Expert: Loren Stevens - 4/17/2006

Question
Dear Loren,
I am a 17 year old high school student that plans on graduating next year. I have been wondering on how I personally can become a police officer. I am in well physical shape and stay away from drugs.  I have been researching ways to become and officer and am kind of lost.
I am not interested in going into the military. College is a possiblity but i wanted to jump right into it.
 How important is it for me to get a degree?

 What degree would i get? I know criminal justice is a possibillity but what else is there? I Know that engilsh and journalism are opptions but I dont know if thats for me.


Since I can't go to the acadamy untill i'm 20 what other police work or experince can i get?

How hard is it to get into the acadamy?  What can i do to help my chances of getting in?


I just need to know a good way to get me started.  Anything would really help and i would appreciate it.

thank you,
David

Answer
David,
There are probably several ways to get on track.
If there is a decent sized police agency near you, stop by and speak to someone in the personnel burear. Inquire what jobs are available on the department for someone your age.
Often times, a youngster can gain employment as a: courier, cadet, vehicle transport, maintence et al.
About ANYTHING will serve as an advantage for you down the road, even part time work.
It gets you into the system, re: seniority and pension issues, plus it gives you an insider's perspective on agency dynamics. Plus, you learn who's who in an agency, policies, organization structure etc.
Most agencies reimburse employees college tuition for courses taken, who earn a grade of "C" or better.
This is hard to beat, and amounts to a partial scholarship. If you are an employee, you can probably tax deduct other attendant costs, eg., books, parking etc.
If there is absolutely no chance for a job at the agency in your youth, consider other opportunities in other aspects in the criminal justice system: courts, prosecutor's office, public defender's office etc. Any and all will do you some good, in terms of "big picture" understandings.
If nothing is available, offer to do some volunteer service at the police agency. It makes a contribution, and gets you introduced into the culture.
Read personnel administration books. They will identify what qualities agencies are looking for. Some even offer example tests, that is helpful.
The web is a veritable cornucopia of information in regards to what you seek.
Also, rank order what agencies you are interested in, and as a preliminary exercise, list what it is that appeals to you. These features may change as you learn more, and/or mature.
There are all kinds of law enforcement agencies, local, state and federal. Plus, military (civilian) that are available. About every department in government, and their subsections have a LE component.
Stay fit, avoid trouble, and study. There is no short cut to that end.
I think college is a good thing. Even if you start off taking a few classes as a part time student.
Later, go for the degree is my advice. I would say...go for a two year degree in police science, criminal justice or what ever program is available. These are lower division, undergraduate classes, usually also available at a community college. From there, proceed to a 4 year program for either a BS, or BA. ( the difference, is a foreign language for BA, and math/sci for a BS.)
It has been my counsel, to suggest going for a double major, and no minor in a 4 year degree. It is like having 2 degrees, of equal strength, and is not that many more credits. These two majors, should compliment each other eg,
speech/eng, political sci/hist, soc/psy, pre law/accounting etc.
Keep a clean driving record.
Hobbies can also make you a more attractive candidate for a recruiter.
firearms training, a second language (spanish), more driving courses, first aid certs, martial arts, scuba, rescue tech etc...you get the idea. typing and computer skills, a writing lab, to learn report writing skills,
photography, radio procedure re:FCC regs,
All these kinds of things will be impressive to a recruiter.
Learn social skills, and demeanor(manners) learn how to REALLY listen. Comprehension drills, statutes (criminal) study the US COnstitution.
Understand how government works....seperation of powers and branches of government. Routine things, like the difference between a misdemeanor, felony, rules of evidence, laws of arrest....work on your observation skills. Watch old movies looking for flaws. Know the difference between observation/perception, mere motion, vs. progress.
You ask "how hard is it to get into an academy?" It all depends on what is needed at the agency you are interested in, in terms of their staffing pattern (auth.strength)
I would HIGHLY suggest you go for an area that enjoys a growth mode, rather than someplace where they experience reduction in staff, or budget problems.
Stay away from agencies with a high turn-over rate. That usually spells out too much dissatisfaction.
Generally, about 10% of applicants or less, will get to the academy. That said, you need to be competitive.
This should be enough for you to ponder for now.
Good Luck,
loren