Expert: Chris Wagoner - 5/2/2008

Question
dear chris,

i have some questions about how to qualify to become a police officer in sarasota florida.i have read the homepage on it and it stated i must have uncorrected vision of at least 20/100 well at the moment it isnt that good however i am going to be having eye surgery done which should make my vision 20/20 so i should be good in that respect right?

also i do not have a high school diploma i have a G.E.D would this make any difference?

I was also looking and it had 4 "levels" of which you might be familar with at level 4 it stated that i must be "certified"what does that mean?some sort of other training?or just passing there physical and mental tests?
as well as going through their field training course.what should i expect from the field training course?

my brother is also in state prison..this shouldnt affect me though should it?

currently i am 18 will i still be able to go through their field training course or will i have to wait till im 19?

what are the odds of me being hired?will i need some college qualifications?

i believe that should cover everything...if you have anything else to add that you think i should know please tell me!i have wanted to become a police officer for quite some time(that's why im going to be working at my current job for awhile so i can afford the eye surgery)so any help or advice you could give me will be greatly appreciated thank you

-Michael J. Sallee


Answer
Hey Michael,

First your eye surgery will be fine. They don't care as long as you meet those standards. They don't care if you had eye surgery or not.

As for the GED, not a problem. State Law says you only have to have a GED or HS Diploma. And you have one.

Certified in Florida means that you have completed the academy, and passed the State of Florida Certification exam. You are then eligible to be a police officer at any police department in the state.

Your brother being in prison may or may not be an issue. It will only be an issue if you visit him on a regular basis and what he is in for. If you have no contact with him then thats not an issue. If you do visit him, you may have a problem if he is in for a Felony (which since he is in State prison I guess it is). Associating with a known Felon is against most departments rules and regs. You will have to check with them on that.

Most states you have to wait until you are 19, and most departments prefer 21. I would look at getting my degree in the mean time (2 year degree). A lot of departments require that you have a degree to get promoted and some even to get hired so a degree would be helpful.

With your age and assuming you have no past drug use, no arrest, a clean driving record and good credit, you might get hired when you turn 19. If you were to get a 2 year degree, and maybe even a couple of years military service, your chances would be a lot better. Military time gets you veterans preference points and if you were to go in and be a MP (military police) Florida recognizes that as police training and you could get your certification without having to go to the academy! Imagine this, your 21, have a two year degree and 3 years military police experience and are certified in Florida by  using the Equivalency of Training" option. Sounds a lot better doesn't it. Oh and the military would pay for you to go to the academy if you decided you wanted to do that. Just an idea.

Stay away from drugs, stay out of trouble, keep your credit good, don't get tickets, and you will be OK. If you have any more questions feel free to ask, I will try my best to answer them.


Be Safe!




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