not sauingmyoud want that, it was just a passing thought on my part. A substantial part of TC, I&#39;d expect, is logistics, the two are quite frequently intertwined, and often rather inseparable, I&#39;d expect. I realize those things might not be what you&#39;d necessarily expected as suggestions, I just thought I&#39;d mention them here, as their merely occurred to me, I&#39;d be most eager to know your thoughts about any of !y notions. If I see Amy links I think might be worthwhile to send in, I&#39;ll try to domsp, of course, as well, o hope it was at least of so e use and/or interest, !any thanks.

2017-10-17T01:34:40-04:00 2017-10-17T01:34:40-04:00 CPT Gurinder (Gene) Rana 3005723

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Although best for 1SG and CSM to advise, I will take a shot.<br /><br />As an MP, you understand the standards, the culture and the procedure; you can walk the walk with the best police officers in the nation. So; branch out and learn a new skillset. The new skill should be compliment your civilian career in the police force.<br /><br />As a Police Officer, the intelligence, security and investigation fields compliment best your responsibility to the community. Therefore, if I am to branch out, I will most likely choose MILITARY INTELLIGENCE OR THE INSPECTOR GENERAL career paths in my military service.<br /><br />Your career; your choice!

2017-10-17T05:12:17-04:00 2017-10-17T05:12:17-04:00 SSG Private RallyPoint Member 3006070

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>You could always branch aviation and become a pilot. Then you can take that over to a civilian LEA and fly for them.

2017-10-17T08:48:28-04:00 2017-10-17T08:48:28-04:00 CPT Private RallyPoint Member 3006754

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Well there are a lot of things to consider...<br /><br />I&#39;m guessing you&#39;re in some type of SMP (Simultaneous Membership Program) with the Guard. <br />You didn&#39;t say what state you live in but I see you&#39;re at Georgetown in DC...<br /><br />Look at the promotion potential that your state has to offer in both branches since I&#39;m guessing that you aren&#39;t going active duty or into the USAR. Some branches have more opportunities in one state as opposed to another... If you are looking to stay in for 20 years make sure to do you IPB (Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield) and know if there are enough slots to make it worth your while. Also since you haven&#39;t graduated from college yet, do you know where you are going to live and work? Make sure that the unit is near where you are going to live and work after you graduate and not where you live now.<br /><br />Since you want to go into law enforcement you didn&#39;t state what type you were looking into... Local law enforce (being a Cop) is far different from federal law enforcement (1811/Special Agent).<br /><br />Commissioned Officers in the MP Branch aren&#39;t really doing what &quot;police officers&quot; do since they are leadership roles such as PLT LDR, Company XO, Company CDR, BN S2/S3, BN XO, BN CDR, and so on... Being a civilian officer will give you insight and credibility with your troops if they know, you know, what they are talking about. <br /><br />If you want to go CID you can&#39;t be a commissioned officer only Warrants and Enlisted personnel can be CID Special Agents.<br /><br />I hope that I haven&#39;t confused you... I started as an enlisted Automated Logistical Supply Specialist and commissioned a Chemical Officer who branch transferred to MP. I&#39;ve never been a civilian police officer but my military career set me up for success in a number of different areas. <br /><br />Good luck and I wish you all the best!

2017-10-17T12:17:56-04:00 2017-10-17T12:17:56-04:00 MAJ Private RallyPoint Member 3006768

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I personally want to do something different at drill than I do the rest of the month. That being said, I work at a desk the rest of the month. For a career in law enforcement, being an MP may be beneficial to have on your resume. But anything in combat arms may do that as well.

2017-10-17T12:21:57-04:00 2017-10-17T12:21:57-04:00 LTC Private RallyPoint Member 3006944

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>You really need to consider your military career goals and look at the state where you plan to serve. In the National Guard, you&#39;re typically better off staying in one state, because promotions are decided within the state. If your goal is to make O-4 and the state you choose has an MP Battalion, then you stand a reasonable chance of meeting your goal. If your goal is O-6 or higher and the state only has two MP companies but does have an Infantry Brigade and an Engineer Brigade, you might need to consider branching where there&#39;s greater growth opportunity. If you plan to do 4 years and out, then do whatever you want - but prepare to flex early if you decide to stay in after all. I personally like to do different things on the weekend.

2017-10-17T13:07:04-04:00 2017-10-17T13:07:04-04:00 MAJ Sheldon Smith 3013184

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Go MP and take every opportunity to train with civilian police. You can branch transfer later.

2017-10-19T10:57:55-04:00 2017-10-19T10:57:55-04:00 Cadet CPL Private RallyPoint Member 3072125

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Not redundant at all. Go 31B to align with your civilian job. Military law and civilian law are two separate worlds, one will reinforce the other.

2017-11-07T15:19:54-05:00 2017-11-07T15:19:54-05:00 CPT Private RallyPoint Member 3110973

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>No. You should try to branch into what you want to do in your civilian career.

2017-11-21T21:35:27-05:00 2017-11-21T21:35:27-05:00 CPO Mark Robinson 3111142

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Branch out and do something different. Going law enforcement will only add conflict in both careers. &quot;That&#39;s not how we do it in the real world&quot;. My buddy went infantry in the Marine Reserves and it was about as 180 from his civilian job as you can get and he loved it that way.

2017-11-21T22:50:07-05:00 2017-11-21T22:50:07-05:00 2017-10-16T21:42:11-04:00