Police Officer Preparation & Law Enforcement Resource - Archive

Hi guys,

I'm Certified (self-sponsored) and interested in applying with several agencies such as Seminole Tribe PD, BSO, Monroe Sheriff Office, and Miami Gardens PD. If anyone can give me any input on how is the process, turn around rate of officers, and etc. on the departments. It will be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advace for any info.

You've put a huge range of dept's - from a Tribal PD (Seminole), to a large Sheriff's Office (BSO), to a smaller Sheriff's Office (Monroe), to a fairly large city PD (Miami Gardens)

They all have their good and bad, you need to look at the overall package of an agency and see what you prefer.

It may also be easier to get hired at some of the smaller "stepping stone" departments, to get some experience and decide what you want.

There are around 15-20 departments in Broward County, and 25-30 in Miami-Dade County. Don't limit yourself to those you listed.

If they're anything like they are here, the Seminole Indian Police are basically just glorified casino security guards. It's really not much of a "police" job. I know there are a few spots in the state where people actually live on the reservations and the police perform regular law enforcement duties, but that's not the case here.

I think your only solid chance at the moment is Miami Gardens PD, they were actively recruiting certified officers

BSO is in a financial crisis and probably won't be hiring for quite some time.

Monroe County SO: per friend of mine who works there...is underpaid and has a high turnover rate. However they're not hiring either as of the last time I checked.

I don't know anything about the tribal police but to call them glorified security guards is a bit out of line. In Broward they have a good amount of action. Then again it's all interagency rivalry...everyone talks, I'm sure they talk about other agencies. The BSO guys I knew didn't like them very much either
Best of Luck.

If you're certified try Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Miramar, Boca, Boynton, all solid places

As I said, the Seminole Police HERE are basically glorified casino security guards. The casino is the extent of the Seminole reservation in my county, so all of their duties are confined to the casino property. I'm just stating the way it is.

Also keep in mind that as a tribal officer you're not covered under civil service rules. They're at-will jobs and you have no union protection or protection under PERC. Because of that, their retirement is a basic 401K like it is in the private sector. They don't have a pension and can't participate in FRS.