Well Damn

[EScanlon]

Couple thoughts:

Carl, wages in southern California are not a good indicator. Home values and costs of living in California are exorbitant, whereas other parts of the country have more reasonable values. People who work in California require more money to stay there. Where $50k may seem high it may in fact be what's required to get people to do the job period.

Alfa and Rick, as far as good raport with the police, it all boils down to how you wish to relate to them. Even in larger cities, police usually get assigned a "beat", in order for them to become accustomed to what goes on in that area. That familiarity is what allows them to pick out the odd behaviour that points to criminal wrong doing. If you wave and act friendly towards the cops, trust me, the word will get passed around and they'll respond in kind. Act rudely, glare at them and push the envelope of the law and you can expect to be treated accordingly.

Just my 2¢

Enrique

[Bambikiller240]

I'm in NORTHERN CA, and $50K is a signiifcant amount of money for someone just starting their career (even in CA), and it may be what is necessarry to get people to do the job, but it is still IMO plenty of "thanks" for a starting wage. Can't think of too many other professions (other than Doctor & Lawyer) that pay that well for rookies.

[EScanlon]

$50k IS a significant amount of money, no argument there.

However, I'll still wager that the average price of a modest, 3 bedroom, 1-2 bath, with a small back yardin your area of CA is up close to $250k. That is an EXORBITANT amount to pay. That makes the house payment close to $2k plus insurance and taxes. Figuring that total as $2500, it comes up to being 60% of $50k/yr BEFORE taxes (50k/yr = 4166/mo). That would make it a hard reach for most young people.

Rent? HAH! Same thing there. In fact, you can sometimes buy cheaper than you can rent.

My mother and sister and her family live in San Jose. You can't find a house for under $500k that is NOT considered a remodeling candidate. In fact, that's how some houses are advertised. A home that's equitable to mine with a similar amount of land and in a similar neighborhood is over $1M, I paid $150k.

Sorry Carl, although $50k is high for OTHER parts of the country, it's definitely not a GOOD wage for California.

No doubt there are many people earning less than that, but again, that's the amount that has been deemed NECESSARY to ATTRACT people to the job of police officer and hopefully stay on and live there. Then again, your crime rate is much higher...maybe that has a LOT to do with it. Not too many rookie positions (other than the military) offer the possibility of getting killed as part of the job.

I stand by my post, maybe I ought to delete the word SOUTHERN, as the rest does apply.

Enrique

[Bambikiller240]

I can tell you that there are a lot of people in my area, Pleasanton, CA (near S.J) which is a largely upscale community who do not make $50K a year (and they also don't get all the extensive benefit given to civil servants). Our crime rate boarders on non-existant (especially relative to S.J. and other "Big Cities"). Hasn't been an officer killed, or shot, or even severely injured in the line of duty in our community for the 53 years that I've lived (born and raised) here. It's a relatively cushy job in this community, especially at $50K to start.

You are thinking of officers who work in the ghetto's of Cokeland (Oakland), S.F., San Jose, Stockton, etc (all Northern CA cities with crime up the kazoo). Of course Cokeland (Oakland) has found it necessary to prosecute some of it's "finest" for running amok on the graveyard shift, meting out their own brand of justice without benefit of the judicial system. It's called the "Night-Rider" case. One of the officers was such a fine and upstanding fellow that he's fled the country to avoid procecution. Not every person with a badge on their shirt is a paragon of virtue.

Actually, the average home price in my area is well over $500K, a beater, or a rickety condo will set you back ~$300K. A $50K salary here won't qualify you to buy a house, that's true but who else in what other career can qualify to buy a house when fresh out of college? It's common for people to have to work their way up from starting salaries in order to buy a house everywhere. It is a hard reach for young people to buy, but why should it be any different for a rookie cop?

$50K (along with all the other benfits of civil service!) may not be a good starting wage for a Doctor or Lawyer, or some other profession, but it's a helluva wage for a rookie cop in this community and they don't seem to have any trouble finding people willing to take the job.

As someone who has lived here for 53 years and is still living here, I think your perception of my CA is not very complete, nor accurate. I stand by my post as well.

[1 Bravo 6]

WOW !!!!!!

Good Golly Miss Molly,

To think this all started from Billy Boy admitting to all and sundry that he has lead insoles in his shoes.

Good on you Bill, this is getting INTERESTING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rick.

:nervous: :nervous: :nervous:

[Fun_in_my_z]

Geeeeeeee I have parked the z untill i get some repairs done. Next decent day shes geting floorboards and a speedo cable

[Z Kid]

You have to watch out now, I live in a fairly small town, and the cop knows my car, my name and where I live (all for good things, the cops a car nut too). But a friend who runs a turbo Sigma (not sure if you have them in the states, but its a grandma car that he bolted a big slug to the side of) and he is known by first name, the car, his driving habits, his address, as well as the fact that he only has one point on his licence till the end of 2008. You now have the same treatment to look forward to that he has, frequent pulling overs, roadworthiness checks and RBT's. Good luck Bill, but you are now a marked man. I wont preach about the speeding fines, because I have racked up far too many, and always when rushing for something thats "important", I now realise that most things arent 2-300 dollar important

[Fun_in_my_z]

I was going after 2 cents worth of bread