Spatial Skills

[AxelFoley25]

Here's hoping this one hasn't been asked before.

I plan on applying to police departments that will likely be unfamiliar territory to me, as I am sure some of you have as well. Did your spatial skills and general knowledge of your territory come fairly easy during your field training? I believe I have a good sense of direction but this has always been an area of curiosity and slight concern of mine. Thanks for your time.

Brandon

[SoCoDeputy]

Here's hoping this one hasn't been asked before.

I plan on applying to police departments that will likely be unfamiliar territory to me, as I am sure some of you have as well. Did your spatial skills and general knowledge of your territory come fairly easy during your field training? I believe I have a good sense of direction but this has always been an area of curiosity and slight concern of mine. Thanks for your time.

Brandon

It really depends on the department your going for. My county is 4987 square miles with 2,300 miles of roads. I have been here for almost six years and still haven't been on every road in this county.

Learning your "spacial skills" (map reading) will help quite a bit, but if you work in a large area you will learn the main roads and where problem areas are. After you patrol long enough you will know the territory very well, but it is recommended that you carry a map especially if you work a rural area.

[phantasm]

My precinct is considerably smaller, is a grid, and if you need a map, you're a complete idiot.

[LA5150]

As already mentioned, a lot depends on where you work. In some divisions of my department, you should know your way around fairly well after a few weeks. In others, it is common for officers to use GPS or maps because the division is so large.

Even if you work a larger area or division you will come to know the problem areas quickly, as SoCoDeputy said. So, even if you don't know all of the streets, you will most likely know the "hot spots" soon enough.