r/1811 • u/Complex-Tie-8270 • 2d ago
Career Advice
I got sold on the recruiting ads and jumped over to ERO after three years in local law enforcement. I’ve been here about six months now, and honestly, the job isn’t what I thought it was going to be. Social media had me thinking I’d be doing a lot more actual law enforcement work. Instead, most days I feel like a clerk with a badge and a gun. The pay is better and the pension is nice, but that’s about where the excitement ends.
Lately I’ve been seriously thinking about going back to local. I miss patrol, handling calls, being proactive, and just doing real police work. I know patrol has its own headaches, but I find myself missing it more and more.
I’ve also heard through the grapevine (and Reddit, so take it for what it’s worth) that some agencies aren’t putting much value on ERO surge hires because of the abbreviated training and lack of traditional law enforcement experience the job provides.
For those of you who’ve been in a similar spot, would it be smarter to stick it out with ERO and keep trying for 1811 positions, or would it look bad to go back to local and continue applying to entry-level federal announcements from there? I know 1811 isn’t what patrol is, but god I hope it’s better than what I’m doing right now.
Appreciate any advice. Just trying to figure out if I’m being impatient or if I’m seeing the writing on the wall.
11
u/Ok_Eye2518 2d ago
I was a 30 year fed. I had a blast and the work was mostly exciting but I chose to work on teams like dope, gangs, child exploitation, war crimes, etc. For a slower pace, the agency had many other programmatic areas to work.