state trooper

detective

director of information technology

student assistant

senior executive assistant

Michigan State Police (MSP)

I was very fortunate to be given the chance to work with the 
Michigan State Police I was overjoyed at the prospect of being a part of this great organization and I had such pride when I told people about my job.

I was hired and began my time as a trainee. It was quite intimidating at first to say the least but I wanted to learn. You will get used to some things faster than others. The sheer scope of my duties and the amount of information I had to get familiar with was so daunting. Throughout my various stages of training I was given a trainer. All trainees will spend one month on each of the 3 shifts and have a trainer who will guide you through the job. They will listen to your calls and watch you dispatch to ensure that things go smoothly. If you have questions they will answer them. If you are unsure they will give you advice. In short they are a great asset to make your transition into this job as smooth as possible.


I made it to the 3rd phase of training before I decided to call it quits. The work is incredibly stressful and that is to be expected. 4 months into the job and I just looked at what I could expect if I stayed and told myself I could not make this commitment.They switched from an all 8 schedule to a schedule that includes both 12 hour and 8 hour shifts. being asked  complete your 3-11pm shift and then turn around and come back for a 12 hour shift that starts at 7am the next morning was just not something I was prepared to do regularly. On top of that people regularly got mandated on the days that they were not scheduled to work. As a trainee I cannot be mandated or do overtime. But for everyone else, the only way around this is to volunteer for overtime. Besides that the only real con is the fact that you do not get a lunch. Everybody eats at their desk because they job is just so busy. You can step away to use the bathroom of course but don't take too long.
On the reverse side if you wanna make a lot of cash this overtime deal would be amazing.

The people you will work with are great I cannot stress this enough. There are tremendously dedicated and giving people working at the dispatch center. I feel terrible starting and then leaving but it is what it is.

In my case there was no such thing as a typical day. However there was always one constant, that was report or complaint writing. 

Since for me, there was no such thing as a typical day, most everyday was a learning experience in some form.

Management would have been better served if the personal placed in this capacity, had personal experience in the line of work they were supervising.

I found that the majority of my co-workers were dedicated to thier work as I was.

I found the hardest part of my job was turning down a mission request.

The following is one of numerous accounts of an example of my most enjoyable parts of my job:  

It was the 24th of December and a 3 year old boy was left at his grandmother's house so mom could go do some last minute Christmas shopping.  Grandma had let the 3 year old out to play and he wandered off.  A group of 300 searchers had been looking with no luck and daylight was fading.  The call came in for an aerial search.  My partner and I readied the departmental thermal imager equiped helicopter and was soon enroute.  I was flying a circular pattern, increasing the area flown until reaching app. a half mile out when I noticed in the dimming light, a strange pattern in a snow covered field, which resembled the following; .....__...__...__ .  At the end of this pattern was the 3 year old boy, who had shed his boots, gloves, and hat.  I flew around in front of him a little distance and landed, at which time my partner, exited the helicopter and retrieved the boy and rapped him in my parka.  My partner boarded the chopper with the little boy and placed a headset on him. I could hear the boy saying herocoper over and over.  We returned the boy to the waiting ambulance, the searchers, Grandma, and of course, mom.  We later learned that the little boy had a fascination for helocopters and had come out of a heavily wooded area to look at the helo he was hearing.  He had only suffered minor frostbite.  What a GREAT Christmas present!

MSP gave me a great career, and I’m still proud of my former brothers and sisters in blue, so it isn’t easy for me to be critical. However, I feel that real leadership is becoming a rare commodity in the ivory tower in Lansing.  Promotion on merit is not common; a lot of selections seem to be made based more on checking demographic boxes rather than actual ability. There’s a lot of talk about pushing decision making downwards but not much actual authority to go with it. Middle managers are frequently frustrated with being saddled with tremendous responsibility but little ability to act (but getting plenty of blame when things go sideways). Communication from the top down is lacking in substance. Accountability and transparency in top management seems, shall we say, inconsistent. And the MSP culture, while strong in most respects, enables this. 

On the positive side, MSP invests a lot of training in its employees and provides a variety of career paths that help prevent boredom or burnout. Pay and benefits are competitive. The department enjoys a well-deserved reputation as an elite law enforcement agency. MSP troopers (and civilians) are top-notch and great to work with. There are still some very good leaders in the ranks, and a lot of dedicated and passionate people, so it’s not all doom and gloom.  To be fair, in my opinion we seem to have a dearth of real leadership examples in our society in general, so take my comments for what they’re worth. 

Would I recommend MSP?  Yes. In fact, my wish is for fresh infusions of young talent with real lead-from-the-front attitudes to eventually right the ship. We need that in police work now more than ever. 

Overall a good organization to work for, a lot will depend on what post you get assigned to work at or what specialized unit you're in. Very challenging occupation, with excellent opportunities for advancement. Law enforcement is like a calling. You must have a passion to do it, because if you don't you can get burned out quickly. It can be very demanding at times, also very rewarding. A very unusual occupation, where you face danger every day. Sometimes you are called upon to make split second decisions without much time to deliberate. And that's when you revert back to your training and your common sense. Also after being on the job for about two years, you can get a good feel for police work and determine if you have a certain area of law enforcement of interest, or what is referred to as finding your niche. Whether its uniform work or undercover assignment you determine and pursue what you feel is best for you. My most rewarding experience was working in uniform. I enjoyed working and wearing my uniform on a daily basis. I enjoyed being visible and serving the public. If you aren't a uniform person you may be more suited for an undercover or plain clothes assignment. There are also other areas or units in police work, for example, Underwater Recovery team, Aviation department, Motor Cycle unit, S.W.A.T unit just to name a few. So as one can see or envision , there are different areas of interest in police work which may be of interest to someone, wanting to pursue the field of Law enforcement as a career.

As a Michigan State Police student intern I was able to be fully immersed into a normal work day of a MSP Trooper.  A typical day involved about a 10 hour work day, where the Troopers were called to various kinds of complaints.  Instead of working completely all highway patrol, the Troopers often were called to; domestic disturbances, homicides, child protective services, and any other domestic type calls other than regular traffic enforcement.  The State Police is lead in every Post by very qualified and knowledgeable men and women with all types of police work and educational backgrounds.  The most rewarding part of my internship and of what I witnessed from working with the Troopers was the constant ability to be working closely with the public and truly protecting and serving the community.

The Michigan State Police offers an opportunity to work in many different areas of L.E.  From traffic, to investigations.  Trooper do much of their own investigations from start to finish and are kept involved in their investigations.  

I was afforded the opportunity to work the road, and was assigned as a D/Tpr. in the gaming section.  I had the experience of working on the Governors Detail assigned to like secret service to the Governor.  

I was assigned as an undercover narcotics officer.  As a Trooper Investigator I assisted post D/Sgt. and trooper with high index lengthy investigations. 

There are so many different areas a trooper can work within the state of Michigan.  You are not limited to just one location.

One 45-minute panel interview after a phone screening was not enough time to get to know someone for a management position. 

The amount of initial information they throw at you is oppressive. There are literally reams of processes and rules to learn, and you have to electronically sign that you have read them. The number of passwords and user names I had amounted to almost two dozen.

I observed a culture at the MSP HQ that I can only describe as sad. Individualism and innovation are discouraged. There exist cliques with closely guarded membership that resemble the most immature of high school culture.

This is a classic government bureaucracy.  It's common for one person to do the work while four people manage. It was very inefficient.   



As the state was downsizing, my job with the state police involved, the removal and relocation of all fixtures, furnishings, etc. from numerous locations.I was amazed at the amount of protocol,professionalism,dedication,training these people display.From the director to my direct supervisor I did not encounter a unfriendly person. Its was a bit fast paced at times, because of time frames and deadlines.Even in the menial position I was in I was proud to be associated with the state police.I can provide a letter of recommendation upon request.

When I was at MSP for my internship, I learned so much and had the opportunity to ride along with other officers. Listening over the radio at the dispatchers was one of my favorite parts. The reason being, is there was never a dull moment. A lot of the officers where eager to bid on calls so that they may help someone in need. The hardest part during this internship was seeing all the children who needed help, but not being in the position to provide aid. This experience was unpaid, but fast paced, respectful, and professional.
In the highest regard, I recommend having an internship with MSP.

I have worked at various state agencies, and the MSP is by far my favorite.  The sense of pride I have to be able to tell people I work for the State Police is awesome.  The work atmosphere is that of a family.  Don't get me wrong, there is workplace drama, but that is everywhere. I feel valued and appreciated here.  I love that I get to experience different things, like riding in the MSP helicopter, flying in the MSP plane, working with the recruits at the training academy, among others.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
State trooper 1 salary reported	$44,000 per year
Detective 3 salaries reported	$80,667 per year
Director of information technology 2 salaries reported	$156,304 per year
Student assistant 1 salary reported	$21.40 per hour
Senior executive assistant 1 salary reported	$65,468 per year

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