Transition to GA Law Enforcement

I am an 8 year veteran of a municipal PD here in Florida. I am considering a move north. Curious about GA POST requirements for certified officers. Any references you could provide would be appreciated.

Stay in Floriduuh

Retired last year from Dade County. Check out the GA POST certification web site. Usually, if you have active training and max certification in FL/ Ga will put you through a 200 hour cross certification on high liability, driving, criminal law, etc. They do not have a cross over academy like FDLE does for out of State LEOS. It depends on what they see on your training records, education, and experience. You will be asked to submit all the training records, plus a resume.

If you run into any problems get back with me on this site and I will call you. I am going through the same process as we speak.

ALL I CAN SAY IS THAT YOU WOULD BE S20 TO POLICE IN GA. I HAVE MANY YEARS IN WITH ATLANTA PD AND I CAN PROMISE YOU THAT THE SYSTEM IS VERY MESSED UP. EACH TIME YOU ARREST SOMEONE YOU "WILL" HAVE TO OBTAIN A WARRANT FOR THAT PERSON WITHIN 48HRS. YOU "WILL" HAVE TO GO BEFORE A JUDGE AND EXPLAIN WHY YOU ARRESTED HIM. IT IS ABSOLUTLEY THE WORST JUSTICE SYSTEM IN THE USA. ALL TRAFFIC INFRACTIONS ARE MISDEMEANORS SO YOU WILL HAVE TO GOTO COURT "EVERYTIME YOU WRITE A TICKET". I WORKED IN FLORIDA AND MOVED TO GA WORKING AS A COP. I COULD NOT MAKE IT MORE THAN 2YRS BEFORE I RETURNED TO FLA. IF YOU WANT TO GOTO GA TO BE A COP I SUGGEST U RESEARCH IT BIG TIME BECAUSE I CAN PROMISE YOU WILL REGRET IT. BY THE WAY I WORKED FOR THE HIGHEST PAID DEPT... APD AND I MADE 42K A YEAR ON 8HRS SHIFTS. AND ALSO DONT FORGET BY GA STATE LAW YOU ONLY GET PAID $25 DOLLARS FOR COURT BY THE DIST. ATTORNEY NO MATTER HOW LONG YOU ARE THERE... YOU BEST DO YOUR HOMEWORK GA LEO SUCKS.....

It cant be a Georgia law or state mandate to get $25.00 for crt because some agencies, ie, Gwinnett County pd as stand by pay and a 3hr min for crt. My suggestion to you is to take a few days off and visit some of the depts that you are interested in. And try to speak with the Ofcs that you see on the street, because they will provide you with the best and honest informations.

I recently went through the appication process for Dekalb P.D. I was disappointed at the treatment of applicants with many years of law enforcement experience. There was a long time civilian employ of the agency that went through at the time I did. That person made statements to me about the high turnover rate, specifically at this department. I could understand those statements after the process.
It may sound like I'm disgruntled because I did not get an offer, but that is not the case. My only reason for posting is to say how quickly I realized how great I had it.
I was hard-pressed to find agencies that allowed takehome cars like many do in Florida(knock on wood),not to mention rate of pay and benefits.
I don't presume to know everything about the Georgia deparments, I can only speak of my own experience. Florida is pretty great even with our occasional news-worthy drama. To all FL and GA LEO's Be Safe

Totally agree. Law enforcement in GA is way behind the times as far as pay, benefits, and retirement. No backing from union what so ever... and if you get in a shooting... good luck your on your own. Also if already certified they put you in an academy with current rookies in between their classes. They dont have a crossover academy like FDLE just for experienced LEO"s. If you have had an other experiences in GA I would like to know. POST sent me a letter and I need the 200 hrs high liability classes before 3 years of my prior job. Howver, I will say this... the guys and gals are much more professional than some S FL LEO's but some lack good officer safety issues. Depends on agency. Plus everything goes through a warrant vs just a PC Affidavit.. what a waste of man hours !

From what I was told, if you have at least 2 years of full time experience. There is a modified 7 weeks academy available.

I have a letter from GA POST, it says all I need is 200 hrs of high liability. The catch is they put you in an academy class with new recruits at various times. GA POST does not have seperate classes for out of State LEO's like FDLE does on the comparative compliance classes... something they should look into and make the transition easier!

You are right. However, just remember that it is for 7 weeks. And they may be a staffing issue(s)

Let me know if you here or do anything different with GA POST Academy.. also any problems applying at agencies.. Thanks.. I was told they put you in class with recruits to complete your 200 hrs.. at different stages for high liability issues.

Hello Folks,

Just wondering, how long does it take to achieve top out pay at DCPD? Thanks.

Do yourself a big favor and stay in Fla. (I am a prior Fla Leo and a current Ga Leo) Georgia Law Enforcement is pathetic in a whole... The front line Officers and Deputies are fantastic just like in anywhere else and are just trying to make it... However they are rewarded with terrible pay / benefits, poor leadership and a dying moral... They have no Union or collective bargaining agreement and basically have no right to speak up for themselves w/o fear of retaliation... The training is ok but could be better... The crossover or lateral academy is a joke and the Gov. doesn't care about its officers. Its just one BIG OLD FAT Good Ole Boy system.. (Emphasis on FAT)!!! I wish we as LEO's would stand up for our rights like our neighbors in Fla and stop being abused... We are professionals that risk our lives and get treated like (hamburger flippers). This State could be so much better if we were unionized but we need to join together and fight these "Praise be Jesus" fake "I pray for you via email, then stab you in the back, politicians"...
This State needs a face lift and have stricter standards put in place, unfortunately it wont happen over night... If you have any year vested in Fla. retire there and then come up and watch the circus act, especially in the rural areas...

Let me also say there are very many great Leo's in this state, and not all agencies are bad. stick to the Metro Atl area, but dont go to Atl.. (If you must come to Ga. The city P.D.s are the lesser of two evils)..

Do yourself a BIG favor and stay in FL. I am retired from FL and work as a LEO here and the system in GA is definitely different (backwards, behind the times). It does not matter what type or how much experience you have. They don't care and the attitude up here is "you're in Georgia now" There is no crossover for certified officers from other states and you will have to go through a minimum of 200 hours at a regional academy with raw recruits with no experience who do 400 plus hours. You are treated like a rookie and the mandated course of instruction for certified officers is spread out over 10 weeks, but you may only attend 1 or 2 days a week while the inexperienced people attend 5 days a week for 10 weeks. It definitely is a "good ol boy" system and not much brotherhood among LEO's up here. Plus the money sucks and there is no collective bargaining and very little officer rights. You would be crazy to leave if you already have 8 years in if you have some sort of pension and are close to being vested. If you have a pension and could retire, then it is not that bad. Good luck brother!