I don't mean to be demeaning, but . . . .

asop

what qualifications does a LEO have to have to be hired on? Seems to be a lot of real yahoos out there[xx(]

William81

I can only speak for the area where I live. The vast majority of new hires in my area are college grads. Most of the older officers I know have AA/AS degrees or BA/SS Degrees.

The new hires are required to complete a back ground check, pass a
physical and complete a fitness test. If hired they generally are sent to a 10 week program for training and then are assigned to a training officer for up to a year.

KEVD18

In the bigger cities, college degrees are nearly universal prerequisites. The academy, training ride time, background investigations and so on are just about universal.

Moving away from the the metropoli into the rural areas, hell anything is possible....

1911a1-fan

quote:Originally posted by asop
what qualifications does a LEO have to have to be hired on? Seems to be a lot of real yahoos out there[xx(]





hatred for dogs [:D]

westernMDhunter

Ability to drive an automatic transmission is about it.

Tailgunner1954

Around here, it helps if your mother is sleeping with the sheriff (that's how one guy, who had been fired from at least 2 different departments, got hired).

e3mrk

It depends on the city.
In Our city all that was required was the new Guy ride along with a experianced Officer(ojt) until They thought He was ready to go it alone.
They just recently required College.

1880texan

addicted to donuts???

fideau

In NC we have a Criminal Justice Training and Standards Comm. which has set all requirements of hiring, training and retention for all LEOs in the state. Minimum training was started in 1974 at 240 hrs. and is now around 400 I think, with yearly training courses and firearms at least once a year.
Still, s**t happens like it does everywhere else in life.

Doc

Obviously qualifications will vary, but I have never seen a posting for a patrol job requiring a college degree. They are in the process of hiring a new chief of police in Little Rock and that position required a BA/BS but not for regular officers. HS only needed.

How many cops are there working? You are going to have a certain percentage in any profession who should not be doing the job. Fact of like.

JasonV

Around here they just need to have a huge belly.

gesshots

"80% of American families did not buy or read a book last year. This chimp reads one every night before bed."

[;)][:D][8D]

woodhog

California has minimum requirements for any jurisdiction, including passing the 10 wk state academy course. Some units have their own academy, (I think, ie CHP) there is also a continuing education requirement,

shilowar

Our new hires are required to pass a standardized LE written test, a physical agility test and run, panel interview, Chief's interview, polygraph, a psychological exam, a back ground check, pass a
physical and drug test. If hired they are sent to a 20 week Basic Law Enforcement training and then are assigned to a field training officer for a minimum of 320 hours.

shilowar

It is no different than any other profession or career field. You can add all the professional standards, training standards and qualifications you want, but in the end you are still hiring human beings. Human beings are prone to making errors in judgement and poor decisions from time to time. It happens with physicians that have had training at the best medical institutions, and or engineers or any other profession. All any of us can do is set out to minimize those mistakes, miscalculations or acts of malice as much as possible and have systems in place to correct them when they become known.