|
How do I
become a police officer?
The first thing that you have to do to become a police officer
is make a few personal decisions.
-
You need to realize that
police work is very different than what is depicted on
television and the movies. A career in law
enforcement is a lot different then portrayed by the
entertainment industry... and rightfully so. Very few people
would want to sit in a movie theater for hours and watch you
handle: alarm calls, investigate accidents, arrest someone
on a "failure to appear warrant," have lunch, process a
burglary scene, and then write two hours worth of reports.
It just doesn't make for good ratings. Even the show COPS ™
is edited and spliced to give viewers only the most exciting
aspects of several days of filming in 30 minutes of TV.
-
You need to accept the awesome
responsibility that comes with taking the oath of public
service. It has been said that being a police
officer is a selfless profession. We could not agree more.
Very few careers lose members to death every 54 hours or so.
While line-of-duty deaths do not occur to all police
officers, sacrifice does. Working all hours of the day and
night, holidays, birthdays, your kid's first t-ball game...
their first steps... you are going to miss a lot that people
in other careers are going to experience. You are going to
experience many things that people in other careers would
not want to experience. Pull a dead baby out of a car wreck
and see your own children, wheel the body of a spouse of 50
years out of their home not being able to imagine the
loneliness the surviving spouse must feel...
Understanding that this will probably happen to you
someday... but statistically speaking, probably not with
your current spouse. Most officers experience at least one
divorce in their career. The suicide rate among police
officers is about second in the nation annually on a
consistent basis, and the average life expectancy for a
police officer in the United States is 55 years. You will
make an honest living, but you will have to know that for
these personal sacrifices, you will never be paid enough to
be wealthy. Your reimbursement should be the fact that you
are out there, with your hands in the mix, doing your very
best every day to improve your community. That is your
reward. That must be your motivation.
After you come to those realizations, you will need to attend a
police academy. This can either happen while you are employed by
a police department as a law enforcement trainee or with greater
frequency now a days, you can put yourself through the police
academy. The police academy lasts about 5 months and encompasses
topics from constitutional law to patrol techniques. In order to
get into the police academy, you need to take the T.A.B.E. exam.
Our department uses the following academy:
Broward Community College - Criminal Justice Institute
You will need to contact the academy to make arrangements to
take the CJBAT Exam for that institution.
Upon completing the C.J.B.A.T. you must contact
Officer Ray
Thomas to take the next written examination. If your score
is high enough on the examination, the Office of Training &
Recruiting will subject you to a battery of tests which will
evaluate and rank your suitability to perform bona fide
job-related tasks.
Upon completion of these tasks, you may
be offered a position as a law enforcement trainee.
Note: We have a minimum number of
academy sponsorships available each year.
What is a community service officer?
A Community Service Officer (C.S.O.) is a non-sworn (which means
they don't have arrest powers) member of the police department
who respond to calls in which there is no known risk of
violence. Because they are not armed, they are never sent to
calls where a suspect is known present. The C.S.O. investigates
traffic crashes, generates delayed theft reports, directs
traffic, conducts parking enforcement, ...etc. The C.S.O. staff
is an essential augmentation to the sworn police effort because
they free up patrol officers so that they can handle situations
of greater known risk in larger numbers.
How do I become a dispatcher?
A Communications Dispatcher is a non-sworn member of the police
department who answers multiple telephone lines to communicate
effectively with persons requesting emergency and non-emergency
police, fire or EMS assistance. The dispatcher then relays the
information or transfers calls, and maintains logs and records
of communications activities. The Boynton Beach Police
Department is currently looking for energetic and responsible
individuals who exercise good judgment and decisiveness under
critical situations to serve as Communications Dispatchers. If
you are interested in a career with our communications
department, you can
click here to
e-mail a human resources specialist for further information.
How do I become a crime scene technician?
When a position becomes available within the Police Department
for Crime Scene Technician, the position is posted in the Human
Resources division. To inquire about this position,
click here to
contact a Human Resources representative.
How long is the police academy?
The police academy is about 5 months long. Eight-to-ten-hour
days are not uncommon. Weekends are usually off. The academy
focuses on preparing you for the academic skills necessary to
take the state exam which is required to receive your
certification as well as the physical rigors of working the
street. The academy is no cake walk. The Boynton Beach Police
Department utilizes the Broward Community College Public Safety
Institute. They have an excellent reputation for producing fine
recruit officers.
What does the employment process
consist of for Police Officers?
Application Submission:
Your initial application will be checked for completeness and
legibility. Incomplete applications or ones with frequent errors
or omissions will not be considered for future action.
Applications which appear to display patterns of irresponsible,
antisocial, or illegal behavior also will be rejected.
Written Exam:
You will be subjected to a written police examination. The exam
is written by Darany and Associates out of Redlands, California.
It is designed to evaluate: reading, observation, interpersonal,
and written report skills. Those applicants who score an 80% or
better will be selected to continue the process, with priority
to those who score the highest on the exam.
B-Pad:
The B-Pad ® is developed by the B-Pad Group, Inc. Candidates
watch a series of professionally acted and produced video
simulations, then respond verbally as if they were at the scene.
Responses are videotaped and scored using validated criteria.
You can read more about their exercise at their web site located
at: www.bpad.com.
Conditional Job Offer Extended:
Scores between the written test and the B-Pad will be averaged.
Depending on our need for personnel, the top number of people
needed, will be selected based on their performance on the
previous examinations, previous experience or certifications
status.
Background Interview:
A background investigator and/or the departmental recruiter will
meet with you and go over your Personal History Questionnaire.
Any information that needs to be cleared up will be done so at
that time. The purpose of this interview is to clarify details
of a person's past for ease and efficiency in the investigation
process. At the conclusion of the background interview, a
computerized voice stress examination will conducted by a
certified in-house examiner.
Psychological Examination:
Departmental Psychological Examinations are conducted at
Woodlake Psychological Services. A battery of validated written
tests will be administered. Following the written tests, the
applicant will be asked to participate in a clinical interview
with one of the licensed staff therapists. Based on the
established criterion from the tests and the interview, the
therapists will generate an opinion concerning your suitability
for a career in law enforcement. Aspects of your personality
which will be scrutinized will be you ability to manage stress,
personal integrity, interpersonal skills,...etc.
Medical Examination / Drug Screen:
Applicants who meet the chief's approval will be subjected to a
thorough physical examination at the the city's medical clinic.
The examination will consist of tests ranging from vision to
reflexes. Blood and Urine will be taken for analysis and a
complete drug screen will be performed.
Probationary Period:
All applicants selected for employment will be subjected to a
one year probation period in that position. While at this
status, you are an at-will employee and are considered to have
no property right to the position. In other words, you can be
terminated without cause. During the probationary period, you
will be subjected to frequent additional training and
evaluations. Probationary officers who cannot meet the
department's high standards will be dismissed from employment.
Those who make the grade will be invited to spend a fulfilling
career as a member of an elite law enforcement organization.
How do I get an application for
employment?
You can pick one up at Human Resources in
the city's municipal complex located at 100 E. Boynton Beach
Blvd. (561.742.6275) or you can
click here to
download our application for employment. (Note: you must have
Microsoft Word 97™ or above to read this application upon
download.) If you do not have this program, a Word™ viewer is
available at:
www.microsoft.com.
How should I turn in my application
for employment?
You should turn your application into the
Office of Training & Recruiting. You may drop off your
application to Human Resources or mail your application to:
Officer Ray Thomas
c/o the Boynton Beach Police Department
Office of Training & Recruiting
100 E. Boynton Beach Blvd.
Boynton Beach, Florida 33435
With whom do I need to speak about
employment opportunities within the department?
Any member of the police department will
be glad to assist you in your desire to join our team. Members
of the Office of Training & Recruiting are specifically assigned
to assisting you with this effort. Currently, the departmental
recruiter is
Officer Ray Thomas. He can be reached at
561.742.6182.
When do you test applicants and
where?
Generally, testing is conducted at either
the Boynton Beach Police Department Headquarters Building, the
Department's Training Facility, or at the City library.
Directions to these locations as well as a map can be accessed
by clicking here.
Testing generally occurs one week out of each month. For exact
testing dates, please
contact Ofc. Thomas.
Occasionally, the Office of Training & Recruiting, in
cooperation with the Human Resources Department, venture to
locations such as Tallahassee, Fl., Orlando, Fl., Atlanta, Ga.,
Mobile, Al., and Columbia, S.C. We rent a conference center in a
hotel and put people through the first 5 phases of processing
within a 3-day period. We refer to this as "Remote Testing."
Watch for future remote testing ventures advertised in the
"B.B.P.D. Feature" section of our web page. (B.B.P.D. feature is
located on the first page of this web site, in the upper right
corner of the boxes displayed).
What is the protocol for officers certified in another state as
police officers?
You will have to secure copies of all of your training records.
You will have to contact the Criminal Justice Standards and
Training Commission and advise them that you need your training
records evaluated for "comparative compliance purposes." There
is a fee for this analysis. Under comparative compliance,
training that you have received in another state or in the
military (if your specialty was M.P. or S.P.) may apply toward
your Florida Certification. At minimum, you would need to attend
a 92-hour "High Liability Academy" and take the state exam. The
92-hour academy is provided at various police academies
throughout the State of Florida. For a list of academies and
their address / phone numbers click here.
Typically, the academy lasts only two weeks as the classes run
Monday - Saturday and are 10 hours long. You will need to put
yourself through this training. The department will not send you
as an employee.
|
Employment