US Army MP

[Twister2]

My little brother is an army MP in mosul Iraq. He gets shot at a lot. There mission is to train the Iraq police. I am not in the service. I just wanted you to know that as an MP he has seen a lot of combat.

[Obie303]

Selino, read your PM's. 

Obie

[Maverick]

My first school in the Army was MP-OBC which was then at Ft. McClellan, now a deactivated post. Even at that time the training was for a COMBAT role far more than for enforcement. Figure you will be light mounted infantry with half the weapons, far less than half the manpower and back up. MP duty is not easy or safe. The actual gate guard duty has dropped considerably as most installations now use civilian contract guards.

I second the idea of talking to the local units. The idea that being in a support unit means you won't see action is total BS in this time period. There are Guard units that are finishing their 3rd tour in the sand box.

[Rich46yo]

I have been talking to a recruiter recently and he told me all about the Split-Option program so as a Junior in High School(which i am no) i would have to join the reserves and  i would go to Basic Combat Training the summer between my Junior and Senior year (this summer) then come back and finish my Senior year before being sent to Advanced Individual Training (AIT). He said the reserve units in our local area are just support units, no combat jobs( which is what i wanted to do, 11B or 19D). My recruiter said he thinks i should do Military Police so i can have a law enforcement experience when i get out whenever that is. Does anybody here have any experience in that career field? if so please expalin alittle about it. If i decide not to do split ops i am gonna enlist active duty when i graduate and go infantry.

Not in the Army, but in USAF. The sad reality is that 3 or 4 years of military MP will bring you zero points in getting on with a civilian Police Dept. At least with this nitwit Dept. I'm on. Oh maybe you'll find a small Dept. with a chief who likes military people and he'll give you a push. But generally? Most of all the big cities?
Your odds of getting hired by a civilian Police Dept would be much greater if you were a minority female then if you have MP experience.

At the least get your 2 year degree while in service. I would personally advise my kid to take a technical job in the military instead of walking around bombers at 0-Dark-30, while 40% below, or an army ammo dept. on midnights. Civilian Law Enforcement will still be there when you get out and it wont make one wick of difference what job you did in the war corp. Besides as an MP your probably heading for the sand anyways. Charming place the MidEast, at least where I was at I could spend my 18 mos drunk.

Whatever you do you must understand that recruiter is doing whats best for himself and the Army and that you come in 3rd. I'm sorry, but life is cruel. The recruiter will screw you. I have 30 years of MP and Law Enforcement experience. Thats where I'm coming from.

Both are fine/honorable choices for a career. Just be smart about it, and be aware.

[eagl]

If you want to be on a nationally recognized police force, consider the Calif Hwy Patrol.  They have programs where you can join the CHP before you leave military service, which helps make sure you don't get on the wrong side of age limits.  The CHP academy lasts about 10 months but they have the best pension plan in the country if you stick it out until retirement.  My Dad retired from the CHP after almost 30 yrs and my brother is currently a CHP officer.  As far as cop jobs go, it's pretty good once you get through training.  Lots of driving around, lots of working on your own, but it's mostly traffic enforcement so you don't spend all your time dealing with the real scumbags...  Just the ones who are dumb enough to try to get away using a freeway.

They have an informal motto sort of like the old Texas Ranger slogan of "one riot, one ranger"...  Some of them say one cop, one stop, emphasizing that they're trained to handle pretty much anything on their own.

And they strongly favor prior military.
 

[acfireguy26]

I have been talking to a recruiter recently and he told me all about the Split-Option program so as a Junior in High School(which i am no) i would have to join the reserves and  i would go to Basic Combat Training the summer between my Junior and Senior year (this summer) then come back and finish my Senior year before being sent to Advanced Individual Training (AIT). He said the reserve units in our local area are just support units, no combat jobs( which is what i wanted to do, 11B or 19D). My recruiter said he thinks i should do Military Police so i can have a law enforcemnt experice when i get out whenever that is. Does anybody here have any experince in that career field? if so please expalin alittle about it. If i decide not to do split ops i am gonna enlist active duty when i graduate and go infantry.

 Im a MP in the 214th MP Co. Alabama National Guard. I have been in since Dec. of 1995, with a 2year break between 2004 and 2006. Beleive me when I tell you that MP does not stand for Military Police it stands for Multi-Purpose. We are the force of choice. If you send the Marines or Infantry its an invasion if you send the MPs its a police action. We are baisically highly mobile infantry infact a fully armed squad of MPs has more fire power than a fully armed squad of standard infantry. But anyway, if you have some specific questions about this particular MOS please feel free to PM me.

[acfireguy26]

Figure you will be light mounted infantry with half the weapons

Im sorry this is an incorrect or out dated statement. BTW I did my basic and AIT at McClellan.Hated to them shut it down. My guard unit still trains out on Pelham Range.

[rpm]

If I had known about the split option program I'd have definitely done it.  Being that you want LE experience that would be a good route but even better (in my opinion) is the Coast Guard.  In fact they are establishing a law enforcement specific rating as I type this to be established within the next couple of years.  As always when thinking about any service, talk to all the recruiters before deciding on one, they'll promise you the world so get whatever they say in writing, and figure out if it's really for you.  Some people just can't deal with the structure for whatever reason.

What he said.

[scot12b]

I heard that Military Police are basically heavy infantry and has seen allot of action in Iraq and Afghanistan.

ll I think of a MP is a infantryman with the right to arrest that's it

We are baisically highly mobile infantry infact a fully armed squad of MPs has more fire power than a fully armed squad of standard infantry

LMFAO Nothing could be further from he truth! They are a Non Combat MOS the have woman in that Mos. I am not trashing woman just letting you know if they are in that Mos it one thing that makes it none combat. The MP`S train Iraqi  police well that what they did last time I was their. I would tell to see what you want  to do in the Army. I will tell you this if you really want  to serve join a combat arms Mos the Army needs people that fight like these Mos`s 11B, 21= us to be 12B, 19B,19K 13B, the five nasty`s they are called combat arms. It will be tough but at least you can say you were not a P.O.G or a R.I.N.P and you fought, you were not sitting on the F.O.B telling lies to your buddy's back home! PS guys take care to what you say some of were in the Army and can smell bullchit a mile away MP``S are grunts LMFO SSG Brackett formally of 3/7INF 3ID ROCK OF THE MARNE OIF and OIF 3

[lowZX14]

I can tell you this.  I wasn't a MP, but I was in a rifle platoon.  Either one you do will be fine.  I can't speak for the rest of the Armed Forces, but the good Ole University of Science Music and Culture's MP's love their jobs.  Yes, you will most likely go to Iraq and most likely ride convoy security, but you'll do that with a lot of MOS's. 

As far as working for a Civilian P.D., I can tell you one thing.  Most people don't like it because of the image people have, but Private Security Services most of the time pay better than a local P.D.  It's true that you don't have the retirement system that they do, but you also don't normally have to work 12 hours shifts (depending on location), don't have to deal with these stupid people in the public, or have to go to court and mess with these people.  It can also lead to other job opportunities in the Industrial Security field that pays big bucks.  And, the good thing is that most private security companies will eat you up for having MP or Combat Arms experience.  These are just my opinions.  I have worked with the public as a Professional Fire Fighter, and been around the general public with the F.D. and Rescue for most of my life, so working with them is rewarding, but frustrating as it can be most of the time.

[Rich46yo]

If it were up to me civilian PDs would only hire military veterans. At the least they would get a bump up the ladder for consideration. I think many PDs allow military service in lieu of collage. I think now even we do.

But the bottom line is our recruits that come out of the military have their heads and arses wired together much better. They make better coppers.

[SoonerMP]

I think you would like the job as MP. Personally, I felt it was one of the best jobs in the Army. I graduated in Sept 2000 and did the OSUT route since I was active duty. It was fun but it had it's obstacle, mainly that Ft. Leonardwood sucks arse in the summer time! You might want to do the split op if you plan to go reserve and go to college at the same time.

If you want action, you will get plenty of it. MP's act as a "force multiplier" in combat. That being said, you will be in a combat support role and quite often direct action missions. You will be leading convoys and also kicking down doors. Trust me, there is plenty of action to go around(well, at least there was in '04/'05). I loved it due to the versatility of the job. And you will recieve plenty of training in garrison and combat missions. Probably alot more than we recieved since we were not at war at the time. The "school house" has a fantastic urban training center and one of the best MOUT sites is at Ft. Leonardwood.

As for jobs when you get out, the opportunities are huge. I graduate from OU in the spring and I already have several great jobs lined up. Employers like to see things like MP on a resume because it means that you are from the best stock of the Army and that you are highly trained and disciplined. That being said I hope you choose to take the job as MP. Trust me, it's alot better than going infantry. If you want to live a life of hardship go for ground pounding, if you want to actually enjoy your time in the Army then go MP. Trust me, I have met many grunts that hate/envy us at the same time.

PM me if you need any other details. And good luck.

[Selino631]

hey thanks for the helpful posts. I just talked to a recruiter today and i am like 90% sure i am gonna do split option and go to BCT this summer. I am not joining up for the money, i want the advendture and experience. and since i am a junior right now i can enlist! i am really considring it.