Military Police Field

[GPJ]

Hello Marines,

My name is Garrett, I've decided to make the commiment to become a Marine. I'm in my first semester of college and I already know it's going to be a drag. I need something that's going to push me and challenge me so why not become one of The Few. I don't bull**** around, so when I want something I fight my hardest to get it. With that said, I understand I should be more worried about MCRD than a MOS field right now but by god I am worried about MCRD haha, but I am interested in a career in Law Enforcement. All around me (friends, family) are in that field so why not me.

I've already looked at the requierments for each field but would like a more personal experience for those Marines that are in these specific fields.

Military Police
Special Reaction Team
K-9

The question I have is, can you Marines give me insight on personal experiences in these fields? How does one get into either a SRT unit, or K-9 unit? Also, if I am put into Corrections, could I pull a lat move to MP when my 4 years are up?

Thankyou for your time Marines

[Dgen411]

Well let me just say that there's about a 75% chance your first assignment will be with a field unit, Basically an infantryman with a HMMWV.

If you do manage to go to a PMO the SRT unit of that station will occasionally hold indocs. Just volunteer and if you last, your in.

K-9 if offered to you during MP school where you and whom ever else wants to go K-9 will go on a board and they will decide who will be attending K-9 school. Once your in the fleet its much much harder to become K-9 so if you feel you wanna go that route then do it in MP school.

You can always Lat move as long as you meet whatever requirements there are.

I'm currently an MP on Camp Pendleton so if you have any other questions please feel free to ask

[GPJ]

Thankyou for the respone Marine. Will do!

[polizei]

Cpl, with all due respect, my class that just graduated September 16th, it seemed that most people besides overseas were getting PMO. Oddly enough...I thought most would get field. However, I'm NOT stating that you will or will not get field/PMO, and that was just my class. Classes change and the needs of the Marine Corps change. Basically, it's not up to you unless your reserve.

IIRC, SRT school is offered to LCpl and above, however is not a "split" like K9 at MP school, you have to wait until you get to the fleet, and it's my understanding that you have to be pretty ****-hot to get a spot. A lot of questions you might have will be answered if you make it to MOS school.

Any other questions about MP school feel free to ask, but as a reservist just out of school, I really don't know about fleet life. I could ask around, but chances are the questions could be answered here.

[Jfriesner]

Meyers it seems I just can't get away from you. There are a lot of factors at play here. If you have dependents you will most likely get PMO. Chances of getting corrections are unlikely due to the very low need for them. Far as this being a springboard into a civilian LE job here is my take. If you get field, go reserve route and you will be a contract field mp, or PMO you're going to get training that will no doubt put you ahead of those seeking a LE job that are non military. With that said both field and pmo MP jobs differ greatly from civilian LE. The one nice thing is many states will wave academy requirements if you have 4-5+ years of active MP service in any branch. You will also get extra points for being military when you try to get a job with a department. I've been through MN police academy and I'm a 5811. They were very different experiences and taught me very different ways of responding to a given situation. I would say if your really wanting to be an LE officer don't think you have to go military to get it, because of how different they are. However, after doing both I really wish I had done Marine Corps first and academy second instead of the other way around. After being in the Corps academy will feel like a vacation. Long story short you have a lot of options and MP isn't a free pass into civilian LE but it will put you ahead of the class for sure.

[polizei]

Wow, nice to see you on the boards Friesner. You love me

[Dgen411]

Interesting. We rarely get boots here but when I was with the division MPs we would get a fresh shipment every week or two. Where were most of your class sent to polizei?

[polizei]

All over the place Cpl. Some went to Oki, Iwukinu, Camp Pen, Miramar, Lejeune, Yuma, 29 Palms, Quanico, MCRD (both), etc. It seemed the majority were sent PMO too, which surprised me.

Friesner, you know you went to Camp Pen?

[Jfriesner]

Camp Pen? I went there for MCT and a little for boot camp but thats all. I'm in Fort Snelling MN. And our class was split pretty much 50/50 for field/pmo. Most the pmo's were Marines with dependents and we had quite a few of them.

[GPJ]

Thanks for all the respones Marines Jfriesner, and polizei. As far as me thinking MP is going to automatically put me into a civilian LE job, no i dont think so at all. My Dad is a highly respected Corporal for a sheriff department in Culpeper Virginia, Honorable discharge in the Navy, and he always pounded into my head if I go military, pick something that is going to help me once I get out. I know I dont have to look into the military to get me a career in LE, thats not what I'm looking for. I'm looking more for the challenge and discipline of the Marine Corps. Going to work with my dad, I can tell whos been in the military and whos not. Theres alot of LEO's who half *** and others who are on top of the game.

I dont think reserves is much of an option for me right now like I stated before college is a drag for me right now, I dont find it that motivating to get up and sit in a classroom for 3hours. But I figured getting into some MP field will allow me to attend some online courses and what not to obtain my degree therefore, will put even more ahead of the game. I'm not too worried about where I will be placed, wether it be field, PMO, etc. I'll find out soon enough. It's just nice to look at my options and what I get myself into.

One thing I have to ask, when you get to the MP school, are Marines trained along side with the Army or is it seperated?

[GPJ]

This is off-topic but I dont if you Marines would know the answer to or if I should go ask the local recruiters station.

I'm currently living in Michigan, and if I were to ship out from here I would attend MCRD sandiego. If I signed up in Virginia I would attend Parris Island. My question is if I sign up in Michigan can I get a courtesy ship to Virginia and leave to Parris Island instead of san diego. Reason I ask is my family is located all along the east coast, and if I make it through MCRD it would be easier on my family to attend graduation on the east coast instead of the west coast.

[Jfriesner]

You can go to either coast for boot. And no you do not train with the army in MP school. You will use army stuff but never train with them. One thing you will do is run! Miles and miles! So if you decide to go mp start running now. Sounds like you are on the right track if you are looking for something to teach you discipline and leadership skills. The Corps will do both and more.

[Zulu 36]

This is off-topic but I dont if you Marines would know the answer to or if I should go ask the local recruiters station.

I'm currently living in Michigan, and if I were to ship out from here I would attend MCRD sandiego. If I signed up in Virginia I would attend Parris Island. My question is if I sign up in Michigan can I get a courtesy ship to Virginia and leave to Parris Island instead of san diego. Reason I ask is my family is located all along the east coast, and if I make it through MCRD it would be easier on my family to attend graduation on the east coast instead of the west coast.

Talk to your recruiter about it. They can best tell you the yea or nay of it.

[fallfast90]

I was a MP and I have now been a cop in AL for a little over 2 years. My advice is go in the 5800 field. It will help you get in the right mind set if you do decide to get out and become a civilian LEO. With that being said, I highly recommend going through a full academy if you can. Don't do a abbrevaited academy even if they offer it because of service. The military side is really different then the civilian side of law enforcement. Civilian law enforcement is a lot more dangerous and the tactics that are taught in the academy and the field training part was a lot better then what was taught at MP school (atleast when i went through). Don't get me wrong though, officer safety is paramount regardless if your military or civilian. You need always be on your toes. Continue training and take advice from your more seasoned officers.

[Fubar5812]

being an MP is cool...being a K-9 MP is freakin awsome.