Expert: Loren Stevens - 1/20/2008

Question
Hello,

  I'm Will, I am a Junior in high school and was wondering what I should do in college in order to help me with a career in SWAT. I would like to exit high school and try and pursue a career in law enforcement; even if I couldn't do SWAT. Basically what I want to know is what degree or degrees should I work on in college to help with a career in SWAT and  police work in general


                                                  Thank you,
                                                       Will  

Answer
Hello Will,
I will offer you my humble opinions on some college considerations, but would also urge you to consult with an academic adviser at the college or university you intend to enroll in.
First, I would suggest you focus on entry level positions in a police agency, which is usually uniform patrol. Most agencies will require you to be in that position through your employment probationary period, prior to a petition for a specialized assignment.
More realistic, is to figure on spending 4-6 years in uniform would be my guess, and much will depend on how you distinguished yourself in that position.
Keep in mind, that less than 10% of applicants get hired on a typical police agency, and some of them don't make it through field training, academy, or their probationary period.
Clearly, you'll want to stay out of trouble, and away from those who tend to get into trouble. No drugs, or alcohol abuse. Keep your driving record pristine, and completely away from anything remotely close to a domestic violence issue(s). They are career killers.....period.
You'll never regret enhancing your written and verbal communication skills, which will serve you on many levels.
Being bilingual is a good thing, if in a jurisdiction that is "multi-cultural". Computer skills is good.
Developing hobbies that would translate to a favorable feature is also good. Fitness program, and concentrate on hand and upper body strength, endurance/stamina.
Martial arts is good, as well as several first aid certs.
Joining a gun club, and learning firearms safety and proficiency is good, reading about chemical munitions, negotiation skills, legal parameters etc...all good.
Prepare for the oral exam as you would for the written. Being able to express yourself well, will be an attribute.
You should prepare answers that don't sound too rehearsed, or canned, e.g., why you want to be a law enforcement officer? your views on deadly force> etc. You can pretty much figure on these type questions in an oral.
If your spiritual convictions are such, that you would never be able to take a human life....you need to reconcile that matter, prior to proceeding.
As a note, google: "Use of force continuum" for a better understanding of the various levels at issue.
Getting hire, and later competing for a special assignment like SWAT, is all about competition. The more relevant KSA's you can pony up, the more attractive candidate you become. That, coupled with availability of open positions is what you are looking at.
(KSA=knowledge, skills, abilities)
In an oral, you'll get some "what-if's" so try to think of STAR (situation, tasks, action, results) safety, rules, regs, law all get factored into the mix.
With college, I would recommend starting with English, and writing labs, to hone comm skills, along with math.
If going to a community college, make sure that ALL the classes you take, will transfer to a 4 year program, &/or a university.
I also like an approach of going for a double major, rather than a major/miner combo. It just gives you 2 fields of equal strength, and expertise at some level. I like to figure on two fields that compliment each other. e.g., English/pre law, Marketing/finance, Soc. psych, criminal justice and counseling etc. There are several different combos you could put together depending on your plans and interests.
As for SWAT and college. That, is difficult to say. There are different areas of expertise that each swat officer brings to the dance. In my view, and speaking in generalizations, there is more of a nexus with swat and the military, than with higher academics.
And, there is a difference between military in general, where basics and discipline is one thing, but former Rangers, Special Forces, SEAL's, and Force Recon would be great KSA's to bring to the table.
You might consider visiting the personnel office or human resource office at a police agency you are interested in, and see if there are any jobs open to young folks not yet 21 years of age. Many departments have jobs for couriers, cadets, veh. transport, maint. etc. This will give you an "in-siders" appreciation of an agency, and an advantage on issues of organization, staffing patterns, etc.
Plus, you can probably angle your way into a number of different officer training classes.
And, many agencies have a program to reimburse college tuition for employees attending classes.
Well, maybe this is enough to get you on track.
Hope it is helpful.
Good Luck, and regards,
loren