Posted: 10/27/2015 12:56:44 PM EDT
| I've decided it's time for a career change and I want to get out of accounting and finance and finally pursue my dream of working in law enforcement but I'm having a hard time finding any consistant information on what I need to do. I looked into the academy through my local tech college but they state that successful completion only makes me certifiable and I would still need to get on with an agency to become certified. I don't want to send the time and money to go through the program now if that isn't where I need to start. If anyone can give me some information on how and where to start I would really appreciate it. |
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Quoted:
I've decided it's time for a career change and I want to get out of accounting and finance and finally pursue my dream of working in law enforcement but I'm having a hard time finding any consistant information on what I need to do. I looked into the academy through my local tech college but they state that successful completion only makes me certifiable and I would still need to get on with an agency to become certified. I don't want to send the time and money to go through the program now if that isn't where I need to start. If anyone can give me some information on how and where to start I would really appreciate it. Do you have a degree? The State of WI requires you to have an Associate's Degree or 60 College credits. Many departments require an Associates Degree in Police Science or a Bachelor degree. You really DO need to attend an Academy. You are not Certifiable without attending unless you are a current Police OFficer in another State. Some departments will pay for you to go to the Police Academy and many will not. If I were aspiring to have a career in law enforcement,.I would get moving and attend an Academy so that my options for departments would be more widespread. |
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Where area are you in?
What type of dept do you want to work for? (large/small, sheriff/pd/dnr) You are better off starting with the academy. You will be hard pressed to find a dept, that doesn't do their own academy, that will hire you and pay you to go to the academy when there are hundreds of applicants in WI who do have the academy completed. |
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I do have an associates degree but in an unrelated field. The only law enforcement training I have is for the Maricopa County (AZ) Sheriff Posse but do to family medical issues that arose just after finishing their training I was unable to pursue it further. I also previously applied with the WI state patrol and made it to the third round of interviewing but was not chosen to move on due to other, more qualified applicants with previous leo experience.
I am in a rural area near La Crosse now. I don't have a preference for department type and I'm not trying to find a high paying position (or I wouldn't be pursuing this career.) I am going to talk to my local tech college about their academy and go from there. Thanks for the responses. |
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The Associates does not have to be LE related to get into the academy. Try Milwaukee if you are willing to move. They have their own academy and when they do hire the hire quite a bit and then send you to their academy. MCSO just posted yesterday that they are hiring for Deputies. |
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The Associates does not have to be LE related to get into the academy. Try Milwaukee if you are willing to move. They have their own academy and when they do hire the hire quite a bit and then send you to their academy. I believe Madison PD will boot to put you through an academy as well. ETA: Fort McCoy DoD Police have a continuous posting for police officer positions. If chosen they will send you off to FLETC. From what I've heard they have an issue finding officers due to the area being somewhat isolated, there isn't much out here. However, I think if you decide to move to a civilian police department, most will give you some sort of credit for a federal academy, and put you through an abbreviated course to update you on what you need for the job. I could be mistaken. Wisconsin Military Affairs also hires for security officers for the state National Guard bases. From what I understand, the Madison and Milwaukee posts are mostly security guard type stuff, but at Volk Field they are more LE oriented, and conduct vehicle patrols, traffic stops (armed forces citations), ect. They have powers of military apprehension and detention, but not statutory powers of arrest unless deputized by the county sheriff (most full timers are deputized by the county). If you can't find anything I'd say use it as a last resort, as they pay isn't the best, and it's not classified as a LE position by the state. |
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I believe Madison PD will boot to put you through an academy as well. Yes....This is true. Madison's been trying a different approach to their police force. They were specifically recruiting people with no former LEO experience. They want applicants from all walks of life/experience/skills/etc. Essentially looking for blank slates. At least that's the line I got when I was looking into it. To put it in perspective some of the other applicants I met were a 'pajama boy' type who was a piano tuner with a degree in music. Another was a young black women with a degree in English literature. Of course being Madison they give extra consideration for minorities. Figured I was a long shot, being a white male, aged 18-35 so I withdrew my application and just stayed at my current job. |
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Do you have a degree? The State of WI requires you to have an Associate's Degree or 60 College credits. Many departments require an Associates Degree in Police Science or a Bachelor degree. You really DO need to attend an Academy. You are not Certifiable without attending unless you are a current Police OFficer in another State. Some departments will pay for you to go to the Police Academy and many will not. If I were aspiring to have a career in law enforcement,.I would get moving and attend an Academy so that my options for departments would be more widespread. This. Also, all your answers are somewhere in this page. Wisconsin plsemented a physical fitness standard for all upcoming academies, which is also described on that page. You have a 3 year limit to get hired after the completion of the academy. After that you are no longer certifiable without repeating the academy. No age lit on attending the academy. Some departments have a mandatory retirement age; others don't. Up to the department. Good luck. |
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Quoted: Yes....This is true. Madison's been trying a different approach to their police force. They were specifically recruiting people with no former LEO experience. They want applicants from all walks of life/experience/skills/etc. Essentially looking for blank slates. At least that's the line I got when I was looking into it. To put it in perspective some of the other applicants I met were a 'pajama boy' type who was a piano tuner with a degree in music. Another was a young black women with a degree in English literature. Of course being Madison they give extra consideration for minorities. Figured I was a long shot, being a white male, aged 18-35 so I withdrew my application and just stayed at my current job. Quoted: Quoted: I believe Madison PD will boot to put you through an academy as well. Yes....This is true. Madison's been trying a different approach to their police force. They were specifically recruiting people with no former LEO experience. They want applicants from all walks of life/experience/skills/etc. Essentially looking for blank slates. At least that's the line I got when I was looking into it. To put it in perspective some of the other applicants I met were a 'pajama boy' type who was a piano tuner with a degree in music. Another was a young black women with a degree in English literature. Of course being Madison they give extra consideration for minorities. Figured I was a long shot, being a white male, aged 18-35 so I withdrew my application and just stayed at my current job. |
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you do not need a criminal justice degree only 60 credits or an associates depending on the agency...alot of depts got rid of the 4 year degree thing as well.
you can try to find a dept that will put you thru the academy and more might be doing it now but when i went thru 4-5 years ago i put myself thru because no one was putting new hires thru unless it was a big pd with their own academy. now a days things have changed, not many people are applying and of the people who do apply, they are shitty applicants. its alot easier now to both get hired and get put thru the academy. i wish i would have got a degree in something else so when i am done with the excitement (which happens fast) i can move on easily. Good luck OP :) |