Confused

[Bridget]

I had a question for anyone who is going through the process of being of police officer. Alot of people say that it takes a while to get hired, (I am hoping for durham regional police). I want to be a police officer but am wondering what other people are doing in the meantime. Should you have a different career untill your a police officer. I went to police foundations and i am 22 years old, but am confused. Any advice of opinions would be great. Thanks

You should be holding a job of some kind. They want to see job experience . Make sure that you are getting those volunteer hours in because that is also very important. I volunteer with the red cross and the ymca.

Hi Bridget, it is a hard question to answer. I been through the processes and was hired last year, I will be 3rd class in few month, so I think I may be give you some idea.
Generally, you need a solid working experience before you apply - in most case. When I down at OPC, most people in my class had at least 3 to 5 years real job experience.
Also, in avarage it will take 6 month to 2.5 years to get hired depends on which force you are applying for.
The avarage hiring age now is about 27 to 29 years old. I have 5 people in my OPC class are over 40, and at least other 10 are over 30.
Having said that, I do know two people in my OPC intake, one is in my class, they are both only 21, and just finished police foundation, no working experience at all, and were hired. Only one reason I can think of is that they are both female.
So there are no clear answer to it (and once you are in the OPC, you know what I am talking about. Sometimes make you think why they hired this guy, but it is all part of the game). The only thing I can say is that a good job experience will only make you stronger, while you are waiting, you may want to get a job anyway.
And one other thing, police service does not like their applicants have a lot period of time doing nothing and don't have a good explaination to it. If you tell them you didn't do anything just because you are not sure what to do next, I can garantee you will fail the interview.
The last thing I want to mention is that at this time, most people get in (60 to 70 %) had university degree, this is also another thing to consider.
I hope this will help you to have a better understanding, not to confuse you. But let me know if you have any other questions.
-Mike

[Bridget]

Hey thanks for your comments. Thank you so much mike. I appreciate it. I have worked since i was 16, and most of the time it was at the same place. I moved a year ago and worked in the summer. (its a go-kart company i work for, so its a summer only contact). But since than i have had alot of family issues to deal with. (my father was in a serious accident) so i havent been able to work a liitle while. I am just scared they will tell me i am to young and not enough exposure. I have been through schooling and and completly see what you mean about the two 21 year olds in OPC. I know that also will help me, even though that is bad to say. I am applying for Durham Regional Police, and i knew of two people that were hired at he age of 20 under 6 months, but am unsure becuase everyone is different. I have also volunteered since i can remember and have been a big sister for a year now. I would love to hear back from you to let me know what you think. Thanks again.

Hi Bridegt, I am at the court today and while I am waiting for my trail I was reading the "Blue Line" (the law enforcement magazine). There is one article about the recruiting, it talks about a lot of different things some of them I didn?t know before. I didn?t have the time to finish it but I will try to find it in my station tomorrow night if I can (I will be on night shift) so I can pass some info to you.
Send me an email to beetles4587@yahoo.ca so I can pass you my real email address and the article.
-Mike

Sorry Bridegt, should be beetles4587@yahoo.com

[guest]

Mike...

I was reading your email about age... and how you thought that the two 21 year olds in your class were only hired because they were female... Doesn't this sound a little bit prejudice?

I live with a police officer (my boyfriend) and am through the interview stages myself. I know quite a bit about the profession, and think that it is wrong of you to assume that just because these people are young, that it means they don't deserve to be there.

I'm sure that they weren't just handed a spot at OPC, and that they did work hard to get there, just like everyone else.

Sometimes it is prejudged, it does not sound right but it is the reality. I am sure your boyfriend will tell you some stories at the OPC make you think maybe there is something wrong with the selection process.
Having said that, I am not saying that these people don't deserve to be there because they are young. I have some grate guys and girls on my platoon; they are here for 4 to 5 years and only 24, 25years old. I am just saying that most of the services tend to hire older people but still there are some exceptions. The most important thing is how you fit the job, age will be a factor, but not the only factor.
And I am sure everybody works very hard trying to get that point, we all do. So good luck :)

[Bridget]

I dont think Mike said anything wrong. Even though it may be prejudice I belive in some way it is true. I dont think Mike said that they didnt deserve to be there cause of their age, he was saying there are many reasons why someone is hired. When i was in Police Foundations my police powers teacher always said it was easier for some to get hired, like a girl or someone that spoke 2 languages. Being a girl myself I am not offended by that, if it helps me it helps me, but obvioulsy that isnt not the only reson i will be hired. But because I am not at OPC i cannot comment on the profession. I appreciate your opinions and observations Mike and i would love that article you were reading. My e-mail is bridget_pie@yahoo.com. Thanks so much

[mja]

Hi Bridget, I have read all of the messages back and forth and I feel that the main prejudice/discrimination in the hiring process comes from them. Their are hiring quotas which have to be reached and sometimes a so-so applicant gets through to fill the "equal opportunity hiring process." If you do any amount of research on the subject at all you will see it far from perfect and has potential to place merit and qualifications second to need to fill hiring quotas. In my mind if the system work's for you great, because it is somewhat selectively bias to certain group.

[Robmb]

This is certainly an ongoing topic and concern for applicants in any police force.I believe that it should be the best candidates regardless of the standard profile issues.If I`m good enough to make it through the process then I deserve to be there,regardless.If the top 20 candidates are female then great,if they are all aboriginal then same thing,I`m sure you get my point.When you put your life on the line everyday you go to work I want to be working with the best,not someone who got by because of quota issues.

It does not matter how perfect the applicant is, if he/she is 21 yrs old, he/she should NOT be a police officer. Too young and immature for the job. PERIOD....please do not bother to argue the opinion because it is a FACT. PERIOD. Give me a break, 21 yrs old with no life experience , no work experience, specially a female 21 yrs old officer.

I have been reading all of this too, and who ever gave the last reply THANK YOU I agree. You got the police officer trying to pick up the girl, you got the girl that is married to the police officer that has got her defences up, I mean it sounds like a afternoon special! Be honest the police force is not looking for 20,21, 22 year old people. If you are a female you might sneak in, if your a guy well GOOD LUCK, YOUR CHANCES ARE SLIM AND NONE AND SLIM LEFT THE BUILDING! So good luck to everybody and to the police officer, one question, WHY DO YOU STILL HAVE POLICE PREP IF YOU ARE ALREADY A POLICE OFFICER?

[Guest]

"WHY DO YOU STILL HAVE POLICE PREP IF YOU ARE ALREADY A POLICE OFFICER?"

I was dying when i read that. That's hillarious. You nailed it on the spot. Not to mention his grade 9 english skills.

[ScottS]

It does not matter how perfect the applicant is, if he/she is 21 yrs old, he/she should NOT be a police officer. Too young and immature for the job. PERIOD....please do not bother to argue the opinion because it is a FACT. PERIOD. Give me a break, 21 yrs old with no life experience , no work experience, specially a female 21 yrs old officer.

I hope this was written just to get people angry because it is flawed. You say it is a fact yet you give examples to support it that could just as easily be true of someone who is 30. Generally it is true that younger individuals tend to be more immature but I strongly disagree that it is a "Fact." YOu also said "It does not matter how perfect the applicant is, if he/she is 21 yrs old, he/she should NOT be a police officer." So what you are saying is that someone who is not perfect for the job should get it because they are older, even though the qualities they possess are not as good as someone elses? Seems like discrimination to me. Futhermore I myself am only 22, yet through my life and work experience I have come across and successfully dealt with all kinds of situations which a police officer will deal with. I work in security at a large hospital in Toronto that deals with everything from Physic patients to Trauma patients. I personally have dealt with patients with various weapons. Missing persons, vehicle damage, assaults, made arrests, gang member incounters, you name it. The only thing off hand that I can think of that a police officer deals with that I don't is most traffics offences.

Now to touch on the topic of applicants being hired because of some type of quota, ya it sucks for those who don't fall under the quota, but keep in mind the all go through the same hiring process as the rest of us, so they can't really be that worse of a canadite otherwise they wouldn't have made it so far. Now what the real problem is in relation to people getting hired who shouldn't is those who getting hired because of connections, ie. Parent who is a Police Officer and knows the recruiter.....

And that my 2 cents

[mja]

I agree with alot of what you have to say Scott, just off the top of my head I can think of 10 people who became cops in their early 20s. One was actually only 19, but I have seen lots of others who have been just 20 or 21. When you think about it, it is the years in the 18-22 range where most people abuse drugs, alcohol and aggressive driving the most. If you are 21-22 and haven't been involved with anything too heavy duty you probably never will. It is not uncommon to hear older people speak about immaturity due to the fact that it took them longer to come around. And now they see the younger group as competition for the same jobs. What I have seen is that more younger applicants apply for independent police colleges than say right to RCMP. And after they have done their OTJ and had some experience go back and reappy for RCMP. The only negative thing I see about going through a police college on your own is the large debt you will owe over free training from being a direct hire.

i would like to know what was ment by this comment

"It does not matter how perfect the applicant is, if he/she is 21 yrs old, he/she should NOT be a police officer. Too young and immature for the job. PERIOD....please do not bother to argue the opinion because it is a FACT. PERIOD. Give me a break, 21 yrs old with no life experience , no work experience, specially a female 21 yrs old officer."

The various police forces have set up an extensive interview and screening process. Everybody who is interested in becoming a police officer must go through the same process from ATS (or RCMP or OPP...) and then have to go through all the interviews with the individual police services. So if someone is 21 and is able to demonstrate the competencies that are required of a police officer, who's to say that they should not be there....."Specially if they are female". If police services are following proper hiring procedures, maybe the reason that guys think that women have a better change of getting on (besides the fact that for the longest time they could not be officers and as a society are just now realizing the benefits that having a diversified police service can bring) is maybe because they are actually more qualified then the men that are applying....

[Guest]

Correct me if Im wrong, but Im pretty sure that you cannot even attend OPC unless you are 21, so how is it people are being hired as officers at 18 or 19?? Check your facts, I think they may be wrong. Perhaps they were hired as Cadets.

The police service will not issue a Firearm if your under 21 years old...They will most likely hire you as a cadet first.

As far as the age thing goes the police services act staes that you must be at least 18 years of age. SO you could be hired at that age although I think there is a better chance of someone getting struck by lightining... twice.

[Pherse]

I would like to add something, for all of you who feel discouraged you are not alone. I graduated from law and security administration 11 years ago, and in my final year of college a local police service had run an ad in the local paper for a 4th class constable. At the very bottom of the ad it said, and I quote "White males need not apply" Me being a white male who had just spent 2 years in college and a fair bit of money was madder than hell and very upset to see this. If that is not descrimination I have no idea what is. I still to this day do not understand how they were able to place such an ad and get away with it.

Pherse, apply to Peel Police. 98% of Peel cops are white.

[mja]

I am not shocked at all by that, Canada's population is somewhere near 86-7% European desent. So 98% is not a big surpise.

[Pherse]

Does Peel Regional not have "quota" system in place?
Why are 98% white?

Ask the weird recruiting officers from Peel Police who like to hire just white applicants. Well for the last couple of years, they accepted the fact that they needed to add some officers from different cultures and minorities and that is what they have been trying to do for last couple of years.

[Pherse]

I still believe that the "quota" is a big load of crap. The best suited for the job should get the job, but I guess that just makes too much sense.

[guru]

It's amazing how these post's have changed from the original question.......... :shock:

guru, you do not need to be amazed. This forum is for discussion, right? So it does not really matter if the original question was about something else.

I think we all need a new topic it was more exciting when we were all trying to figure out why the police officer was still using police prep!

I do not even think that person is a police officer. He is just pretending to be one here on PolicePrep and I do not know why.

There are a lot of wannabes in this world, but what they don't realize is that impersonating a peace officer is an criminal offence and eventually it will bite him in the ass. If he is a actual police officer, he needs to find another hobby.
As for quotas, yes they are wrong, but they are a fact of life if your planning a future career in law enforcement. Budgets are based on many factors, and being able to prove that the department is diverse in their hiring, they are more likely to recieve more funding.
You can sit there and complain about it, or you can get off your asses and make yourself more competative, it's all up to you! just quit whining and do something about it!!!! or go work at McDonalds.

You seem to have all the answers. What are you currently doing to make yourself more competitive and what is your current job status?

I recently finishing my 2nd degree, I'm self employed and I am also an Aux. Cst with RCMP and just awaiting to leave for training at Depot (2 weeks). And yes, I did use PolicePrep to help me study. Anything else you would like to know??

[guru]

I have a college diploma in Police Foundations, and I am currently a Provincial Offences Officer. I have my ECI interview with York on Thursday. I too have used PolicePrep.com.......lol

Self employed. If you are your own boss why work for someone else?

Because! Maybe do to the fact it has always been a dream to become a police officer. What's your story? Isn't yours the same, hey I have a thought, it must be! since your on Police prep too.
Don't take this the wrong way. I'm giving up alot, right now I only work 3-4 days a week, no nights or weekends or holidays and your right, I'm my own boss and now I'm entering the realm of politics, nights etc. and will have to take a fairly good size pay cut for the first 3 years, but it isn't about the money, it's about following your dream and I wish each and everyone of you the best in achieving yours.

The best of luck to you. I mean that. The only downfalls I can see in currently becoming a police officer these days is (as with alot of other professions) is there are way too many politics involved and the police are not respected or "looked up to" as the way they once were. Unsure why but that seems to be the trend. Any thoughs?

Guru, what Ministry are you a Provincial Offences Officer with?

[guru]

Markham...

[guru]

lol I think this post has the most replies on this forum............. :shock: :shock: :shock:

Guru, I meant what Ministry such as Environment, Transportation, Natural Resources ect...

[Mark H]

I have been reading this link with a great amusement over the past week or so The wannabee COP or is he?? the slight feminist and loads of hopefulls. It would seem that nothing has changed since the early 1990's when I was applying to every Ontario force out there. I settled for the Auxiliary for some experience and I am now again throwing my self on to the fire and trying to get hired only this time I am a police officer with lots of experience, however I work in the UK and yes before anyone asks it is the same mess over here when you are trying to get hired.

I work for the Bylaw department.....

The best of luck to you. I mean that. The only downfalls I can see in currently becoming a police officer these days is (as with alot of other professions) is there are way too many politics involved and the police are not respected or "looked up to" as the way they once were. Unsure why but that seems to be the trend. Any thoughs?

You are right.............there are so many politics involved in this job that make you think if you really want to be a police officer dealing with all these politics for rest of your career life.