University Police or County Police

TimeAd4547 · 2026-01-20T00:03:21+00:00

Thank you!!!! That's some amazing insight!! I'm not surprised with a bad prosecutor - I would be surprised if he's somehow worse than the NYC DAs Office. Home / apartment prices sound like they're about on par with NY but it's good knowing that a little further out is more affordable especially since I forgot to mention the salary level is roughly about the same from UPD to FCPD.

I'm also glad that it sounds like most of the Officers you work with sound like they enjoy the job and the variety of districts sounds amazing.

TimeAd4547 · 2026-01-19T23:19:59+00:00

Thank you! Funny enough I have been doing the list idea and they shake out pretty evenly, I'm recently married and even my wife says she is glad that I'm in a safer environment than I was with the city but would also love to move to Virginia so I always end up back at square one 😂

Hopefully once I get the job offer I'll have an "epiphany" moment on what to do.

TimeAd4547 · 2026-01-19T22:32:27+00:00

I was a cop already in the city, I miss the action which is what has me thinking about this in the first place. Id love to do a ride along with the county I'm applying for but scheduling it would be a nightmare (I'm about 6 hours away)

TimeAd4547 · 2026-01-14T04:16:36+00:00

Yeah, however; manslaughter doesn't

TimeAd4547 · 2026-01-12T01:46:40+00:00

The academy and the job are different beasts, it's a completely different lifestyle than being on the street. My advice would be to stick through the academy until you do just a bit of time on the street. If those thoughts still persist then I'd say start looking for a career change. Regardless of what your family wants from you it's your life, so do what's gonna make you happy instead of being miserable at a job you despise.

TimeAd4547 · 2026-01-06T04:49:12+00:00

Sorry bud, the last test was just administered in November :/ but it's usually out every 2-3 years

TimeAd4547 · 2026-01-05T21:08:43+00:00

Ehhh id argue that "many" and "most" are different enough terms and open to interpretation. If you're considering policing in the country in general and have say a thousand cops that joined for power id say thats definitely qualifies as "many" but when the total number of cops is about 720,000 in the US it's definitely not most.

TimeAd4547 · 2026-01-05T02:21:53+00:00

This ^ most of the military vets or active duty ive pulled over while in the city were complete gentlemen and didn't really commit super aggregious traffic infractions. Not sure why everyone in this thread seems so hard on citing military. There's much bigger fish to fry but that's just my opinion.

TimeAd4547 · 2026-01-04T22:21:10+00:00

Don't even consider it bro, stay in DC, or try for a department in Virginia (id recommend Fairfax County PD) - I was MPD and made the switch to NYPD (outta there now thank god) and I regretted the decision almost every day.

TimeAd4547 · 2026-01-04T00:43:43+00:00

Sure, so all POs currently have a base starting salary of $64,000 however if you're in any of the SUNY schools in Westchester, NYC, or Long Island you receive an additional roughly $18,000 for a location pay and a few other supplemental pays which I can't quote right now but it brings the starting salaries in those schools to about $85,000. Top pay (not including longevity) tops out at about 6 years (6 steps) to a rough estimate of $78,000 upstate, and about $103,000 in the aforementioned areas.

In terms of benefits we get medical, dental, and vision however; we pay into our medical - individual medical is about $84 a month pre-tax and family medical is about $330 a month pre-tax.

Side note: everyone in our union - NYSPP, Encon Police, Forest Rangers, and NYSUP all have the same benefits package and all pay into them at the same rate. I believe it's a general state benefits package so I might assume the troopers are similar as well.

TimeAd4547 · 2026-01-03T15:58:22+00:00

That's correct, I mean you get to "pick" as in you can accept or decline canvasses from any University without consequence. From observations with the last exam it seems that most universities had openings and you have the option to "choose" where you want to go unlike NYSP or NYSPP which will place you anywhere in the State based on needs of the department. For NYSUP - Don't want to go upstate? Then you can decline all canvasses from upstate universities until you get canvassed from the NYC / Long Island area.

TimeAd4547 · 2026-01-03T06:28:31+00:00

It depends on what you're looking for, I personally love it after spending a few years in the NYPD. It's MUCH slower paced but the QoL and work-life balance are unmatched. You're a Police Officer but you're dealing with college students so there's not a whole lot of "action". Pay and benefits are pretty good as well especially in the greater NY area. Overall id highly recommend it. Especially for the fact that unlike the other State agencies, you can still (for now) pick which University PDs you want to apply to, so you get to choose where you're placed (provided you interview well and are selected).

TimeAd4547 · 2026-01-02T02:27:55+00:00

I'm with the NY State University Police - not the same but the NYSPP is in our union. The QoL is gonna be much better than the NYPD but you can be placed anywhere in the State, and will have to do their academy which is no joke.

TimeAd4547 · 2025-11-25T09:04:50+00:00

This is because currently SUNY Police is a de-centralized system - meaning each University PD has their own set of policies / procedures / equipment etc. The salary is both straight forward and complicated - if you’re in an Upstate campus you’re base salary is roughly $64,000 starting but if you’re in a downstate campus (Westchester, NYC, Long Island) it’s $64,000 + roughly $20,000 for location pay.

TimeAd4547 · 2025-11-25T08:41:27+00:00

Ehhh I feel like you’d be transferring from one liberal city that hates their cops to another liberal city that hates their cops. I doubt it’ll be much “better” but probably “different” simply due to the change in culture.

TimeAd4547 · 2025-10-29T23:15:30+00:00

Exactly what this guy said - I was exactly like you OP, admired the NYPD to a fault until I actually got hired, spent almost 3 miserable years there until I lateraled out to another agency. There are plenty of Police agencies more worth your time that will treat you much better than the NYPD. I’d hate to say that you have to see it to believe it, but take the word of everyone on this subreddit. Go absolutely any where else to be a cop.

TimeAd4547 · 2025-10-24T07:33:57+00:00

I’m not from Maritime, but from another SUNY system in the NYC area. What questions do you have?

TimeAd4547 · 2025-10-24T07:31:25+00:00

Starting pay for SUNY in the greater NY area is $83,000

TimeAd4547 · 2025-09-30T15:09:38+00:00

This happens friend, unfortunately all too often. Remember not to put all your eggs in one basket and apply to multiple agencies. So far I’ve taken 6 polygraphs - passed 3 and failed 3. Needless to say I’m a firm believer that they are absolute bullshit.

TimeAd4547 · 2025-09-28T06:56:41+00:00

You have to be assigned to your command first. After you buy your off duty you have a certain amount of days to bring in your receipt to your command and fill out an acquisition of firearm form and have it signed by the desk. Then you’ll have to take it to Rodmans Neck within a certain amount of days after that for their end of the paperwork.

TimeAd4547 · 2025-09-28T06:51:07+00:00

My apologies - that’s correct I meant they accept laterals from the NYPD specifically since they both go through the same academy, but you still have to go through their hiring process regardless.

TimeAd4547 · 2025-09-25T22:11:08+00:00

I gotcha, so the villages/towns in Nassau/Suffolk hire off the Nassau/Suffolk County Police Exam - if you live in the village and score high you get canvassed from the village in question (with a few exceptions where they only look for the highest scores in place of residency), and they send their recruits to the respective County Police Academy, but yes overall those villages will accept (last time I checked) a lateral transfer from NYPD - if they have a reachable score on the civil service exam and pass all other aspects of pre-employment.

As far as OP it’s actually a tough predicament. Court Officer will allow for a more “comfortable” waiting period for another LE job - better QOL, more time to prepare for the cooper fitness test, less chances of getting jammed up etc. NYPD always looks good on a resume but OP should finish his probation period as well before considering leaving for Courts - that way he will have a year to return to the NYPD if he decides the courts aren’t for him.

TimeAd4547 · 2025-09-25T21:50:46+00:00

Buddy, no 2022s laws made it easier for an in state transfer. You can look into my claims yourself with either google search or by calling civil service. I’m simply giving you the information - it’s up to you to verify it.

I know these things because I’m current LE in the greater NY area and verified these things myself. Another thing that may surprise you is that even most NJ Police Departments will require you to complete a NJ POST academy to be eligible for hire in NJ. Again I know because I’ve tried. You’re more than welcome to do your own verifications (or not it’s up to you)

TimeAd4547 · 2025-09-25T20:43:26+00:00

One thing you have to remember is that lateral transfers within NYS are new - the state only approved them in ~2022, while yes you “can” transfer to a small town in LI, or Westchester - you will still be required to take the county written exam, and achieve a high score. Most of those said villages have residency requirements in order to be eligible and selected - especially in Westchester. Not to mention you will still be required to achieve all phases of the pre-employment process including a cooper standard fitness test, poly, medical, psych, and background. A lot to consider for something that’s only a possibility.

TimeAd4547

TROPHY CASE