what do you have to do to become a police officer?

Question

Do you take a written exam or what? Is it hard? What is the exam about?

when you attend police academy, do you live on campus?

how many years do you have to serve until you are eligible for promotions (detective, sergeat, etc)?

one last question- what's the difference between state police and city police?

Answer 1

I am a retired Deputy Sheriff, with 23 years of service. I hope I can answer your question for you...

First, you will need to fill out an application with your local law enforcement agency. Either City Police, County Sheriffs Dept, Municipal Police, Township Police, Constable, Parish Police or State Police, whichever applies in your area.

After a background check, you will be called in for an oral interview. You will also be required to take a drug test, which obviously you must pass. Most departments require that you take a polygraph test, and you must satisfactorily pass that.

If you are selected, you will be scheduled for your police academy classes. Some departments, depending upon the size, require that you live on campus. Others send you daily to your local community college. Each block in the academy courses are very detailed. And you are required to pay attention, and pass each block with at least the minimum required score designated by your department. If you fail, you lose your job. The classes range from easy to difficult. If you pay attention, listen to your instructors, and follow directions, you will be fine. At the end of the courses, you will be required to take a state mandated exam. If you fail the exam, some departments will allow a re-test. If you fail again, you will be terminated from your job. If you pass you go on to the next step.

If you pass all your exams, you will be issued your uniforms, equipment, weapons, ammunition and other supplies. You will be assigned to an FTO ( Field Training Officer ) for a designated period of time. If you make it through your on-the-job training with your FTO, you will be assigned as a fully sworn police officer and assigned your patrol duties.

Supervisory positions like Corporal, Sergeant, and Watch Commander are positions that you will have to apply for, take oral exams, written exams, weapons proficiency tests, and in some cases physical agility tests. If you pass, then you are considered for promotions. Special teams, as I was on, this consists of SWAT or ERT, depending on what you want to call them. You can apply for those positions, and you must take tests in order to be picked for those teams.

Detective positions are open to officers who have a certain amount of time in service, usually designated by your department as to how long is required. You will be given oral interviews and written exams. If chosen, you will be put in training. Once you are trained, you will go into field training. After completing that, you will be a sworn detective.

State police can be two thing in this country, depending on what area you are in. In some states, State Police can handle any call in any area. They are similar to any other police officer or deputy sheriff, but have a wider range of jurisdiction. In some states, they are predominantly highway patrol, and only handle traffic and vehicle related law enforcement duties.

All these jobs require that you be sharp, pay attention to detail, do as you are told, and stick by your partner like glue. If you do not have the nerves or the stomach for the job, you are getting into the wrong profession. Police officers have the highest divorce rate in the US workforce. Many succumb to alcoholism due to the stress from the job.

You have lots of hours on duty, all shifts. You will spend lots of your time in court, depositions, juvenile hearings, family court, and training. You will spend your holidays, weekends, family members birthdays, children being born, anniversaries, etc on duty. Get used to it. You are constantly on duty. Don't expect favors, you won't get any.

The job is dangerous. You will be beaten more than once in your duties. You will get hurt plenty. You may be shot or stabbed. You might even die. I lost 6 of my friends to murder. I spent many a day at a cops funeral. It's not Hollywood, my friend. It's not bang, bang, we all look dead, then get up when the show is over. When your friends die, they are quite dead. And you never forget it.

I have seen the most gruesome sights any man could see in a lifetime. I have smelled smells that would puke a maggot off a gutpile. I have seen victims that ranged from infants to the elderly. I have even dealt with those who have abused the dead.

It's a dead serious job. It's not Miami Vice or CSI. We don't have fancy cars and luxurious buildings to work out of. All nice, coming from Hollywood, but that aint real life, I can assure you.

If you decide to do this job, I commend you, but also ask that you seriously consider this before you commit to it.

Best wishes, stay alive!

Answer 2

State Police have authority and cover the whole state. City Police, authority is in the city or town. Graduate from High School, take the required college classes, enroll in a Police Academy, most are off campus. Eligibility for promotions to detective, sergeant etc. depends on you superior officer. All promotions require classes and a lot of test.

Answer 3

Every police force in the world is different. Go to their website to check the requirements. Yes there will be written tests - you have to attend an academy or police college before taking the test and there will be minimum requirements to be accepted in the academy.

In the USA there are decentralised police forces due to historical and political reasons. There are thus hundreds of police forces. This means the police are better able to serve their local area, rather than the whims of politicians who might send them to wherever they need the most votes in the state (for example). The state ones are controlled by the state government, rather than the city or county.

In Australia there are no decentralised police and therefore only one police force for each of the states, plus a federal police force with jurisdiction over the international airports and the capital territory etc.

Answer 4

I'm going to try. It depends what state you are from. If you were to be police officer in IL, you will have to take written exam, and physical exam, once you pass both, you will be sent to intense training that last about 6 weeks. Now, in order to be a detective you will have to have college degree. The different between city and state is that city you can only arrest people in your jurisdiction, and state you can arrest anywhere within that state.

Answer 5

Requirements to become a police officer vary and how you become a police officer varies depending on the police department. Some relatively common minimum requirements include having at least a high school diploma or ged, being a citizen, being at least 21 years old, having a valid driver's license, and having no felony convictions. Some relatively common steps in hiring processes include application, written test, physical fitness test, interview, drug test, medical examination, and background investigation.

Answer 6

It depends on what state you are in.
In my state/city (milwaukee, wisconsin) you take a written text, physical exam, oral exam, psychological exam and then you go to the academy, but you don't live on campus. You get paid for the academy training. You also have to be an officer for 3 years before you can take the exam to be a sergeant or detective.

Answer 7

it all depends on what state you live and what city. where i live to be state police you only need "Some college" but to be a police officer in the city of colorado springs, you need at least a two year degree, in the city of denver you need a two year degree, but in the suburb of denver Aurora, you need a four year degree. the el paso county sheriffs department requires only a high school diploma. most states and citys and countys tend to be as different as my home. the easiest thing to do is go to the state county and city government police websites and agencys and ask what their requirements are. state police is the one that is the most different from all of them, you pull over speeders, and clean up wrecks all day, it is probably the most difficult to work because of the level of boredom and carnage. for the most part promotions are based on performance rather than how long you have been on the job. good luck being a police officer is one of the single most noble callings you could ever answer.

Answer 8

go to the library and check out one of the practice tests.
They will give you a great idea regarding what is on the exam.
If you got in ANY trouble as a child, please go to the courthouse and have those records SEALED.
Some departments want to be sure that you have good credit (not at risk to be the victim of bribery).
Also some require that you have some college.
Each department is different so the academy that they send you to might be different too.
I dont think that there is a universal time frame wherein which you will be eligible to take the test for a sargent's exam.
There will be written and verbal interviews and a background and credit check.
You might have to undergo a psychiatrict (sp) evaluation too!
GOOD LUCK!

Answer 9

college at least 2 yrs
pass the all the tests
academy after that if u pass
n police work

Answer 10

To become a police officer. first of you need to go to lots of training. if i were you i would take a class at a community college called "Administration of Justice" they teach the basics of becoming a cop and all that good stuff. and yes it extremely difficult to be a cop, you have to go through several weeks of training just to be a payed cop. and then to climb in the ranks you have to go through other trainings such as bomb squad or SWAT training