my local community college offers a basic police acadamy is that all you need to become a police officer?

Answer 1

It depends, i know a lot of community colleges that will send you to the basic academy but it will only allow you to be certified as a Part-Time Officer only. you will also have to be sponsored by a department or pay an academy tuition fee if you are not sponsored for the Full Time Officer certification. After your basic academy you are assigned an FTO Officer for one on one training, this is where you get your practical street experience.

Answer 2

Depends - iIf you're talking about a basic (POST) police academy.......

Some academies will let you go through the academy as an unaffiliated student if there's space. That reduces the cost to iring departments so they don't have to pay for recruits while they go through the academy. The operator of that academy will require a minimal background check, esp to determine if you're a felon before entering.

To become a police officer, you generally need to go through the following.....

1. Written and oral exam
2. Physical agility exam
3. Psychological screening
4. Background investigation
5. Medical exam
6. Polygraph
7. Completion of the basic POST academy (26 weeks +/- in California)
8. Training with a field training officer (400 hours or so)

Once you've done all that, then you generally are on your own...

Calif Deputy

Answer 3

Most CCs have some qualifications that you must fit in to be able to attend. If you fit and want to pay the bucks you can put yourself through an acadamy. But you can not be an officer unless you are hired and sworn in. That takes a department specific process. It can give you a leg up (I am told) if you put yourself through. Departments will tend to fast track you through the process so that you will have an offer of employment by the time you graduate. Good luck!

Answer 4

It depends on where you live. In Texas, you now have to have college hours BEFORE attending a police academy and class length depends on where you're going (where I went, the college offered a day class which lasted a semester and a night class which was 8 mos long).

After that, you'll have to take your licensing exam and of course, pass then apply at different law enforcement agencies.

Again, here in Texas, I know that some agencies will hold your commission if you can't get out on patrol, but work in either dispatch or the jail. (Dispatch is the next best place to work if you can't get out on patrol because you learn radio procedures and how to talk on the radio, etc).

Good luck!

Answer 5

Where I worked, you could take courses at the college on law enforcement but it didn't qualify you to be an officer.

Anyone interested in working for the department had to go to the Recruiting Office to fill out their paperwork and each had to have a complete background check and polygraph.

Once they were chosen for the next class and notified through certified mail, they then had to go through 6 months training at the Academy and pass before being sworn in.

Answer 6

Yes, after you attend a regular basic academy you are certified to be a police officer in your state. You still will have to go through a field training program at the agency you are hired at.

Putting yourself through the academy puts you in a different hiring classification as "Academy Complete." and will usually get you fast tracked into getting a job.

Answer 7

They dont offer police academy. They offer a certificate or associate degree in Criminal Justice. That is just the beginning step to becoming a cop. You have to then apply to be a cop and if hired you are sent to an academy.

Answer 8

No, the community college program isn't enough. You have to go thru the academy for which department you're joining.
Vocational colleges advertise these programs and people pay thousands to attend but soon find out, these programs don't satisfy each departments requirements.
Save your time and money.

Answer 9

well - to get into the academy - you must be sponsored
it's not like it's a regular college course

either a police department, sheriff, or highway patrol will need to sign off on you so that you may attend

then when you complete that academy
you will spend 4-5 months with a field training officer
you will be at your hip - until they sign off on you to be on your own

THEN - you get sworn in - and have fullrights and priviledges

best of luck!

Answer 10

It depends upon what region of the country that you live in. Some small departments will hire you with this training, others will require more extensive training. Check with the department(s) that you are interested in, and see what they specifically require.