Re-hire after failing FTO phase

[Southlander]

Three years ago I was an officer who was completing my FTO training after graduating from police academy. I received satisfactory scores on report writing, radio procedure, etc. However, three months into my training I received poor remarks on issues dealing with officer safety. Some examples of such issues were; leaving my foot out the door while running a suspect, not having my gun out immediately after making entry into a building (this I know was a big one), and not being able to state my location on several occasions when my FTO would randomly stop the patrol car (it was difficult looking at street signs and completing my daily field log at the same time). As a result, I resigned in lieu of receiving a 30 day notice of improvement or termination. I have since then completed a private training course (composed of lectures dealing with tactics and officer safety) with John Reid and Associates and applied to one other police department but was disqualified on backgrounds. I know officer safety is the bread and butter of police work, but I desperately want to get back into law enforcement and am willing to do whatever it takes. It's just discouraging to be DQ'd and not "non selected." I don't know what I should do...should I put more time in between then and now or just continue applying to other depts. I also recently (5 months ago) got into an auto collision that was my fault. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[GoDirectly2Jail]

Three years ago I was an officer who was completing my FTO training after graduating from police academy. I received satisfactory scores on report writing, radio procedure, etc. However, three months into my training I received poor remarks on issues dealing with officer safety. Some examples of such issues were; leaving my foot out the door while running a suspect, not having my gun out immediately after making entry into a building (this I know was a big one), and not being able to state my location on several occasions when my FTO would randomly stop the patrol car (it was difficult looking at street signs and completing my daily field log at the same time). As a result, I resigned in lieu of receiving a 30 day notice of improvement or termination. I have since then completed a private training course (composed of lectures dealing with tactics and officer safety) with John Reid and Associates and applied to one other police department but was disqualified on backgrounds. I know officer safety is the bread and butter of police work, but I desperately want to get back into law enforcement and am willing to do whatever it takes. It's just discouraging to be DQ'd and not "non selected." I don't know what I should do...should I put more time in between then and now or just continue applying to other depts. I also recently (5 months ago) got into an auto collision that was my fault. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

The only sure fire way to get hired, is to apply. I'm sure you understand how competitive the job market is, and that seasoned officers are being laid off in many areas.

What about reaching out to the friends and contacts you've made at your prev. department? Let them know what you've done to improve yourself since you left and that you're ready.

[MikeG]

Did you apply back at the department you resigned from? I don't know anything about John Reid and Associates or how a department would view it, but if they respect that company and this was your only issue maybe they'll give you another shot? To me that showed some initiative. Dunno. Not a LEO.

How long were you on FTO before they finally put you on the 30 day "fail to respond to training" termination notice?

And why did you quit instead of doubling down on your effort and fixing it in the 30 days?

[retdetsgt]

It sort of sounds like that the problem is not so much a learning curve as a common sense and instinctive reactions. You can teach people a lot of things in academies, etc., but the rubber hits the road when you are on the street and have to make these decisions such as those involving officer safety from a gut reaction.

When I was an FTO, I had one guy who was quite bright, but just didn't have the talent for the job. After I wrote him an unsatisfactory and he was fired, he applied for numerous other agencies. Several called me personally and asked about his strengths and weaknesses. Although I had nothing personal against the man, he made decisions based entirely on what he read in a book rather than be able to adapt to varying situations. In a nutshell, some people, no matter how badly they want to be police just don't have that innate talent. This guy, likable as he was, would eventually get himself or someone else hurt or even killed because he just couldn't think on his feet.

I don't know if that applies to you or not, but the problems you discussed about officer safety does make me think you might not have that instinct so crucial to do the job.

Good luck in whatever you do.

[Southlander]

Thank you for your response. I have been keeping up with the news and am well aware of the job situation many officers face today and know that I face an uphill battle in getting back in. Before I resigned I was recommended for reinstatement by the capt. of my division but was told not to reapply after some years and that he doubts that I would get re-hired even if I did . I am a bit weary of applying to other depts because I figure too many DQ's due to my past officer safety issues will have a negative impact on future applications. I guess what I really want to know is whether you know of any stories where other individuals in my situation (specifically issues with poor tactics and officer safety) have been re-hired by other depts or their former dept. Also, do you know of any other things i can do to improve myself? I have been studying Spanish since the area i used to work had a large Hispanic population. I also called my former academy instructors to see if they can give me some remedial training but was unable due to liability issues since I am currently not a LEO. The only thing that I can think of that would greatly improve my competitivness is joining the military. I spoke to a recruiter and was told that I would be eligible for OCS since I have a college degree.

[DeltaV]

We've had several people fail our training program and later get hired by other agencies but we've never had one come back to work for us. Also, the agencies where these folks have gone are definitely not the cream of the crop in our area. I recall one in particular who had serious officer safety issues, resigned, and then within a year went to work for our local airport department. He's now a supervisor with them.

Is it possible? Yes. Your old agency? Extremely doubtful. They do not want to take the chance of you failing again and taking the slot from someone who could have made it through. If you do want to apply you need to apply to many different agencies, especially the ones that aren't that desirable to work for. While in this economy there are very few agencies out there hurting for applicants, everyplace has those bottom tier agencies. I'm sure you know which ones they are.

[mcsap]

You had a great opportunity and blew it. Especially in an area that is of the UTMOST importance. You wil find it difficult but perhaps not impossible for another PD to take a gamble with you.

There are MANY who would have simply worked HARDER to finish out their FTO. You gave up.

[marinepilot]

You had a gerat opportunity and blew it. Especially in an area that is of the UTMOST importance. You wil find it difficult but perhaps not impossible for another PD to take a gamble with you.

There are MANY who would have simply worked HARDER to finish out their FTO. You gave up.

I think this, in itself, is what is going to be your biggest hurdle in finding employment in the LE field.

Just a little about me, retired Marine officer, never tried a single illegal drug in my life, yada, yada, yada. Everyone thought, "The prime candidate!" Unfortunately, had some problems when I was applying right after retiring which led to me losing a job with the agency I wanted to be with and being DQ'ed from almost every other agency. Finally found one of the " not the cream of the crop" agencies (as stated above by DeltaV), but it was a job and it was in the field I wanted. Worked there for 2 1/2 years, into my early 40's, but never gave up trying to get on with one of the cream agencies. Long story short, after 2 1/2 years gaining experience, and a change of heart by the local populace voting in a new Sheriff, I was able to get back on with the agency I wanted and had lost my job with.

Imagine the outcome had I not tried and kept trying, and instead had just looked adversity in the face and said "Well, that's that!" How will you act when you're fighting for your life, and that of your partner, and the fight seems too tough to try and complete?

Hate to be giving you such tough scenarios, but it's what we face every single day. Just look how many of us have been shot dead or shot at this month alone!

Don't give up again, the worst they can say is No. But also prepare yourself for a future in a different field.

[retdetsgt]

You had a gerat opportunity and blew it. Especially in an area that is of the UTMOST importance. You wil find it difficult but perhaps not impossible for another PD to take a gamble with you.

There are MANY who would have simply worked HARDER to finish out their FTO. You gave up.

I can't speak for any other department, but I know we do our best to keep people we hire. When we let someone go or intensify their training, it's because they "aren't getting it" and making the same or multiple mistakes.

I don't want to sound caustic, but I'm a strong believer that cops are born, not made. Some people just don't have the aptitude for the job no matter how much training they get. That's why we have probationary periods, so we can weed out the people who do fine on all the tests, but don't show us much on the street. We would never bother to hire anyone who flunked FTO training or quit under duress, there are just too many people out there who don't have that cloud over them and why should we risk spending the money to hire and train someone who didn't make it somewhere else?