PoliceLink

When I decided to become a cop, I was dismayed to learn that most of the departments I was interested in required me to be twenty one years old to even apply. I was thirteen at the time, so waiting eight more years to realize my dream seemed almost inconceivable. After graduating high school at 18, I decided that if I ...

You can accelerate your career in law enforcement by having a degree from a reputable university, as well as being good at your job. Nowadays many jurisdictions require college education as a prerequisite to hiring for most law enforcement positions. Not only does a good education improve your skills and talents, but it also enhances the likelihood you’ll get that next ...

Twelve years ago I got my first departmental email address and thought it was the coolest and most comprehensive electronic communication tool that I would ever use or need. I also assumed it was completely private, belonged only to me and that when I hit “delete” it went away forever. For an oldster who was born prior to 1960, I’ve learned ...

The prospect of firearms training in the pressure-filled law enforcement academy setting is either loved or hated by cadets. Few blocks of instruction, save for physical training and defensive tactics, conjures up such extremes in emotion. As a certified firearms instructor and an executive over basic police academies, I have seen first hand the issues that trip up aspiring gun-toting law ...

When I finally got hired by the police department, where I would eventually spend the majority of my law enforcement career, I was so thrilled to receive that letter of appointment that I didn’t bother to find out how much money I’d be taking home each week. I’d been involved in the testing process for months, I was 21, single, still ...

It seems like all we hear in the media is economic doom and gloom. Granted, unemployment is high, layoffs are common, and it’s easy to get discouraged. But it really is possible to get hired, even in this economy. The Reality of a Lousy Economy A bad economy tends to mean a higher crime rate; more crime means more cops. It’s ...

In these tough times, the law enforcement workplace is extremely competitive. Secure the position you want with new skills and credentials – online from Florida Tech. A degree from a world-renowned university will help you succeed through any economy. Develop the expertise that will enable you to move into a rewarding new area of law enforcement with one of Florida Tech’s ...

I had been a field training sergeant for several years when we hired a new recruit who sat down with my boss and told him that she really didn’t have the time or the inclination to go through all that silly police academy and patrol officer stuff. She asked to be immediately assigned to our Investigations Division as a detective, and ...

My mom was a school teacher and both my parents were college-educated so I spent most of my childhood enduring frequent lectures about the importance of academics. Grades were not a problem for me until I entered middle school; then there were just too many other interesting things to do besides study and my grades slipped a bit. This did not ...

Once you’ve passed the written test, the oral interview, the physical agility test, and you’ve successfully jumped through a few other hoops, you’re probably ready for the background investigation. How ironic that part of the process to become a crime fighter is to be investigated by one! In this competitive job market, the background investigation is becoming even more important to ...

A polygraph exam is often a “make or break” part of the police testing process, but it’s often difficult to prepare for and even understand. As Richard Nixon said “I don’t know anything about lie detectors other than they scare the hell out of people!” Polygraph testing is used far more in government pre-employment processes than in the private sector. In ...

These days, a career in law enforcement doesn’t mean you have to patrol the mean streets of an urban jungle or walk the cell block of the state prison. One of the most popular areas of police work today is forensics. But the term “forensic science” means so much more than what you see on Wednesday’s episode of “CSI.” Simply put, ...

In the general orders or in the personnel manual of virtually every police organization there is language about "ethics" and "integrity." But what exactly does than mean? Ethics is an easy word to throw around and yet very hard to define. Police officers are held to a higher standard than the general public, both on and off duty, but do we ...

I’ll never forget when I told my mom I wanted to be a cop. It was about 1973, very early in the history of women in patrol work, so when I said “I want to study law enforcement” she said “You want to be a lawyer?” “No Mom, I want to be a cop.” She looked at me sideways and replied ...

Wouldn't it be great if there was one and _only one_ police entrance exam for every department in the nation? However, as many of you know, that's just not the case. Every police agency has different requirements and different attributes they are looking for in an employee, which means you could take a dozen police entrance exams and none of them ...

As a former member of my department’s recruitment team, I’ve seen it all. The best and the worst of potential candidates approach us at career fairs, drop in at the department for a tour or stop by for an application. There are always certain candidates that make us look at our fellow recruiters and say “wow!” There are others that make ...

In these tough times, the law enforcement workplace is extremely competitive. Secure the position you want with new skills and credentials – online from Florida Tech. A degree from a world-renowned university will help you succeed through any economy. Develop the expertise that will enable you to move into a rewarding new area of law enforcement with one of Florida ...

Congratulations! You just got that law enforcement job you’ve been going after for months, maybe even years. Whether you’re just starting the academy or it’s your first day of field training, you’ve got so much to learn, so much to think about, so much to do! But I’m going to give you one more thing that you must start planning for ...

*“Forget everything you learned in the academy”* At least one veteran officer is going to say this to you as you begin your FTO program. And you know what? They’re probably right! All those weeks you spent learning about tactics, law, procedure, ethics, human behavior, report writing, firearms and traffic stop procedures from that dedicated cadre of police trainers? Forget it ...

In any officer survival training class worth attending there will be lots of talk about your “mindset” and being mentally prepared for any encounter or confrontation you may face on the street. Every cop is aware that that police work can be a dangerous job, but a true survival mindset involves not merely being _aware_ that something bad can happen, but ...