Facebook...

I have recently been sucked into the supermassive black hole that is Facebook.

And I can't escape it.

Yes, it's a great way to keep current with family and friends. Yes, it's a way to catch up with people you haven't seen in years. It's definitely a useful resource, but...

Then there are the games. The sweet, addictive games.

I cannot escape the pull of Mafia Wars, and Farmville has hold of me and will not let go.

Do I need help?

Flying Solo...

You have passed FTO, and you're on your own. It has likely been two to three years since you completed the employment application that got you here. You have taken test after test, worked your ass off in the academy, repeated the process in Field Training, and now you get to work by yourself.

Don't think you know it all, because you don't. You'll continue to learn, train and educate yourself for the rest of your career.

I often have days when I'm rolling along on auto-pilot, not even thinking about what I'm doing because I've done it so many times over. Then something will pop up that I have never experienced and I'll have to figure out how to handle it. I learn from it, and the next time it happens I'll be able to deal with it without having to think it through first. But, just when I think I've seen everything, I always find that I haven't.

Police work is like that.

Cops are really set in our ways, and we don't embrace change. We like to do things the same way, every time. We often think our way is the only way. Sometimes it takes a proverbial smack upside the head to realize a different way might actually be better.

Don't automatically dismiss new ideas. "The way we've always done it" is not an excuse to stop learning new methods and techniques. Things change. Better ways are discovered. New case law arises. Sometimes the courts will decide the way we've always done it is now wrong.

As police officers, we have to adapt. We have to be flexible. We have to learn how to do things the right way, even when the right way changes. This seems to be less of a problem for newer officers, because things seem to change more often these days than they did 30 years ago.

Hopefully, after all you've been through over the past year or two, the application process, the academy, FTO, you'll be in this line of work for the long run. You may find that it's not exactly what you expected, but if you love it enough you'll get over that.

So buckle in and hang on,

It's gonna be a great ride...

FTO...

Great. You graduated from the police academy. You're a cop now. Ready to hit the streets and run the town, right?

Hold on a minute there sparky.

So far, your learning is primarily book learning. You have done a few scenarios and some hands-on training. Now the rubber meets the road and you get to put it all into practice.

One thing you will soon discover during your field training period, is that not all Field Training Officers are alike. One will want things done one way, while the next may want things done completely differently. It's not that one is right and the other is wrong, it's just that there is more than one way to perform most tasks.

My suggestion is to do it however your current FTO tells you to. Don't say "Well, Sergeant Johnson said I should do it this way." Just say "yes sir" and do it. You will learn from doing the same thing different ways, and you might even find the results turn out differently. In the end, you are going to take the things you like about each FTO and combine them into your own patrol style. So, don't discount anything. Besides, you're here to learn, not to tell your FTO he's wrong.

During FTO, your trainer will volunteer you for details that are not on your beat. You will take every dead body, every rape, every major collision. You will get tired of hearing "we'll take that for training." But, your FTO is not picking on you. Your FTO is not trying to overload you with paper. Your FTO is not trying to gross you out. Your FTO is just making sure you can deal with all types of calls for service, write the appropriate reports, and still cover your beat at the same time. There will be days during your career when your day will seem like a repeat of FTO because you are running from one end of town to the other.

FTO will seem like the academy all over again. You'll likely start out riding quietly in the passenger seat. You will hear some semblance of "Wherever I go you'd best be right on my heels." After a while, once you've had an opportunity to see and hear some real people, you'll get to actually talk to them. Eventually you'll feel like you've got it all under control. You'll feel like you know it all and can handle anything they throw at you. Then something will come at you from deep left field, and you won't have any clue what to do.

Don't worry, it happens to all of us.

Don't try to shine on FTO. Don't try to half ass everything so it will turn out right. Experiment. Try new tactics. Try dealing with people in different ways. FTO is a chance for you to make mistakes without endangering anyone. Your FTO would rather see you make mistakes and learn from them while you're on FTO, than kick you out on your own and have you make some HUGE mistake that will result in damage control for the next two months.

Try not to get used to relying on your FTO to tell you what to do. Once you get comfortable with having a partner around, you'll get tossed into the last phase of FTO. Some call it semi-solo. Some call it shadow. There are many names for the final phase. You will still have an FTO in the car with you, but they will not help you in any way. You will be expected to handle your details on your own, as they watch to make sure you are capable.

If you can successfully pass FTO, which is by no means guaranteed, you will finally be a solo officer.

But the game ain't over yet...

Off to the Academy...

So now you have a job. Your agency has hired you and will pay your way through the police academy.

The first experience you will have at most academies is orientation. This usually takes place one evening during the week before the start of the academy. You will want to wear a suit to the orientation, unless your particular academy says otherwise.

When you go to your orientation, if you're lucky, your personnel person (the person who handled your application process) will accompany you.

The first thing you are likely to notice upon entering the room is the HUGE stack of books on the table in front of you. You'll be taking all of those with you when you leave today. And yes, you will be reading every last one of those books during the next 18 to 28 weeks.

Your Recruit Training Officers (RTO's) will speak for a few minutes and give you some idea of what you're in for. It is likely that you will lose your first academy mates tonight, before you've even gotten to know them. Some people see the books and the RTO's, and give up on the spot.

After they've put a little fear in you, the RTO's will tell you when and where you are expected to report, what you're expected to bring, and how you're expected to be dressed. They will tell you to bring everything you think you may need. This is a hint. Bring your PT gear.

When the RTO's dismiss you, you get to carry 32 or so books out to your car and leave. You now have four days or so to iron your uniform, shine the hell out of your boots, and read your procedure manual that was given to you during orientation, and you're expected to know front to back on the first day.

On Monday, you'll report to the academy.

In my particular academy, our first day was spent mostly being welcomed by the Sheriff, meeting and hearing from some of the department and academy management, and meeting our RTO's and instructors. Your situation may or may not be similar. About 1400 hours, we started thinking "Cool, the first day is a breeze. No yelling. No PT."

"You have ten minutes to get into your PT gear and form up out on the track. MOVE!"

Shit.

Ten minutes later, about half the class was on the track in formation. The rest were in some part of the preparation sequence. After probably another ten minutes, we were all in ramshackle formation on the track. Because it took us so long, we did push-ups.

LOTS of push-ups. And sit-ups. And combat squats. And running in place. And did I mention push-ups?

Forty-five minutes later, we were tired. Then we ran.

The first two weeks are intended to be very tough. This is another place where they try to weed out the non-hackers. As you progress through the academy, your RTO's will treat you less like shit, and more like a human being.

Be ready for tests every week, and more PT.

What I found to be the key to success in the academy was teamwork. It is much less difficult (not to say easy) for a team to succeed than for a group of individuals. You will be around these people five days a week for as much as six months. Get to know them. Learn to work well with them. There will be people in your class you will greatly dislike. There will also be many who will become lifelong friends.

I have been in the military, and I have been in a number of paramilitary organizations, and the academy was the most difficult and most rewarding of them all. It's a cast iron bitch, but it's worth it on graduation day.

After you graduate from the academy, the learning is not over. It has just begun.

Tomorrow you start Field Training...

Now What?

So, you passed the written, physical agility and oral interview, and now you have a conditional offer of employment in your hot little hands. What now?

A conditional offer of employment is just that, conditional. What that means is you'll have to meet certain conditions in order to actually be hired. In other words, you ain't got a job just yet.

You still have several more steps to go. You'll have to successfully complete a background investigation, a psychological evaluation, a pre-employment medical exam, and often a polygraph examination.

Many facets of the psych and polygraph are seemingly nonsensical, or even downright weird. You will be asked a lot of questions that seem completely unrelated to law enforcement.

The only way to get through the psych and polygraph is to be COMPLETELY TRUTHFUL. Remember that pack of gum you stole when you were ten? Mention it. Remember the fight you had with that other kid in eighth grade? Speak up about it. Have no skeletons in your closet when you go into the polygraph exam.

As for the psych, it helps if you're not crazy. Some of the tests they give you will make you FEEL crazy, but you'll get over it. We all do.

The medical exam is just to make sure you aren't going keel over from a heart attack your first day on the job. That will come later if you don't take care of yourself. As long as you are in good health, with decent hearing and eyesight, you'll do fine.

If you are successful, you will have a job.

Now you get to go to the uniform shop and get your equipment and uniforms, because next time, you start the academy.

See you at orientation...

Taking the Plunge...

So, you want to be a police officer.

What in Hell have you gotten yourself into?

Well, let's see.

Once you apply, you'll have to take some combination of a written test, a physical agility test, and an interview.

The written test is pretty basic. If you can read and write, you'll pass most of them. Some agencies use a different test with math and map reading skills, so make sure you know what you're getting into.

The physical agility test can vary widely from one agency to another. Most will require a bit of running, the ability to scale a six foot high wall or fence, and the ability to drag a dummy over a moderate distance. Some agencies will have agency specific portions, such as running up and down stairs if the city happens to have multi-story buildings, maybe you'll have to climb through a window, or there might be a balance beam.

The best preparation for a physical agility test is to already be in decent shape. Find a wall you can practice climbing over, run regularly and don't just sit around on your ass all day long.

To many applicants the interview (sometimes called and oral interview or oral board) is the most difficult part. If you go in unprepared, it will be. My biggest piece of advice for applicants about to go for their oral interview is, PREPARE. Learn as much as you can about the agency and the community. Go on a ride-along and ASK QUESTIONS. You need to be prepared to answer some of the common questions, such as:

- Tell us about yourself.

We don't want to hear how old you are. We already know that because your application is right here in front of us. This is where we want you to tell us what you have done with your life thus far, and where you want your future to go.

- Why do you want to be a police officer?

Interviewers do not want a canned answer such as "I want to help people" or "I want to serve my community". They want to know why you REALLY want to do this job. Give it some thought before the day of your interview. "Because I want to carry a gun" and "Because I like to drive fast" are probably not great answers either, just so you know.

- What do you have to offer the Smithville Sheriff's Office?

This would be where you showcase your skills and abilities. If you have prior experience, some special expertise or some prior training, this is where you tell us. Good at defusing sticky situations? Tell me why. Strong report writer? Give me examples. Just be ready to back up anything you mention.

Sell yourself.

- Why did you pick Smithville?

Well, why?

- Is there anything you'd like to add that we didn't already cover?

This would not be a good time to say "Nope, that's it", "I can't think of anything" or "ummmmm". Think of something to say. Even if you just say you appreciate being considered for employment, you're excited about the possibility of working for Smithville, or thank you for your time, SAY SOMETHING.

When the interview is done, you won't know whether you've passed or not. You'll be incredibly nervous before and after your first several interviews, but it gets better with time. Believe me, I went through quite a few.

A few weeks after your interview, you'll get a letter with your scores, and if you passed, a note saying you're on the eligibility list.

If you're lucky, a conditional offer of employment will follow.

We'll talk about that next time...

Range Day...

Sometimes, when we have a range day, I find myself looking at the targets of the other officers shooting to either side of me.

I look to see how tight their groups are. I look to see if they're throwing rounds, or just plain peppering the target.

Then I store the info away in some dark corner of my brain, so I'll remember when the shit hits the fan whose target I need to address after I finish with mine...