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What is a "lateral" officer?

SirFonners

SirFonners

pewpewpewpew
Joined
May 20, 2006
Location
Sacramento
Moto(s)
1990 Kawasaki zg1000 concours
Name
Jon
Hi soem of you may already be aware my interest in becoming and officer, and my brother actually just applied for the Santa Clara sheriff's Department

so that got me thinking that I had never even looked at what a Sheriff's department has to offer. I clicked on the "careers" section and noticed to jobs that were titled Deputy Sheriff (Trainee) and a Deputy Sheriff (Lateral)

now my first question is what is the difference. and second the "lateral" position from what I read sounds like jsut being and actual Deputy
but I read the requirments to be one and it says:
--------------------------------------------------------------------
ALL DEPUTY SHERIFF CANDIDATES
Must meet the following Entry Level Requirements:

* 18 years of age or older (no maximum age limit)
* United States citizenship, or eligible for and has applied for
* High School diploma or G.E.D.
* No Felony Convictions
* Valid California Driver's License
---------------------------------------------------------------------

wait so I only have to be 18? is this a recruit program of some sort..or liek a reserves or just like some sort of citizen helper thing? I dont really understand.

Also I was like well that cant be right, because you need like 60 college units right... but it only says you get paid extra if you have 60 units

sooo wait what is going on?


The SacPD
has a Police recruit program where you get paid while going to college to get 60 units so you can work for them when you qualify (21, 60 units)
is this similar...or is this the real deal

I am so confused:wtf
 
well i know the difference its says "trainee" are for people without P.O.S.T. training they pay while you get certified 3K a month... and the other is for people who already have P.O.S.T. certification.....but both stilll only say you have to be 18
 
Lateral is an officer who has experience with another department and is making a "lateral" move to the new department.

In general to be considered as a "lateral" you need to have worked with a department long enough to get off probation and receive your P.O.S.T BASIC certificate (or higher).

The age thing has been talked about time and time again. Yes, technically, you can apply at the age of 18 but considering you can't own a handgun until 21 it's going to be very difficult to get a job. Also realize, a huge portion of the job is your ability to deal with other peoples lives. To do that, you need life experience of your own. Not too many 18-21 year olds fit that criteria. Again, that has been touched on, so use the search function for that portion of your post....
 
yeah but usually it says you have to be 21
it said 18, i got excited:x
 
Don't get excited. Get some life experience and wait until you're at least 22-24. Just my 0.02.
 
Trainee= someone that needs the academy
Pre-Trained= Graduated POST academy
Lateral= Successfully completed probation with an agency w/ active POST basic certificate or better.

Why they would put 18 and over, I don't know. 21 and over is the norm. Even at 21, it is difficult getting the "life experience" and having the maturity that they will be seeking. Military is about the only way I know of. If you are in a hurry, then go that route. That's what I did. I wanted to be a cop so bad, I was obsessed. I signed up for a 3 year enlistment as an MP. I re-enlisted while in Germany for 3 more years, then got held over for 5 months due to Desert Storm. It all worked out.

If I had it to do over again, I would have gotten a BS or BA and gone in as a warrant officer in CID. At least I would have had my AA before I signed up. I did the delayed-enlistment thing my senior year and went in with about 12 units of community college that I had picked up while in H.S.

You think it will be easy to go back and get your degree latter on down the road.. I have been trying and I can tell you, it isn't easy. It will never be easier to get a degree than right after High School. Trust me on that one.
 
motorman4life said:
Trainee= someone that needs the academy
Pre-Trained= Graduated POST academy
Lateral= Successfully completed probation with an agency w/ active POST basic certificate or better.

Why they would put 18 and over, I don't know. 21 and over is the norm. Even at 21, it is difficult getting the "life experience" and having the maturity that they will be seeking. Military is about the only way I know of. If you are in a hurry, then go that route. That's what I did. I wanted to be a cop so bad, I was obsessed. I signed up for a 3 year enlistment as an MP. I re-enlisted while in Germany for 3 more years, then got held over for 5 months due to Desert Storm. It all worked out.

If I had it to do over again, I would have gotten a BS or BA and gone in as a warrant officer in CID. At least I would have had my AA before I signed up. I did the delayed-enlistment thing my senior year and went in with about 12 units of community college that I had picked up while in H.S.

You think it will be easy to go back and get your degree latter on down the road.. I have been trying and I can tell you, it isn't easy. It will never be easier to get a degree than right after High School. Trust me on that one.
Click to expand...


I tried, i was literally just about to enlist in the navy for Master At Arms
and was doing all the paper work, when they found out i was allergic to peanuts, and I found out I cant join ANY military branch because they use peanut oil and peanuts in like ALL their food:cry I was so depressed.

Already planning to go for at least an Associates in Administration of Justice at woodland college (since they do POST too) but you know, if you can I will jump on the chance of being one now.

Maybe I will look into the "trainee" program then if the lateral position is a waste of time, is a Sheriff's department better in some way to a normal PD?
 
Sucks about the peanut allergy.

If you can't hack school UNLESS it is AJ or CJ, then go for it. If you can cope with another major for your AA, I'd find a major that you could use as a fallback. Sociology, Psychology, Computer Science.. all will serve you well in a LEO career, in fact, they make you a very desirable candidate for some specialty positions down the road. CJ and AJ degrees are a dime a dozen in police agencies and to be honest, the departments don't give a shit what your degree is in when they hire a new employee. Have a back-up plan incase you get injured or slandered and cannot continue as a LEO. An AJ or CJ degree is totally worthless outside of police work.

Please be sure to read the Becoming a LEO 101 thread.

Police and Sheriff... they used to be VERY different. Sheriff's Patrol is essentially the same as municipla policing in the more rural and unincorporated areas. Some S/O's do corrections/jail and courts. Each county has a different take.


If you are interested in an S/O, you could find one that has corrections officers and you may be able to get on at 18 years old, I believe. I'm pretty sure most will offer an opportunity to promote to a deputy once you are off probation and over 21.
 
hmmm yeah, I heard you only have to be 18 to work as a youth correctional officer, maybe I will look into that would be good experience might make it easier.

That does make sense Maybe I will look into something besides AJ or CJ so if it doesnt work out I could pursue a bachelors and go for a different type of work. Well I will talk to a Sheriff recruiter tomorrow anyways. Never hurts to get your name out there early or get advice about what would make me stand out more to their particular department.
 
Definately some good advice from mm4l...once again always Johnny on the spot!
 
No department worth working for will hire an 18-year-old as a sworn officer. There might be a few in the most rural reaches of the state's hinterlands, but those are the five and six man departments that pay $2500 a month, have poor training, and 100% turnover every couple years. I don't even know if any like that exist anymore in California, but there are plenty of them in the midwest and back east.
 
SirFonners, something came to mind; are you sure the job description of "18 years of age or older" isn't for the Cadet or Explorer program as opposed to a sworn officer position?
 
Chaotic8 said:
SirFonners, something came to mind; are you sure the job description of "18 years of age or older" isn't for the Cadet or Explorer program as opposed to a sworn officer position?
Click to expand...

well technically according to space and time I am only 17 right now, turn 18 in may. I know, the Sacramento PD has a great cadet (they call them "recruits") program where you get paid like $21 an hour while attending college until you get your 60 units. That is most likely what I will end up doing.

Hopefully I should be in a community college by June, or March/April if I can find a damn school that runs on quarters:x
 
Actually while on the topic of community college, does anybody know any in or within commuting distance of Sacramento that runs on quarters?? I started the first part of the GED today (for those who are wondering why a 17 year old would, long short I played around too much in school by the time I wanted to buckle down i was way too far behind) and I am supposed to done with all of the 5 testing areas by January 30th (damn these holidays) so I wont be able to make it in time for spring semester, and I reeaaalllly dont want to have to wait until June to start going. I was really hoping to get a head start to, well get ahead and also maybe show that I am serious about changing and such. The only school I know of is De Anza, but there isnt a cadet/recruit program like the SacPD where you get paid to learn to be a cop while going to school.

I also looked at like Wester Career College, but I heard they arent that great and are waaay too expensive for something not even as good as a community college.. i dunno just what I heard

any ideas would be helpful.. about a CC not about going back to school for a diploma please.


THANKS
 
While you are going to school, you might want to check local departments and see if they operate an explorer or reserve post. Sometimes this is a good way to find an 'in' with a department. I know of 3 kids who went this route and all three work for the department they did their explorer with. What they do is get you a uniform (no gun) and you get to work community events. Along the way you get some training and exposure to different situations (and get to do ride alongs). The hiring boards look favorable to people who care enough to go the extra mile like this.
 
yeah I was an Explorer w/ Petaluma PD and it was a lot of fun (except when they make the Explorers clean the cars)
 
It's when a officer (Has either just completed POST or Fully POSTified) makes a move to another department. Typically around here it's when a Sheriff Deputy gets fully POST certified and wants to make a decent salary.
 
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