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Expert: - 3/3/2009


Question
I am a senior in high school, and am well set to graduate, but our campus cop informed me that I must be invited into a police academy. I am aware that i must be twenty-one, but how do I go about getting invited into a police academy after I turn twenty-one?

Answer
Mr. Shepard,

It really depends on what state you reside.

In some states you have to get hired by a police agency and then they will send you to a police academy.

In other states, you can go through a regional police academy that is part of a Junior College system, and once you graduate you are eligible to be hired by numerous police agencies within that region.

Each state is different in their hiring procedures, so I am not sure about the state you are in, but if I was you, I would check with a local police department and not the school officer.

Good luck and best wishes!

Careers: Police

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William Payne

Expertise

South Carolina general law enforcement career information. South Carolina Criminal & Traffic Laws. Field Training Manager, Court Systems, Police Recruiting & Hiring, Personnel/Employee Evaluations, Non-Lethal Weapons & Use of Force.

Experience

Retired after 24-1/2 years experience as a Municipal Police Officer. 19 years as a Sergeant. I guest instructed at the State of South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy. I am a Community Policing Instructor, Field Training Officer, Instructor-Trainer in the Monadnock Expandable/PR-24 Batons, Defensive Tactics Instructor, Law Enforcement Driving Instructor, O.C. Spray Instructor, Taser Instructor, and liaison for State Accreditation Standards. I also serve as an Adjunct Instructor for Park University, where I teach in the Criminal Justice Administration Degree Program.I am currently Director of Security for a major hospital system in South Carolina.

Organizations
South Carolina Law Enforcement Officer's Association.

Education/Credentials
South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy
Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice Administration, Park University.
Master of Arts Degree in Management, Webster University.
Master of Arts Degree in Human Resources Development, Webster University.

Datamaster Operator, Monadnock PR-24/M.E.B. Instructor-Trainer, Defensive Tactics Instructor, Field Training Manager, Certified Basic Investigator, Certified in Homicide Investigations.


Awards and Honors
Beaufort County, South Carolina, Police Officer of the Year, 1990.

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