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I'm going to be a cop for my town/one of the towns around me. I heard they were changing it so that you didn't even have to go to college to enter the academy, but i think I'll still go for my bachelors.
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I'm going back about four pages here, but a word of advice to you or anyone else who wants to get into law enforcement: Put yourself through the academy. Treat it like college. You'll have to shell out a few thousand clams, but most likely you'll have a job before you graduate. A bachelor's degree is an excellent idea and will definitely help you if you decide to go for promotions, but getting on The Job has gotten really competitive over the last ten years.
There are two basic ways to go about it: There are the State Department of Personnel tests and the 'Chief's Tests.' Basically, the DOP test is governed by the State and you basically end up in a pool based on which counties and branches (Municipal Police, Corrections, State Forest Ranger) you're willing to work in. There are a lot of people out there running classes to help you pass this exam, but there are also a lot of people taking this exam. Combine that with the fact that the veterans of our armed forces (God bless them all) get a substantial amount of points to put them at the top of their list, and with a war going on and troops coming home and looking for cop jobs, the competition's tough.
As far as the Chief's test goes, well, the municipalities that don't go with the DOP basically give their own tests. Outside private agencies make the tests and again, there are people out there that give classes.
The latest trend is that police chiefs are now taking resumes from people who have either worked in other departments or put themselves through the academy and hiring them. It saves the department time (Takes about six months to complete the academy) and money (Costs the town money to send a recruit). I'm not guaranteeing you'll get a job if you just put yourself through, but your chances will be far better. I know a guy who had three different departments calling him while he was in the academy.
The most important thing you need to consider in this field is this: Are you absolutely sure you want to commit to this career, or are you just doing it for easy money and a pension? I'm seven years in now and still love what I do, but my father just retired after twenty five years of being bitter and miserable. He can easily look back and say, "I should have..." While there are the occasional foot pursuits and car chases and whatnot, the job isn't like you see on TV. It's stressful, and if you plan on being a family man, it can be difficult. I know at least three guys in my department alone going through divorces after extremely short marriages.
I don't have any regrets, and last year I was able to make just over $100k (A whole lot of O.T. and traffic jobs). I'm in a bureau with work that suits me and my coworkers are awesome. It has its bad days like any other job, but the good far outweighs the bad for me.