Pros
You work with some honest, decent, hard working people- at the lower levels A modest paycheck is direct deposited twice a month You don't need to buy uniforms- hopefully they will last you 5+ years for replacement A health "discount" plan (AKA insurance, with increasing rates and decreasing coverages) A retirement account that takes 7% from your modest check and is set aside After 8 years, the retirement account is "vested" and upon retirement matching will begin to an equivalent of less than 70% your current income (minus about $500/mo if you choose to continue the retired employee insurance premiums) Life insurance policy of 50,000 included, free of charge! (additional coverage extra) Free annual Tuberculosis checks! Meeting a variety of people from all walks of life that have broken laws, a select few high profile/major crime suspects! (potentially meet the next Bonnie and Clyde) Occasionally, it is fun and rewarding
Cons
You can get a job at APD doing less work and making $20,000 more annually APD has a union that ensures pay raises are given annually, per the agreement Established on the "Good Ol' Boy" system You are exposed to numerous highly contagious / life threatening diseases Work in an environment changing people that have defecated, urinated, bled on themselves Constantly be threatened as well as threats to family (which largely go undocumented due to lack of support for the profession by public / supervisors/administration) Studies by cardiologists/ other doctors show most retirees will not live to see past their 58th birthday due to high stress environment leading to medical conditions such as heart failure, etc. - most employees do not live past 5 years of retirement- this means big bank the county gets to keep Supervisors/Administration only looking out for themselves, crushing anyone that isn't useful for them to climb that ladder CEO is invisible, unavailable, and blind to the free-reign power trip command staff is on to create political alliances and destroy what was a more decent place to work Low morale is rampant ON ALL levels They lure you in with a "payscale" and tell you you will advance on it every year, but do not mention they freeze this payscale and employees go years without raises Austin's living wage is much higher than employees can afford When you do get a raise, it is less than the 3% inflation rate Your raise diminishes, and becomes negative due to raising the deductions for health insurance Commissioner's Court Judges who make at least $124,972 annually think you get paid too much even though you make about 64% LESS than they do (estimate based on $46,000/yr) You risk your life, your family's life (see above for contagious diseases), you're constantly degraded, and do not have any support form supervisors Due to working shifts of 8 to 12 hours, 24 hours a day, with non-weekends off, mandatory overtime most people who are married will be divorced in 5 years or less.