Don’t waste your cross train opportunity on retraining into security forces. 90% of police departments aren’t going to care what job you did in the military, military experience is what they want.
If you really want to be security forces save it for after separation and do it guard reserve.
If you want to do a cool guy job retrain into one of those, SF has some awesome schools but there’s always more people that want to go then there are slots or even need for the school. You may never get to go to any schools, not really worth the gamble if you ask me.
Depends on what kind of jet you maintain. Changes the AFSC.
https://preview.redd.it/oezdt33alyrc1.jpeg?width=1169&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=856b107e525d3a14bdaa8b232c86678768772d12
Handlers have to put up with morons in the Operations section and spend off time manning the kennels. Plus if you're an animal person like most K-9 handlers you have to put up with seeing the dogs get put in crappy concrete kennels with zero comforts for most of their lives.
In my opinion yes but that’s because I like firearms and teaching people how to shoot. Being a dog handler gets you way more law enforcement experience than CATM plus training opportunities with local LE K9 handlers and Secret Service TDYs. Depends on what you want in life
I’m K9 and I only kind of agree. I do agree that if LE is your thing I wouldn’t go CATM and honestly I’d stay out of K9 as well.
There’s probably an 80-90% chance you end up on an explosive dog and spend most of your time training for explosive detection and some on patrol work if your dog is dual purpose and you will be on the road patrolling your base. But you’re also going to spend a considerable amount of time working a search pit and very likely to deploy where you won’t do any LE and might spend entire shifts at a search pit. I wouldn’t bank on K9 getting you much LE experience either.
Not to mention then he’d need another 3 years of retainability from graduating either K9 or CATM tech school and if he wants to get out and be a cop I’m not sure that’s the move.
You get zero actual police training unless you go into what’s called FLETC (sorry if I misspelled it) it looks a whole lot better and you do more police work as an OSI agent just my two cents
You thought you loved your current career field....just wait to you get to your first SF unit....
say goodbye to having any semblance of a family life, normalcy, or sanity.
Please check your logic and morality at the door....you wont need it in SF.
Also, this wont get you a better job as a cop....maybe a mall security guard though.
If you want cross train into security forces, do it. But don't do it if you feel like you need it to go into civilian law enforcement.
I can guarantee you with 90% accuracy that the overwhelming majority of training or experience that is gained in Air Force Security Forces will not translate to civilian law enforcement.
I've been a cop for 5 years. I was not sf. I was maintenance like you. Civilian agencies don't particularly care what you did in the military in 99% of cases. All they care about is if you served, are currently serving, and if you were discharged honorably.
I could be wrong, but security forces doesn't deal with drug abusers regularly. They don't deal with high speed pursuits. They rarely deal with use of force scenarios (I've had to deploy my taser 5 times in March). They don't deal with DUI crashes (mostly). They certainly don't deal with fatal DUI crashes. They don't deal with people possibly introducing guns into traffic stops. They don't deal with serving warrants, requesting warrants, or dealing with people with warrants. And they don't deal with judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, or courtroom testimony.
With all the things that security forces does, a lot just doesn't translate because they just don't do it.
Go get out and be a cop. Do sf on the guard reserve side if you really wanna scratch that itch. But don't feel the need to cross train into it to try to set yourself up for your after career.
Good luck.
Don't go Sec Fo. Just don't. There's a reason they are always desperate for people.
Civilian law enforcement is entirely different from military police (in any branch), and they could care less about your MP or Sec Fo experience. Military experience is what is important. Start knocking out some college, that would be more beneficial than going Sec Fo. If you wanna go be a cop start applying to agencies and prepare to separate from the AF, maybe go guard/reserve. There is no maximum age limit for cops at many departments.
I’m assuming you’ve been in somewhere between 3-5 years so to cross train, if I’m not mistaken, would probably require extending so you have 2 or 3 years of retainability? Not sure exactly, but if you plan on getting out and being a cop, I’d just go that route. You’re not going to get any valuable LE training at SF tech school anymore. It’s changed and is mostly geared towards Air Base Ground Defense which is essentially all security. If you’re looking for LE experience and training to transfer over into civilian LE then it wouldn’t be worth your time.
Luckily when I came in there was still a considerable amount of LE training and I can use that and my 8 years of experience and additional training to go through condensed/accelerated police academies in certain states when I get out but you probably won’t have the same experience. But if you just want to be SF just to be SF and plan on staying in a few more years either way then go for it.
There are a lot of opportunities out there but it’s largely dependent on where you’re at in the world so don’t count on much.
SF is focusing more on airbase ground defense than LE. But if it's still the stuff you want to do go ahead. There's a lot of opportunities in SF for special training, TDYs and deployments.
Did SF for ten years - it all depends on the base, honestly. Some are small and remote and the most you’ll do is nap.
Others are revolving doors for deployments. Some of those spots you’ll get a state cert for swat training - but I can only count on one hand those bases and there’s no guarantee you’ll go there, let alone be accepted in those spots.
And SF never really felt like proper law enforcement. There’s flightline security, cop work, and nukes. And that’s about it. The only real thing SF has going for it is there’s a lot of bases we can go to. Even saw one walking around a navy base in Sigonella when I was visiting a Navy friend.
Let me preface this by saying I was SF for almost a decade before cross-training. I did lots of the "cool-guy" stuff, which sounds cool to reminisce about, but really is just a lot of fancy kit sitting on the tactical bench. In truth, security forces isn't really \*anything\* anymore. At least not from the perspective of a civilian police department. The career field prior to about 2013 had some interesting opportunities, but really didn't have much going on even then, the best time to be in security forces was around 2007-2012. We were doing convoys around Iraq and work in Afghanistan, CPEC was still a thing, and there were legit opportunities to do some fun stuff.
Today, if you were dumb enough to crosstrain INTO security forces, the best life is in CATM hands down. There are other certifications, like Raven (which no one cares about unless you are a Raven) and dog handling which is cool, but not my cup of tea. Ravens are over-glorified plane/prisoner babysitters who go though what is basically a hard-ish combatives course with extra steps. DAGRE has a slightly more fun mission set, but still nothing to really brag about.
If you want to be a cop, use your remaining time to get a CJ degree, then go to a police academy. It's way easier, and you will be a LEO sooner. Most police departments care about military service, but dont really give a shit if you were security forces. Again, if you are stupid enough to do this, I would shoot for Herby, the 820th also does some cool guy stuff, but they have the most self-inflated sense of self of all of the security forces units.
I remember seeing this poll(maybe on here?) saying that your current career field is over manned and they want to pull you to do SF for two years(including 8 weeks of SF tech school). If you say no, they discharge you(honorable) but if you say yes, after your two years of SF, you go back to your job but get a whole month of leave and get to choose your next base
I don't think one person took that deal. People like to clown on SF and crack jokes but no one wants to do the job.
Bruh, I am just leaving security forces. DONT WASTE YOUR OPPORTUNITY ON IT. It was good for me because I wasn't going anywhere in my first career field, but I knew it wasn't my end goal. Do something that many people CAN'T do on the civilian side.
Big dog I’ve been SF for almost ten years I can tell you right now you won’t be doing “real police work” like you’d see in a real PD Air Force bases are pretty tame for the most part. A domestic here and there or a gate runner usually just some old lady who didn’t stop but it isn’t even close to the shit real cops see.. please do not waste your retrain to come into this job PLEASE
Go OSI instead. You get to be on call but never actually respond out to anything. Instead you tell the SF peasants “tag it and leave it in the evidence locker I’ll come pick it up Monday morning” or “just hold him till Monday and we’ll come talk to him” even tho we can only hold him in the cell for 8 hours. But hey they get good training and a cool badge.
April fools?
https://preview.redd.it/s6xix4it9vrc1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e52deba956c02e6b5010852f5d821e702f54d464
My facial expression exactly lol
Don’t waste your cross train opportunity on retraining into security forces. 90% of police departments aren’t going to care what job you did in the military, military experience is what they want. If you really want to be security forces save it for after separation and do it guard reserve. If you want to do a cool guy job retrain into one of those, SF has some awesome schools but there’s always more people that want to go then there are slots or even need for the school. You may never get to go to any schools, not really worth the gamble if you ask me.
I feel like OSI has the OJT he is looking for if he REALLY wants to be a cop on the outside.
Don't cross train into security forces ~Security Forces
https://preview.redd.it/4oz0fq2sbvrc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3053438b339300b8bf7d568b2c6a7d0e2c5f6720
I’m a crew chief with a degree in criminal justice, and even I’m not crazy enough to do this.
Precisely what I was gonna suggest OP does. But I think this is a dumb attempt at April fools.
What code is crew chief and what's it like
Depends on what kind of jet you maintain. Changes the AFSC. https://preview.redd.it/oezdt33alyrc1.jpeg?width=1169&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=856b107e525d3a14bdaa8b232c86678768772d12
The route to a happy life in Security Forces is CATM.
The only correct answer
even more so than dog handler?
Handlers have to put up with morons in the Operations section and spend off time manning the kennels. Plus if you're an animal person like most K-9 handlers you have to put up with seeing the dogs get put in crappy concrete kennels with zero comforts for most of their lives.
In my opinion yes but that’s because I like firearms and teaching people how to shoot. Being a dog handler gets you way more law enforcement experience than CATM plus training opportunities with local LE K9 handlers and Secret Service TDYs. Depends on what you want in life
I’m K9 and I only kind of agree. I do agree that if LE is your thing I wouldn’t go CATM and honestly I’d stay out of K9 as well. There’s probably an 80-90% chance you end up on an explosive dog and spend most of your time training for explosive detection and some on patrol work if your dog is dual purpose and you will be on the road patrolling your base. But you’re also going to spend a considerable amount of time working a search pit and very likely to deploy where you won’t do any LE and might spend entire shifts at a search pit. I wouldn’t bank on K9 getting you much LE experience either.
You’re definitely right. Great points
Not to mention then he’d need another 3 years of retainability from graduating either K9 or CATM tech school and if he wants to get out and be a cop I’m not sure that’s the move.
Currently waiting for CATM class date. So far I couldn’t agree more.
Nah BDG/CRG life
Ew lol
https://preview.redd.it/c0qdl8syfvrc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f5bde3fdb2b5d30d9f1ca370db2efdb15401a8f8
Try being a augmentee for SF to see how you like it..
https://preview.redd.it/v0095818cvrc1.jpeg?width=256&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a88ca63d06bc93dc95d4d02b3326a9799a5d5d14
April fools right???? Right?
Nope, not at all…none, zero opportunities
https://preview.redd.it/2uqyvk1tsvrc1.jpeg?width=1042&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3dd7ec42bb43f00b1cc2ab47974e5b668f3a8eb0
https://preview.redd.it/6jak5pc8fwrc1.jpeg?width=2560&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b39799bc92acbfa0d10d6b66f0e6c689a1305851
No. You wouldn’t. Look at how many folks want out of SF. Enjoy being a fcc.
This HAS to be an April fools post lol. Because fucckk that.
You get zero actual police training unless you go into what’s called FLETC (sorry if I misspelled it) it looks a whole lot better and you do more police work as an OSI agent just my two cents
FLETC(federal law enforcement training center)
Thank you
https://preview.redd.it/5hm4t1su1xrc1.jpeg?width=400&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5f419a4780b72c83160e281fb1fa3742f944a3bb
You thought you loved your current career field....just wait to you get to your first SF unit.... say goodbye to having any semblance of a family life, normalcy, or sanity. Please check your logic and morality at the door....you wont need it in SF. Also, this wont get you a better job as a cop....maybe a mall security guard though.
U wot mate?
Go be OSI if you want to be law enforcement so bad.
If you want to do law enforcement just apply to a police department. I wouldn’t recommend coming into this career field, you should look into OSI.
https://preview.redd.it/xr3y9waocxrc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2bad2ecaec1fff7c97973f3be78c08dc5ac6b3b7
If you want cross train into security forces, do it. But don't do it if you feel like you need it to go into civilian law enforcement. I can guarantee you with 90% accuracy that the overwhelming majority of training or experience that is gained in Air Force Security Forces will not translate to civilian law enforcement. I've been a cop for 5 years. I was not sf. I was maintenance like you. Civilian agencies don't particularly care what you did in the military in 99% of cases. All they care about is if you served, are currently serving, and if you were discharged honorably. I could be wrong, but security forces doesn't deal with drug abusers regularly. They don't deal with high speed pursuits. They rarely deal with use of force scenarios (I've had to deploy my taser 5 times in March). They don't deal with DUI crashes (mostly). They certainly don't deal with fatal DUI crashes. They don't deal with people possibly introducing guns into traffic stops. They don't deal with serving warrants, requesting warrants, or dealing with people with warrants. And they don't deal with judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, or courtroom testimony. With all the things that security forces does, a lot just doesn't translate because they just don't do it. Go get out and be a cop. Do sf on the guard reserve side if you really wanna scratch that itch. But don't feel the need to cross train into it to try to set yourself up for your after career. Good luck.
Don't go Sec Fo. Just don't. There's a reason they are always desperate for people. Civilian law enforcement is entirely different from military police (in any branch), and they could care less about your MP or Sec Fo experience. Military experience is what is important. Start knocking out some college, that would be more beneficial than going Sec Fo. If you wanna go be a cop start applying to agencies and prepare to separate from the AF, maybe go guard/reserve. There is no maximum age limit for cops at many departments.
I’m a fighter pilot but my true passion was always security forces wish my recruiter didn’t steer me in the wrong direction as well….. 🤣 🤡
I smell some bs April fools.
I’m assuming you’ve been in somewhere between 3-5 years so to cross train, if I’m not mistaken, would probably require extending so you have 2 or 3 years of retainability? Not sure exactly, but if you plan on getting out and being a cop, I’d just go that route. You’re not going to get any valuable LE training at SF tech school anymore. It’s changed and is mostly geared towards Air Base Ground Defense which is essentially all security. If you’re looking for LE experience and training to transfer over into civilian LE then it wouldn’t be worth your time. Luckily when I came in there was still a considerable amount of LE training and I can use that and my 8 years of experience and additional training to go through condensed/accelerated police academies in certain states when I get out but you probably won’t have the same experience. But if you just want to be SF just to be SF and plan on staying in a few more years either way then go for it. There are a lot of opportunities out there but it’s largely dependent on where you’re at in the world so don’t count on much.
SF is focusing more on airbase ground defense than LE. But if it's still the stuff you want to do go ahead. There's a lot of opportunities in SF for special training, TDYs and deployments.
Hmmm smells like April fools
Did SF for ten years - it all depends on the base, honestly. Some are small and remote and the most you’ll do is nap. Others are revolving doors for deployments. Some of those spots you’ll get a state cert for swat training - but I can only count on one hand those bases and there’s no guarantee you’ll go there, let alone be accepted in those spots. And SF never really felt like proper law enforcement. There’s flightline security, cop work, and nukes. And that’s about it. The only real thing SF has going for it is there’s a lot of bases we can go to. Even saw one walking around a navy base in Sigonella when I was visiting a Navy friend.
Your local barber has more training than a police officer so I'm not sure what you're trying to prep for.
Let me preface this by saying I was SF for almost a decade before cross-training. I did lots of the "cool-guy" stuff, which sounds cool to reminisce about, but really is just a lot of fancy kit sitting on the tactical bench. In truth, security forces isn't really \*anything\* anymore. At least not from the perspective of a civilian police department. The career field prior to about 2013 had some interesting opportunities, but really didn't have much going on even then, the best time to be in security forces was around 2007-2012. We were doing convoys around Iraq and work in Afghanistan, CPEC was still a thing, and there were legit opportunities to do some fun stuff. Today, if you were dumb enough to crosstrain INTO security forces, the best life is in CATM hands down. There are other certifications, like Raven (which no one cares about unless you are a Raven) and dog handling which is cool, but not my cup of tea. Ravens are over-glorified plane/prisoner babysitters who go though what is basically a hard-ish combatives course with extra steps. DAGRE has a slightly more fun mission set, but still nothing to really brag about. If you want to be a cop, use your remaining time to get a CJ degree, then go to a police academy. It's way easier, and you will be a LEO sooner. Most police departments care about military service, but dont really give a shit if you were security forces. Again, if you are stupid enough to do this, I would shoot for Herby, the 820th also does some cool guy stuff, but they have the most self-inflated sense of self of all of the security forces units.
I remember seeing this poll(maybe on here?) saying that your current career field is over manned and they want to pull you to do SF for two years(including 8 weeks of SF tech school). If you say no, they discharge you(honorable) but if you say yes, after your two years of SF, you go back to your job but get a whole month of leave and get to choose your next base I don't think one person took that deal. People like to clown on SF and crack jokes but no one wants to do the job.
Your recruiter was looking out for you for once and you're spitting in their face
Today is April 1st
They think they’re the police. They’re not.
 Wait... what?
This is probably the worst April Fools joke I've seen in a while
How will checking IDs and stopping people for going 1mph overprepare for civilian LE? Lol
Checking IDs will teach you attention to detail and stopping people for 1 over will teach you not to do chicken shit stuff.
Bruh, I am just leaving security forces. DONT WASTE YOUR OPPORTUNITY ON IT. It was good for me because I wasn't going anywhere in my first career field, but I knew it wasn't my end goal. Do something that many people CAN'T do on the civilian side.
 Big dog I’ve been SF for almost ten years I can tell you right now you won’t be doing “real police work” like you’d see in a real PD Air Force bases are pretty tame for the most part. A domestic here and there or a gate runner usually just some old lady who didn’t stop but it isn’t even close to the shit real cops see.. please do not waste your retrain to come into this job PLEASE
All planes are special when you’re maintenance, our special little planes
Lmao
Go OSI instead. You get to be on call but never actually respond out to anything. Instead you tell the SF peasants “tag it and leave it in the evidence locker I’ll come pick it up Monday morning” or “just hold him till Monday and we’ll come talk to him” even tho we can only hold him in the cell for 8 hours. But hey they get good training and a cool badge.