How many LEOs here went from Reserve to Full-Time?

[0341]

YOU MAY CHOOSE MORE THAN ONE ANSWER IN THIS POLL AT THE SAME TIME.

I'm considering going the modular academy self-sponsored route if the agencies I'm in the process with now pass on hiring me. Since I can't afford to quit my current employment just to attend a six month full-time self-sponsored Academy, I might consider dropping out of college temporarily to take a BAM Level III and then Level II course. The thought is, it should be fairly easy to get hired as a Reserve compared to being a recruit that the agency has to sponsor. If I can become a Reserve, then all of my testing and FTO period will be completed at some point and I'll hit the streets to begin learning the profession. After I gain some experience on the streets, then I'd try like heck to get hired full-time at my agency.

For those if you that have been a Reserve and changed to full-time, please answer my poll. Thank you. If any of you have insight, then feel free to share your thoughts in this thread (even if you weren't a Reserve).

[CPLHARRISON]

Well I can't speak for myself but my dad got hired while in the extended academy as a reserve officer and they picked up the bill for the academy.
How ever because he wasn't bilingual they wouldn't hire him full time so he applied to his current department and got picked up in 5 weeks. Take into account this was 19 years ago, he did say that the situation back then was the same as now. NO ONE is hiring, same thing was going on when he was a recruit.

Cpl. H.

[Garbage Man]

I was a reserve, then hired full time by the agency I was a reserve for.

Here is the problem, many agencies have frozen hiring for anything including reserves. It makes no rational sense at all so dont even try to understand it.

There are two primary reasons if you stil want to try to wrap your mind around it.

One.The city management is just doing things to satisfy the citizens so even though a reserve officer can save big time $$$, they are freezing everything, just so they can say they did.

Two.You will find the POA's are resistant to any agency using reserves as anything other than extra help. Their fear is that hiring reserves to fill needed gaps will lead to hiring reserves rather than full time, then you have an all volunteeer PD. So, generally speaking, when officer hiring is frozen (Not full up) the union generally wants to see reserve hiring frozen....poltics

[spikeone66]

I went through the academy and got hired as a reserve because it was too much of a pay cut for me to become a full time. Now that I'm in a position to afford it, everyone's budget is taking a hit; I'm not getting any younger either.

[avalon42]

YOU MAY CHOOSE MORE THAN ONE ANSWER IN THIS POLL AT THE SAME TIME.

I'm considering going the modular academy self-sponsored route if the agencies I'm in the process with now pass on hiring me. Since I can't afford to quit my current employment just to attend a six month full-time self-sponsored Academy, I might consider dropping out of college temporarily to take a BAM Level III and then Level II course. The thought is, it should be fairly easy to get hired as a Reserve compared to being a recruit that the agency has to sponsor. If I can become a Reserve, then all of my testing and FTO period will be completed at some point and I'll hit the streets to begin learning the profession. After I gain some experience on the streets, then I'd try heck to get hired full-time at my agency.

For those if you that have been a Reserve and changed to full-time, please answer my poll. Thank you. If any of you have insight, then feel free to share your thoughts in this thread (even if you weren't a Reserve).

That's pretty much it. You go through the same hiring process as a regular officer, and they can "test-drive" to see if you have what it takes. Plenty of agencies have hired competent reserve officers. Hence why I am getting the ones that have been sitting on the fence to give me a shot so I can prove my bones.

If not, it can always be "thanks but no thanks". But so far so good, 4 interested agencies now (and one I am wrapping up the process with altogether).

[0341]

Good feedback so far. Keep it coming guys. :)

[0341]

One of the issues I haven't considered...do some agencies in CA look down on extended format Academy POST certs or just plainly not accept that cert as being sufficient?

I read forum members mentioning that in other threads, but never really thought about it. Ironically, if I add the actual hours up for a person who does BAM Lvl III, II, and I vs. a six month normal Basic Academy...the modular person spends about 960 hours in training vs. only 880 hours in training. Those numbers are from the South Bay Regional Public Safety Training Consortium in the SF Bay Area. Hmm...

[McGruff]

One of the issues I haven't considered...do some agencies in CA look down on extended format Academy POST certs or just plainly not accept that cert as being sufficient?

Agencies? Some...Officers? Yes.

It's not whether you graduated from a Basic or Extended academy but what you get out of it. The Extended format carries the stigma of being lazy, second to best recruits who probably couldn't hack it in Basic. While that is true for some, there are others, such as myself, who have prior commitments restricting them from going through Basic. If you decide going the extended route, just remember you're facing an uphill battle and you better get all the training there before you meet your FTO.

[avalon42]

Agencies? Some...Officers? Yes.

It's not whether you graduated from a Basic or Extended academy but what you get out of it. The Extended format carries the stigma of being lazy, second to best recruits who probably couldn't hack it in Basic. While that is true for some, there are others, such as myself, who have prior commitments restricting them from going through Basic. If you decide going the extended route, just remember you're facing an uphill battle and you better get all the training there before you meet your FTO.
Do you think the stigma has anything to do with the different training standards between regular and reserve officers before POST changed it?

On several ride-alongs I went on, the officers had the misconception that it was like a "citizens academy". When I explained the format standard and I was doing that on top of the full-time obligation in a job, then at my university, they admitted I had it worse than they did being sponsored through a full-time RBC.

One response was a look of sheer terror :eek:, which I enjoyed. :D

[McGruff]

^ No, the stigma carries from those who say "If you want to be a cop, you should go through Basic!" Then of course you have those who will say "Why did we hire a pre-service from an Extended when we could've hired a pre-service from the Basic."

I'm sure you've experienced the personality and attitudes of those from the two different academies. It's almost night and day.

[DCH]

Get that POST anyway/anyhow you see that's right for you and your situation.

Didn't matter at my dept. (small agency in L.A. County) since we had a mix of "intensive and extensive" trained officers; several of us from L.A. Sheriff's Academy and Rio Hondo College; and a few from Long Beach PD's Academy; Goldenwest or Fullerton College; and one from O.C. Sheriff's Academy.)

When it comes down to it, it's what and how you do out on the field.

No one really cared what you did to get there as much as what you did to remain there.

(we had honor recruits freeze up on in-progress calls, and then the barely-passed-the-academics boot who would 'pull some parolees card' for just lookin' at him or her the wrong way.)

[LeeRoy]

Hiring academy grads as Level II reserves is my agency's primary means of hiring entry level academy grads. The labor market of academy grads is saturated right now so we have the pick of the litter whenever we have a paid level II opening. They work for 6 months to a year and if they cut the mustard they are competetive in future openings.

I think you will see this occur more throughout the state as agencies look for costsaving measures and as long as the financial times are tough agencies won't have to worry about those reserve hires being lured away to other agencies.

[DAL]

Hiring academy grads as Level II reserves is my agency's primary means of hiring entry level academy grads. The labor market of academy grads is saturated right now so we have the pick of the litter whenever we have a paid level II opening. They work for 6 months to a year and if they cut the mustard they are competetive in future openings.

I think you will see this occur more throughout the state as agencies look for costsaving measures and as long as the financial times are tough agencies won't have to worry about those reserve hires being lured away to other agencies.

Especially so because of the reduction or elimination of POST reimbursement.

[0341]

Get that POST anyway/anyhow you see that's right for you and your situation.

When it comes down to it, it's what and how you do out on the field.

That's my mentality. As a former Marine who's been around the world in leadership positions, and having done a decent amount of Ride Alongs...I know I have what it takes to be a great LEO. I don't think, I know. I have all of the desirable skills, abilities, and personal traits that all the books and manuals speak of. I'm going to make this happen for me one day, either full sponsored or self sponsored. I have the will, so I'll make the way.

I'm considering the Reserve modular format because it fits my financial situation (LE is a pay cut for me to begin with). I can't afford to self sponsor a full six month full time Academy, since that would mean losing half of my annual income (mortgage company wouldn't like that!). So, working full time and picking off Level III, then Level II seems logical if I don't get hired by the agencies I'm in process with right now. The CA economy is certainly forcing me to consider getting some POST certification on my own, since hiring has transitioned to mainly Academy grad / Lateral positions.

I'm glad to see a lot of those who answered my poll were successful in getting hired full time from a Reserve position. That's a good sign for me, if I follow that path. Things will get even tighter in CA, so I'm sure any modular training certs will put me above those recruits that don't have any LE training at all (given all things equal).

[DCH]

I'm considering the Reserve modular format

knew you'd fall for that and take the EASY route... jk

;)

[0341]

knew you'd fall for that and take the EASY route... jk

;)

I wish that was the "easy" route. Working full time and doing a modular academy is :eek:

Much easier to just have the academy be my "job" full time. I'm working on that...

[avalon42]

^ No, the stigma carries from those who say "If you want to be a cop, you should go through Basic!" Then of course you have those who will say "Why did we hire a pre-service from an Extended when we could've hired a pre-service from the Basic."

I'm sure you've experienced the personality and attitudes of those from the two different academies. It's almost night and day.

I wish that was the "easy" route. Working full time and doing a modular academy is :eek:

Much easier to just have the academy be my "job" full time. I'm working on that...

What McGruff said is entirely correct. When I first met with a BI from one of the agencies I applied, he shook his head and told me it would be better if I went to the regional RBC instead of a reserve modular (which is confusing because I applied for reserves).

0341, I can only hope that Nor Cal has a much more different mentality/perspective on modular extended candidates. It is a TOUGH gig to complete while pursuing another full-time obligation. There were times when I did not sleep from the stress.

[CPLHARRISON]

I have the will, so I'll make the way.

Semper Fi! I love the attitude!

Cpl. H.