MD State Troopers

Ab_Normal said:

You'll have to take a spelling and grammer test to.

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Blaster229 said:

Have you checked out the low pay scale for college grads. IF one could get hired anyway. I'd rather be a state trooper for 8k less than any of the higher paying local depts. Having statewide jurisdiction is kind of nice too.

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2SAM22 said:

No way. Not in a million years. BTW MD LEO's have statewide jurisdiction in emergency situations.

Maryland Code, Article 27, Section 594B

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Skins_Brew said:

I would think if you join MSP a majority of your time will be spent writing speeding tickets. Boots on the ground, I guess, but probably pretty boring at times.

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booker said:

Dan, good for you to be looking ahead. That's the first step.

Many people have posted all sorts of ideas about where to work: military, state, federal, maybe even private security.

But I'm going to answer your question very differently: You won't make it. Stick with the math and statistics, become an analyst.

Sorry if that's harsh, but hear me out.

Imagine, if you will, a class of Navy SEALS at BUD/S. It's the second overnight evolution, they are laying in the Pacific Ocean at 0300, waves crashing, they've already run 45 miles in two days, done four sessions of PT, wet and sandy log runs, boat runs, been flipped and crashed into the rocks. Working on two hours sleep. They are under-fed, cold and soaked to the bone. Salt water stings every cut and scrape on their hands, arms, face. Sand in their shorts, sand in their ears, sand in their ass and in their teeth. They breathe and it tastes like salt.

There's one guy who is looking around at his classmates, thinking "Whoa that water is cold. But I can't be the first guy to quit. But it's really F'ing cold. Damn, I knew it would be cold, but I didn't think it would be this cold. Is anybody going to quit? Looks like Johnson is about to..” Before you know it, this guy is DOR. Dropped On Request. Ring the bell, pack your sh*t, you don’t belong here.

There’s another guy who is looking around at his classmates, thinking “Hooah this is F’ing wild. Look at this, pitch black, crashing waves, and we’re out here like it’s nothin’. They said it would be cold but this ain’t cold, hell, we could do this all night! Bring it on, because they can’t break us; all day, all night, all week, it don’t matter, HOOAH!”

He's thinking positive, he's thinking team, and he's going to make it.

It’s called self-programming. From birth, people are telling you no. Hundreds of thousands of times while growing up, you are told no, don’t, can’t, stop. Sometimes it is for your safety and benefit, but a lot of times it is holding you back. It is programming into your brain this train of negative thoughts.

Looking at your posts, you mention you are Type I Diabetes. Okay. Can you change that? No? Okay, let’s accept it and move on. Unless you want to use it as an excuse for why you stop. Or why you can’t. Or why you don’t.

It takes significant effort, it takes mental training, just as you do your physical training, to overcome the negative thoughts, the negative self-programming, to change your internal conversation and start thinking positive about yourself regardless of the conditions. You need to train your brain for success. Train your brain to be tough, even if you think it already is. We aren't born this way, it takes a focused, concerted effort. If you're serious, I suggest you pick up a copy of Gary Mack's "Mind Gym" and Jason Selk's "10 Minute Toughness."

Answer this question: Why do you want to be “boots on ground?” Is it to serve your community or your nation? Is it to prove something to yourself, or maybe somebody else? To overcome personal fear? What is the reason? All answers are valid, but you need to look deep inside yourself and determine what your reason is. Distill it down to one short, sweet sentence, and make that your mission, that is your purpose. Then, go get it, and don’t make excuses, ever.

You might not want to be a Navy SEAL, and certainly MSP training isn’t exactly BUD/S. But the concepts apply, especially if you want to be the very best you can possibly be at whatever you decide to do in life.

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