Need some advice before applying...

I am a former Marine with 6 years of honorable service, seriously considering a career in law enforcement. I moved to the Tampa Bay area about a year ago. I am working on my BA degree and have over 60 credits completed. I've read a lot of information on the different departments in the area and the academy. I have a few questions that I hope I can get some advice on.

1. Since I have a family and a morgage, I need a little help getting started. What are my realistic chances about getting into a sponsorship program and what departments would you recommend in the Tampa Bay area?

2. How long does the application process actually take from application to acceptance?

3. What other advice can you give me before I actually apply?

Thanks for your input in advance. Any help is greatly appreciated.

:?:

1. Are you a female or minority? Do you have a relative employed by TPD? If not, the chances of getting a scholarship are slim to none.

2. Anywhere from six months to a year and a half. I bet that helps, huh?

3. Hurry up and wait. TPD is a very good agency and we get lots of applicants. Many of those have prior LE experience at other agencies. In fact, with the exception of our scholarship recruits, pretty much everyone else we hire has some sort of prior LE experience anymore. That's just the way the chief likes it. Finish your degree, put an application in, and see what happens. If you get turned down, apply to other agencies and then come to TPD at a later date if you still want to work here. You can also try the reserve force, however don't count on that being a shoe-in to a full-time position. The good thing about reserve work is that you can make the same extra duty pay as a full-timer ($32-45 per hour) once you're off probation.

No, I am not a minorty or female. What other departments would you recommend in order to get the proper training and scholorship program in the Tampa Bay area?

BOTH PINELLAS AND HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ALWAYS NEED DETENTION DEPUTIES. PINELLAS PAYS DETENTION AND STREET DEPUTIES THE SAME, HILLSBOROUGH I THINK PAYS A LITTLE LESS FOR THE JAIL. CHECK OUT EACH AGENCY, BUT I THINK BOTH WILL SPONSOR YOU IN THE DETENTION ACADEMY. YOU CAN TRANSFER FROM THE JAIL TO THE STREET AND REMAIN WITH THE SAME AGENCY BUT IF THEY TELL YOU IT WILL TAKE 2 TO 3 YEARS TO TRANSFER TO THE STREET IT WILL REALISTICALLY BE 5 TO 7 YEARS. TPD CURRENTLY HAS MANY FINE OFFICERS WHO WORKED IN THE JAIL AND QUIT AFTER PUTTING THEMSELVES THROUGH AN ACADEMY TO GET ON THE STREET. SINCE YOU HAVE A FAMILY AND YOU CAN'T WORK MINIMUM WAGE JOBS WHILE WAITING TO GET HIRED FOR THE STREET, THE JAIL MAY BE YOUR ANSWER. YOU CAN ALSO TRY PASCO COUNTY, BUT THE PAY WILL BE LOWER.

GOOD LUCK JARHEAD !!!!!!!!!!!!!! GO ARMY !!!!

Don't listen to these negative idiots. Why would you guys want to scare off a potential good candidate?

I don't know what the criteria is for the scholarship program, contact the Personnel Unit. I don't know the direct number, but you can call the info counter at 276-3200 and they can patch you through. The application process largely depends on the applicant. The faster you get your all the required information in, the faster it can get reviewed. The diversity push is over. We need good qualified people, prior LEO and/or military experience is a definite plus. Keep calling your background investigator.

Advice: 1) DON"T LIE TO YOUR BACKGROUND INVESTIGATOR - this has DQ'd many during the pre-poly interview.
2) Don't bother to apply if you have done ANY illegal drugs other than a very limited amount of marijuana, at least two years ago.
3) Keep calling your background investigator, depending on who it is, this will let them know you are VERY interested and they will work harder for you.

GOOD LUCK

Semper Fi (by marriage)

Don't listen to these negative idiots. Why would you guys want to scare off a potential good candidate?

I don't know what the criteria is for the scholarship program, contact the Personnel Unit. I don't know the direct number, but you can call the info counter at 276-3200 and they can patch you through.

For someone who admitedly doesn't know anything about the application process, you sure come across pretty stupid calling people idiots for voicing what really is the truth.

If you think that the "diversity push" is over, you must be living underneath a rock. The past scholarship class to graduate from the HCC academy was ENTIRELY minority. The new one is shaping up to be about the same. Since I instruct at the academy, I think I should know. Before you go call someone an idiot, maybe you should at least have some clue as to what you're talking about.

And I wasn't being negative, I was being completely truthful in my post, both about the scholarship class and the time it takes people to apply. If you really are a cop, go up to personnel and ask a background investigator about what I posted. They'll confirm everything I said.

I appreciate all the input. I am not very interested in becoming a corrections officer for 5-7 years prior to switching to patrol. Does anyone know of any departments that give preference to veterans?

Also, I hear a lot about Hillsborough County and Pinellas County, does anyone have any experience with Bradenton or Plant City/Lakeland Police?

Just trying to keep all of my options open. Thanks again!

Pinellas Park PD is looking to sponsor at least 6 recruits for the academy starting on January. Call Ofc. McBride 727 541-0758

This is not the best forum to obtain the information that you are asking about. Call us in Personnel and we will be happy to give you the correct information. The direct line is(813) 276-3429. Ask to speak to any of the recruiters.

BOTH PINELLAS AND HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ALWAYS NEED DETENTION DEPUTIES.

BOTH WILL SPONSOR YOU IN THE DETENTION ACADEMY.

YOU CAN TRANSFER FROM THE JAIL TO THE STREET AND REMAIN WITH THE SAME AGENCY BUT IF THEY TELL YOU IT WILL TAKE 2 TO 3 YEARS TO TRANSFER TO THE STREET IT WILL REALISTICALLY BE 5 TO 7 YEARS.

YOU CAN ALSO TRY PASCO COUNTY, BUT THE PAY WILL BE LOWER.



BEWARE! Hillsborough County now requires Detention Deputies to resign before they will hire them as LEOs. This causes a break in service that affects your benefits.

Also, I think you will find that Pasco pays their Detention Deputies MORE than Hillsborough pays theirs.

If you become a Detention Deputy it will be very hard to switch later and become a LEO.

The point remains we need good qualified people. No, I did not recall the specifics on the current scholarship criteria but I do know the application process. I conducted background investigations on police-only applicants a few years ago. Now civillian and police applicants are processed by the Personnel Unit if they will be working for the police department. Each chief has his own set of selection standards and in many aspects, Chief Hogue is making it easier to hire. Per the current recruiters: If it's taking over four months to process an applicant, there's a problem on their end or ours. Processing and hiring are two different timelines.

Granted, for the scholarship class, the preference will go to diversity. The whole point of the scholarship program was to encourage minorities from the community, who would not be able to afford the training program on their own, to become police officers. However, other individuals also qualify and our chief likes military personnel.

You are absolutely right, the last class was set up specifically to address diversity. Hiring minorities will never change. It is a federal requirement. Even if it wasn't, with the different cultures in our area, they can be an asset. If the applicants pass the process and meet the selection standards, they'll be hired. How they look on-paper and how they do on the street may be two different things. Of course, that holds true whether the new hires are minorities or not. When I said the diversity push is over, I was speaking about the last class. The majority of that last class washed out. The unit has taken a different approach because of it. In talking with recruiters, the push is for new hires, minority or not. You can go to Personnel and confirm this yourself. Since I am a cop, I have talked to them, that's where I got my information.

Each one of us has knowledge in different aspects of the inner workings of this department which influence our perceptions and opinions. What you know to be the "truth" may not include what I know to be the "truth". If you've been here any length of time, you know the different units do not communicate well with one another. Not just on the 5th floor, but throughout the department. Until this changes, you may only be privy to "what you need to know" as determined by your supervisor or the other unit. The rest we fill-in-the-blank on our own. None of the squads or units provide the entire picture.

In the meantime, we need to encourage potentially good candidates, provide them with the proper contacts to answer their questions and keep any aspect of negativity out of it.

To the Marine, still the best of luck to you. We have a terrific agency overall and it is well worth checking into.

Thanks for all of the great input. I have talked to several recruiters in the last few days and will probably apply to at least two or three different departments over all. Thanks again and hopefully everything will go smooth.

Let's be honest and stop using politically correct half truths like "the scholarship program was created to foster diversity."

Call the scholarship what it is...government mandated discrimination. It's not about giving a chance to folks wh could not afford to pay for their own training, there's plenty of non-minorities that would qualify if that was really the criteria.

We have to put up with it, but we don't have to give credence to politically correct yet totally inaccurate names they give it. Call it what it is.

The real point is that we certainly don't need any women in law enforcement. They simply can't do the job, PERIOD.

To all women in law enforcement, please take the above post as an ignorant step to stir up controversy. I would suggest that his post be deleted. Honor, Integrity, Justice. Words we live by. Obviously the poster "Idiot" certainly lives up to his name.

I would love to know who (name please) wrote the post Idiot...I bet at least 25% of the females here could kick your #%*...

There is a definite need for women in law enforcement.

Someone has to search the female prisoners!

:lol:

I just wish someone would call it like it is. I wasted over a year in the applicaation process for a sponsorship. I am a W/M veteran with no criminal history and a 2-year degree.

After more than a year of jumping through TPD hoops they didn't even have the balls to tell me why my application was dennied. Apparently that is the protocal.

Stick with detention. At least you will get a Yes or No within a year.

P.S. I'm not the only vet that has gone down this path. With DIVERISITY all can be forgivin. If you are not "diverse," you will not get a reason why you were rejected, even after a year.

...And heads up to TPD, Many great men who have up on your department would have self-sponsored, if they had known they would have been hirable.. ...regardless of what color they are.

To all Vet Applicants:
Don't waste a year of your life. Apply elsewhere. At least PCSO detention will give it to you straight. and forget HCSO, or at least look at their standards (wildly unreasonable) first.

Doesn't the military have the GI Bill? I don't know a lot about it, but isn't that an option to help pay for the academy? Personally, I wouldn't wait on the scholarshp unless you can't absolutely pay for it yourself. They don't have many seats for it and it depends on funding as well. I was told that up front. I know HCC has a part time academy which takes a little longer, but at least you can work while going to it.

It's easy for someone to blame everything and everyone but themselves for why they didn't get a job.

I'm a white male, came down to Florida from out of state with a four year degree, and TPD gave me a scholarship. My application process, from the time that I put in the initial application to the time that the academy started--was about a year and a half. I waited, I was persistent, and it paid off.

Just because someone is a veteran or has a degree doesn't mean that they're a shoe-in for this job. Everyone has some background issues, and some are worse than others. Some people don't get good recommendations from their past employers. Some have bad credit. Some have done too many drugs or engaged in too much illegal behavior. Some don't do well during the testing process.

It's easier to say "I wasn't hired because I'm white," than to say "I wasn't hired because there were better, more qualified candidates." I also think that anyone who deems HCSO's standards as "widly unreasonable," probably has some baggage of their own. HCSO's standards are no different from TPD's.

I had my background done in a about 3 months. Had to wait for the hiring, but all in all took about 5 1/2 months from start to finish. I know others have taken longer to get hired because of different reasons, such as limited vacancies and etc., but your post is on the money. Well put. And no I'm not a minority either.

the GI bill will pay around 1,000 to 2,000 a month (depending on the deal you signed) while attending full time school or a police academy (which is considered full time school). Less tuition, is what you take home, but GI bill in notorious for a slow start. Meaning, you may have to wait a few months before you start receiving your benefits however, you will get back paid when it does start.

The point is, if a Department isn’t interested in a potential applicant; why not have to stones to say so immediately?

Answer: TPD is afraid of lawsuits!

Personally if someone would have told me from day one that I needed to self sponsor, because of my lack of diversity, education, or whatever, I would have. But after applying for over a year, and no real answers why I was shot down, I am no longer willing to invest my time.

And don’t believe the Background argument, garbage. I will post my full name, if TPD agrees to post exactly why I was rejected. After all, applications are supposed to be public record right? So how many phone calls from an applicant does it take to get answers on why his/her public application was rejected?

You are correct it is public record, but if you want to know why you were rejected you can also call me directly at (813)276-3397 and I would be glad to review your file/application with you.
Officer S. Griffin
Tampa Police
Personnel Unit

I work in D3 and was in roll call when the chief and asst chief came in and said that they were recruiting experienced officers. So since I came from another agency, I went to find friends of mine at other agencies that I would want to work with again her at TPD. I didn't just throw out the idea of applying to everyone I knew, just those that were hard workers, without discipline and would be an asset to us here at TPD. Some of these officer applied, but after putting in their city application, they still have heard nothing for the past 3 months. I gave them the " you should call the recruiters to see where you are", "let them know you really want to work here". Well, after being told that the TPD packet was in the mail and that their PAT test info is being sent, weeks have past again with no info or contact.

And even after months have passed, I still here that we need experienced officers and we should recruit. Whats the hold up in recruiting? Are we really back logged or is it financial, with the contract issues??? I love working here and want as many good officers from other agencies to come here and be a part of our team. I just feel bad when I hype this department up and some good officers apply, but get ignored for months with no contact.

The way our own officers are getting relieved and rookies that can't pass FTO or probation, we need to get some quality officers back on our streets to fill the ranks.

This is just my opinion.

The point is, if a Department isn’t interested in a potential applicant; why not have to stones to say so immediately?

Answer: TPD is afraid of lawsuits!

And don’t believe the Background argument, garbage.

Pretty bold statements for someone who's never been a cop and has no idea what the police hiring process entails. It seems to me as if you think for some reason that you're entitled to whatever job you want, and when you don't get it you want to blame everyone and everything but yourself. Maybe you came across as the conceited know-it-all you are and rubbed someone the wrong way.

And the last thing that TPD has to worry about is lawsuits from applicants who don't get hired. There's plenty of case law in all types of courts that uphold the law enforcement hiring process and the steps that it entails. The bottom line is that there were better applicants than you. I know that you, in all your perceived glory, find that hard to believe--but it's true.

Since it's all a matter of public record, hopefully you will call MPO Griffin and find out the reason why you weren't hired--then come back here and post it for the world to read.

This is in response to the officer in D3. I am in no way making excuses but would like to explain some of the common problems that may contribute to the process. First of all the intial application goes to employment services at City Hall. There are several things that have to happen before the applications get sent to the police department. The applicant has to take all of the required documents, along with certified transcripts from highschool and any college they may have. In the majority of cases, something is always missing and they have to track the applicant down to get them to bring it in. Once that is done, then the PAT is scheduled (by employee services). When the PAT score is returned to employee services, then the application comes to the police department for assignment. We mail out the background packet and when they send it back to us, we call them in for an interview.

The problem we have had in the recent past with officer's from other agencies is that the referring officer will come get a blank packet for them
or they'll stop on their own and get one. They think that the packet is the application and it isn't. They mail it back to us and since an intial application has not been filled out we have to refer them to City Hall where the process actually begins. I would strongly encourage anyone that is applying or referring someone for hire, to contact us in personnel to find out what the steps are and we will gladly help them through the process. If you have applied with employee services and have not heard anything then I would also suggest you contact them (813)274-8041 to see if there was a problem. If a background investigator from the police personnel unit has not contacted you, it generally means it has not been sent over to us for a particular reason.

As far as your case with the people you are referring, I would need more information to find out what is going on with them. Have them call me or come see me and I will find the answer for you.
Officer S. Griffin
Tampa PD, Personnel

Ofc S.Griffin,
Thanks for the response about the application process and problems. It was very helpful and a nice change from the usual smart %$^ comments and replies. I will pass the city employment contact number along to my friend and have him follow up, since he has not heard anything from them. If they have no idea, I will have him call you.
I know everyone in recruiting is busy and I appreciate the professional and informative response. Thanks!!

D3,
Thank you for bringing up the issue and the support. Again, let me know if there is anything I can do on my end. I would be glad to help.
S. Griffin

I will call, and I will post whatever response I am given.

I would like to interject my experience with TPD's hiring process.

I am a 10+ yr LEO including 4+ yrs as a Sgt. I applied with TPD in '05 and passed the PAT without any problem. Then, I never heard anything else. I inquired with Recruiting and left messages, but was never contacted. A few months ago I got a form letter saying "the agency is processing more qualified candidates".

That's almost laughable. I seriously doubt there are that many more applicants with as much experience, education and training. I'm sure there are some, but to not even meet with a BI, or be contacted for an Oral Board... that seems a bit ridiculous. If I was processed and didn't get offered a position that's fine, but to get bounced before I even spoke to anyone...That's hard to stomach.

I'd rather someone say, thank you for applying, but we are looking to diversify our agency to reflect the makeup of the citizens.

Too bad, TPD is a really good place.[/b]

This is the reason why so many experienced officers choose not to apply with TPD. They hear the stories of how others are passed over before ever speaking with anyone at the department of having their background done. I see more and more officers being hired without experience, even though we are told that the department wants experience.

What happens if you are working for an agency with low morale like Plant city, St.Pete or FHP? You know you are qualified and experienced. You know you have nothing negative in your file or background. Once you apply and your agency finds out, your screwed. And when you don't get hired for no real reason at all, they will treat you like crap when find out you are trying to leave.

This is why more qualified applicants, black, white, male or female choose to avoid trying to better themselves at TPD. Why don't we just hire people that know the job already instead of the 21 year old college kids with no life experience.

It's just a thought!

Why don't we just hire people that know the job already instead of the 21 year old college kids with no life experience.

It's just a thought!

If that's who TPD wants to hire, then that's who they hire. Every agency has different priorities when it comes to how they select new officers. I personally find what you post somewhat hard to believe, since most of our new hires these days are coming from other agencies. In fact, I know of several in the last few months who were hired and not only have prior LE experience, but also have four year degrees and military experience. Maybe your GED and two years in Plant City doesn't make you the candidate you think you are? Don't blame TPD because you work for an agency that will try to punish you for attempting to leave. You're the one who went to work at that place in the first place, probably because you couldn't get hired at a more desirable agency.

Now don't start bashing folks with GED's. I know a few really good officers in TPD that have them....

Is that you Sen Kerry?

Here are a few thoughts. We should not hire anyone under twenty five years old. This job in no way should be your first job. The applicants need to know what the real world is like.

Wow guest must have took offense. Maybe he got hired when he was 21 and didn't know anything. Maybe he still doesn't know anything. I guess with his college education he was TPD sponsored througth the adademy. Maybe he fits the demographics for who gets sponsored. He starts to bash Plant city and other agencies when he probably works with a few people who started somewhere else. Are they not as good as him??

As for all the officers that were hired with experience, where are they? All I have seen in young officers with no experience. Look in D3 if you don't think it's true. The majority are fresh out of college. Maybe the other posted was just saying that we seem to hire a lot of young rookies without experience in LE or just life. I think he meant that we need more mature officers that can handle the job from the start, rather than the young rookies who are who might get fired or quit.

Everyone has their opinion, this is mine.

Did the person ever call personnel or not?

I guess the delays are with the city not the department. The city has had applications for months and have been sitting on them. I know a person who applied via online city application and turned all his info in. He has called 4 times and been told to talk to this person and talk to that person. He finally spoke with someone who knew something and was told that he was scheduled for PAT test in early December. So for those who are applying, be patient and call the city employmet office when you have not heard anything for a few months.

The process is slower than it has been in the past. Good luck.

Everyone out of this recent group hired came from other agencies. All have LEO or Corrections experience. About half were plucked from HCSO Jail.

Everyone out of this recent group hired came from other agencies. All have LEO or Corrections experience. About half were plucked from HCSO Jail.

THIS IS TRUE... CANT ARGUE WITH FACTS.... GOOD TO HAVE OFFICERS W/PRIOR EXPERIENCE LESS CHANCES OF HIRING A SQUIRELL.