Any Missorui LEOs?

I'm lookng to join after I complete my active duty contract.  I'd like to talk to someone that currently serves. I'd prefer a non MHP  officer, but I won't be picky.

I'm a Trooper with MSHP but, since you already ruled me out, I guess I don't have any info you would need.

I didn't rule you out.  but I would prefer to be a city or county LEO. working MHP doesn't sound like my cup of tea. although I wouldn't mind talking with you either.

Well since all states have state agencies that license officers regardless of dept I think you should listen to any of these officers advice.  

Highway Patrolmen don't have the same day-to-day duties as a county/city cop.


Thats where I want to go. but like I said, I'll talk to any LEOs. I'm just trying to get my foot in the door.

Quoted: Highway Patrolmen don't have the same day-to-day duties as a county/city cop. Thats where I want to go. but like I said, I'll talk to any LEOs. I'm just trying to get my foot in the door.

Yep but they have had to go through some of the same state mandated training and are familiar with the basic requirements of getting hired and licensed fso their advice would be important to you.

I am Mo POST certified and AR CLEST certified. I was a city officer in Mo. for about 3 years. Then a went to Ar. I worked for the city of Gainesville Mo, and Thayer Mo. I attended the Mo Sheriff's Training Academy then graduated in fall 2000. The real pain with Mo is you must attend a academy before being hired as a police officer by an agency. If you can go to work for MSHP or one of the Charter city's such as KC,STL or Springfield I believe that they will pay you to go to there academy. If you want to go to work at one of the rural PD's or Rural SO's you will pay for it out of pocket or most academies will offer finacial aid or if your in the service you can use your GI Bill. Also be prepared to furnish all of your duty gear. This can get really costly,you can easily be wearing nearly $1,500.00 on your waist. As far as good academies I can recomend the Mo Sheriff Training Academy, Mineral Area Community College, and Drury University in Springfield. To my best recolection Drury is a 5 day a week 8+ Hours a day academy. The other 2 meet apprx.3 times a week like 2 four hour days and maybe 1 eight hour day on the weekend. My advice would be go to an academy where you can be there for five day's a week,you will have less outside distractions therefore it will show in your academics and you will get out faster. If you go to an academy were you onley meet 2 or 3 times a week it could take you 8 or 9 months to complete. When I graduated in 2000 we were required to have 470 hrs of training to be certified. At the time of my graduation POST was increasing the number of academy hours to I believe 640Hrs. Anyway this is the readers digest version of it. If you need any other info let me know I'll do the best I can to help you out.

You can get your Mo Post cert (B) with, I think they raised it to 480 hrs now. The (A) cert is the one that is 640 hours plus.  I just recently saw one of the pamphlets for Druy.

Jason

Thanks guys.

All of this is great information.

Springfield is one of my target area, them and Columbia. Both have activ etactical units.

I am current;y active duty, so my MGIB is available if I need to foot  the bill myself.

If you guys happen to think of anything more, let me know.

Thanks again,

Clay

Clay,
The post above was actually mine.  My buddy forgot to log out after using this computer so if you have any queations, send the IM to me.  Thanks, Brandon

Sounds good.

Off hand, do you know what the shooting requirements are?  I doubt that I would have issues with that, but I would rather exceed as many standards as possible BEFORE I went to the academy.

Springfield is almost always hiring. Once hired, they put you throught their acadamy, 1000 hours long. You get paid your regular salary once hired. They also have an early hire program now as well. You do have to purchase your duty gear and uniforms, there is one or two lump sums that you get in the acadamy to help defray costs and a monthly uniform allowance.

Jason

Hey MO guys!  I have family in Lebanon Mo. and was out there this summer visiting.  Went in and did a patch trade with Laclede county while I was there and wasn't able to get one from Lebanon.  I guess I'll mail them a request since their Chief wasn't in.  Any of you MSHP guys interested in a trade? I wanted to get ahold of one of your patches too!

on another note, I just acquired a Glock 22 from a friend that is Stamped "MDC"  and found out it was previously owned by the MO dept of conservation.  Thing looks like it hasn't been shot all that much.  Did these guys recently go through a gun exchange or something to change weapons or do they just not shoot much?

Next time I'm down at Troop I will try to remember to pick you up a patch.  We just had a gun exchange but I'm really not sure about the conservation guys.

That would be great... just let me know if you get ahold of one!

Quoted: Quoted: Sounds good. Off hand, do you know what the shooting requirements are?  I doubt that I would have issues with that, but I would rather exceed as many standards as possible BEFORE I went to the academy. No offense, but uless you were SF or something, the academy will likely put your military firearms training to shame.  I know because I am an MP.  We actually carry M9s daily and still our training is a joke.  Just keep an open mind and do what the instructors say.  Forget everything you know and become a sponge.

Here, Here.  I teach firearms at our academy here in CA, and I must say, the biggest pain in my ass is some 22 year old slick just out of the MP Corps, telling me he he'll shoot his way, 'cause Uncle Sam taught him that way.  Please, just relax, go with the flow, and learn.  You'll be glad you did.

And, whats up with 640 hours?? Here in CA, 940 just gets you in the door... and that seems short sometimes.  I guess we just teach too much Cultural Diversity.  

There are a lot of options for you here in Missouri. As stated before you have to go through a P.O.S.T. approved training facility to work as a Police Officer/Sheriff's Deputy/Highway Patrolman, in Missouri. Most agencies outside of Stl, Sprgfld, and Kc only require 480 hour class B certification. However, 800 and in some cases 1000 hours are becoming the norm.

As said before, If you can get a large department to hire you, say St. Louis County Police, then they pay for you to go through there academy, pay you while you are in the academy, and furnish you with all of your gear. The catch is you have to work for there deaprtment for at least one year after completion of the academy, or you must pay back you tution cost.

There is the Missouri Police Corps., they pay your way as well, but the catch is you must stay with the first department you start at for 4 years, and make yourself available for their purposes for that time period, meaing they can call you on your day off and ask you to put on a class at a highschool, and you don't get paid for it.

The third option is to attend a regular academy. There are some that will get you through in as little as 6 months, those are M-F 9to5 facilities, making it almost impossible for you to hold a job while attending. I attended a 800 hour course that took me a year and 9 months to complete. We met three days a week for 4 hours a night/day, they beauty of it was they offered the same class twice in one day, so you could either attended the morning class, or the evening class depending upon what your work schedule allowed.

If you have a place to stay, i.e. parents house, and you have the G.I bill, I recommend getting it done quickly with a full time academy.

Last but not least, plan on getting at least an Associates Degree, the days of High School being "good enough" are long gone. Most of your higher paying departments require a Bachelors degree.

Good Luck.

Edited to add: Here is a list of POST approved facilities in MO.



www.dps.state.mo.us/dps/dps2002/POST/LicensedBasicTrgCenters.htm