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Becoming a LEO 101

jorbar1551 said:
i got my results back on friday and i passed. i think i got a 48.5 on the test, but i dont remember what its out of. i've got an interview on the 11th
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Go to www.post.ca.gov for more information about the written exam and it's scoring. The average cut off for departments is a T-score between 40-50. Try this website as well for help with your interview: http://www.policejobsinfo.com/:thumbup

Pulled directly from the Q&A on www.post.ca.gov:

Q.How do I interpret my test results?
A.When POST electronically scans your test answers, statistical calculations are performed to convert your raw score (the number of items you answered correctly) into a “T-score.” A T-score is a standardized score that places your performance on the test into a distribution (bell-shaped curve) with a midpoint (average) of 50 and a standard deviation of 10. If your score falls around 50, your performance is considered “average” when compared to other applicants who have taken the test. If you score 40 or below, your performance is considered “below average” when compared to other applicants who have taken the test. If you score 60 or above, your performance is considered “above average” when compared to other applicants who have taken the test. Research shows that the likelihood of successful academy completion increases for every point above 42 you score.
 
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jorbar1551 said:
i got my results back on friday and i passed. i think i got a 48.5 on the test, but i dont remember what its out of. i've got an interview on the 11th
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Congrats and good luck with the interview!! :thumbup
 
Do you have to be a citizen???
I have a green card and am applying for citizenship... which will take some time to process... Do i have to wait till i get my citizenship or can i apply now???
 
apply now. one of the recruits in our academy just found out that he passed his citizenship test about 2 weeks ago.
 
ansh32 said:
Do you have to be a citizen???
I have a green card and am applying for citizenship... which will take some time to process... Do i have to wait till i get my citizenship or can i apply now???
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Contact the agency. Some may take your application and let you test if you are in the process of getting citizenship.

CA law requires you be a citizen before you can be sworn in. No way around that.
 
Hey LEO's.

I'm starting my academy in Nov. Please wish me luck.
-Mike
 
Rel said:
"Many different types of people have been known to die for either the right reasons or the wrong reasons. The only shame in dying incorrectly is to die a stupid and meaningless death." Book of Five Rings, by Musashi
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Good book and thank you
 
SPeeDFAN said:
Good luck Mike. Which academy are you going to?
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I will be attending the night academy at Delta College located in Stockton, Ca. I'm hoping to get picked up rather quickly because I will be working full time while doing so. :thumbdown I'm really excited and that will help me get passed the long work day.:thumbup
 
Just applied to Sonoma County Sheriffs office, they actually had openings for non-POST graduates for the first time in a while. Figured I start local before going federal. Also any one have any clues about forensic investigators and the needs of them in the area? Graduate from school in May with a degree in Anthropology with a focus on forensics, trying to hedge my bets a little.
 
You have to ask yourself what you want to do. Local police, feds, forensic investigators are totally different animals. I work for a city PD but I have worked with FBI, ATF, DEA, ICE on different assignments and different task forces. I would not trade my job for anything. (I am a little biased:))

We have an officer who went to the FBI and came back after 2 years. He was the top of his FBI academy class because of his LEO background. But he said he was bored out of his mind. He spent most of his time behind a desk. I am not saying there is no down time doing what I do, but if you work for a big enough city, you will get to chase some body everyday. :thumbup

I am glad you are interested in forensics. But you know our CSI is nothing like the CSI shows on TV. You get to every crime scene AFTER the fact. You will never get your hands on the bad guys. :thumbdown And the poor guys in the crime lab. They are stuck in the lab all day. You will never even get to SEE the bad guys.

But like I said, you gotta ask yourself what you want to do. We need good people at all different fields. Everyone plays an important role in the system. It is not perfect, but it is what we got and we gotta make it work. Good luck to you.
 
SPD is right, each is very different and it is nothing like TV. Crime Lab people do not do interrogations, check out leads in the field, chase people on roof tops or wrestle suspects to the ground.. they collect evidence at a secure scene and go back to the lab.

First off, the Feds are about the lowest paid of all cops and scientists, plus you can figure you will be moving around alot.. it is essentially like being in the Army.

If you really want to do crime scene stuff in the SF Bay Area, the San Mateo County Crime Lab would be the place to look. They are well paid and they work a lot. They have contracts with other cities outside the county too.. so, you could be doing a quadruple homicide in East Palo Alto or Redwood City at midnight, then out at a drive-by in Vallejo before breakfast!

Of course, you'd need to work your way up.. starting with questioned documents and move up the food chain before you get on a homicide team. It's not like TV where you walk in the door and before you get assigned a locker, you are knee deep in DNA. Plan to start at the bottom and build your skills and reputation.
 
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'PHQ' Question

A new question from an applicant that wants his/her identity to remial confidential:

"I am in the process of filling out my Personal History Questionnaire for an Police Department. One question is asking to include all traffic violations within the past 7 years. It has 3 spaces available to write and I've had more than 3 traffic violations within 7 years.

1) Is it possible to attain a copy of all my traffic tickets I've been issued at my local PD (some sort of "list" of violations on a document)?
2) is it suggestible I attach a separate piece of paper with a photo copy of all these traffic tickets?
3) Any tips for those that done this before?

Thank You."
 
Well, I see no one has responded.

I would fill it the last 3 cites and add the 4th in the space at the end of the background packet.

You can fill out a form and get your record (past 5 or past 10 years). They are the same price, so get the past 10 year one and attach it.

That's what I did. Most application processes require you to provide your diploma, discharge papers, driving record, etc.. didn't yours?
 
I've filled out a couple of PHQ's in the last couple of months (always apply with more than one agency!) I would suggest going to the DMV for a record print out and you can also speak to your current and prior insurance carrier about all the accidents that you have been involved in. They will be able to give you a list of dates, places and outcomes. There will be a place at the end of your PHQ to add info you couldn't fit in other places.

You can go to the "Police Officer's Standards and Training" website and actually download a PHQ that most departments use. It may be slightly different, such as, different questions or some questions that aren't on the PHQ the department your applying with has issued you, but on the version that's online. What's great about the PHQ online is that when you download it, it opens in Windows "WORD". So you can actually fill it out on your computer and save it, and print it. Trust me, it will save you hours of erasing and repeated steps when filling out other applications, several departments have a very through application they will have you fill out online. Make sure you save all the info you gather, you'll never know when you will need it again!!

Here's the link: http://www.post.ca.gov/Forms/Background_Hiring.asp

Don't procrastinate on getting info, some documents may take 7-14 working days to get. One department only gave me 21 working days to complete their PHQ. That isn't a long time, believe it or not. Luckliy, I had done one a month prior and saved all the info I gathered. Like the front of your PHQ says "Omission's are grounds for dismissal, even if unknowingly" :thumbup
 
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I thought it was more like, try to become a firefighter, fail the test and fall back on being a cop!!
















Just kidding guys, I have lots of chp, sheriff and po as friends so don't come hunting me down or anything
 
firemedic2706 said:
I thought it was more like, try to become a firefighter, fail the test and fall back on being a cop!!



Just kidding guys, I have lots of chp, sheriff and po as friends so don't come hunting me down or anything
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Ha. You do know why God created cops? So fireman could have a hero.:twofinger
 
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