Hey everyone, I'll be graduating college in May '06 with a Finance degree, but I'm not so sure it really interests me a whole lot anymore. I went to a job fairl earlier this week and spent a great deal of time talking with a Sgt. from the Madison Police Dept. looking to find new people to join. It sounds like a fairly interesting career with decent pay and good benefits. Anyone on here have any advice/experience to offer? Thanks!

 

Same here I'm graduating with a finance and MIS double major degree, but the content is so boring I can't stand it. That's why I am going to law school as law/law enforcement is a much more interesting thing to do.

If I were you I'd do whatever you feel is right, not based on opinions of others.

 

My dad was a 25 year LAPD, commander of the Watts substation when the 65 riots broke out. He had an exciting and rewarding career, but he always told me he would kick my ass if I became a cop. My good friend Bobby at the gym has a Ph.D. in public administration and has been a Pasadena PD for over 20 years. He loves his work. I think law enforcement is right for some people, not for others. Ask the sargeant you were speaking with to arrange some ride alongs for you, preferably at night. I did this. You sit in the back seat of a squad car and just observe. It was really interesting. It'll give you a better feel for police work than anything else I can think of. Also, some departments, like the LA County Sheriff, assign you to a jail for the first years, which I think sucks. I know guys who quit the Sheriffs Dept. because of this.

 

I hear what you're saying about the content of your course being boring, I've been at uni for the past 6 years completing a combined engineering/commerce degree. For the last 3 years I've been working as a civil engineer whilst completing my degree and I firmly believe that without that practical application I wouldn't have been able to endure the rest of the course.

My point is that uni courses are dry and bland but based on my experience you may find that the real life application of what you've learnt is much more interesting.

Either way its a good move to keep your options open.

 

I'm still in college but also have a job within my field. The real life experience is completely different then college life.

As for cops, well.........FIGHT THE MACHINE

 

I'm planning on a career in law enforcement; almost have my foot in the door with Snohomish County in Everett, WA. I can give you some advice from someone who has done the hiring process...

Physical Fitness: I can't think of any departments that don't have a physical fitness test as part of the hiring process. In the state of Washington, it consists of push-ups, sit-ups, a 100-meter dash and a 1.5 mile run. For Washington, the test is pretty easy. Statistically, most people fail the sit up portion. I highly recommend practicing all portions of the test and use the methods they do. For instance on the sit up test for Washington, you can only rest in the "up" position, your fingers must remain interlaced behind your head and you cannot remain in the "down" position for more than a second. Sometimes the test can be a "tie breaker." Let's say they have two equally qualified candidates but only one opening. One ran the mile and a half in 12 minutes, the other 15. Guess who's getting the job.

Polygraph: Again, almost every department requires one. I don't know what to say other than tell the truth. For one of the jobs I applied for, 300 people took the polygraph, 15 passed. Before you take the polygraph, they will sit you down and explain all the questions that will be asked. They will also ask you if any of them make you uncomfortable. I said no, but one of them did because of something that happened to me in the past and it showed. Fortunately the examiner gave me a chance to explain myself, it was hard, but I did and passed the test.

Background Investigation: They check everything and I mean everything. Your driving record, criminal history, employment history even your credit history. Disclose everything. They are not looking for perfect people because they don't exist. Everybody's made mistakes.

Interview: Most interviews are conducted with a board of 3-5 people although sometimes with just one. They will likely ask you situational questions in which you are required to formulate a response. An example from my interview for a corrections job:

"You are fresh out of the academy and suspect somebody has escaped from your watch area. At the same time you receive a call on your radio from another officer who is under attack and you also receive a call from your immediate supervisor saying he would like to speak to you. In what order do you handle these and why?"

This is an easy one but many people screw it up. Just remember that safety is always primary. In this case, the person who is getting attacked takes first priority, the escapee takes second and the supervisor call is a very distant third.

In addition to that, they will likely ask what you know about the department. Research, research, research. Know the name of the Chief Of Police, know how many districts or precincts there are, know what major crime challenges the department faces (i.e. auto theft, drugs) learn about the departments history, the different departments within the department (i.e. homicide, IA.) The more you know, the better.

The written test: I have tested with three agencies and can tell you the tests are easy, very easy. Of the three agencies I have tested with, the Washington State Patrol was the easiest but statistically, 40% fail. Most tests consist of reading comprehension, grammar and written situational questions.

Patience: The hiring process for most departments is lengthy mostly due to the background investigation. I've seen as little as 3 months (Tacoma, WA) to as much as a year (Honolulu, HI) Expect to wait.

 

Thanks for all the advice, especially to BBY2KS2K! The whole application process for Madison starts in April of '05 with an expected hire-date of May '06 so it will be a long time with a lot of tests and interviews.

 

have you considered something like the FBI? I heard an ad on the radio last night saying they were hiring. don't know if that would be something you're interested in or not, but perhaps another option in the law enforcement field

 

Here's a good webiste for more information including job openings...

http://911hotjobs.com/

 

I might apply to the FBI

i'm aware of how hard it is to join though