Non-Certified Hire

I am Certified CPO but not LEO. Any chance of getting hired and sponsored through the academy?

They will make you believe you are going to get sponsored, but when it comes down to it, nobody has the stones to say that you are SOL.

It is my understanding that we are only hiring certified officers at this time. The Chief (I'm guessing and not trying to speak for him in any way) is trying to get the department up to staff and it makes sense to only hire those that are certified at this time. If you are interested it doesn't hurt to put in an application though. The other thing you can do is call 813-974-2628 and ask. Good luck

Yes the new Chief is trying to get us up to the needed man power to run this place, and hiring cerftified people is a priority. But, I'm sure, that the only way to get sponsored, is if you are a minority. You can probably get sponsored through the academy if you are a qualified minority applicant. Most good qualified and certified minorities go to the higher paying agencies like TPD or HCSO. If you are sponsored by USF, keep in mind, there is a 3yr contract to stay with the agency.

If the Chiefs new pay package gets approved, our salaries should be very competitive with TPD and the Sheriff's Department. We're keeping our fingers crossed that the University will do the right thing. We should know something by the end of the fiscal year, this June.

Certified already or out of state LEO's who can take the cross over class only.

Even if certified, We still put 2 guys with 20 years on other PD's through a Full FTO program. One Florida LEO, another is almost finished in FTO, from NY.

The original post was asking if there is any chance of getting sponsored throught the academy. And the answer is yes/no. If you are a minority that will sign a contract with the department then there is a possibility. If you are not a minority the chances are probably no. The academies are turning out people left and right, qualified or not. To get a qualified minority, that will sign a contract is what they are looking for. Most of the qualified minorities go for the higher paying jobs in the area. They are hiring qualified people though...:/