Police Officer Preparation & Law Enforcement Resource - Archive

Hello, I'm new to these forums and have already found helpful info. I just applied for a dispatcher position at my local Sheriff's office. The requirement was a high school diploma or GED. I am currently in college for my degree in criminal justice (graduating in January) so I have a good deal of educational experience behind me. I know I need real work experience and that's the main reason I applied for the dispatcher position. My ultimate goal is to become a background investigator/computer investigator someday but I feel it's important that I work in a law enforcement center for a few years before I go for my ultimate goal. Who knows though, I might decide to stay a dispatcher if I feel it's truly my thing. If I don't get this job, do any of you know of volunteer opportunities I might be able to undertake to help me start building up experience in this field? I already wish to volunteer for something but I don't know where to look or even how to go about it. I ran a search on the Internet but couldn't find anything relevant. Thanks in advance.

Experience as a dispatcher or ...?

You can volunteer as a victim advocate, as parking enforcement, as a gopher ( I mean Police Service Assistant), etc. Check with the departments in your area for their volunteer programs.

This is the webpage for the Mesa, AZ police department so you have an idea of what's out there:

http://www.cityofmesa.org/police/vips/opportunities.aspx

You can't be a volunteer Dispatcher, but there are plenty of agencies that get you involved in the public safety and/or emergency management areas. You can join your local version of ESDA (Emergency Services Disaster Agency) or EMA.

Good luck with the Dispatch position.

I was a dispatcher for two years while I was in community college, I had to give it up to get my BA. I loved it. I learned more sitting in that chair than sitting in college for 3 years. THe officers I worked with knew I wanted to be an LEO and were very helpful and taught me a lot about law enforcement. The job itself was fun at times, stressful at times and boring as hell at times. The job showed me how to stay calm among other things. If you have any questions let me know.

It's excellent training. You get to learn a lot about how a department functions, what and where the resources are and of course you get to learn about critical incident management. Very worthwhile, best of luck with it.