Police Officer Preparation & Law Enforcement Resource - Archive

Hello, I am intending to apply for my state's State Police agency. I already meet minimum standards but I wanted some opinions on how I can improve my basic resume. here's an outline.

No drug history
No criminal history
only one ticket recieved 2 and a half years ago for running a stop sign, ticket was a military citation, no fine paid
No negative interaction or excessive police contact (one officer stopped me and some friends while we were walking a friend home at 1 in the morning, as soon as he determined we weren't up to no good he left never collecting our names)
5 good references, one of which is a local sheriff's deputy
High School diploma, earned through college credit (Iwas dual enrolled in community college and high school at the same time)
Had a ranking position in a military JROTC program
6 months at a steady job at a grocery store.

some cons are that my manager at the store attempted to terminate me for no reason (the union blocked it) and I'm afraid he may not give me a good reference well that's only con right now.

I am presently 19 years old and the agency i'm looking at hires people into cadet positions starting at 19 and a half. I am enrolled in college now and will finish a two year degree this summer. I know I meet minimum standards, but just minimum is something I don't want to be. I know I need to finish college, but is there anything else I can do that would work to my advantage?

Thanks for any help you can give
-Erik

Oh, when I say no fine paid, I mean that the ticket as a military ticket doesn't IMPOSE a fine. no fine was paid becuase there was no fine to pay. just to clarify

So to clarify, you got stopped and got a citation for running a stop sign. They did not give you a fine.

So what punishment did they give you? Were you convicted?

So to clarify, you got stopped and got a citation for running a stop sign. They did not give you a fine.

So what punishment did they give you? Were you convicted?

Military usually just assesses points against your privilege of driving on base. That would be the only punishment he would have received, most likely.

So to clarify, you got stopped and got a citation for running a stop sign. They did not give you a fine.

So what punishment did they give you? Were you convicted?

Marinepilot has it. I had three "points" assessed against my driving record on base. 9 points means you can't drive on base anymore. I was helping a friend (who had military depedent ID) with some volunteer work on a Navy Exchange. I'm not or ever have been in the military nor or my parents, nor have I worked on base. I can only enter the base if someone with military ID "Sponsors" me on. This very rarely happens so I didn't bother to contest it. I like to think I completely stopped at that sign but the Navy MA thought differently. from now on the few times I am on that base I stop and count to 10 mississippi at that sign :coolgleamA:

But yes I was "Convicted" I suppose although all that happened is I was stopped, given a ticket, and told I had no fine, and I never thought about it again until now. it was about 3 years or so ago. I've had no tickets since then

In just my (Not LEO) opinion, I don't think you have built a strong enough resume just yet. Most departments are getting tons of applicants. The hiring process I am in had nearly 1,200 applicants for about 20 spots. Almost everyone I spoke to had a bachelor’s degree or a military background, or is currently working a job that shows they are trusted and mature enough to handle the integrity needed to be a LEO. I don't really think the grocery store is enough to put you ahead of many people. You seem like a great person without a bad history but the thing is you are doing what is already expected. You have to go way beyond what is expected. The JROTC won't get you too far but it def won't hurt.

Have you ever been on a ride along? If not you should do so. Maybe you will learn that you don't like the feeling of having your life in danger. Try volunteering in your city often. This will show you take your own time to help out. Don't break the law; even little tickets can harm your chances. I won't tell you not to apply; I will however suggest you will be going up against some tough competition that is a lot older than you with more experience in the world. If you can't get hired, look into sponsoring yourself through an academy. Many younger people do that. You have to pay for everything and you are not guaranteed a job after graduation, but you usually have a good chance at getting one. There are many forums on here about self-sponsoring, check them out.

In just my (Not LEO) opinion, I don't think you have built a strong enough resume just yet. Most departments are getting tons of applicants. The hiring process I am in had nearly 1,200 applicants for about 20 spots. Almost everyone I spoke to had a bachelor’s degree or a military background, or is currently working a job that shows they are trusted and mature enough to handle the integrity needed to be a LEO. I don't really think the grocery store is enough to put you ahead of many people. You seem like a great person without a bad history but the thing is you are doing what is already expected. You have to go way beyond what is expected. The JROTC won't get you too far but it def won't hurt.

Have you ever been on a ride along? If not you should do so. Maybe you will learn that you don't like the feeling of having your life in danger. Try volunteering in your city often. This will show you take your own time to help out. Don't break the law; even little tickets can harm your chances. I won't tell you not to apply; I will however suggest you will be going up against some tough competition that is a lot older than you with more experience in the world. If you can't get hired, look into sponsoring yourself through an academy. Many younger people do that. You have to pay for everything and you are not guaranteed a job after graduation, but you usually have a good chance at getting one. There are many forums on here about self-sponsoring, check them out.

Self sponsorship doesn't happen in this state unfortunately. WA won't allow it, you either get accepted into the state patrol or a local agency must sponsor you. If I look to move out of state that may be an option. but I will definitely look into the rest of your advice.

At least you don't have to worry about shelling out money to 'self-sponser' only to find yourself still not hired AND out a bunch of cash!

Most of the stuff you wrote doesn't really matter, because its expected (diploma, no major drug use, etc). JROTC is something, but not compared to the actual vets you'll probably be competing against.

6 months working and worried you might not get a good recommendation is the killer... plus no college degree. I don't know what 'cadets' are in your area, and I suppose that's the key. When you say cadet, do you mean being sent to a full academy? If so, I think college, work and\or military would be in order. If 'cadet' is more of a non-sworn employment, maybe you'd do ok starting there.

At least you don't have to worry about shelling out money to 'self-sponser' only to find yourself still not hired AND out a bunch of cash!

Most of the stuff you wrote doesn't really matter, because its expected (diploma, no major drug use, etc). JROTC is something, but not compared to the actual vets you'll probably be competing against.

6 months working and worried you might not get a good recommendation is the killer... plus no college degree. I don't know what 'cadets' are in your area, and I suppose that's the key. When you say cadet, do you mean being sent to a full academy? If so, I think college, work andor military would be in order. If 'cadet' is more of a non-sworn employment, maybe you'd do ok starting there.

The department I intend to apply for (WA state patrol) begins hiring at age 19.5 and yes they hire most people as cadets, cadets are full time and paid, but it is not sworn.

I'm considering enlisting in the National Guard, and I am almost done with my two year college degree. so I am working towards that. Thank you very much for your advice sir!

My only wondering is will being in a military reserve be considered a bad thing to some degree (you won't be available to work during training times and the possibility of deployment)

I'm not a cop myself just yet, but I'd say you're really young, so you still have time to get some other types of experience if you're worried about just meeting the minimum requirements.