Hey, MUFAZA, even in California, we are cops first and pilots second!!! We just get paid better than in most (not all) other places in the USA. I've got almost 32 years on with my Southern California agency, the past 11 years with our Aviation Unit. As a "Flying Sergeant" - Sergeant with flight pay differential, plus my longevity pay, etc - I make about $145K/year, without overtime, and there is plenty of that if I want it. (Keep in mind the cost of living is fairly high in Southern California) I get to fly both fixed wing and helo, and am generally having a great time in the twilight of my L.E. career. Let me tell you a couple stories:

First story: About 30 years ago, I faced the same dilemma you are now facing, at almost the same age as you are now. I was working patrol in South Central Los Angeles, having the most fun anyone can have with their clothes on, working the inner city crime filled streets, but I was also working as a part time flight instructor at a local airport. I had some previous scheduled Part 135 experience and about 2000 hours of multi engine before getting out of flying full time and becoming a cop, and I heard through the local airport grape vine that United Airlines was hiring. It was, I believe, 1980 or so. I applied, and after going through all the stuff, interviews, invite to Denver to fly the DC-10 sim, etc, I got a job offer..... but eventually turned it down. I had originally left flying full time (right before I became a cop) because I was bored with "gear up, autopilot on" and didn't like being away from home; and in the end, despite the potential major airline pilot job, it was those same reasons that caused me to re-think the airline job decide not to take it . But I had a couple of buddies that DID get hired by United, at that time..... and, as I recall, their first five years went something like this: they were hired in 1980, furloughed in 1981, back to work in 1982, furloughed again in 1983 and then not back to work again until 1985. After that, I think they were ok, and were Senior enough come 9/11 not to take a hit again at that time. So the truth is, even if I had gone with United in 1980, the likelihood is that I would have been begging for my cop job back come that first furlough in 1981! And, as I am now close to retirement, I am certainly VERY glad that I have my cop retirement benefits to look forward to, and not a United employee's retirement plan.

Here's the second story: About 10 years ago, one of my buddies, another cop/pilot at my Dept, who had always harbored the dream of being an airline pilot, applied for, and got hired by SkyWest. He decided that rather than retire from the Dept (which he was eligible to do at that time), he would take all of his accumulated time off (vacation time, comp time, etc) - I think it was about 8 weeks off - and then just go through the initial training at SkyWest....... so he left himself the option of coming back to his gov't paycheck and his airborne law enforcement job. And good thing he did. Turns out, that he was not all that thrilled with the regional pilot lifestyle. The final straw occurred one day when he was assigned to ride jump seat with an EMB120 (I think) crew, and he ended up talking to the Captain, the FO, and the FA about his previous job as an airborne law enforcement officer. And the Captain said something like this to him: "So let me see, you want to leave a government job, where you get the excitement of chasing crooks and putting them in jail; you get - generally - whatever time off that you want; you are home most every night; you have a great retirement plan; AND you make more money than ME (the Captain), and the First Officer, and the Flight Attendant, all put together !!! - and you want to leave that job to come do this? Are you crazy?" And that was when he realized that yes, he'd have to be crazy to do that, and he left SkyWest and came back to his airborne LE job. He is, finally, retired now, and has a job flying jets for some cargo outfit, I believe.

Take these stories for what they are worth. And you can always fly part-time while still being a cop...... I always have, and am still doing it.

Feel free to PM me if you wish.