Quick question before applying?

I am considering applying so I had a question or two if you guys could be so kind.

I am an out of towner (up here in pensacola) and was wondering:

Is the Academy live-in?

How long is the academy?

How satisfied are you deputies with your jobs? I was considering applying to the highway patrol some time ago because I thought that was the only agency who would take someone not previously LEO certified (I am not). I looked on their forum and was chased away immediately. They seem very disgruntled over there. How is morale at HCSO? All things considered? Is there camaraderie among the deputies? Do you ride alone or in pairs?

The website video makes it seem as if you guys are very military friendly. Will being a former Marine sergeant really help me out at all? I still have to take the CJBAT and will hopefully do so this week. Can anyone recommend a good study guide or something to focus on?

How is the lifestyle and economy down there - is it affordable?

Thanks in advance for any and all replies and advice. Thanks for your service.

Let me try to give you an honest answer before everyone else gets to this. First, read up on the official website. You can contact Recruitment and Screening at 813-247-8070 with any questions.

I am considering applying so I had a question or two if you guys could be so kind.

I am an out of towner (up here in pensacola) and was wondering:

Is the Academy live-in?

The Sheriff's Orientation Training (SOT) is two weeks long, live-in during the week, and liberty on weekends. If you made it through Marine Recruit training, the only danger to you is quitting over how ridiculous it is.

How long is the academy?

SOT is two weeks. The state Academy is approximately 5.5 months. Module training (agency specific training) is around 10 weeks. Don't quote me.

How satisfied are you deputies with your jobs? I was considering applying to the highway patrol some time ago because I thought that was the only agency who would take someone not previously LEO certified (I am not). I looked on their forum and was chased away immediately. They seem very disgruntled over there. How is morale at HCSO? All things considered?

I love what I do, but I have been dissatisfied with my job the last few years. There have been many changes and not all of them are for the best. I figure anyone considering this place deserves an honest answer. We are at the higher end of salaries and benefits for agencies in the region, but we earn them every day. We are very short handed everywhere and especially on patrol. There is a lot of acrimony between the rank-and-file and staff. Morale can be low.

Is there camaraderie among the deputies?

Yes. There are those who are not team players, but they are at every agency. I have been very fortunate in that the majority of my squads have looked out for each other. Rookies and veterans both.

Do you ride alone or in pairs?

Alone. Back up can often be an issue.

The website video makes it seem as if you guys are very military friendly. Will being a former Marine sergeant really help me out at all? I still have to take the CJBAT and will hopefully do so this week. Can anyone recommend a good study guide or something to focus on?

Your military experience will certainly benefit you both during the hiring process and as a deputy. If you are a reservist there could be issues. The office complies fully with the law, but there seems to be resentment toward reservists when they have to drill or are deployed. Don't worry about passing the CJBAT. If you graduated high school you will pass.

How is the lifestyle and economy down there - is it affordable?

That all depends where you live in the bay area. I imagine the cost of living will be a little higher than it is in Pensacola.

Thanks in advance for any and all replies and advice. Thanks for your service.

Please consider other agencies in the area and make an informed decision. There are too many to list, but Pinellas County SO and Tampa Police are both good outfits. If HCSO turns out to be the right choice for you, I wish you the best of luck. Thank you for your sevice.

Fantastic reply, thank you so much.

The training seems a little confusing. You go to those "Schools" back to back to back? I was mainly asking if it was live-in to figure out if when first relocating to train I would need to rent an apartment in the area, or would just be able to stay on academy grounds through the training.

[Average Joe]

Let me try to give you an honest answer before everyone else gets to this. First, read up on the official website. You can contact Recruitment and Screening at 813-247-8070 with any questions.

I am considering applying so I had a question or two if you guys could be so kind.

I am an out of towner (up here in pensacola) and was wondering:

Is the Academy live-in?

The Sheriff's Orientation Training (SOT) is two weeks long, live-in during the week, and liberty on weekends. If you made it through Marine Recruit training, the only danger to you is quitting over how ridiculous it is.

How long is the academy?

SOT is two weeks. The state Academy is approximately 5.5 months. Module training (agency specific training) is around 10 weeks. Don't quote me.

[quote:8hccsera]How satisfied are you deputies with your jobs? I was considering applying to the highway patrol some time ago because I thought that was the only agency who would take someone not previously LEO certified (I am not). I looked on their forum and was chased away immediately. They seem very disgruntled over there. How is morale at HCSO? All things considered?

I love what I do, but I have been dissatisfied with my job the last few years. There have been many changes and not all of them are for the best. I figure anyone considering this place deserves an honest answer. We are at the higher end of salaries and benefits for agencies in the region, but we earn them every day. We are very short handed everywhere and especially on patrol. There is a lot of acrimony between the rank-and-file and staff. Morale can be low.

Is there camaraderie among the deputies?

Yes. There are those who are not team players, but they are at every agency. I have been very fortunate in that the majority of my squads have looked out for each other. Rookies and veterans both.

Do you ride alone or in pairs?

Alone. Back up can often be an issue.

The website video makes it seem as if you guys are very military friendly. Will being a former Marine sergeant really help me out at all? I still have to take the CJBAT and will hopefully do so this week. Can anyone recommend a good study guide or something to focus on?

Your military experience will certainly benefit you both during the hiring process and as a deputy. If you are a reservist there could be issues. The office complies fully with the law, but there seems to be resentment toward reservists when they have to drill or are deployed. Don't worry about passing the CJBAT. If you graduated high school you will pass.

How is the lifestyle and economy down there - is it affordable?

That all depends where you live in the bay area. I imagine the cost of living will be a little higher than it is in Pensacola.

Thanks in advance for any and all replies and advice. Thanks for your service.

Please consider other agencies in the area and make an informed decision. There are too many to list, but Pinellas County SO and Tampa Police are both good outfits. If HCSO turns out to be the right choice for you, I wish you the best of luck. Thank you for your sevice.[/quote:8hccsera]

This post just told it like it is.

Now watch the haters of the office respond but do not listen to them. It, like all other agencies, is what you make of it.

[Average Joe]

Fantastic reply, thank you so much.

The training seems a little confusing. You go to those "Schools" back to back to back? I was mainly asking if it was live-in to figure out if when first relocating to train I would need to rent an apartment in the area, or would just be able to stay on academy grounds through the training.

Only the first two weeks, Sunday night to Friday afternoon are live in. You are free and on your own after the second Friday.

After the 2 weeks of SOT you report to the training section for 5.5 months of the academy which is not live in.

I will be glad to speak honestly about the Office. I've been here a long time and have done well in my career, but I will tell anyone thinking about working here, "if you value your sanity, run for the hills." Do not work here until the current regime is no longer in place. They have done nothing, but bring down morale to a all time low.

I will be glad to speak honestly about the Office. I've been here a long time and have done well in my career, but I will tell anyone thinking about working here, "if you value your sanity, run for the hills." Do not work here until the current regime is no longer in place. They have done nothing, but bring down morale to a all time low.

DITTO!!!!!! Also, we are not "haters", as one poster has claimed. We just want our sheriff's office back. Sure, there were always a few problems in the past, but nothing compared to the outright tyrant like, micro-managed atmosphere occurring here now. The deputies and supervisors are both disgusted by how the Sheriff Gee and Chief Docobo Staff have treated people and feel they are invinceable. It's a problem, a big problem and it keeps getting worse almost by the day. They ran off some incredibly good deputies with their supposed new & improved workers comp facility and it's doctor Evil they brought in. Do we need help on the street.......Yes!! But some of us still believe in being honest about the situation and in doing such must advise you to look elsewhere or you will regret it. They are now hiring people are incapapable of thinking for themselves, or they would have never signed the hiring papers

Well the reason I am looking is because you are actively hiring and have your own training academy.

A lot of departments require you to have a law enforcement certification which I would have to use my GI bill to attain. I dont see the point in that when I could walk into somewhere else and get paid to do it

The only other choice I see is FHP, and they seem to be considerably more disgruntled than you guys. I'm no stranger to the management not having a clue what its like on the ground floor. The marine corps is no different.

I also assume you guys have more opportunities to get into specialized units than the highway patrol? Seems like all they do is work crashes all day for the most part.

So basically as soon as I am hired I need to get down there and rent an apartment to have while I go through training. Will I be paid enough (or at all) while in training to afford something in the area?

Please understand most of the people who post on this website are disgruntled and would rather blame HCSO rather than themselves for the result of their career.

HCSO is an excellent agency to work for. We have manpower issues, but you will see that in many other places. I'm not justifying it, but I can't personally change it myself. Hopefully the command staff will change course and figure out how to fill our vacancies more quickly without sacrificing standards.

FHP is underpaid and I would not recommend applying with them. I've heard many good things about Pinellas County.

Your pay during the academy is roughly $18/hr if I remember correctly. You can afford a good apartment during that time. Be sure to research where you want to live and what district you want to work in before you move down. You will generally be assigned to work in the district where you live.

I enjoy working for HCSO. I'd love to change certain policies and I have my gripes every now and then, but overall, this is a great agency. The squads I have been on have all been great. Teamwork and the "brotherhood" are definitely important to the deputies on my squad.

I definitely recommend HCSO as a great agency to someone like yourself with no law enforcement experience. That is exactly how I got started and I do not regret the decision. Best of luck to you!

To the OP.....I'm a bit confused. You said you read the FHP comments Forum and was immediately chased away by how bad it seemed. Have you taken the time to read this Forum also? Because if you did, other then the pay being higher, you would have had to see all the problems HCSO is dealing with right now. Without any hesitation at all, now knowing just how bad HCSO has turned out to be and I had the choice between only FHP or here at HCSO, I would undoubtedly choose FHP. That may seem crazy considering the pay difference, but since I hate HCSO so bad that I'm about to quit right now, It would be the choice I would make.

Believe me, I never would have imagined in a million years that the thought would ever cross my mind, but I also never imagined that this office would become such a nightmare either. I can't tell you how many times I have been back stabbed or treated wrongly in the last 5 years. It has become impossible to set goals or work towards advancement here, because what they want or expect out of you changes almost daily and the old way of being rewarded for hard work is non-existant to say the least. You can't even ask your direct line supervisors what to do in order to prepare for advancement, because they too have no idea what this current leadership, or rather LACK OF, wants from them.

The best thing that could happen for HCSO is for the current Sheriff to step down and bring in somebody new that actually cares about the troops and to begin repairing years of they're built up frustration and resentment.