Question for a PO

[ajwolds]

After I graduated from college I began searching for a LE job. My parents lived in Albuquerque, NM and convinced me to apply for a PO position at APD. I went through the process and was hired. I moved my fiance, 2 week old son and I down there from MN. We were immediatly faced with financial hardships due to the move. I worked in the DA's office until the academy started (about a month). When the academy started I was faced with balancing a newborn, finances, and my fiance with the demanding schedule and physical regiment. I decided at that time I was no longer able to keep up with sleep depriavation and the financial situation. I quit the PD to better my family and myself. I moved back to MN. It has been a little over a year since I quit and I feel with my son being at a more managable age and our finances on track I want to persue my passion of helping people and enforcing laws.
Are there any officers that have faced this circumstance? Am I "black-balled" from working at a PD? Any advice, input, or criticism will be helpful!

[DeltaV]

An agency does not want to take the time and expense to put you through the hiring process, give you a slot in the academy that could have gone to someone else, and then have you quit. That means your slot could have been filled by someone else, but will now be vacant for another six months to a year until a new academy class is selected.

I wouldn't say that you are "black-balled" forever, however it's something that you're going to have to explain. There are departments out there that will see what happened and not want to bother with you for fear it will happen again, and there are departments that will probably be willing to give you a shot.

[Legoate]

Your best bet may be to put yourself through a paid academy to show you have the ability to actually make it through without quitting. I doubt my agency would pay to send you through an academy when you have already quit one in the past.

[GoDirectly2Jail]

When the academy started I was faced with balancing a newborn, finances, and my fiance with the demanding schedule and physical regiment. I decided at that time I was no longer able to keep up with sleep depriavation and the financial situation. I quit the PD to better my family and myself.

Quite frankly, the newborn, finances, and the fiance were all known factors to you when you originally took the job. The academy has a demanding schedule and physical regimen on purpose to show students what will be expected on the job. If you were having trouble in the academy, you likely would have continued to have trouble had you stayed.

We all make decisions we regret later on, we are judged on them. Whether you are able to overcome will be based on the department to which you apply.

[retdetsgt]

Quite frankly, the newborn, finances, and the fiance were all known factors to you when you originally took the job. The academy has a demanding schedule and physical regimen on purpose to show students what will be expected on the job. If you were having trouble in the academy, you likely would have continued to have trouble had you stayed.

We all make decisions we regret later on, we are judged on them. Whether you are able to overcome will be based on the department to which you apply.

The job is demanding on time and family, especially in the first few years. But people overcome it and stick it out. The night shifts, etc. took a toll on my family life too when I was new. And I admit there were times when I wondered if I'd made the right career choice. Not because I didn't like the job, but I've never been one who thought my job was the only thing in my life.

But sending someone to an academy and all initial training is expensive. If someone quits before the department is able to recoup the expenditures through at least a few years of service, it leaves a bad impression.

I can't speak for all departments, but mine would be reluctant to take a chance on spending money on you.

[GoDirectly2Jail]

+1. Most applicants have no clue as to the costs associated with hiring, equiping and training personnel. Let's just say it is expensive, sometimes prohibitively so. With departments across the country slashing budgets left and right, cutting non-essential services, and pay freezes - for a new recruit to up and quit, leaving the agency high and dry (and on the hook for bill) would not be looked on very favorably.

[ajwolds]

I should have written in the first post: I went to college for Law Enforcement in MN. It is a state requirement to have an A.S. degree to be POST eligible. I was required to take the skills courses (equivilant to an academy) to graduate. I do have a pending POST license that will be active upon appt. in MN. But applicant to hire ratios here are around 300:1 and 9 positions are open on the POST website making my odds here not so good. Do any Departments accept transferred licenses?

[retdetsgt]

I don't know of any states that will transfer certification. In most states, an AA or AS degree doesn't mean squat. You have to attend a full time academy.

[DeltaV]

I should have written in the first post: I went to college for Law Enforcement in MN. It is a state requirement to have an A.S. degree to be POST eligible. I was required to take the skills courses (equivilant to an academy) to graduate. I do have a pending POST license that will be active upon appt. in MN. But applicant to hire ratios here are around 300:1 and 9 positions are open on the POST website making my odds here not so good. Do any Departments accept transferred licenses?

I don't know of any state that will simply accept the academy without any actual work experience. It's quite common for cops to transfer their certifications to other states, but only after they have worked for a while. Florida requires at least one year of full time work as a LEO before they will accept another state's certification. That kind of thing prohibits people from going to the academy in one state and then moving to another to work, which circumvents the state's training process.