location, location, location.....

[uoplax13]

I can't remember if this has already been asked, or if I was the one who already asked it, but which areas do you all prefer to work? I've been on some ride alongs out of a fairly rural office and out of a fairly big one. Every single time we've ended up with at least one arrest, and both areas have been fun. I think I'm a little biased towards a more rural setting, but if and when I make it through the academy I realize that I will most likely have to deal with living in a more citt-like setting for a while. So, why do you prefer whichever area you do, and how long did it take you to get there?

[HwyChaser]

I would have to say this totally depends on where and how you were raised. I?m a small town country boy and I spent a little over two years in the Central Los Angeles office. I liked the office, but I could never get used to working in the big city. However, some of the officers I worked with could not believe I wanted to transfer back home to a more rural area. I also know a few officers that worked in a more rural area and wanted to get back to the city. When you work in an urban area you stay very busy going from one call to the next. If you work in a more rural area you may not get as many calls, but when you get them, they could be big nasty ones. While working in Los Angeles, I always knew back up was just a couple of minutes away. When an officer works in a county area they are most likely the only unit around fore several miles.

So for me, I would rather work in a rural area.

[FuelInjection09]

HwyChaser, how did you like the Central LA office? I heard most of the officers just stay there for a couple of years and transfer out. I take it that it's a very young office. As for me, I'd like to work out of a semi-rural office. In a sense, it's the best of both worlds.

[Your Mentor]

It is true that most rookies are assigned to metro offices but that wasn't always the case. And there are still those rare surprises. Desert Rat, for example, managed to land himself in the deep desert right out of the shoot. Working in rural areas is an entirely different world than working in the city. Radio calls are rare and usually amount to 11-25 cow, 11-25 dead deer, dead beaver, dead mountain lion, etc. The crashes are usually messier and you rarely work the two party fender bender. You work more fatals. The vast majority of crashes involve a single vehicle. You get to know the whole community whether you want to or not.

It takes all kinds to fill the field positions throughout our state. I think what I like to do off-duty dictates where I want to be assigned. I like outdoor activities and so want to live in the country. I don't care for gym memberships, cinaplexes, malls, toll bridges, or smog. If those kinds of things appealled to me, I'd probably transfer to the city.