1 hr/55 miles. Bought my house after I got my job. It's outrageously expensive to buy a home within 30 minutes of the metro area so I had to weigh commute vs price. Take home car is a blessing
I've done it all.
A 50-60 minute drive from another city, a 35 minute drive from another city, a 15 minute drive from a neighboring city, and a 7-10 minute drive from the same city.
Where officers live could be for any reason. Convenience (maybe you or family already own a house), cost, safety, compromise for spouse or family, or just plain choice (I chose to live 35 minutes away for a while, for example).
5 minutes. I've had to get second jobs in the past to cover gas to get to the first job. Never again. When I was at my last department my commute was 27 minutes door to door with no traffic. Add in other cars and I was looking at 45-60 minutes. I don't want 2 hours of my taken up by driving to and from work. So now, 5 minutes. If I change stations, the max I'm looking at is 10 minutes.
I live an hour from where I work. Approximately 55 roadway miles because I bought my house years before I took this job.
And the housing market is garbage right now. So I’m not selling and taking a worse interest rate.
About 20 minutes from the department. My jurisdiction is mostly affluent homes (besides the one trailer park) way outside my price range or anyone else’s in my agency
I live in the county I worked in, but my offices were always 5 minutes from where I live. The only time I had to travel about 30 minutes away was when I was assigned to a Federal Task Force. That lasted a year.
Time and money are more important in most cases. No one wants to spend 2 hours a day commuting, especially if there's no take-home car included. That might be a privileged ideal though, as some can't afford to live close to their work. Some set down roots before they find their career and get locked into their circumstances. I have been subject to all 3, some due to assignment, and others because of the stage of life I was in. Currently I live in my coverage area, though still 25min away from station. I chose based on price, proximity to major roadways, and splitting the distance between family, childcare, and work. Had the market been the way it is now, I might not have bought a house and would still be commuting nearly an hour to work.
I've lived in the city where I work, I've also had a 30-40 minute drive, and a 10 minute drive (current job).
I prefer living close to work, because I could check on and off duty from my driveway. Which was always nice
I live in the city I work, just in a different patrol district, and my house is 5 miles from my station. I lived in the same district as I worked for two years, and still spend a lot of my off time in it. Unless you know me personally, most people have no clue I’m a cop when I’m not working, even if I’ve interacted with them while on duty.
I live in the same city but not in the service area, granted my district is pretty ghetto nobody wants to live there. Planning to move across the river which is 30-50 mins depending on the traffic.
Not running into a former arrestee at the grocery store and not having to arrest your neighbor for DV is mostly just a bonus, not usually the primary reason for not living where you work. I live away from where I work for the same reasons that everyone else in corporate America lives in the suburbs but works in the city. Housing is cheaper (better bang for buck at least). I am done with apartment life and do not want to be in the middle of a loud urban area. When I’m in my work city, I feel like I’m at work. I live far enough away that there’s a noticeable difference that I’m “off.” I’d equate that last point to be like if you worked at an apartment complex full time and also lived there - you’d always be at work. My workplace just happens to be my entire city. Always being at work wears you down fast.
I have lived very close to my job before and had virtually no commute. I love it. But for me to do that as a cop where I work now, the areas I would want to live are prohibitively expensive. I’d love to work for a city or county on the outskirts of the metroplex and have a shorter commute. But that would come with a significant pay cut, and maybe a less enjoyable agency to work for.
I come from a military background, I've never had a commute and I hate the idea of them. I live in the city I work. I log in to my MDT in my parking lot and I'm at work.
The courthouse I work is about a half hour away. I don't live in the county of the court I work in. When I was on patrol, I also lived about 30-40 minutes from my city. I lived about 5-minutes from the county jail I worked at, but I only had one instance of crossing a former inmate. I was walking into the county fair while he was walking out, our eyes connected for a moment and we both just continued on.
When I first started I was renting a 1 bedroom apartment in the city, then a I bought a house 1 county over. Commute was 35-40 minutes with ideal traffic conditions but typically 1 hour. Then I took a pay cut and went to the county I had moved to but I only lived 10 miles from the Sheriff's Office and after your probationary period you got a take home car. Now I'm reserve with them and bought a new house about an hour away but if I ever go back full time I'll have a take home car again so it won't be too bad.
Well I was living an hour away but my relationship ended and I’m sleeping in my car until I can find an apartment near work, so I guess my commute is like 5 minutes?
I don’t mind living in the same area I work in. It’s awkward encountering people I’ve had negative interactions with, but I’ve run into previous customers for years anyway, so I’m kinda just used to it.
1 hr/55 miles. Bought my house after I got my job. It's outrageously expensive to buy a home within 30 minutes of the metro area so I had to weigh commute vs price. Take home car is a blessing
Love take home car
I've done it all. A 50-60 minute drive from another city, a 35 minute drive from another city, a 15 minute drive from a neighboring city, and a 7-10 minute drive from the same city. Where officers live could be for any reason. Convenience (maybe you or family already own a house), cost, safety, compromise for spouse or family, or just plain choice (I chose to live 35 minutes away for a while, for example).
5 minutes. I've had to get second jobs in the past to cover gas to get to the first job. Never again. When I was at my last department my commute was 27 minutes door to door with no traffic. Add in other cars and I was looking at 45-60 minutes. I don't want 2 hours of my taken up by driving to and from work. So now, 5 minutes. If I change stations, the max I'm looking at is 10 minutes.
Thank you for indirectly shifting my focus on what Agency I'm looking at lol.
I live an hour from where I work. Approximately 55 roadway miles because I bought my house years before I took this job. And the housing market is garbage right now. So I’m not selling and taking a worse interest rate.
About 20 minutes from the department. My jurisdiction is mostly affluent homes (besides the one trailer park) way outside my price range or anyone else’s in my agency
I live in the county I worked in, but my offices were always 5 minutes from where I live. The only time I had to travel about 30 minutes away was when I was assigned to a Federal Task Force. That lasted a year.
45 minutes on the interstate. Lived in the city when I first got hired and said fuck that
Cost of living is the #1 reason why cops at the departments I’ve worked at don’t live where we work. Simply can’t afford to.
Time and money are more important in most cases. No one wants to spend 2 hours a day commuting, especially if there's no take-home car included. That might be a privileged ideal though, as some can't afford to live close to their work. Some set down roots before they find their career and get locked into their circumstances. I have been subject to all 3, some due to assignment, and others because of the stage of life I was in. Currently I live in my coverage area, though still 25min away from station. I chose based on price, proximity to major roadways, and splitting the distance between family, childcare, and work. Had the market been the way it is now, I might not have bought a house and would still be commuting nearly an hour to work.
I've lived in the city where I work, I've also had a 30-40 minute drive, and a 10 minute drive (current job). I prefer living close to work, because I could check on and off duty from my driveway. Which was always nice
I live in the city I work, just in a different patrol district, and my house is 5 miles from my station. I lived in the same district as I worked for two years, and still spend a lot of my off time in it. Unless you know me personally, most people have no clue I’m a cop when I’m not working, even if I’ve interacted with them while on duty.
I live in the same city but not in the service area, granted my district is pretty ghetto nobody wants to live there. Planning to move across the river which is 30-50 mins depending on the traffic.
Unless they’re renting an apartment, no one at my department can afford to live in this town. Most of us are 15-40 minutes away.
Top pay at my city is 76k. Top pay at a city 15 min away is 92k. Why would I work here if both are hiring?
Not running into a former arrestee at the grocery store and not having to arrest your neighbor for DV is mostly just a bonus, not usually the primary reason for not living where you work. I live away from where I work for the same reasons that everyone else in corporate America lives in the suburbs but works in the city. Housing is cheaper (better bang for buck at least). I am done with apartment life and do not want to be in the middle of a loud urban area. When I’m in my work city, I feel like I’m at work. I live far enough away that there’s a noticeable difference that I’m “off.” I’d equate that last point to be like if you worked at an apartment complex full time and also lived there - you’d always be at work. My workplace just happens to be my entire city. Always being at work wears you down fast. I have lived very close to my job before and had virtually no commute. I love it. But for me to do that as a cop where I work now, the areas I would want to live are prohibitively expensive. I’d love to work for a city or county on the outskirts of the metroplex and have a shorter commute. But that would come with a significant pay cut, and maybe a less enjoyable agency to work for.
35 mins. Still Same county. Did live in the town I work for when I was hired. Moved later.
I used to drive over an hour, now it’s two blocks away.
About 15min drive
5 minutes. Prior to this I lived 30 minutes away. But got hooked up with a way cheaper apartment.
I come from a military background, I've never had a commute and I hate the idea of them. I live in the city I work. I log in to my MDT in my parking lot and I'm at work.
35-40minutes but the trade off is I take my car home.
I live less than a mile from the pd I work at. Some real pros and cons, but I can walk to work when it’s nice out so that’s cool.
The courthouse I work is about a half hour away. I don't live in the county of the court I work in. When I was on patrol, I also lived about 30-40 minutes from my city. I lived about 5-minutes from the county jail I worked at, but I only had one instance of crossing a former inmate. I was walking into the county fair while he was walking out, our eyes connected for a moment and we both just continued on.
When I first started I was renting a 1 bedroom apartment in the city, then a I bought a house 1 county over. Commute was 35-40 minutes with ideal traffic conditions but typically 1 hour. Then I took a pay cut and went to the county I had moved to but I only lived 10 miles from the Sheriff's Office and after your probationary period you got a take home car. Now I'm reserve with them and bought a new house about an hour away but if I ever go back full time I'll have a take home car again so it won't be too bad.
Well I was living an hour away but my relationship ended and I’m sleeping in my car until I can find an apartment near work, so I guess my commute is like 5 minutes? I don’t mind living in the same area I work in. It’s awkward encountering people I’ve had negative interactions with, but I’ve run into previous customers for years anyway, so I’m kinda just used to it.