FLORIDA Basic Police Candidate Inquiries

[Charlie_Chuckie]

Good morning!

I'm new at this forum and thank you for allowing me to subscribe. I'm currently a PSD Security Contractor in the Middle East for the last three years. I'm doing my last 6 months of contract and would like to pursue a career as a police officer in Florida. I've always been interested in joining the Police force since I separated from the military 4 years ago (honorable discharge). I was just wondering if any of you folks would mind answering a few of my inquiries listed below:

1) Is there an age limit in joining the Florida local police department, whether
it is city, or sheriff's office?

2) Will you recommend that I self-sponsor myself in the police academy, as I
am entitled to utilize my GI Bill from the military? (I heard that it is
advisable that I self sponsor,therefore, I'll have the freedom to choose
which department I apply to.)

3) Are all departments require their candidates to undergo swim test?

4) What sort of retirement program does the police force offer?

5) Will I be able to receive credit for the time I served in the military (eight
years to be exact)?

I believe that's all the inquiries I have for now. Thank you in advance for your time and assistance in reference to my inquiries.


Respectfully,
Charlie_Chuckie

[Taz_bb2]

1) Is there an age limit in joining the Florida local police department, whether
it is city, or sheriff's office?

2) Will you recommend that I self-sponsor myself in the police academy, as I
am entitled to utilize my GI Bill from the military? (I heard that it is
advisable that I self sponsor,therefore, I'll have the freedom to choose
which department I apply to.)

3) Are all departments require their candidates to undergo swim test?

4) What sort of retirement program does the police force offer?

5) Will I be able to receive credit for the time I served in the military (eight
years to be exact)?

First, thank you for your service.

1) There is no age limit I am aware of. My class leader was 58, one of my classmates was early 40's, and I was early 30's. As long as you can pass the physical and educational tests, there no limitations due to age.

2) Most academies in FL are self-sponsor. Very few agencies in the state actually sponsor a recruit/cadet. Mostly its due to budget cuts, but its also expensive to invest the time and money into someone who is not guaranteed to make it through.

3) Not all agencies do. I know for a fact Orange County does, Seminole County does not. Each agency will have its own special requirements. Most have a basic physical abilities test (PAT) or utilize Cooper Standard tests.

4) It varies from agency to agency, and again between Local, County, and State agencies.

5) You will be recognized as a veteran, and the experience will be looked upon favorably in the hiring process.

[DeltaV]

1. I'm not aware of any agencies in Florida that have a maximum hiring age.

2. It all depends. Down in South Florida, it's pretty common for the agency to sponsor everyone through the academy. Where I am, the only agencies that sponsor cadets are the ones that have problems with retention and recruitment. Decide where in Florida you want to live and work, then look at the agencies and their hiring practices. There are good agencies out there that sponsor, but there are a whole lot more out there that don't.

3. We have swim training during the initial training period after being hired, however there's no test. If you can't swim you're given training on how to try to stay afloat if you should somehow end up in the water. Some other agencies do have swimming tests during the testing process and require all officers to be able to swim.

4. Municipal departments usually have their own pensions, while county and state agencies participate in the state's system (FRS). On average, you're looking at around a 3% multiplier per year of service with a vesting period of between six and ten years. Full retirement is after 20 to 25 years of service.

5. Other than helping you be a better candidate for hire, no.

[Trollx561]

1) Is there an age limit in joining the Florida local police department, whether
it is city, or sheriff's office? I work in the south florida area and I believe a few departments down here have a maximum but its like 60+. Some departments also have a min age of 21 but a few are 19.

2) Will you recommend that I self-sponsor myself in the police academy, as I
am entitled to utilize my GI Bill from the military? (I heard that it is
advisable that I self sponsor,therefore, I'll have the freedom to choose
which department I apply to.) I self sponsored my self a couple years back and only did it because I did not want to wait, but 90% of my class was sponsored.

3) Are all departments require their candidates to undergo swim test? I believe so we are surrounded by water on 3 sides, plus tons of canal's, lakes etc... I know in the academy down here we did.

4) What sort of retirement program does the police force offer? County usually FRS as well as FHP, city most likely have their own pension.

5) Will I be able to receive credit for the time I served in the military (eight
years to be exact)? possibly you might be able to buy your time.

[S43riff]

For BC/IPS (Police Academy in Davie, Florida) you are not allowed to self sponsor. Do yourself a favor, get hired by an agency first, this will get you on their medical and payroll to attend the academy. I have seen people self sponsor (Miami or West Palm) and pay the $3,200.00 to do the academy only to find out that they can not even pass a polygraph or psych test.

PM me if you want specific steps to the application process.

[Trollx561]

You can go to either the IRCC(indian river community college) or PBCC(Palm Beach Community college) and get your leo cert for florida. Two years ago was 2800 as long as you were not out of state.

[APDSarge]

1. No age limits that I know of

2. I would say self-sponsor - you've got the GI BIll - it is generally much quicker to get into the academy self-sponsored.

3. Every dept will be different about the swim test. Some don't have a swim test at all - others require it.

4. Each dept will be different. State agencies and counties will be FRS(State retirement). Some municipal departments also participate in FRS. The rest of the municipalities will generally have a city pension plan.

5. You may get "veterans preference" points during testing at some departments. Some departments also allow you to "buy back" prior military service - time that would go towards your pension - again - each department would be different.

[Charlie_Chuckie]

Greetings!

Thank you kindly for all of you who replied and provided me with useful information.


sincerely,
Charlie

[Charlie_Chuckie]

For BC/IPS (Police Academy in Davie, Florida) you are not allowed to self sponsor. Do yourself a favor, get hired by an agency first, this will get you on their medical and payroll to attend the academy. I have seen people self sponsor (Miami or West Palm) and pay the $3,200.00 to do the academy only to find out that they can not even pass a polygraph or psych test.

PM me if you want specific steps to the application process.

Thank you for your reply. I underwent psych test while I was in the military and passed it. As far as polygraph, I haven't yet. However, I have a near spotless record, therefore, I have no reason to lie or circumvent any of the answers. Are those two test difficult? What are the reasons why candidates fail those two test? Thanks again.

[Charlie_Chuckie]

Thank you for your reply. I underwent psych test while I was in the military and passed it. As far as polygraph, I haven't yet. However, I have a near spotless record, therefore, I have no reason to lie or circumvent any of the answers. Are those two test difficult? What are the reasons why candidates fail those two test? Thanks again.

[ShadowWarrior]

1) Is there an age limit in joining the Florida local police department, whether
it is city, or sheriff's office?

No there is none. Age limit is for minimum not max. It is an agency policy, not state. Check with each department you are thinking of applying too.

2) Will you recommend that I self-sponsor myself in the police academy, as I
am entitled to utilize my GI Bill from the military? (I heard that it is
advisable that I self sponsor,therefore, I'll have the freedom to choose
which department I apply to.)

Its up to you , but self sponsorship is the fastest way, and having the GI Bill they pay for all of your schooling, including your books, and living expenses. I have several guys on the GI Bill in my recruit classes now. They are self-sponsoring and apply to agencies at the same time. Some are fresh back from Iraq and Afghanistan.

3) Are all departments require their candidates to undergo swim test??

No, there is no state requirement for this. You will find that most agencies on the coast seem to have them, those inland not so much. Each agency is different. South Florida is more likely to require it than North Florida.

4) What sort of retirement program does the police force offer??

It varies from department to department. Sheriff's Offices, and State Agencies (FDLE, FHP,DEP,FWC...) all are on the State of Florida Retirement System. Its a great retirement system and has some good benefits. Here is the link to the retirement site so you can look it over if you like: ww w.myfrs.gov

5) Will I be able to receive credit for the time I served in the military (eight
years to be exact)?

You get credit in the hiring process by law (Veterans preference points), you also can buy your military time back to count for retirement if you in the State of Florida Retirement System, but it is VERY expensive. Way to expensive to make it worth it. Some cities may offer the same, but I have not heard of any.

If you need more specific information on Florida hiring, feel free to PM me or ask here.

[Charlie_Chuckie]

Thank you for your response Cmdr Wagoner, and all of you that took your time to respond. I appreciate your time and effort for providing me with very useful information.

[Charlie_Chuckie]

Thank you Cmdr Wagoner for your reply.