Requirements for "Lateral" Officer?

[Sig4U]

When an agency is hiring for a Lateral position, I know this means you must have prior Law Enforcement experience. However, what I'm confused on is this....does this mean experience as a fulltime-paid Officer or does it include Reserve Officers who are at Level 1 status (but aren't paid)? Is there a minimum number of years you need to have under your belt before applying for a Lateral position or does this vary from agency to agency?

[hbliam]

When an agency is hiring for a Lateral position, I know this means you must have prior Law Enforcement experience. However, what I'm confused on is this....does this mean experience as a fulltime-paid Officer or does it include Reserve Officers who are at Level 1 status (but aren't paid)? Is there a minimum number of years you need to have under your belt before applying for a Lateral position or does this vary from agency to agency?


A true "lateral" is someone that has a basic post certificate. You can only get a basic post after having worked for an agency full time and having completed probation.

That being said, my agency hired me as a lateral simply because they only have two distinctions, recruit and lateral. Being a LI reserve working a solo car I wasn't a recruit (and didn't need the academy) but I wasn't a true lateral in the technical sense.

[SgtCHP]

Here is a quote from POST:

POST Administrative Manual
________________________________________
Section B – Regulations
B-11

3. If the officer is a lateral entry officer possessing a POST Basic Certificate and who has either:

a. completed a POST-approved Field Training Program, or

b. one year previous experience performing general law enforcement uniformed patrol duties, or

4. If the officer was a Level I Reserve and is appointed to a full-time peace officer position within the same department and has previously completed the department’s entire POST-approved Field Training Program within the last 12 months of the new appointment, or has the signed concurrence of the department head attesting to the individual’s competence, based upon experience and/or other field training as a solo general law enforcement uniformed patrol officer, or

5. If the officer’s employing department has obtained approval of a field training compliance extension request provided for in Regulation 1004.

Basically, each department that accepts laterals can set its own requirement relating to experience and certificate possession as long as the minimum POST requirements are met - Basic Certificate and one year of experience. i.e., an agency can require an Intermediate Certificate, College degree or combined equivalent and more than one year of experience.

If you have an interest in lateraling, you should check the agency's requirements.

[417Lt]

Two years on full-time with POST cert for Cal Fish and Game. It has been working out OK so far. The laterals that don't belong figure it out on FTO, and the ones that do belong walk around saying, "I can't believe I'm getting paid to do this".