Interested in TPD

I am currently in the process of applying to TPD, and was wondering if I could get some insight into the agency other than what is posted on TPD's website.

-Morale
-Shit
-Equipment
-Training

Morale......

Morale right now as a whole is probably a little down. With the econonomy the way it is and budget cuts, there isn't much extra money to go around. That means no new equipment, vehicles with too many miles, and really no pay raises. The Rachel Hoffman incident hasn't helped either. I would still say that it isn't terribly low since our pay is still decent, and we are all lucky to have jobs.

-Shizzat.......

Don't really know what that means. If you mean like the "shizzzat" that you can get into, there is quite a bit. A lot depends on where and when you work. Being that you won't see dayshift until about 12 years, you will most likely get afternoons or mids. Both stay pretty busy with calls for service, but you can find time to be proactive. There is lots of traffic to run, suspicious persons in the ghetto, or even DUI's in the quiet part of town.

-Equipment......

This is one that it really depends on who you ask. Positives are that we have free dry-cleaning, take home vehicles, and really don't have to pay for anything at all. We all have tasers now as of the end of the year. Negatives though on the equipment. Our vehicle fleet is getting old, and you will most likely get a vehicle that is close to 10 years old and 100k miles. Your in-car computer is out-dated and locks up all the time since it isn't fast enough to run with an air card. Once you are here for a little while, you can get nicer stuff, or if you know certain peorple.

-Training.......

You get top notch training in our in-house program which is about 6 weeks long. The FTO program is tough, but not has tough as it used to be. We really don't get to do much training now since budget cuts and staffing issues. Ammunition prices are outrageous, so you can forget about getting any extra rounds at the range. If you are a good officer, who have a good chance at getting into other schools and training. (Radar/laser, interviews, traffic homocide, etc)

Overall, it is a pretty good agency. Everywhere you go there will be bad apples, and people who complain about everything. Our pay is decent considering the cost of living is cheaper up here. All equipment is paid for and you have a take home vehicle. We work 10 hour shifts that rotate every month, and there is fair amount of off-duty work and city overtime.

You must be prepared to act like an over educated idiot, believe you are above the common citizen and issue citations to fellow law enforcement officers.