EMPLOYMENT RECOMMENDATION REPORT
Entry-level Police Officer Job Postings:A Comparison for Consideration
Michael L. Bashford
E M P L O Y M E N T R E C O M M E N D A T I O N R E P O R TPrepared for: ENGL 320 Business and Professional Writing: Miss Jennie EngerReport for: James PenderPrepared by: Michael L. BashfordLast Revision: 25 July 2010Peer Review: 21 July 2010Due Date: 26 July 2010
Entry-Level Police Officer Employment:A Comparison for Consideration of Jobs in Grand Forks, ND; Madison, WI; and
Fort Leavenworth, KS
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Table of Contents
LIST OF FIGURES.................................................................................................................................................. iii
SUMMARY.............................................................................................................................................................. iv
INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................................................... 1
INFORMATION............................................................................................................................................................................. 1
REPORT.................................................................................................................................................................... 3
GRAND FORKS, NORTH DAKOTA.............................................................................................................................................3Crime in Grand Forks.......................................................................................................................................................... 4Grand Forks Job Offer.......................................................................................................................................................... 5
MADISON, WISCONSIN...............................................................................................................................................................6Crime in Madison, Wisconsin........................................................................................................................................... 8Madison Job Offer.................................................................................................................................................................. 8
VA MEDICAL CENTER FORT LEAVENWORTH, KS.............................................................................................................10
GRAPHIC COMPARISONS FOR CONSIDERATION......................................................................................11
Crime....................................................................................................................................................................................... 11Salaries................................................................................................................................................................................... 12Distance from Family....................................................................................................................................................... 14Population Density............................................................................................................................................................ 15
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION......................................................................................................17
FINAL RECOMMENDATION.....................................................................................................................................................19
WORKS CITED..................................................................................................................................................... 20
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Crime Comparison: Grand Forks/Madison/Nation............................................12
Figure 2: Salary Comparison.............................................................................................13
Figure 3: Distance from Family.........................................................................................14
Figure 4: Population Density Comparison.........................................................................15
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SUMMARY
Entry-level police officer candidates tend to have a great deal of general knowledge about
the profession itself, certain preconceptions about what the job entails, expectations of salary and
benefits, and aspects of the job or community that are considered desirable, but each candidate
also has specific personal needs that must be fulfilled for the first job to be acceptable and a
successful starting point for a career as a police officer. James Pender, my client holds the same
personal requirements for the start of his career; his needs must be considered while he
contemplates which of three job offers he should accept. In order to make an informed decision,
James asked me to research and review the profession in general and compare that information
with three job offers he received to arrive at a recommendation of which job to pursue.
James Pender received preliminary job offers from police departments in Grand Forks,
North Dakota, and Madison, Wisconsin, and from the security office of the Veterans
Administration Medical Center in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The jobs are located in a distinctly
different sized communities located in upper and central Midwest regions of the country. Each
community offers different advantages and disadvantages, population size, crime rate, cost of
living, and distance from James’s hometown area of Little Falls, Minnesota.
Through the process of reviewing James’s resume, cover letter, class discussions,
questionnaire responses, and interview responses, I have determined that the best offer is the one
from the Grand Forks Police Department based on what matters most to James when considering
which of the three jobs to accept. The primary concerns for James are:
Salary, Crime rate of community, Proximity to his family, and Familiarity of surroundings
INTRODUCTION
Entry-level police officer candidates tend to have a great deal of general knowledge about
the profession itself, certain preconceptions about what the job entails, expectations of salary and
benefits, and aspects of the job or community that are considered desirable, but each candidate
also has specific personal needs that must be fulfilled for the first job to be acceptable and a
successful starting point for a career as a police officer. This report reviews research of all of
these components with regard to three job offers from Grand Forks, North Dakota; Madison,
Wisconsin; and the Veteran’s Administration Medical Center in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. This
report’s purpose is to offer the information gathered regarding the three jobs in a comparison
review and offer a recommendation of one job that best suits your needs and desires.
Information
The information researched and reviewed in this report concerns itself first with those
aspects of communities that have a believed correlation with salary, namely population and
region. The other information gathered and compared in this report focuses on the following:
Cost of living, Cultural demographics, Average commute, and Departmental promotions
A review of your resume, cover letter, class discussion, questionnaire responses, and our
interview has brought to light certain needs and desires you have with regard to the job you will
select. The needs and desires I kept in consideration during the research and completion of this
report include, but are not limited to the following:
Starting salary of the job, Crime rate of the community, Population of the community,
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Proximity of job to family, Familiarity with surroundings, and Opportunity for promotion, and
Ultimately, this report seeks to offer researched information about the three job offers,
their respective employers, the communities in which they are located, and compare them to your
specific needs in a clear, concise, and easy-to-use format so that you can follow the
Recommendation given or make an informed decision of your own.
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REPORT
Three employers from three separate communities have offered you employment as an
entry-level officer: the police departments of Grand Forks, North Dakota and Madison,
Wisconsin; and the security office of the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Fort
Leavenworth, Kansas. Each of these jobs differs from one another in anticipated starting salary,
responsibilities, and the population or demographics of citizenry that will be policed. Because
you are familiar with most aspects associated with the career of a police officer, this report
compiles and compares information associated with each job offer and its community for your
review. The information provided is taken from websites for the communities, employers, or
national statistics and is cited where necessary. Following the information found regarding all
three jobs and communities, you will find side-by-side Graphic Comparisons between all three
jobs with national statistics and your needs.
Grand Forks, North Dakota
The city of Grand Forks is the third-largest city in North Dakota and the county seat of
Grand Forks County. The city is, as you know, located in northern North Dakota along the Red
River and has a sister community in Minnesota – East Grand Forks. The city is a growing
community even after rebuilding after the great flood of the Red River in 1997. The city built
new anti-flood diversions and levees after the flood of 1997 and though flooding of the Red
River is still a concern, the city weathered the 100-year flood of 2009 with far less property
damage or cost to the city and its citizens (Grand Forks).
Even after the flood of 1997 and the recent national economic collapse, the city of Grand
Forks continues to be ranked very high in the nation for economic stability and growth. In 2004
Grand Forks was honored for having the lowest taxes among regional manufacturing and food
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processing, as well as the lowest workers compensation insurance costs in the nation. The city
has also been ranked well in Forbes magazine among small metro areas with regard to small
businesses and careers (Grand Forks). The economy is well rounded and though built primarily
on agriculture has expanded to include military defense from the Grand Forks Air Force base,
manufacturing, food processing, scientific research, and higher education due to the presence of
the University of North Dakota, the state’s oldest institution of higher education (CNN).
According to the 2009 census, Grand Forks has an estimated population of 55,691, with
an estimated greater metropolitan population of 97,190 that is shared with East Grand Forks,
Minnesota. The census of 2009 showed a growth in Grand Forks, North Dakota of 3,500 people
since 2004. According to the 2006-2008 American Community Survey, the demographics of the
city population break down approximately into 91% whites, 3% Native Americans, 2% Hispanic
or Latino, 2% African Americans, and 2% other races, including Asian, Pacific Islander, or
multiple racial identities (U.S. Census Bureau).
When the city of Grand Forks, North Dakota was a contender to be one of the top 100
cities to live in according to the 2007 Money Magazine’s “Best Places to Live,” the metropolitan
and suburb areas of Grand Forks covered an estimated 19 square miles, but the average commute
time for employees in the city was approximately 11 minutes (CNN). The report also outlined
numerous other benefits in the community including the average weather, number of
entertainment and cultural opportunities, and overall health of its citizens.
Crime in Grand Forks
Grand Forks has been consistently ranked as one of the safest cities in the nation.
According to the 2006 “FBI Crime Reports”, the overall crime index for the city of Grand Forks
was 3,764 per 100,000 people. This index takes into consideration all criminal activity and was
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16% less than national crime index for the same year. The violent crime index for the same year
reflected that Grand Forks was 84% below the national rate (MDNH, Inc.).
Grand Forks Job Offer
All of the following information has been taken from the Grand Forks 2010 Police
Officer Employment Process Informational Packet, a viewable document from the Grand Forks
Police Department: Recruitment website, and paraphrased as necessary. According to the job
offer from the Grand Forks Police Department, the starting salary for the position as an entry-
level police officer is $20.26 per hour or $42,140.80 annually. This starting salary is increased
upon the officer’s receipt of a ND Peace Officers License (approximately four months after the
officer’s start date) to $20.74 per hour or $43,139.20. This initial salary is lower than the national
mean salary, but relates to the city’s small population, municipal funding, and varies between
officers based on experience and rank. The highest paid general officer in the department in 2010
earned an annual salary of $46,508.80, the highest paid corporal earned $57,803.20, a sergeant
earned $62,878.40, a lieutenant earned $$75,608.00, the captain earned $82,867.20, and the chief
earned $117,603.20. The opportunity to earn more than the official salary even among patrol
officers is evident and it should be noted that the salaries indicated do not include holiday pay,
overtime for court appearances, or extra duty assignment pay (Grand Forks Police Department).
The benefit package includes full health coverage at a 75:25 employer to employee ratio
of premiums paid, basic life insurance paid by the employer, a pension plan with a 5.26%
employer match to 4% employee match three-year vesting plan, long-term disability insurance,
employee assistance program, workers compensation, unemployment compensation, post-
employment health plan, 9 paid holidays annually, 8 hours personal leave with bonus personal
leave pay for using less than the full 112 hours of allotted annual sick leave, annual leave that
increases each year, and 40% tuition reimbursement for any job related training taken during
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your career. These are only the primary benefits that are offered, but there are those that are
common among police departments from around the nation including, paid licensing fees,
uniform allowance, a $300 personal equipment allowance, and your duty firearm paid for (Grand
Forks Police Department).
To be accepted as an entry-level officer you will have to attend a 13-week training
course, pass a background check, and take numerous tests. The testing includes a written test,
physical task assessment, oral assessment, polygraph examination, psychological exam, medical
physical exam, health screening, and a drug test. After the police academy training, you will be
placed on a 12-month probationary status and will placed in a 12 to 16-week comprehensive
Field Training and Evaluation Program (FTEP) before being considered a full-fledged officer
within the department (Grand Forks Police Department), (DegreeDirectory.org).
The initial duties of an entry-level police officer in Grand Forks consist of patrolling
within the city to monitor traffic, crime, and protect the citizens. Most patrolmen work a 40-hour
week, which means a great deal of time in the patrol car each day, but with consistent breaks,
meal breaks, and the need to get out of the patrol car for ticketing, accident scene investigation,
or working with the public, an officer does not find themselves in the patrol vehicle the entire
eight to ten hours of a shift (Grand Forks Police Department), (United States Dept. of Justice).
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin is the second largest city and capital city of Wisconsin, as well as
the county seat of Dane County. The city of Madison is located in the south-central portion of the
state and is only about 80 miles west of Milwaukee and Lake Michigan, and only 122 miles
northwest of Chicago. According to the 2009 census, Madison ranked as the 81st largest city in
the country with an estimated population of 235,626 and a Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area
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population of 561,505. The larger Metropolitan area encompasses Dane, Iowa, and Columbia
counties. The census showed a population growth of approximately 27,000 people in the city
itself since the 2000 census (U.S. Census Bureau, 2009). The city is known widely as one of the
fastest growing in Wisconsin. According to the national census of 2000, the demographics of
Madison consisted of approximately 84% white, 6% African American, 6% Asian, 4% Hispanic,
and the remaining population consisting of other races such as Native American, Pacific
Islander, or multiple racial identities (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000).
According to the city’s official website, the city of Madison is sometimes referred to as
the City of Four Lakes because it is situated so that it nearly encompasses the Yahara River chain
lakes of Lake Mendota, Lake Monona, Lake Waubesa, and Lake Kegonsa. Of the four lakes,
Waubesa and Kegonsa actually fall just to the south of the city, but are included as part of the
name due to their proximity. A fifth lake, Lake Wingra, is also located in the city limits, but is
not included in the nickname because it is not part of the Yahara river chain (City of Madison,
City of Madison). Because you have noted that you enjoy being outdoors especially skating and
playing hockey, I feel it is good to know that Madison has so many outdoor settings that work
well with your interests.
In the May, 2010 issue of Forbes magazine, Madison was ranked as number seven in the
“Top Ten Most Innovative Cities” in the United States. The city has received numerous honors
and awards in the last decade for such things as: most important research advances in
cardiovascular disease and stroke, top 20 places to launch a business by CNN Money, the 7th best
city to live and work in according to Kiplinger, the second best place to find a job according to
the April 2009 Money Magazine, and number four in the top ten midsize metro areas for its
quality of life according to Portfolio.com in June 2010 (City of Madison, City of Madison:
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Honors). As the second largest city in Wisconsin, Madison is home to a wide array of
businesses, higher education, research, and manufacturing with a recent concentration in health,
biotech, and advertising. The economy has been booming since the early 1990s, primarily due to
the level of high education of its citizens, and in 2004 Forbes magazine reported that Madison
had the highest percentage of individuals holding a PhD in the United States (City of Madison:
Honors).
Though the city stretches across an estimated 85 square miles, the average time for a
commute for its citizens is 16 minutes according to Money Magazine, which ranked Madison as
number 53 in the 2006 “Best Places to Live”(CNN). This article of the top 100 cities in the
United States to live is the same annual ranking in which Grand Forks was a contender in 2007
and uses numerous aspects of the community in consideration for ranking.
Crime in Madison, Wisconsin
According to the 2006 “FBI Crime Reports,” Madison had an overall crime index of
3,810 per 100,000 people. This index, which takes into account all crime, was 15% less than the
national index. The violent crime index for the same year showed that Madison was 21% below
the national violent crime index (MDNH, Inc.), (United States Dept. of Justice).
Madison Job Offer
All of the following information has been compiled and summarized from the City of
Madison Police department website. According to the job offer from the Madison Police
Department, the starting annual salary for the position as an entry-level police officer is $42,551.
This starting salary is increased after six months to $47,314. Though this initial salary is lower
than the national mean salary for police officers, the difference is related to the city’s municipal
funding being shared by five district police departments. Pay varies between officers based on
experience, rank, and education. The Madison Police Department has educational incentive pay
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that takes effect after 42 months of continuous service in the department. This incentive pay plan
increases an officer’s salary relative to the education attained. As an example, an Associates
degree would mean a 9% pay increase bringing the base salary to $56,214; a Bachelors degree
brings an 18% increase in salary to a base of $60,588 and a Masters means an increase of 22% to
a base of $62,910. It should be noted that the base salaries indicated do not include briefing time,
shift differential, holiday pay, overtime for court appearances, or extra duty assignment pay
(Madison Police Department).
The benefit package offered by the Madison Police Department includes City Paid
Retirement Plan, City Paid Health Insurance, wage, life, and disability insurance plans, and a
37.5-hour workweek. The specifics regarding the benefits package were a bit more difficult to
obtain than those of Grand Forks, North Dakota, but any specific questions can be referred to a
recruiter or the Human Resources at the department (Madison Police Department).
Due likely to the number of interested applicants to become entry-level police officers,
the application process of the Madison Police Department is different than that of the Grand
Forks department. Because you have been offered a position, it is assumed that you have
completed the first step in the process, which is completion of the application, which is available
for download from the department website. I have assumed then, that you are now at the oral
interview process and still have to be cleared by the background investigation, interview with the
Chief of Police, required ride-along, and personality assessment. I assume this because if you
had received a letter for formal acceptance, we would not be proceeding with this decision
process because you would have to sign a pledge to stop all other hiring procedures. After this
acceptance you will still be required to pass a comprehensive medical examination and begin
your probationary period and six-month comprehensive training course. It should be noted here
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that this process and the six-month academy must be completed by all applicants regardless of
prior training or transferring laterally to the Madison Police Department from another department
or division (Madison Police Department).
After completion of the six-month academy, you will be assigned to patrol duties as a
probationary officer. Probationary status will last at least one year and as much as 18 months. As
you know, patrol officer duties are those that require you to patrol an assigned sector within a
district during your shift. As a probationary officer, you will primarily serve as back up to other
officers answering calls to the scenes of accidents, criminal activity, or investigations.
VA Medical Center Fort Leavenworth, KS
After extensive and diligent attempts at research into the Veterans Administration
Medical Center of Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and its job offer to you as an onsite security officer,
I have come to the conclusion that this job should not be considered for numerous reasons. First,
the job is not that of an entry-level police officer, which you have outlined as your desired
career. The job consists of monitoring traffic and parking on the premises of the VA Medical
Center, assisting patients and visitors, offering directions for the premises, ticketing illegal
parking, investigating any minor crimes that occur on the premises, and working in conjunction
with local police, military police, or sheriff departments during the investigation of more serious
crimes (Monster.com). This sounds like a job that is often taken by retired military police
officers or inactive or retired local police officers. Second, there is so little information to be
found regarding the job as to be non-existent. Besides that which you are already aware of from
the job listing, I have been unable to locate any information pertaining to salary, benefits, or
specific duties. Finally and most importantly, one of the needs you have with regard to a career
job is the opportunity for promotion. Though one might imagine that there must be a director of
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security for the VA Medical Center, this is an assumption, just as is it is an assumption that the
position is filled through promotion within the security department rather than bureaucratically.
Because of the foregoing reasons and because this particular job does not meet your
needs as a starting position for a future career as a police officer, it is my firm belief and
educated recommendation that this particular job not be considered further and that your
consideration be with regard to the positions offered by the Grand Forks or Madison police
departments.
Graphic Comparisons for Consideration
To assist you with the assimilation of all of the information presented in this report, I
have produced or reproduced some graphics that allow you to see the jobs compared side-by-side
with the national statistics available. The following graphs compare those aspects of the jobs that
concern you the most: Crime Rates, Salaries, Distances from Family, and Population Density.
Though the following graphics concentrate heavily on the jobs offered by Grand Forks
and Madison departments, an attempt has been made to add information for the VA Medical
Center in Fort Leavenworth if the information exists. Some of the graphics have been provided
by other sources and in those instances proper identification is given for the resource of the
graphic. The citation for any borrowed graphic or information used in the graphic of course leads
to the Works Cited page should you wish to review the original source or perform comparisons
of your own regarding the statistics that are displayed.
Crime
The first graph is from MDNH, Inc.’s AreaConnect.com and its information was
mentioned earlier in the report during the individual community reviews regarding the crime
rates of Grand Forks and Madison. A quick review of the graphed information, taken from “FBI
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Crime Reports” of 2006 and 2007, shows the crime index rates per capita for each community,
which might surprise you. Grand Forks actually surpasses Madison in murder, theft, and auto
theft per capita, whereas Madison surpasses Grand Forks in rape, robbery, assault, and burglary.
In fact, Madison is nearly the same as the national crime index with regard to rape and robbery.
The information displayed is the crime indexes for each city (per 100,000 people) in
comparison with the national crime index, which is used as the 100-percentile rate. Specific
numbers are not included in the graph because each specific crime has a different index.
Salaries
For the following graph, I have compiled the base salaries for the job offers from Grand
Forks, Madison, and the VA Medical Center in Fort Leavenworth to show them in comparison
with the national mean salary for police officers according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This
should give a surprising side-by-side visual representation of the base salaries of all three jobs
Figure 1: Crime Comparison (MDNH, Inc.).
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for quick and easy comparison. The VA Medical Center salary is taken from the job listing as
advertised and reflects the lower number mentioned for a starting salary because you have no
prior experience, which the advertisement seems to indicate controls the starting salary for the
position. All base salaries have been rounded to the nearest whole number for ease in comparison
of the numbers.
Keep in mind that the salaries displayed are base salaries and do not reflect any holiday
pay, overtime for court appearances, or shift differentials that may raise the amount earned.
Please also note that the salaries of the two primary job offers under consideration – Grand Forks
and Madison – are very comparable to one another and not far below the national mean for
police officers. The small disparity between the salaries for Grand Forks and Madison plays a
role in the final Recommendation. The specific numbers for each salary depicted are as follows:
1. Grand Forks: $42,141.002. Madison: $42,551.00
Grand Forks Madison VA Medical Ctr
National Mean
$0.00
$10,000.00
$20,000.00
$30,000.00
$40,000.00
$50,000.00
$60,000.00
Salary
Salary
Figure 2: Salary Comparison
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3. VA Center: $31,315.004. Nation Mean: $55,120.00
Distance from Family
One of your primary concerns about your first job is the distance of the job from your
hometown and family. This is a common concern among college graduates and in consideration
of the stressful type of career you are entering, a valid concern for you so that you have the
support of family as you begin the career. The desire to be within a reasonable travel distance of
family for occasional visits or in case of family emergencies bears weight in the final
Recommendation, so the travel distances from the jobs to Little Falls, Minnesota are displayed in
the following graph to give you a quick means of comparison. The distances have been compiled
using Mapquest.com and are rounded to the nearest mile. As you likely know, Mapquest.com
uses the shortest route between destinations, so the actual mileage and time of travel will vary
depending on your familiarity with alternate routes.
Grand Forks Madison VA Medical Ctr0
100
200
300
400
500
600
Distance from Little Falls, MN (miles)
Distance from Little Falls, MN
Figure 3: Distance from Family (Map Quest, Inc.)
As you probably already know, Grand Forks is closest to your hometown of Little Falls.
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Population Density
The final graphic that allows a side-by-side comparison is concerned with the population
density of the communities in which the jobs offered exist. After due consideration for how to
best display another need you have – familiarity with your surroundings – the only way that I
believe this type of information can be displayed is a comparison of how the population is
distributed within each community. The graphic depicts the number of people per square mile
and the statistics are taken from the 2000 national census as displayed at Answers.com (U.S.
Census Bureau, 2000). These numbers likely contain fewer persons per square mile than current
statistics, but the U.S. Census Bureau has not compiled the 2010 census statistics as of the date
of this report.
In this graph I have included population density for Fargo and Little Falls because these
are communities that you are familiar with. As you probably guessed, the population density of
Grand Forks is very similar to that of Fargo and surprisingly, Madison’s population density is not
Grand Fork
s
Mad
ison
Fort Lea
venworth
Fargo
Little
Falls
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
Population Density (per sq. mile)
Population Density (per sq. mile)
Figure 4: Population Density Comparison (2000 Census)
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that much higher than those of Grand Forks or Fargo. The specific numbers that are displayed for
the number of people per square mile according to the 2000 census are as follows:
1. Grand Forks: 2.5632. Madison: 3,0303. Leavenworth: 1,5074. Fargo: 2,3885. Little Falls: 1,233
It is my hope that the visual representations offered give a better feeling for the
information that has been provided throughout this report.
Though there are many aspects that may be taken into consideration when making a
decision as important as your first job within your career choice, I have concentrated on those
aspects of the communities and jobs that have been offered that most closely match those aspects
that you have either said concern you most or those that I have determined appear to concern
you. For the final recommendation, please see the following Conclusions and Recommendation
portion of the report.
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CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
The information gathered, reviewed, compiled, and compared within this report has
confirmed my initial suspicion, that the job offer from the Grand Forks Police Department is the
most suitable first entry-level police officer job for you.
Though I did suspect this conclusion early on during the process of collecting, reviewing,
and comparing the data for this report, I did my best to not allow it to affect the process of
comparing the data and preparing this report. As one objectively reviews the data available, the
three jobs offered to you appear to come rather close to one another as suitable jobs in which to
start your career in protective services as a police officer. But after due consideration of those
elements that are of particular importance to you, the job at the police department in Grand Forks
stands out as the most optimum fit for you and your needs.
Very early in the analysis of the data available, it became apparent that the job offer from
the Veterans Administration Medical Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas should no longer be
considered. As described in the report, the job does not meet many criteria you have either
consciously or unconsciously set forth as requirements for your first job in protective services. In
fact, other than your minimum required salary, none of the elements of the VA job met with your
requirements or needs. I feel that if you were to take this job, you would very quickly be
dissatisfied with the job’s duties, lack of challenge, and its inability to translate well into future
jobs in real police work.
As much as I was convinced that the VA job should not be considered, I was surprised by
how much more appropriate the job with the Madison Police Department appeared after analysis
and comparison than I had originally anticipated. In fact, the job so closely resembles the job in
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Grand Forks on its surface that it has taken some extra deliberation to arrive at the decision that it
is not as suitable as the job in Grand Forks.
Ultimately, the recommendation of the job at the Grand Forks Police Department comes
down to what I believe are two very important considerations associated with your needs. First,
this career is a very stressful job according to everything I have read and heard from my cousin
who was a police officer. The stress experienced in the job itself is only exasperated during the
first couple of years on a police force by such factors as moving to a new environment, the size
of the metropolitan area, the commute to and from the department, the general nature of a job
that places you in danger every day, and dealing with some very serious problems within society.
Your voiced desire to be near to familiar surroundings and your family was expounded by what I
believe is the unspoken need of entry-level police officers for a firm support base that they can
rely on during the very stressful first few years of the career in order to be successful and remain
in the chosen career. For these reasons, Grand Forks stood out because it most closely resembles
the environment that you are familiar with. I believe moving to a larger metropolitan area, such
as Madison, and trying to acclimate yourself to the surroundings and the pressures of a larger
population and urban area would only add to the stress you would be experiencing in the job.
The proximity of Grand Forks to your hometown and family is another benefit that is closely
related to the concern of stress. With your family nearer to you, the opportunities for family
support and an escape hatch for when you do take leave from your job only adds to your ability
to fight the stress of this career. The second consideration is one that I do not believe you are
consciously aware of and that is the additional education or training you will have to get through
before becoming an official officer of the law. Though you have not voiced this as a concern, the
fact that you are anxious to graduate from NDSU leads me to believe that any extensive or
19
lengthy additional training could sour the experience for you and make you reconsider your
career choice. As you can see, the Madison Police Department requires no less than six months
of additional training and an additional 12 to 18 months of probationary status after that before
you are considered a full-fledged and recognized police officer, whereas Grand Forks requires
only four months of academy training and 12-month probationary period before becoming a
recognized police officer.
Final Recommendation
For the foregoing reasons as well as everything that I have considered throughout the
analysis of the data collected for this report it is my educated recommendation that you accept
the job with the Grand Forks police department and begin your career as a police officer. The
opportunities for advancement within the department, salary increases beginning within four
months of your start date, a benefits package comparable to any other police department,
continuing education, proximity to your family, familiar surroundings, and job satisfaction all
exist with this job. In a few years if you find that the challenges, duties, or advancement
opportunities do not exist, you will have obtained critical on-the-job experience to allow you to
consider other larger metropolitan police departments for the next step in your career.
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Works Cited
City of Madison. City of Madison, Wisconsin: About the City. 2010. Web. 12 July 2010.
---. City of Madison: Honors. 2010. Web. 19 July 2010.
CNN. "CNN Money: Money Magazine Best Places to Live." May 2007. CNNMoney.com. Cable
News Network. Web. 19 July 2010.
DegreeDirectory.org. "How Much Does a Police Officer Make?" 2010. DegreeDirectory.org.
Web.10 July 2010.
Grand Forks. City of Grand Forks Home Page. January 2010. Web. 12 July 2010.
Grand Forks Police Department. "Grand Forks Police Department: Recruitment." May 2010.
Grand Forks Police Department. Web. 12 July 2010.
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