Job Openings

The question remains, could you pass their requirements????

TAMPA — Jobs may be scarce, but one local employer can't seem to fill all its open positions.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office is hiring for more than 200 spots, some of which have been open for several years despite the lure of health benefits, paid retirement, 24-hour gyms and salaries starting at $44,335.

Sheriff David Gee said he is surprised there are so many open positions, considering the record unemployment rates, and Col. Jim Previtera, head of the county's jails, agreed.

"We thought that people who had maybe considered being a cop would come in," Previtera said. "We haven't seen that."

About half the open positions are in the county's jails and half are in law enforcement. Previtera said he really could use 100 more deputies. He has to constantly shuffle employees and pay overtime, he said.

"It's a giant chess game," he said. "If you have the flu go through here, you're in trouble."

Other local law enforcement agencies don't have nearly as many openings.

Pasco and Pinellas counties are only hiring for a few positions. Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio said a budget shortfall has her looking at cutting the size of the police force. And as of mid March, the St. Petersburg Police Department had just 15 spots open and 17 cadets going through the police academy.

"The bad economy has helped us find new recruits, but the budgets are a bit tight and that creates a problem with maintaining staffing levels," said St. Petersburg police spokesman Bill Proffitt.

Part of the reason there are so many openings in the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office is simply that it's such a large agency. With about 3,600 employees, it's one of the biggest in the region.

And it's not that Hillsborough County isn't getting any applicants. About 3,000 people applied to be a deputy last year, said Lt. Kyle ****ream, who trains deputies. But the office's long application process and high standards weed out a lot of people, he said. Most drop out or are rejected.

"We'll lose about 50 percent of people just in the physical abilities assessment," ****ream said.

That's the first hurdle potential trainees must pass. They have to do 25 sit-ups in 60 seconds, 20 pushups in a minute and run a mile and a half in 15 minutes.

Then comes the application, interview, polygraph test and background check. Executive staff consider the best applicants, and those selected go through a psychological and physical evaluation.

"We lose people along the whole way," ****ream said.

If they make it through those steps, recruits go to a two-week boot camp called Sheriff's Orientation Training, or S.O.T., which the Sheriff's Office launched several years ago to further weed out applicants.

Before S.O.T., ****ream said, some applicants would go straight to the academy and in-house training, which takes 22 to 30 weeks, and then drop out. When that happened, the Sheriff's Office would lose even more of its investment. The boot camp has helped cut costs, he said.

On Thursday, the latest group of S.O.T. recruits trained at a Brandon pool, practicing water rescues. Twenty-three recruits stood at attention in yellow shirts, black cargo pants and boots. "Aye, sir!" they barked when necessary.

The program models military training and emphasizes teamwork. It's part of Sheriff's Gee's bottom-up approach to changing the culture of the office. He wants dedicated employees who keep each other accountable, he said.

The latest group of recruits includes Benjamin Williams, 23, a former University of South Florida running back, as well as several men who served in the military in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Williams said he hopes to work with the special weapons and tactics team and eventually become a major. And even though he's still toned from football, he said the physical training at the boot camp has been difficult. In just the first four days, two recruits dropped out.

"It's a tough program," Williams said. "You have to come in here physically and mentally prepared."

Jessica Vander Velde can be reached at jvandervelde@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3433.



on the web

Want to be a deputy?

For more information on

becoming a Hillsborough

County Sheriff's Office deputy, visit www.hcso.tampa.fl.us/Employment.aspx (http://www.hcso.tampa.fl.us/Employment.aspx).

THE OFFICERS AT ZPD HAVE TOO MUCH CRAP IN THEIR FILES TO BE CONSIDERED BY AN AGENCY OF THIS TYPE. ALSO, MOST OF THE OFFICERS AT ZPD ARE UNEDUCATED AND UNPROFESSIONAL!

I do have to add there are a few ZPD officers who I know couldn't pass the physical part of the test

We must be cleaning the board this morning, so lets try this again, IMO (First Right Amendment) there are a few officers at ZPD who I truly believe could not pass the physical aspect required for this department. As far as what the other poster posted before it was deleted by anonymous, I've seen some of your officer's files and the items that are in those files would indeed prevent them from moving on to another department.

Anonymous, this post does not name any particular officer in question nor is it derrogatory so there should be no reason for its removal other then you don't like what is being said. Also, you're a moderator who is someone inside ZPD which explains why you remove certain posts that are not in violatin of the terms of use.

The Zephyrhills Site has gone overboard for some time now. Do not post profanities, insulting posts, personal attacks or purposefully inflammatory posts. Any post's containing the previously mentioned will be deleted, multiple violations will result in a ban from the site.

If you see that a thread/posts get deleted do not start up a new thread talking about the same thing, it was deleted for a reason.

The following is an excerpt from the Terms Of Use for LEOAFFAIRS.COM. It has been posted here to make it easier for posters to find the portions of the Terms Of Use which seem to be difficult to find. Emphasis has been added to the key points of the Terms Of Use to further assist posters.

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Please try to remain as civil as possible, do not post profanities, insulting posts, personal attacks or purposefully inflammatory posts. Any post's containing the previously mentioned will be deleted, multiple violations will result in a ban from the site.Mod 614
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I guess we will be seeing most of ZPD quitting to fill those 200 positions. Since everyone hates it at ZPD so much they should jump on the opportunity to leave AND get a pay raise! Go! Go already!
You think the grass is greener? Go!
You think it's all sunshine and apple sauce over there? Go!
If anyone comes on here and complains about anything from now on then they are liars because you have your way out.
GO!

I guess we will be seeing most of ZPD quitting to fill those 200 positions. Since everyone hates it at ZPD so much they should jump on the opportunity to leave AND get a pay raise! Go! Go already!
You think the grass is greener? Go!
You think it's all sunshine and apple sauce over there? Go!
If anyone comes on here and complains about anything from now on then they are liars because you have your way out.
GO!


A lot of people know the grass isn't greener, but nobody wants to go through the academy again like HCSO requires. Plus they voted out union awhile back and from what I understand they are regretting it now.

no, no, no. They aren't regretting it.

Remember:

HCSO voted that they do not want collective bargaining. HCSO KICKED THE PBA OUT NOT ONCE, BUT TWICE?

[quote="MOD174"]The Zephyrhills Site has gone overboard for some time now. Do not post profanities, insulting posts, personal attacks or purposefully inflammatory posts. Any post's containing the previously mentioned will be deleted, multiple violations will result in a ban from the site.

If you see that a thread/posts get deleted do not start up a new thread talking about the same thing, it was deleted for a reason.


So much for freedom of speech. Gotta love it.

Freedom of Speech? WHAT????

This site isn't meant to be about a "freedom of Speech" you don't even know what that means do you?

This site was meant to be a forum to discuss issues as it pertains to Law Enforcement, as well to bring a supplemental income to those that created it. Why shouldn't it? The creators then go fight for your "freedom of Speech" and Privacy rights when you say something stupid and get your a$$ dragged into court.

But, the board has some rules and I applaud the moderator for (finally) paying some attention.

There are some parameters to freedom of speech even in the broader sense. Try yelling "Fire" in a crowded theatre Or make up something you know isn't true. There is a responsibility to the freedoms you tout. 8)

You're right ,thanks for clearing that up for me.

A certain night shift squad is now off for two days... we'll see the posts increase now! My experience tells me a certain supervisor can't do his job... shut up, grow up and some balls and quit being one of the guys, learn to supervise! :oops:

Here ya go VP it's your turn this week. God I wish one of these a$$e$ would come up to the face of someone they talk crap about on here.

A certain night shift squad is now off for two days... we'll see the posts increase now! My experience tells me a certain supervisor can't do his job... shut up, grow up and some balls and quit being one of the guys, learn to supervise! :oops:

So what youre saying is that you are intimidated by the guys on that shift huh? Keep your mouth shut about being the one who posted this attack. The real cops on that shift have friends all over and if you open your mouth bragging about calling them out then it will get back to them. They arent the enemies you want, little boy. STFU.

A certain night shift squad is now off for two days... we'll see the posts increase now! My experience tells me a certain supervisor can't do his job... shut up, grow up and some balls and quit being one of the guys, learn to supervise! :oops:

So what youre saying is that you are intimidated by the guys on that shift huh? Keep your mouth shut about being the one who posted this attack. The real cops on that shift have friends all over and if you open your mouth bragging about calling them out then it will get back to them. They arent the enemies you want, little boy. STFU.

I knew it was only a matter of time. :devil:

I was the one who originally started this thread by posting the article asking if you could pass the requirements. I'm not pointing anyone out directly, but I've seen a few of your officers who appear to be overweight and I really wanted to hear from one of them to see if they believed that they could pass these requirements. I

n my opinion, I think an officer should be in shape and mandatory PT should be required for all officers. Not just in your department, but in other departments, I've seen a lot of overweight officers but in my observations they are mainly the male officers and not the female ones that are overweight. I do realize that there are a lot more male officers then there are female ones, but I've never seen an overweight female officer and was just wondering why that's the case.

So, I ask my question again, not to just the overweight officers, by all officers, do you honestly feel that you could pass their requirements to be in this department?

I was the one who originally started this thread by posting the article asking if you could pass the requirements. I'm not pointing anyone out directly, but I've seen a few of your officers who appear to be overweight and I really wanted to hear from one of them to see if they believed that they could pass these requirements. I

n my opinion, I think an officer should be in shape and mandatory PT should be required for all officers. Not just in your department, but in other departments, I've seen a lot of overweight officers but in my observations they are mainly the male officers and not the female ones that are overweight. I do realize that there are a lot more male officers then there are female ones, but I've never seen an overweight female officer and was just wondering why that's the case.

So, I ask my question again, not to just the overweight officers, by all officers, do you honestly feel that you could pass their requirements to be in this department?
So you started the original thread. Does that mean you are stirring the pot again. You must not have a life. Why don't you go away and STFU. The men and women on the streets can handle the job just fine azzhole...... :evil:

I guess you can't read there Guest too, but here it's again from the mod just to you:

The Zephyrhills Site has gone overboard for some time now. Do not post profanities, insulting posts, personal attacks or purposefully inflammatory posts. Any post's containing the previously mentioned will be deleted, multiple violations will result in a ban from the site.


By the way, I do have a life, and excuse me for thinking in my own opinion that police officers should be in shape. Shame on me for thinking such horrible thoughts :devil:

Have you ever seen celebrity body guards? They are really big. There's a reason for that. Besides why get in shape when you can use a gun. :D

I have seen celebrity body guards and yes they are big, but there's a difference between fat and muscle and from my observations a few of your officers do not fall in the muscle category but in the fat category. I'm sorry if I have offended anyone, but that's my honest opinion.

I further understand that you carry a gun, but you have to be able to run somewhat in your position without huffing and puffing while you do it. I mean the criminal could be hiding somewhere and tell where you are by all the huffing and puffing you are doing from running. Before you start, I understand that you don't run after criminals all the time, but in the times that you do you have to be able to do it without killing over and dying and giving your position away with all the noises that you are making from running.

I have seen celebrity body guards and yes they are big, but there's a difference between fat and muscle and from my observations a few of your officers do not fall in the muscle category but in the fat category. I'm sorry if I have offended anyone, but that's my honest opinion.

I further understand that you carry a gun, but you have to be able to run somewhat in your position without huffing and puffing while you do it. I mean the criminal could be hiding somewhere and tell where you are by all the huffing and puffing you are doing from running. Before you start, I understand that you don't run after criminals all the time, but in the times that you do you have to be able to do it without killing over and dying and giving your position away with all the noises that you are making from running.


The reason they are body guards is because they are typically not smart enough or do not have enough self control to be a police officer.

I would agree with that assessment, but I have seen some officers exhibit the same behavior and I'm not just talking about ZPD.

I'd love to come work for ZPD. It's a good agency, I'm tired of hearing people bash the agency and it's Officers.

I'd love to come work for ZPD. It's a good agency, I'm tired of hearing people bash the agency and it's Officers.

List your qualifications

Hey Guest, FDLE sets the standards for the physical fitness of officers in Florida, NOT HCSO!!! If Sheriff Gee decided to make his deputies wear tutu's while jumping on one foot, does it mean everyone else has too? You can't outrun the radio or the rookies (thats why God put them in this profession).

You never know what ZPD might have in store for you officers. Wearing a tutu and dancing on one foot may be appealing compared to whats in store for you :snicker: :snicker:

There will be a captain job opening soon. :lol:

You probably will have a better chance filling the city council seat that will be available soon, scabby. :shock:

We will be too busy filling the chief job! You uneducated idiot.

Hey Scabs (Scabby Boy), you and I have tangled a few times on this website, but I do agree with you about the Chiefs job

We will be too busy filling the chief job! You uneducated idiot.

Oh now your going after the chief? You just won't stop, will you M*F? :oops:

ooohhhh boys.... keep talking dirty... I love when you throw your weight around.To think of throwing down with such trash talking loosers just thrills me to the bone.
i will fill any vacant seats that you boys point me to. I love wearing a uniform or sitting
in a mf chair.
can we kinda hurry this along? ooooh a thought just popped into my pretty head..what if we just go after everybodys chair and then I and my bfs could have our pick of bones to thrill. oops... was that a dirty thought... silly me

ooohhhh boys.... keep talking dirty... I love when you throw your weight around.To think of throwing down with such trash talking loosers just thrills me to the bone.
i will fill any vacant seats that you boys point me to. I love wearing a uniform or sitting
in a mf chair.
can we kinda hurry this along? ooooh a thought just popped into my pretty head..what if we just go after everybodys chair and then I and my bfs could have our pick of bones to thrill. oops... was that a dirty thought... silly me

What the hell is this?

ooohhhh boys.... keep talking dirty... I love when you throw your weight around.To think of throwing down with such trash talking loosers just thrills me to the bone.
i will fill any vacant seats that you boys point me to. I love wearing a uniform or sitting
in a mf chair.
can we kinda hurry this along? ooooh a thought just popped into my pretty head..what if we just go after everybodys chair and then I and my bfs could have our pick of bones to thrill. oops... was that a dirty thought... silly me

What the hell is this?

Very strange. Guess only they know.