# So you want to be a Military Police member



## shawn5o (22 Sep 2020)

Some of my old thoughts on becoming an MP


"If you want to be loved, you should have joined the fire department.”

Do you truly want to be an MP (or civi cop)? Full disclosure: I served as an MP811 for six years (late 80s – early 90s).

I left the trade because it wasn’t for me, and went back to the infantry. First, there are good and dedicated men/women in the trade and I respect them greatly.

The possible negatives – You’ll probably be faced with long hours, attend court on your days off, you may be mocked or involved in confrontations (some may be violent or at least very uncomfortable), and if something goes wrong or seems to go wrong, you may be blamed. You may also find yourself posted overseas or sent anywhere in Canada. And, more importantly, you may have to change friends (and attitude).

There is good news; you will gain valuable experience, access courses through the Canadian Police College (I took the prerequisite Criminal Intelligence Analysis, however, the last module is extremely difficult); advanced driving course with the RCMP; sometimes a certain course may be offered through the province (for instance, we attended a crisis negotiation non-credit course provided through the Ministry of Justice and Solicitor General of Alberta); and the MP811 trade’s in-house courses, such as Aircraft security specialist; Close protection; Counter-intelligence; National investigation service; Use-of-force instructor; and others.

MP is a great career, however, think long and hard before committing yourself. And have fun.


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## Colin Parkinson (23 Sep 2020)

In Germany and in the US in the 70-80s, I got to see the difference between US and Canadian MP's. The US ones were quickly to use their batons on the unruly drunks. The Canadian MP's were generally more concerned for the well being of Canadian troops and showed far more patience.


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## shawn5o (23 Sep 2020)

Colin P said:
			
		

> In Germany and in the US in the 70-80s, I got to see the difference between US and Canadian MP's. The US ones were quickly to use their batons on the unruly drunks. The Canadian MP's were generally more concerned for the well being of Canadian troops and showed far more patience.




Hi Colin

My oldest brother served in the US army as an MP (2 x vietnam) and you are right. His answer to incidents was almost always the baton.

I'd often tell him one of the keys to MP work is communication beteen the subject and the MP. However, he seemed to like aggressive policing.

Oh, and did I mention that there's tons of paperwork inn the trade


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