working before the academy (oldtimer question really)

[ngcsubutterbar]

I know at least a decade maybe more ago, officers could work the road for like 6 months to a year before they were sent to the academy. I'm just curious if any of you folks were such a case?

[txinvestigator1]

I know at least a decade maybe more ago, officers could work the road for like 6 months to a year before they were sent to the academy. I'm just curious if any of you folks were such a case?

I started the academy 2, yes two, decades ago, and we had to complete an academy and FTO first.

I heard rumors of small SO's doing that, but I have no real life evidence.

[ngcsubutterbar]

hmm, maybe it's state specific then. Reason I say that is one of my lead CJ instructors back at school started out that way, and so did the main guy putting us through the academy now. The guy at the academy went through very early 90's or late 80's. Either way I know they can't do that anymore. Maybe one of the other old-timers knows of instances where they were at. Thanks for the response Tx.

[mcsap]

I was hired March 10 , 1986. I rode with my " FTO" who wasn't really an FTO, just an officer they put me with for two weeks. I was then out on my own for 2 to 3 weeks BEFORE I went to the academy. Looking back, I am not sure I would want to ever have that done again. The rule at that time was , you could work up to one YEAR on the road before having to go to the academy. This changed about a dozen years ago that one must have the academy FIRST.

PS I don't feel like an old timer yet

[JR_23]

I may have interpreted it wrong, but this is what I've been told...

I personally work with an Officer (over 30 years on the job) who did not attend an Academy for over 10 years on the job. The rule was...work over one year on with your current agency and then you have to attend the Academy. Have three years on the street, and you do not have to attend an Academy. They would do 11 months on one agency, then repeat until they had three years.

After getting his three years, he worked at one smaller Department for seven years. After that, went to a large metro PD...no loopholes there lol.

[ngcsubutterbar]

wow, that's what I call working the system. Don't think that would ever fly anymore. I wonder if there are states that still allow working before an academy anymore???, I had always assumed they stopped that maybe I was wrong.


thanks for the replies folks.

[Bearcat06]

About 10-12 years ago, Missouri was like that in a lot of places (Kansas City area, St. Louis area, and State Patrol were the exceptions). You could work the road up to a year after hire date before you had to go to school......which at the time was 120 hours of training.
Now, you must have at least a 470 hour academy under your belt before you can work the streets.

[valycop]

In Virginia you have one year from your date of hire to attend an academy. What most agencies I have dealt with is put a recruit with a field training officer until it comes time for the academy start date. That's what they did with me 20 years ago when I came to Virginia. There are requirements by DCJS in Virginia that have to be met before attending an academy and the field training officer is responsible for seeing that the requirements are met.

[JR_23]

In Colorado, you are required to obtain a POST certification to act as a "Peace Officer." There are four levels (I think) defining who is a Peace Officer, and when. All "Cops" (ie-City Police Officers, Sheriffs Office Deputies, State Criminal Investigators with CBI, Parole/Probation, DOC etc...) fall under what is a Level One Peace Officer. A Level One Peace Officer has authority to act off duty (not a good way to stay out of trouble), credentials, carry concealed, the whole nine yards.

I think I drifted...sorry...to make a long story short, you now need to take several steps:
-Meet the minimum requirements to obtain a POST certification (Highschool graduate/GED, 21 years old, no Felony convictions, no crimes of moral turpitude-most Misdemeanors fall under that as well)
-Get accepted into an Academy
-Pass all Academy requirements
-Pass the POST exam with 70%

Then you're POST certified/certifiable. Hopefully, maybe if you've made a decent impression on the Academy instructors..they can write you a nice letter of recommendation to assist in you getting hired. I obtained my POST certification in May of 2004, got lucky and got hired right at the end of my Academy. I think 20 started, 11 graduated.

Of the 11 who graduated:
-Two of us are at my Agency.
-Two are at another nearby municipal PD.
-Two got hired at a bigger SO (awesome agency)..one got canned at their Academy (don't know the reason).


Out of the 20 or so who were sitting in the room during the first day of orientation at the Academy, that leaves five of us who are on the street right now.

I just wrote all of that to let you know...it's not difficult, but it certaintly is not easy. It's a long, drawn out pain in the *** process to get the badge and gun. Anything can bounce you in the process...it's a minefiled. Say one thing wrong on the oral board, one thing in your backround they decide not to have a sense of humor over, then the polygraph...

[121Traffic]

JR has good info, EXCEPT the levels of a Peace Officer. Peace Officers were defined under Colorado Revised Statute 18-1-901(3)(l), and are listed in my 03/04 source book, but are shown as repealed in LexisNexis. Dunno when it happened, but I guess it did.

[JR_23]

EXCEPT the levels of a Peace Officer

No ****, they were repealed? Well, I'm a dumbass then :D . That's ok, I didn't feel like digging up the statutes anyways...

[steelcityk9cop]

I was hired March 10 , 1986. I rode with my " FTO" who wasn't really an FTO, just an officer they put me with for two weeks. I was then out on my own for 2 to 3 weeks BEFORE I went to the academy. Looking back, I am not sure I would want to ever have that done again. The rule at that time was , you could work up to one YEAR on the road before having to go to the academy. This changed about a dozen years ago that one must have the academy FIRST.

PS I don't feel like an old timer yet

MCSAP.....Do you have any "real old timers" who didn't go to the academy at all? We had one that recently retired.

[corporal716]

My father worked for almost a year before the academy in 1970. Four weeks with an FTO then out on his own.

We still do it here in the jail only.

[mcsap]

MCSAP.....Do you have any "real old timers" who didn't go to the academy at all? We had one that recently retired.

No, our oldest ( 31 yrs on the job) went to the academy but it was the PSP academy as they didnt have MPOETC back then and he was hired by us.