What specific steps should I take to help prepare me to become a California Police Officer?

Question

Okay, so my fiancee is applying at some depts through out northern California and he is trying his best to prepare, but at the same time doesnt know exactly what he should study/ research. He wants to prepare himself. He has bought the barron's Police Officer exam practice tests book to study. He is also practicing Interview questions so he is prepared for the interview portion of the hiring process and is going to hit the gym up so he is ready for the physical portion. And we also know that he should get the cliff notes type edition of the California penal code as well as research into the depts. that he has applied at and know the chain of command. CAn you please help me? Let me know some other SPECIFIC areas in which he should study and or research and things he should do to prepare himself better. I would really appreciate it. Thanks.

I also forgot to say he is also volunteering at a police dept and is going through a citizen academy.

Answer 1

RIDE ALONGS!!!! He needs to show the dept. that he is applying for that he is completely interested and dedicated to their department. This way when he gets in his oral board he will be able to say..."I have done 5+ ride alongs and I have learned X,Y, and Z about this dept. and what I admire about this dept. is...., and why this dept. is good for me is.......! He should become as familiar with the dept. he is applying with as possible. Internet is a good place for factual information such as pay, benefits, crime stats, problems the dept. is facing, and also info regarding the city or county they serve. He should also memorize the job description!!!! A lot of questions are asked off of the flyer that is announces open positions!!!!!

The Barrons books are a good tool to prepare for the written exam. They are also useful in oral boards, but ride alongs are better!!! I used both!! The problem with these books are they are not able to be dept. specific!! The book I used was intended for NYPD, not California.

When I did my ride alongs, the deputies actually asked me some oral board type questions to help me better prepare for the exam. They let me know what to expect in all stages of the long and nerve racking hiring process!!! During the ride alongs try to talk with some recently hired deputies. If they just went through the process, they will be the BEST source of info you can find. After all, they just successfully completed it!!

I was the first person hired out of my class. After I was hired the people who interviewed me told me that I had an amazing interview!!! I owe it all to doing ride alongs and ASKING A LOT OF QUESTIONS!!!!! Good luck!!

Answer 2

Requirements to become a police officer vary, and how you become a police officer varies depending on the department. Visit the websites of the police departments that you might be interested in working for. Police department websites often provide information about their applicant requirements, about how to apply, and about their hiring process. 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. Some police departments will hire you, and then send you to the police academy. You should consider trying to get hired by a department that will send you to the academy. This way, you would already have a job and be paid while attending the academy, and you would not have to pay tuition to attend the academy. Some departments require applicants to have already completed police academy training before being hired. Some police academies will accept students that haven't already been hired by a law enforcement agency. In this case, you pay tuition to attend in hopes of getting hired after you graduate. Keep in mind that you still might not get hired after completing an academy. Getting a college degree is one of the best things that you can do. Many police departments require or prefer applicants to have college. Having a degree could help you get hired by some departments. Some departments pay their officers more if they have a degree. Having a degree could also help you get promoted during your career. Make the most of your time in college. Get the highest grade point average that you can, participate in a couple extracurricular activities, get a good internship, do some regular volunteer work, don't do anything illegal, and maintain a good reputation. Getting police officer jobs is becoming more and more competitive. Do whatever you can to make yourself the best candidate that you can. Keep a good driving record, don't get bad credit, improve all of your communication skills as much as possible, practice to improve your observation and memory skills, and become as physically fit as you can. Consider local, state, and federal jobs. How well you do on written tests and during interviews can be very important when trying to get police officer jobs. Make sure to prepare for any test and interviews.

Answer 3

Requirements to become a police officer vary and how you become a police officer varies depending on the police department. Visit the websites of the police departments that you might be interested in working for. Police department websites often provide information about their applicant requirements, about how to apply, and about their hiring process. 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. If you want to become a police officer, you should consider getting a college degree if you don't already have one. Getting a college degree is one of the best things that you can do. Many agencies require or prefer applicants to have college. Many applicants have college. Having a degree could help you get hired with some agencies. Some agencies pay their officers more if they have a degree. Having a degree could also help you get promoted during your career. Some police departments will hire you, and then send you to the police academy. You should consider trying to get hired by a department that will send you to the academy. This way, you would already have a job and be paid while attending the academy, and you would not have to pay tuition to attend the academy. Some departments require applicants to have already completed police academy training before being hired. Some police academies will accept students that haven't already been hired by a law enforcement agency. In this case, you pay tuition to attend in hopes of getting hired after you graduate. However, you may or may not get hired after completing the academy. Getting police officer jobs is becoming more and more competitive. Do whatever you can to make yourself the best candidate that you can. For example, don't do anything illegal, maintain a good reputation, keep a good driving record, don't get bad credit, improve all of your communication skills as much as possible, practice to improve your observation and memory skills, and become as physically fit as you can. How well you do on written tests and during interviews can be very important when trying to get police officer jobs. Make sure to prepare for any tests and interviews. Consider local, state, and federal jobs.

Answer 4

Study up on Spanish and VIetnamese. These are 2 in demand languages. I was called upon often to translate for Spanish, and this is a HUGE help especially in California.
If he doesn't appear Hispanic this is also a bonus. I would have suspects blabbing about something in Spanish and thinking there is no way this German cop knows what we are talking about. Like Spanish was some secret code like "Codetalkers" the movie.
Also valuable tactically if they are talking about trying to overpower you. Constable Lunsford in Texas whose murder was captured on videotape had clues if he had only known Spanish...

Answer 5

You can always join the Guardian Angels who are legitimately in it to help people. These guys aren't power hungry cowards hiding behind a badge and they don't have guns. They also do it for free. So the tax payers aren't getting scammed. Like they are by the over corrupt and over priced Policing system.

Answer 6

The best way has got to be to Volunteer!

Answer 7

You'd have to be a complet a*s hole.or they won't let you in,oh and also be ugly.