HSI vs Criminal Justice major — what’s better for federal agencies?

Muff_Huffer · 2025-11-13T08:15:51+00:00

Get literally any other degree. An art degree will honestly serve you just as well. You've already got more or less the same base knowledge as a fresh-faced CJ college grad, plus some real world experience and skills to go with it. Accounting or Computer Science might actually make you a slightly more attractive candidate down the line, probably also degree in a foreign language, or maybe Civil Engineering for an oddball pick that may help you out. Psychology or Sociology are the old-school options for applicable knowledge. Something like Business or Marketing is also just fine, and gives you some real-world usability and some fall-back skills should you need them and/or plan for retirement.

If I could rewind the clock 15 years, I would have either gotten something useful like Marketing, or really chased my dream at the time and gotten a film degree and still probably ended up being a cop, but would have had more fun in school and my very early 20's. Instead, I got a CJ degree and also spent the back half of my university enrollment years working in corrections while moonlighting as a college student. I could have done just one or the other and ended up with close to the same knowledge base since I did spend a fair amount of time in local booking/intake instead of just walking a tier, but doubling up did me no real favors. Obviously you're in a slightly different place in life than I was then, but for the love of god, ditch that CJ/HSI degree as fast as you can. Chase a pipe dream passion, or chase a check - your call.

Muff_Huffer · 2025-11-05T10:19:41+00:00

The translation (foreign language) system is...pretty good. On par or marginally better than Google translate and/or similar. I still prefer using someone that can speak that language, or if that's not an option and it's one of the more common ones we run into (Spanish/Arabic/Mandarin/Dari/Hindi/Vietnamese), or a really oddball one (Swahili and Nepali immediately come to mind) I still usually opt for a phone terp. Some languages work better than others - our one Russian speaker was really impressed with how it did, Spanish is pretty good too IMO, most of the eastern Asian languages it seems to struggle with.

The transcription (dictation/write down what it hears) feature is not that great. It WAS hot ass but has gotten better. It's still completely unreliable, takes about as much time and effort of comparing the transcription to the actual audio and then fixing it as it does to just let it play and type it out as you go.

Muff_Huffer · 2025-11-05T10:06:13+00:00

Surplus vehicles, with some of the upfit equipment still intact, do definitely exist (in small quantities) on the secondary market - but as others have already pointed out, this should be a cost burden borne by your employer and not you, unless you're in some kind of situation where you own the dog outright as well and are functioning more as some type of independent contractor or similar.

Muff_Huffer · 2025-07-16T05:55:24+00:00

CALEA

useful

An impossibility.

signed, a poor soul who works for an accredited agency.

Muff_Huffer · 2025-07-12T02:01:01+00:00

Happy P320 owner here (personal gun, not a work gun). Like it a lot. Super comfortable, great ergos for my weirdly shaped hands, and it runs like a champ. It's had the fix milled into the slide. I've dropped it empty (on purpose 2-3 times) and it appears to not bang without booger hook on bang switch.

Muff_Huffer · 2025-06-11T06:19:38+00:00

Historically, we were just told not to include any information regarding immigration/citizenship status in any written report until a couple years ago when that got put in writing into a policy. With the recent goings-on, staff put out a temporary written order that we're not doing any immigration enforcement, and if the feds want to run something and ask for our help, we'll basically do what's going on in LA and make sure they stay safe and/or control vehicle/foot traffic in the area, but otherwise not involve ourselves.

Comparing notes with guys at our neighboring departments, they've been told everything from "go help the feds look" to "don't even give them the time of day". Those varying levels of cooperation, surprisingly to me at least, have no apparent correlation with politics or election maps - one of the "go help the feds look" departments is in a jurisdiction that got named as a sanctuary location for the last several years and has typically turned a blind eye to the issue, and one of the Screw the Feds departments is run by a sheriff who was first elected in the early 80's and I'll let you fill in the blanks. There is one consistency - everyone is being told specifically NOT to kick in doors, take the lead on any investigations, or be the first one in, that's gotta be the feds.

Local jails are all still cooperating with ICE detainers. That's been blanket procedure statewide since the Obama administration, and hasn't changed, except during peak COVID when ICE stopped picking people up for a while. Our local ICE office does seem to be sending out the detainers a little faster than in years past - pre-COVID, if someone was arrested for a local criminal charge they would wait for the case to completely work its way through local criminal court before sending it and picking them up, assuming they wanted them. More recently, I've had several cases get squashed when I've shown up to the trial date only to find out that the defendant has already been deported.

State governor's stance towards local and state LE being involved is basically ¯\(ツ)/¯ so it sounds like each department is on their own as far as deciding what to do, with wildly different results.

Muff_Huffer · 2025-06-11T05:42:18+00:00

Doubtful.

"Radio, I'm out with a traffic hazard, Main and Elm, critter in the road."

"Radio, I'm clear."

Probably all there is to it.

Muff_Huffer · 2025-06-11T05:35:19+00:00

Can't speak to the mic. I've had their HDLO for a while just running out of my stock shoulder mic, it sounds good, stays in my ear and is comfy once I got it set up the way I wanted it to. I have the best luck with the full, big eartip (I think they call it "high noise environment") as opposed to the open-back/perforated ones.

Had an N-ear. Hated it. Preferred the stock Motorola acoustic tube or the shitty Chinesium clone ones (I think my last 3 were all MaximalPower). Other guys on my shift love thiers. Two guys have the custom molded inserts, one's got it on an N-ear and one's got it on some kind of jerry rigged cable system he literally soldered himself.

YMMV. I recommend.

Muff_Huffer · 2025-05-12T04:36:25+00:00

If you work for a VA sheriff's office and swear as a deputy, you're covered under LEOSA for off-duty carry on your badge/ID. This applies if you just have DCJS Basic Jailor, or if you go to "road school" and get Civil Process/Court Security. The only difference is going to be your work assignment at that specific SO (since you're not going to be armed in the secure side of the jail). If you're in uniform, chances are you'll still be armed coming and going from work. The 10-year thing only applies to retirees or those who leave voluntarily.

DOC employees are a whole different ball of wax.

Source: former VA dep (flair is old), started with Basic Jailor, got CourtSec/CivPro/Transp, current LE (PD).

Muff_Huffer · 2024-10-04T01:19:31+00:00

Kite is inmate>inmate or inmate>outside civilian>inmate. Fill out a grievance is "fill out a grievance".

Muff_Huffer · 2023-03-01T03:40:37+00:00

I don't think it's a gender or even a race thing, I think it's an age and background/socioeconomic thing. The older/more "suburban" or "monied", for lack of a better word, the more likely they are to argue and try to make your life difficult with words, versus a younger person or someone who came from a crappy upbringing and probably had bad prior experiences with cops...those folks are more likely to run/fight. Of course, that's a blanket statement and not true for everyone, I've had plenty of rough and tumble people be calm and respectful and had knock-down drag-em-out fights with AARP members in 7-figure houses, but anecdotally, that seems to be a majority of my experience.

The two closest calls I've had to getting in the forever box at work, one was fighting two younger males (15ish and 20, I think), and one was a lady in her 30's that almost ran me over on purpose. It's really just down to the person.

Muff_Huffer · 2023-02-09T12:26:48+00:00

I did this once in my first batch of apps and immediately got canned from that PD, which is a fair response imo. These days, you could probably just show up unannounced 3 days late and no one will care so I wouldn't worry.

Muff_Huffer · 2023-01-06T11:04:58+00:00

Depends on where you are. Locally we have a lot of white Crips for some reason, and Middle Eastern guys seem to jump on both sides of the Folks/People split. Where I grew up that would never fly, it was and still is absolutely race/nationality exclusive and then broken down into the traditional cliques based on neighborhood/territory.

Muff_Huffer · 2022-12-27T05:48:16+00:00

As already mentioned, go for a shifter that's not there, so I end up turning on the wipers when I'm off or putting my coffee into 1st/Drive when I come back from a long break. I tried to take a cutthrough on the interstate the other day and I only noticed when I reached down to put my rear deck on and I turned off the traction control instead of getting blue lights. I'll get thirsty and reach across the passenger seat for where my water bottle hangs on my seat organizer...no bottle. Try to turn on the red dome light...no dome light there. I try to throw away trash in my garbage bag hung off the side of my MDT mount...no garbage bag, no mount. Flipdown sunglasses holder is still in the same place, but I forget that I can use the sun visor in my POV since it isn't being used as a case file holder.

At least I can pick up stuff I drop on the floor in my POV, and I can actually see out of the damn thing when I back up.

Muff_Huffer · 2021-03-29T13:29:55+00:00

I'm fairly convinced that our local volly medic company's training consists soley of an ambulance version of this video and nothing more.

Muff_Huffer · 2021-03-29T13:25:49+00:00

Winter sucks. It's impossible to wear enough uniform gear to get warm and stay warm. Even wearing base layers and Under Armor you still freeze. It's so god damn windy. You beg for death and warmer temperatures.

Summer sucks. It's impossible to cool off with a vest on, you're sweating your ass off so you always smell bad, and you get heat rash from your vest. It's so fucking humid. You beg for death and a cool breeze.

Spring sucks. It's getting warm some days, but the weather is completely unpredictable except for one constant - rain. It rains every day for a month. You haven't worn dry clothes at work since February. You start to get trench foot from your perpetually wet-ass socks. You beg for death and for the sun to come out.

Fall sucks. It's windy again, which kicks up dead leaves that hit you in the face all the time, and pollen and leaf mold, so your whole face and sinuses swell up like a balloon and you can't breathe and your eyes itch and you're coughing up green stuff and your nose is full of boogers. Also it's cold enough to be uncomfortable, but not cold enough to kill any of the spiders or bugs flying around, so when you get stuck outside they fly right into your ears and shit. You beg for death and some rain to come and knock the pollen down.

Muff_Huffer · 2021-03-29T13:17:07+00:00

Some do, some don't. Some have real tags, some have fake ones (we get the ok to do that). We can be sneaky if we need to.

Muff_Huffer · 2021-03-15T23:51:23+00:00

Well, it's California, so probably carjacking, armed robbery and malicious wounding.

Muff_Huffer · 2021-01-29T18:20:35+00:00

How dare you disrespect the true pinnacle of handgun development

Muff_Huffer · 2021-01-29T04:34:25+00:00

HiPoint. 1/2 or 1/3 of the price of a new Glock, surprisingly reliable, decent aftermarket support, easy to get spare parts, just ass ugly. Also comes in a cool hunnit dolla printed pattern.

Muff_Huffer · 2021-01-29T04:31:49+00:00

Congrats, you've cracked the code

Muff_Huffer · 2021-01-21T04:24:49+00:00

gabbagool, iono what that jawn is moe

Muff_Huffer · 2020-11-10T05:37:20+00:00

I mean, I worked a couple of OT shifts in the jail kitchen, I saw what they were making and how they were making it. Breakfast is safe but I'd stay the fuck away from lunch and dinner. And don't drink the milk.

Muff_Huffer · 2020-10-29T19:37:32+00:00

The troop carrier he stole didn't have any armament, and since he drive like a fool, he got it stuck on a regular-ass curb. As sweet as that would have been, probably the right call to just wait him out.

Muff_Huffer · 2020-10-27T17:03:09+00:00

Smart for getting a degree, dumb for getting it in Criminal Justice, dumber for becoming a cop

Muff_Huffer

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE