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How to Become a Cop
"We began to discuss the many books about cops that had been written over the last few years, and it became apparent to us that there wasn't a current book out that gave anyone interested in police work any insight or guidelines on what to expect in a career as a police officer.
"Now that's changed with the book SO YOU WANT TO BE A COP. We are proud of this book and feel that it really portrays the job for what it is and not some Hollywood version of life as a cop." -- Frank Pickens and Jeff Bonilla
The Oral Board
Once you have completed the written and agility tests, which are almost always pass/fail, you will be scheduled for the most important part of the initial testing process, the oral board.
The purpose of the oral board is to see how the candidate interacts and converses with the panel members, and to get an idea of the candidate's overall reasoning abilities and common sense. The initial impression you leave with the board members will be crucial in determining your final ranking on the eligibility list.
Oral boards are almost always held at the Police Department or at City Hall. You will be given a specific time to show up, so make sure you arrive on time. It's generally a good idea to get there at least 20 minutes early. For men, wear a conservative suit and tie and have a nice haircut. For women, wear a nice-looking dress-nothing too flashy- and a little makeup if desired, but not so much that you look like Pee Wee Herman. For any candidate, the trick is to look conservative, businesslike, and above all cool and confident.
The Oral board is usually made up of three to four people and may consist of police officers, sergeants, and lieutenants and/or captains. Some departments will have four to five members on the board, the additional member being a city personnel worker or a member of the business community. Once in a blue moon a city has so many members on the oral board that when you walk in, it looks like The Last Supper.
You will usually wait for your turn in a designated area, along with other prospective candidates. Try not to look at anyone who has just finished the oral, because many times the person will look flustered, pale and sweaty - like having just been through a bad carnival ride - and the sight will make you even more nervous and psyched out.
Oral boards last 20 to 30 minutes on the average. When it's your turn, one of the members of the oral board will come and lead you to the room where the orals are being held. As you approach the door, keep in mind that on the other side there will be several people sitting behind a long table, and that each of them will actually start grading you as soon as you enter the room. Remember that all of these people have a copy of your application in front of them and will have already gone over it.
When you enter the room, someone will introduce each member of the panel to you. It is common courtesy to shake hands or to at least acknowledge a person's title as each of them is introduced. Try to look relaxed and confident, even if you're not. But don't go too far and appear cocky, you're not supposed to be cocky until after you're hired!
THE POLICE ACADEMY
Police academy training is structured to give you the foundation of knowledge you will need to become a successful street cop. Training can last anywhere from 16 to 22 weeks. If the agency that hired you has its own academy, you will attend that academy. If not, you will be sent to an accredited police academy.
You should be aware of the fact that you may be able to put yourself through the academy as a non-affiliate. If you have not been successful thus far in getting hired by a police department, this may be an alternative you might want to consider. Putting yourself through the academy makes you a much more attractive commodity to police departments looking to hire, because they would not have to invest money in your training.
The disadvantage of going through the academy as a non-affiliate is that you must incur the entire cost of the program, which can run as high as $5,000 (mostly on housing). If you are hired first, then the agency incurs the cost.
Most recruits in the academy will be from specific agencies and will be getting paid to go, unlike their non-affiliate counterparts. While attending the academy, these recruits will make their regular entry-level salary, and their agencies also provide them with extra funds to cover the cost of travel, lodging, meals, and other related expenses. This is the ideal situation for a police recruit. You are getting paid to attend the academy, and all your equipment is furnished for you. When you graduate, you have a job waiting for you.
It is a much tougher road for the non-affiliate.
One of the premises on which the academy functions is to put a lot of physical and emotional stress on its recruits, since stress is something you will have to deal with constantly when you're out on the streets. The idea is that a recruit who can't handle the stress of the academy won't be able to handle the stress of actual police work.
Once you've made it through FTO, you can congratulate yourself and look forward to your first assignment out on your own. You can bet your first shift will be the midnight shift-the graveyard-which nine times out of ten is the rookie's resting place. We have seen some cops who have worked mids for so long that they should have a headstone for a hood ornament.
Don't kid yourself that you're a "real" cop yet, though. There is still another stage of testing that you will have to go through. We like to call it the "street test." This involves no field training officers or written exams, but it is nonetheless a test, one in which all your peers will play an active role.
THE STREET TEST
The most important trait your brother officers will be looking for in you is courage. They will be watching to see how you handle yourself on hot calls that may involve physical confrontation. You must answer the age-old unasked question that is posed to every rookie: How will you react in a confrontation?
You see, it does not really matter if you are a highly intelligent person, or that you sailed through field training with the "future super cop" label stamped on your forehead. When you hit the streets on your own, you have no reputation and you are starting from scratch. The one thing you want most of all is respect, but the only way to gain that respect is to earn it.
Your fellow cops put so much emphasis on the area of confrontation because they know that in police work their lives are always on the line. They want to know that you can be counted on to back them up in tough situations and that you won't hesitate to get in there and mix it up with the bad guys-and, most importantly, come out on top.
As a rookie, you may feel pressured to get out there...
ABOUT THE AUTHORS: Frank Pickens and Jeff Bonilla are the authors of SO YOU WANT TO BE A COP. They say, "The competition for cop jobs is fierce. After reading this book you will do better than the potential candidate who has not read this book and is going after the same job you are.
For example we actually put you inside the oral interview in the 'microwave chair' fielding questions and scenarios."
You can learn more about SO YOU WANT TO BE A COP at our site!
www.mounted-police.00books.com
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