Not LEO yet but givin it my best shot

[wikidklown]

Hi all,

About 18 years ago, I did something that I regret up to this point in time. I sent for a CHP application packet in which was mailed to me but unfortunately, I was hired in a company that I still work for this very moment and dropped the idea of getting into CHP.

Fast forward to today, now that I'm 41 years of age, I've been bitten with this law enforcement thingy again.
This Saturday, I have a physical agility test at 8:00AM and written test starting at 1:00PM for Sheriff Deputy Cadet.
SInce I am physically fit, I'm more concerned with the written exam.
Has anyone gone through the written portion of testing with the Santa Clara Co. Sheriff Dept lately?
Any tips, suggestions, and/or advice for me?

TIA:cool

[motorman4life]

You already failed...
Attention to detail, Recruit!
Top of the main page of this forum:
"Sticky: Leo section FAQ's- check here before posting"
would have lead you to the "Becoming a LEO 101 thread"
http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=153544
Try that.

Thanks for trying, better luck next time, but we have some lovely parting gifts.....

:newbie

[wikidklown]

Hahaha. Thanks for the info/link. Very informative.

[}Dragon{]

Originally posted by motorman4life
Thanks for trying, better luck next time, but we have some lovely parting gifts.....

:newbie


:rofl

[drizz]

wow... :laughing

[StuntrHuntr]

MM4L is correct. Attention to detail.
Good luck with your testing.

[motorman4life]

Originally posted by drizz
wow... :laughing
Attention to detail is a huge factor in whether one will be a good LEO. In some people it is natural, instinctive. Others learn to develop the skills required to squeak by in their LE jobs. I really don't know if I was trying to be funny or harsh (maybe a bit of both), but it is true nonetheless.

Learning to see details as well as the whole picture, learning to seek out and use all available resources and being able to sort through the "white noise" to pick out the important data; these are all critical to being a good police officer or investigator.

Of course, like driving skills; everyone wants to think they have "above average" skills when it comes to attention to detail or deduction. The truth is, a majority of the people out there don't have the skills naturally. They really like the IDEA of being a police officer, but they don't have the courage to see it through or to challenge themselves and maybe risk finding out they don't have what it takes. I admire anyone that steps up to the challenge, whether they succeed or not.

You are going from being one of those "coulda, woulda, shoulda" people (which you have been for 18 years) to make yourself a real candidate. That in itself takes some balls. Too bad it took you so long, we coulda used you in the 1991 riots!! :teeth

So, if you give it a shot, you are either going to end up with
1) a satisfying career
2) with a new respect for those in the LE profession
or
3) very bitter and resentful for what is most often perceived as being short-changed or not given a fair opportunity.

If you qualify, you'll get your shot. How it turns out is entirely up to you. Best of luck. :thumbup

[drizz]

Originally posted by motorman4life
Attention to detail is a huge factor in whether one will be a good LEO. In some people it is natural, instinctive. Others learn to develop the skills required to squeak by in their LE jobs. I really don't know if I was trying to be funny or harsh (maybe a bit of both), but it is true nonetheless.

Learning to see details as well as the whole picture, learning to seek out and use all available resources and being able to sort through the "white noise" to pick out the important data; these are all critical to being a good police officer or investigator.

Of course, like driving skills; everyone wants to think they have "above average" skills when it comes to attention to detail or deduction. The truth is, a majority of the people out there don't have the skills naturally. They really like the IDEA of being a police officer, but they don't have the courage to see it through or to challenge themselves and maybe risk finding out they don't have what it takes. I admire anyone that steps up to the challenge, whether they succeed or not.

You are going from being one of those "coulda, woulda, shoulda" people (which you have been for 18 years) to make yourself a real candidate. That in itself takes some balls. Too bad it took you so long, we coulda used you in the 1991 riots!! :teeth

So, if you give it a shot, you are either going to end up with
1) a satisfying career
2) with a new respect for those in the LE profession
or
3) very bitter and resentful for what is most often perceived as being short-changed or not given a fair opportunity.

If you qualify, you'll get your shot. How it turns out is entirely up to you. Best of luck. :thumbup

Hey MM4L, I agree 100%. A complete lack of ATD or Situational Awareness was a constant problem in the Army, and on my ride-alongs, they have both been a key point of conversation. 'What street are we on?' or 'What was the plate on that car back there?' were common questions.

The wow was more of an entertained wow :p

[Burner]

Originally posted by wikidklown
Hi all,

About 18 years ago, I did something that I regret up to this point in time. I sent for a CHP application packet in which was mailed to me but unfortunately, I was hired in a company that I still work for this very moment and dropped the idea of getting into CHP.

Fast forward to today, now that I'm 41 years of age, I've been bitten with this law enforcement thingy again.
This Saturday, I have a physical agility test at 8:00AM and written test starting at 1:00PM for Sheriff Deputy Cadet.
SInce I am physically fit, I'm more concerned with the written exam.
Has anyone gone through the written portion of testing with the Santa Clara Co. Sheriff Dept lately?
Any tips, suggestions, and/or advice for me?

TIA:cool
I took their written a couple of months ago. I found it to be pretty easy. I've never taken one before and I really had no specific idea of what was gonna be on it. I didn't study and wasn't worried about it at all, but I consider myself to be of above average intelligence and good at taking tests. I'm sure it's about the same as most other LE tests, so just look into what they're about. I'm sure you know your own intelligence and how good you are at taking tests, so you'll know how much effort you need to put into studying and all.

[wikidklown]

Originally posted by StuntrHuntr
MM4L is correct. Attention to detail.
Good luck with your testing.
Thanks man!


Originally posted by motorman4life
Attention to detail is a huge factor in whether one will be a good LEO. In some people it is natural, instinctive. Others learn to develop the skills required to squeak by in their LE jobs. I really don't know if I was trying to be funny or harsh (maybe a bit of both), but it is true nonetheless.

Learning to see details as well as the whole picture, learning to seek out and use all available resources and being able to sort through the "white noise" to pick out the important data; these are all critical to being a good police officer or investigator.

Of course, like driving skills; everyone wants to think they have "above average" skills when it comes to attention to detail or deduction. The truth is, a majority of the people out there don't have the skills naturally. They really like the IDEA of being a police officer, but they don't have the courage to see it through or to challenge themselves and maybe risk finding out they don't have what it takes. I admire anyone that steps up to the challenge, whether they succeed or not.

You are going from being one of those "coulda, woulda, shoulda" people (which you have been for 18 years) to make yourself a real candidate. That in itself takes some balls. Too bad it took you so long, we coulda used you in the 1991 riots!! :teeth

So, if you give it a shot, you are either going to end up with
1) a satisfying career
2) with a new respect for those in the LE profession
or
3) very bitter and resentful for what is most often perceived as being short-changed or not given a fair opportunity.

If you qualify, you'll get your shot. How it turns out is entirely up to you. Best of luck. :thumbup
Thanks man, this is a whole lot better reply than your first one.
I must admit, I kinda felt intimidated but somehow made me more
focused on what to do this Saturday.


Originally posted by Burner
I took their written a couple of months ago. I found it to be pretty easy. I've never taken one before and I really had no specific idea of what was gonna be on it. I didn't study and wasn't worried about it at all, but I consider myself to be of above average intelligence and good at taking tests. I'm sure it's about the same as most other LE tests, so just look into what they're about. I'm sure you know your own intelligence and how good you are at taking tests, so you'll know how much effort you need to put into studying and all.
Thanks! Will keep that in mind.

[stunna]

I just took the written and physical and passed both. I'm scheduled for a background investigation interview sat.

basically, the county sheriff uses the CPS tests. Memory, grammer, vocab, reading, map reading (NW, NE, etc.) and more map reading.

it wasn't too hard, but I know a few people that have failed this exam. I think you can lose easy points on the grammer, vocab. and reading.

good luck

btw, forgot to mention the essay

[wikidklown]

Did the agility test last Sat. morning. As I suspected, it's cakewalk since it is not full blown physical training but I still gave it my best.
I don't have the results for this yet.

At 1PM, we started the written test. It wasn't really easy or hard but I kept my answer sheet until the time was up at 4PM. I did a lot of going back on questions that I've guessed making sure my answers are correct.

After they collected all of the remaining tester's answer sheets, they had us fill out the PHQ. This was not fun at all. Anyway, had to admit to all the bad stuff I can remember from when I was young and thoughtless. Also had to write a short essay of why I want to be a sheriff deputy cadet.
Turned in all the testing stuff, shook their hands and then I was told that they will be contacting me after checking my personal history approximately in 2 weeks.

Ok, so today I've received a letter from the Co. of S.C.Employee Service Agency stating that I passed the written exam. It also said that a rep from backgrounds will contact me if I was
successful in passing my agility portion of exam.

I can hardly wait but I guess it's a lot of waiting game huh?

[motorman4life]

Yeah, it's a waiting game. When they contact you. Don't seem over-eager, but you may want to inquire about the possibility of going on a ride-along. If their agency has a jail, you may also want to ask about a jail tour.

You will have interviews coming up and it is good to not only do some research about the agency, but to be able to tell them you took the initiative to take a tour and go on a ride along. With some agencies, failing to do this will significantly reduce you odds of getting the job. It is almost expected, but no one will tell you.

Trust me on this one. :shhh

[wikidklown]

Originally posted by motorman4life
Yeah, it's a waiting game. When they contact you. Don't seem over-eager, but you may want to inquire about the possibility of going on a ride-along. If their agency has a jail, you may also want to ask about a jail tour.

You will have interviews coming up and it is good to not only do some research about the agancy, but to be able to tell them you took the initiative to take a tour and go on a ride along. With some agencies, failing to do this will significantly reduce you odds of getting the job. It is almost expected, but no one will tell you.

Trust me on this one. :shhh

Nice, thanks for the pointers Motorman! I did ask my proctor for info about a ride along and he told me to wait until I pass both written and agiliy test. Just waiting for the agility test result now.

They do have holding cells in the courthouse. I will inquire about getting a tour of it if possible.

Will keep you posted on the progress of my application.

[Lucky]

Good luck with that. Hopefully you get backgrounded. Sometimes they just, "Forget" to background people. Then, when you try to call in to find out the deal, you get the run-around, voicemail boxes that are full, and a lot of dead ends. Are they still using Preferred?

[nicholonious]

Wiki,

Good luck man. Use as many resources as possible to get your foot in the door and learn about the innerworkings of LE. I'm in the process myself and still have interviews and testing to come. Sell yourself. Be honest. Blah blah and all that good stuff. Feel free to PM me with any questions. To succeed we have to help each other out!

[wikidklown]

Originally posted by Lucky
Good luck with that. Hopefully you get backgrounded. Sometimes they just, "Forget" to background people. Then, when you try to call in to find out the deal, you get the run-around, voicemail boxes that are full, and a lot of dead ends. Are they still using Preferred?

Not sure about preferred...

Originally posted by nicholonious
Wiki,

Good luck man. Use as many resources as possible to get your foot in the door and learn about the innerworkings of LE. I'm in the process myself and still have interviews and testing to come. Sell yourself. Be honest. Blah blah and all that good stuff. Feel free to PM me with any questions. To succeed we have to help each other out!

Thanks guys!

[Lucky]

You would probably know if you were using preferred. The PHQ front page has their logo (which includes a large fingerprint circa de crime scene format). It is a private company that SCSO farms our their background process to. Personally, and hearing from many other co workers who went to San Jose Fire (they did backgrounds for SJFD for a while)...less than ideal as far as opinions go. Hopefully SO does their backgrounds in house now, or at least found another company to do it.

[wikidklown]

Motoman and all,

I just receive a letter from the Co. of Santa Clara, Office of the Sheriff!
I passed the agility test and have qualified to continue in the hiring process.
My scheduled backround orientation is on the 28'th of this month.
Dress attire is business casual --> help with this please. Does it mean I have to suit up (not 1 piece j/k)?
I still need to sched my background interview. Should I set it up asap or give it some time? What is best?

Tips? I know I need to set up a ride along most likely next week.

I am so stoked.

[JPM]

Ask the background people or call and speak to the on-duty Sgt. or watch commander about the ride along. As for business casual:http://www.career.vt.edu/JOBSEARC/BusCasual.htm#ATTIREMENWOMEN

[wikidklown]

Originally posted by JPM
Ask the background people or call and speak to the on-duty Sgt. or watch commander about the ride along. As for business casual:http://www.career.vt.edu/JOBSEARC/BusCasual.htm#ATTIREMENWOMEN

Great, thanks JPM, this is a big help since I am a very casual person:thumbup

[nicholonious]

Originally posted by wikidklown
Motoman and all,

I just receive a letter from the Co. of Santa Clara, Office of the Sheriff!
I passed the agility test and have qualified to continue in the hiring process.
My scheduled backround orientation is on the 28'th of this month.
Dress attire is business casual --> help with this please. Does it mean I have to suit up (not 1 piece j/k)?
I still need to sched my background interview. Should I set it up asap or give it some time? What is best?

Tips? I know I need to set up a ride along most likely next week.

I am so stoked.

Wiki. Congrats for making it that far. That's really good considering how much they weed out applicants phase after phase. If this is an orientation, then there's probably no NEED to wear a suit. However, it doesn't hurt. I've been to two or three for different agencies and it's safe to at least wear khakis and a polo shirt or dress shirt. I would steer away from excessively casual clothes, like, no AC/DC ripped t-shirt and machine washed jeans. Sometimes agencies recommend you to dress down (for example, if its SCPD and they have a practice physical agility after the orientation.) It varies by place.

As far as your background interview goes. Depends how fast you want to start the process. I like to get the ball rolling, but it depends on your need to get going and to make it into certain dates of academies.

Let me know if you have questions about oral interviews. I'm lucky enough to have some experience under my belt. 6 Oral interviews. 2 Chief interviews. 3 mid-sized agencies, 1 large agency, 2 small agencies. Been ranked as high as 1 on the eligibility list. I was only able to do this from getting as much help as I could from friends, peers, and as many resources that I could tap. I believe in paying it forward. Help and ye shall be helped. Good luck.

[wikidklown]

Thanks nicho, good stuff:)

[drizz]

Wait a minute... you passed the PAT and you go straight to background? What am I missing here?

[wikidklown]

Originally posted by drizz
Wait a minute... you passed the PAT and you go straight to background? What am I missing here?

You missed my post on my post on 03-29-2007 06:24 AM.
Go back and read it for some clarification:thumbup
I was notified on Mar. 27th that I passed the written test.

Today, I received a letter informing me that I passed the agility test as well and that my app process is moving forward with a background orientation on the 28th of April.

[drizz]

Yeah, I saw that one. I missed the one where you did your Oral Board... generally the background orientation comes after that

[Lucky]

I wore a suit sans sport coat (shirt, tie, nice shoes, dark socks, etc.) to both my phq's (SCCSO and SNY) and was informed I looked the part. I rocked the entire suit (sport coat included) for the command inverview.

Oh, and know who the Sheriff is (Laurie Smith).

[windex]

Remember is everything from here on out is part of the interview process; even those off the wall phone calls you will get.

Also it's good to remember everything you put in your PHS and if your polygrapher tells you made a sight hit on something; cause it might come up in your pysch exam;)