How do i become a policemen??

[nuchpatrick]

Hi Eagle..  Welcome to O-Town.

Here are the requirements for the Sheriff's office. I still think they run acadmy's: http://www.ocso.com/Default.aspx?tabid=69

And here is the OPD's requirements..

http://www.cityoforlando.net/police/misc/recruiting.htm

Good luck!!

I hope that helps..

If you haven't been around Orlando much.. shoot me a PM and I can point you to most anything.

Pat

[sNiPeR]

Originally posted by x0847Marine

Physical evaluation - (2nd phase) finger in sphincter

What the hell is up with that?!?!?!!???

getting you ready for sitting with your thumb up you arse waiting at the speed trap?

[Maverick]

Originally posted by sNiPeR
What the hell is up with that?!?!?!!???

getting you ready for sitting with your thumb up you arse?

I'd bet you have that market cornered more than adequately.

[x0847Marine]

Originally posted by EagleEyes
wow.....my heads starting to hurt from all this info! lol.

The more i read into this stuff, the more i like it.  But the one thing im confused about, some say Military service is good, others say its not.  So to you big shot policemen.  Is it really better to BE in the military??  Because i really wanna be at  the top of the list from the get-go.

It's a complete toss up bro, esp these days, IMO the only reason to join todays military, other than the Coast Guard which is different, is if they offer you a super-duper neato-o job like chopper flight training. The military is hurting for skilled people, should you qualify for flight training it would not only help you get hired, but in the event you dont get hired... you still have flight skills to fall back on.

Other than that, I'd go see a Coast Guard recruiter.. they do lots of Federal law enforcement on the watrers, make DUI boat hooks.. they do some cool stuff... the experience would be invaluable.

Keep in mind that there are things beyond your control when applying to a PD, especially the psychological tests... these are not "pass / fail", but subjective. You can join the military, do all the right things and still not get hired.. this is a SERIOUS consideration, the military takes lots of time & effort that may not get you what you want. I joined the Marines knowing it "might" help, there are no guarantees, nobody stamped "hired" on my head.. I still had to fight off dozens of other guys, some who also had military experience.

There's no real way to prepare for the psyche tests, the MMPI (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory) is 1100 or so oddly worded questions,  many ask the same thing in a different way... its a mind bender and there's no right or wrong way to approach it.

The dept is going to give you a firearm, the authorization to use deadly force, AND the ability to deny Americans their right to move about freely.. all based on your judgement. Not trying to make it sound all dramatic, but Depts look at it that way, if during the application process they have a problem with something about you, they'll move on to the next guy they don't have a problem with... no dept hands out that amount of responsibility lightly.

You have nothing to lose by applying before exploring military options, all you can do is go for it and see what happens. You're still a young man, if you dont get hired the 1st time maybe then look into the military, the training, experience and a few years maturity can only help when you try again.

[Maverick]

Good post there Marine, I agree with you. For my case the Military was no help other than the 5 civil service points. OFr other areas it might just be what they are looking for. Flip a coin.

[betty]

Originally posted by sluggish


Why do you want to be a cop?

i want to b a cop cuz u get a tazer gun and hand cuffs


not to mention what i could do with the zippy ties

[Gunthr]

wow.....my heads starting to hurt from all this info! lol.

The more i read into this stuff, the more i like it. But the one thing im confused about, some say Military service is good, others say its not. So to you big shot policemen. Is it really better to BE in the military?? Because i really wanna be at the top of the list from the get-go. - EagleEyes

A final word on military experience that may clarify it for you, EagleEyes.   If you want to be in the military, join the military.  If you want to be a cop, work towards getting the minimum qualifications and apply to a police department.  Military service is not required.  

I don't recommend joining the military just so you can bolster your resume for when you apply to become a police officer.  Take the most direct route to achieve your goal.

Honorable service in today's military is always in the applicant's favor when applying for a job with almost ANY employer today, not just police agencies.  

In the past - during and after Vietnam, a lot of us older cops came out of the military to an American public who's general perception of us was that we were baby killers who burned villages and raped Vietmamese women.  Our military experience didn't help us that much when applying to some departments, esp. when the powers that be were wearing long hair, and our hair was military short.  Many of us were draftees. (not me)

It is truely different for todays veterans coming out of our voluntary military with honorable service.   They have discipline, skills and abilities to work with diverse peoples that most x gen, y gen and z gens have never been exposed to - with little of the baggage that us older vets carried.  

I know from my own personal experience of going through a stack of applications 3 weeks ago that would be 3 feet high if you could stack them that high, that applicants with recent honorable military experience  met our minimum requirements quite a bit more than those with no military experience.  The other thing is, almost every police agency in south Florida is really way short of cops... and we all compete for applicants.  So when you get hired, we really need people to hit the ground running.  My personal experience has been that the transition from civilian to law enforcement is easier for those with military experience.

But don't join the military to get into the law enforcement field.  That is silly.

G'luck

[EagleEyes]

Originally posted by betty
i want to b a cop cuz u get a tazer gun and hand cuffs


not to mention what i could do with the zippy ties

Betty, i could make SO many comments about this, but im choosing to keep my mouth shut!! lol

[Gunthr]

This information will hold true in South Florida and generally, the rest of the state.   But if you apply to a police department in Massachesetts, for example, things could be a little different, I don't know.  But I can assure you that Honorable military service will be a plus when applying to any Federal law enforcement agency in the country.  So it makes a difference when you apply, and as Tarmac pointed out, where you apply, and it makes a difference to whom you apply, just how much of a boost you are going to get out of military experience or other factors that effect your application.

[Saintaw]

@ the OP:

You also have to cut yourself in little pieces to become policemen. Should you decide to become a policeman, you can stay in one piece.

[sNiPeR]

Originally posted by Maverick
I'd bet you have that market cornered more than adequately.

no,Im a machinist,I dont have to sit around for long periods of time...

well....,there was this one time grabbing alt in a b-17 back in AW3

[chancevought]

It's really honorable that you want to be a police officer to help the little man...to help people...unfortunately as with any profession you will be faced with the bad side and you should consider this before investing all your time. I know many friends that have done this only to be so disillusioned with the profession.  The end of the month the only thing that truly matters to most higher up's is how many citations and arrests you've made..not how many people you have helped. Many laws are silly and you will sometimes see that it doesn't work and you will have to see the little person suffer more due to this.  You will see many old timers that have also given up and jus do thier minimum to get by...they usually park somewhere quiet and wait for calls.  You will see officers take drug money from perps knowing that the perp will not complain to police.  You will see some of the saddest situations you can possibly imagine and still be powerless to do anything.  It's not all that it seems so please consider these things.

If you do become an officer for good, here are some things I think you might want to do to change the norm:

    Roll down your windows...how can you hear someone needing help if u got the windows up A/c crankin and talk radio goin?

    Think about how YOUR actions will affect someone....a tag light out is not really a big deal if it's obvious the person is poor (many police cars have burnt out taillights even though they have a huge budget and a fleet of mechanics to maintain them)

    Kids may be into things you think are wrong (lowriders, loud music, chrome rims, etc), but it is better than if they spent thier money on guns and drugs to sell...and having a lowrider, rims, stereo does NOT mean they sell drugs and are criminals...which leads me to...

    Don't assume what you think of someone is FACT...you could be way wrong...profiling may work in the majority of situations, but it doesnt' in ALL situations...

    Just because you and your buddys have guns and badges, doesn't mean you're any better than anyone else....it jus means you have guns and badges....


I wish you luck in this venture, and hope more guys like you will become officers and change what has become status quo... to those that help those that need help!

[chancevought]

in some places i used the word "will" when I should have said "may"....you MAY see some crooked stuff...hopefully you won't, unless your on Internal Affairs, then I hope you do see the crooked stuff....otherwise i jus meant it's not all roses and hi-speed car chases is all...Good Luck!!