After police training, how do you get a job as a police officer?

Question

Looking into this for a friend. After you go through police academy, say at a community college that offers it, and after you pass all of the state exams, how do you go about getting a job as an actual officer? Is there recruiting involved? How long does it usually take to get hired? Are there people who never find jobs? Is it difficult to get hired into a desired city? Are the only guaranteed cities that hire major metro areas (i.e. Detroit)? Are there any good jobs for people with only community college training, or do all of the "good" positions go to four year college grads? Please no guesses. I'm trying to find real answers. Feel free to add anything helpful, specifically if you or someone close to you has been through the process. Thanks.

Answer 1

Actually normally it is the opposit way, you get hired at a police department and they put you though the police academy. Paid to go. You get hired by applying just like you would to get a job at McDondalds.

Next you can get hired in some departments without college, in some larger departments you may need a 4 year degree. Also many departments today are looking for a second language or a computer science degree

In some areas you can pay your own way though a police academey, those that do ( with a clean record) I have never known them to not have a offer before the graduate.

Please dont confuse a Jr College police admin course with a police academey, they are not the same thing,
You will have to graduate a state POST certified academy to be a poolice officer.

Normally the pay is higher for degreed people over those not.

Answer 2

My dad just retired after being a cop for 20 years...he got his job in a bit of a backwards way - he was in the navy for several years and after getting out, he attended a local police academy (I think that was '73 or '74, around the time I was born)...however, he did not immediately go to work for a police department. Rather, he worked on cars for a while - a service manager at a dealership, as well as a service center in addition to helping my grandfather out at his service station in addition to tows. In the meantime, my dad was a volunteer firefigher. That kind of segued into part time dispatching, eventually full time dispatching then part time cop. When I was in 6th grade, he became a full time cop. However, since he didn't have an actual college degree, just a police academy many years ago, he was always beat out for promotions (for sargent and such).

My boyfriend is also a cop...he has been in the army both active duty and national guard for more than 18 years...in the late 90s he completed a police academy with the state highway patrol in addition to having completed his associates degree in criminal justice. He applied to depts all over after the academy and landed the job he's in now. He's also, at this point, pursuing his bachelors degree in criminal justice.

Some of the major metropolitan areas (especiallly growing ones) have nationwide recruitment - Phoenix is going through this right now - I live in Ohio and they even had a big recruitment thing at the university I work for last fall.

Answer 3

OK if your friend has passed a police academy course for a community college, he/she needs to apply at a local police department. Most have recruiters that can help make acceptance easier. One thin that I learned is that if the local police department is accredited, they may require police officers to have a minimum of a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. It takes about 6 months to get a police officer appointment because they need to do in-depth background checks and if something is found, and it can be corrected, they may give your friend a chance to correct a problem (or potential problem). It takes some time to get an appointment, but your friend can have a job for life IF he/she follows the laws and actually works FOR THE CITIZENS. A police job is NOT like it is shown on TV. In fact, I believe it is harder and competition, isn't like TV makes it look. Good luck.

Answer 4

Um usually you have to actually be hired before you can go to a police academy. I really dont know of any colleges that have police academys. You can get a criminal justice degree from a college but that does not substitute for an academy. I was hired by my local department then I worked for about a year and a half as a patrolman then I was sent to the Indian Police Academy at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Artesia, NM (FLETC) but in order to be sent there you have to have a sponsoring agency. Basically someone has to already hire you then you go to the academy and if you pass then your hired permanently. If you fail you go through the whole application process again. So dont fail. Do or Do not, there is no try.- - Master yoda

Answer 5

Most of the time you need to take the test. Civil Service or Chiefs test, unless it's a political department. Then once you pass, you are put on a list (if it's Civil) and then you'll get letters from either departments that participate in the Civil Service test and also Jails. Then once you go through an interview process, they hire you and then you go to the academy. If it's Chief's test than it's more for only the town you took it for and the same thing, you go through the interview and then they send you to the academy.

Answer 6

After you graduate from a police academy, you will already be POST certified and become a member of the police force. Now if you are talking about something like a criminal justice degree, etc., you have to go through the police academy, like everyone else to become a police officer.

Answer 7

Many of our local police have two-year associates degrees from community colleges. Those community colleges have relationships with local police forces, and they have been successful in placing graduates with them.

I also know a few people who have served as military police in the Army who have gotten local police jobs.

Also, many local municipalities in my area advertise for police positions in the want ads. Of course, taking the civil service exam is required.

I only know one police officer who has a four-year degree. She got a job quite quickly after getting a degree in criminal justice. Also, while on the job, she was able to get a masters degree in criminal justice from the same university.

Requirements for hiring police vary from state to state and from municipality to municipality.

Answer 8

While it is OJT in terms of how the police feel only the academy counts as far as any GI bill cases go for as long as I know.

Answer 9

apply in any of the police communities, take the exams written and oral and if you pass, there you go.

Answer 10

sorry i'm not much help, i just find out my relatives get "assigned" never bothered to look into it, but now that you've mentioned it, i'm curious now.