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Police Agency exams never fail to surprise me.

My sister got hired by CHP

With no degree or experience..:p
 
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Outta Control said:
Come on Jason I guess she wears the pants in your family. :teeth :later
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I guess in a sense, yes. Although as most married men know, if she ain't happy, you ain't happy. :|

Besides, Jen and I are both military but her job is active so she can't leave the area.
 
Kornholio said:
I guess in a sense, yes. Although as most married men know, if she ain't happy, you ain't happy. :|

Besides, Jen and I are both military but her job is active so she can't leave the area.
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Ahhh. just keep jugging along soldier.
 
+1 to bojangle and windex's posts.
Another tip: Remember that your report will be read by people of various backgrounds and education levels. Skip the police jargon and use simple everyday language so all readers will have a clear picture of what happened during the incident.

OR you can take a report writing class available at many local junior colleges.
 
Because you did well on essay in high school and college doesn't mean you will be a good police report writer.

There are plenty of report writing guides, and +1 about taking a report writing class.
 
IIRC, Ace just completed the Police Academy at Evergreen. Pretty sure there is a report writing section in there somewhere.......

Brian
 
NVR FNSH said:
IIRC, Ace just completed the Police Academy at Evergreen. Pretty sure there is a report writing section in there somewhere.......

Brian
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Yea, and here's the thing. Before I went into that report writing test I went to the trouble of digging up my class notes, and memorizing the format again. I even had the penal code right when I filled out the face sheet.

I also failed the one for Santa Rose, but they had some really weird things going on with that test. They specifically didn't want a report format, and instructed us not to follow one (implying they didn't want to give non laterals or academy grads a leg up over other non LEO applicants, but isn’t that mentality hypocritical in it of itself? Screw everyone else. If they want a leg up, they can play the academy game).

It's just a game, and that's all it really is. It is. Do I happen to fit the mold they are looking for? That's the game.

There is no uniformity of administered examinations for LEO positions. POST is the closest thing, but the academic standards are very low. I have no idea how agency report tests are being graded, and I don't think it is a far fetched speculation to assume that those grading these examinations are not qualified to grade police reports per POST approved academy standards.

Some of these examinations don't even check my ID to see if I'm the person I say I am.

So screw the degrees, and developed articulation. What needs to be covered are the elements, the pertinent facts, and the chronological flow of events that unfolded.

Some of the things I was taught style wise were not to repeat myself if the information is on the face sheets, suspect pages, or evidence pages. Also, the first person thing was covered. Another style thing emphasized was only write in my report what I did, NOT what I saw other officers do (it hedges against potentially conflicting with each other, and a defense attorney would eat that up).

So all in all I was rejected for a job that didn’t even cover gas money to and from work. I have a reserve interview next week for one that does. However, I think this on is militaristic. At least they have a penchant for ribbons and medals. Their website has pictures of the command staff and they have rows of military like campaign ribbons running above their left pocket. Also on their website are the explanations of what all of those ribbons mean, and the hierarchy of the ranking system (which is rather detailed). There is a pecking order, and it is branded on their uniforms. This is also a smaller agency, so I get the impression they are over glorifying themselves.

Can anyone guess who I am talking about :teeth
 
Umm... San Francisco? No..No..Livermore. Wait wait it's Rio Vista PD. :teeth
 
Ace-

It seems the pay is getting to you, lots of people took big cuts to work in the field, myself included.

Yes, all the tests are different departments test for what kind of things/people THEY are looking for.

Reports are nothing like you learned in college, adapt and over come!
 
windex said:
Ace-

It seems the pay is getting to you, lots of people took big cuts to work in the field, myself included.

Yes, all the tests are different departments test for what kind of things/people THEY are looking for.

Reports are nothing like you learned in college, adapt and over come!
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They pay is getting to me? I was poking fun at reserve positions that pay NOTHING, as in I lose money because my gas to and from duty is not even covered. Not paid, as in per dollar ratio I would be infinitely more productive than all paid officers combined :teeth

So going from $75K to $0 does kind of create a little problem.

I think what’s going to happen is I’m going to land a Financial gig, and I’ll become a reserve officer somewhere. It’s going to take 6 to 8 months before I start as a reserve anywhere and then another 2 years of being a reserve before I would be in a position to pursue a full LEO gig anyway. Then at that point I would have another crossroads to consider, especially if I’m content in my financial gig. At that point I might have the best of both worlds.
 
windex said:
Reports are nothing like you learned in college, adapt and over come!
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Police reports are a hell of a lot easier than any report I wrote in college....

If someone is struggling to pass the academics in a CA POST academy it might be time to reconsider your career choice.

Brian
 
Ace of Hearts said:
They pay is getting to me? I was poking fun at reserve positions that pay NOTHING, as in I lose money because my gas to and from duty is not even covered. Not paid, as in per dollar ratio I would be infinitely more productive than all paid officers combined :teeth

So going from $75K to $0 does kind of create a little problem.

I think what’s going to happen is I’m going to land a Financial gig, and I’ll become a reserve officer somewhere. It’s going to take 6 to 8 months before I start as a reserve anywhere and then another 2 years of being a reserve before I would be in a position to pursue a full LEO gig anyway. Then at that point I would have another crossroads to consider, especially if I’m content in my financial gig. At that point I might have the best of both worlds.
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Believe it or not, some people are actually motivated by serving their fellow man and helping to make a small dent in crime, all the while gaining valuable experience and having fun at the same time. Many LEO reserve positions don't pay. Granted, reserves are going to earn their living elsewhere, but no one is forcing anyone to apply for a non-paying reserve position. Just because it is a non-paying reserve position, does not mean the standards are not the same. Lowering standards can be VERY costly to an agency in this high liability field. A reserve that inadvertently violated someone's rights, used too much force, got into a collision, or placed a person in danger creating a "special relationship" can be just as costly as a full time officer in this litigious society.

NVR FNSH said:
Police reports are a hell of a lot easier than any report I wrote in college....

If someone is struggling to pass the academics in a CA POST academy it might be time to reconsider your career choice.

Brian
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Oh, the number of new recruits I have trained who had college degrees and still had MAJOR report writing issues....I tell ya. :(
 
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