Got my Missouri POST class "A"

[rugbyguy2000]

I was wondering if anyone know of any law enforcement jobs in Missouri I can put in an Application and start working. I just got my Passed my POST test and ready to start...I checked into St. Louis and St. Louis county, They told me that I would still have to go through their academy. I would rather not go through the academy again unless I truely had too...I was not an Officer in Missouri. I was a Federal Officer.

[ddierker]

Who did you talk to at St. Louis County. I went in and talked to the personnel guy and they didnt require it. I was thinking about going to JeffCo. Police Academy and he said they accepted that. Where did you get your post? I am ready to go, but I enrolled in school again to get my 64 credits. I know jeff. co. always have police officer positions open, they only require the A Post, but I think they only start at just over 30 a year.
But please let me know where you went, i really dont want to do 6 months during the day at St. Louis County, I have a job!

[rugbyguy2000]

I went through the Federal Law Enforcement Academy...I apply to recieve my Missouri POST from Missouri Department of Public Safety. They did a background check and call me in to take the POST test. I pass It a couple of weeks ago and recieved my Certification for a Class 'A'...but when I went to apply for st. Louis county they told me that I would still have to go through their academy, because I was a federal officer in CT not an officer in Missouri..

[JBever58]

does the Class "A" academy allow you to work in the bigger counties, such as Jackson & St. Louis & St. Charles? Would the MSHP be considered a Class "A"?

[KCSpartacus]

You'd have to take MSHP academy even if you have your POST certification.

[PPDMO373]

does the Class "A" academy allow you to work in the bigger counties, such as Jackson & St. Louis & St. Charles? Would the MSHP be considered a Class "A"?

Class A Cert allows you to work in all Counties in the State.

St. Louis City and County, KCPD, Springfield, MSHP, Missouri Water Patrol, and MO Dept of Conservation make you go through their academies no matter what kind of experience you may have.

[purdinpopo]

There are like a hundred seperate agencies in St. Louis County, Most pay ok, better than the rest of the state. Jeff County is an ok academy, you would be better served to apply to St Louis County Police Academy, It will be free if you promise to work in Law enforcement for a period of time. I did not say apply to St Louis County Police Department. They hire some pre-service but not many. When I worked down that direction, all of the cadets had job offers before they graduated from the County academy. Jefferson County SO is a very high volume department, they will run you ragged, and they have some of the oddest calls in the state, I took some training down there, when the instructors would tell war stories, a buddy of mine and I would just look at each other and shake our heads.

[pumpkin]

Class A Cert allows you to work in all Counties in the State.

St. Louis City and County, KCPD, Springfield, MSHP, Missouri Water Patrol, and MO Dept of Conservation make you go through their academies no matter what kind of experience you may have.

There seems to be two different kinds of Missouri Class A certifications: one that actually lets you work anywhere that you get from one of the above locales (other than water and highway patrol, who require their own academies for new officers). The above departments honor one another's academies, but no one elses, and everyone else honors theose academies)... all the other Class A certs might as well be called "bubba certifications," regardless of how well prepared you are, because the largest cities seem to be looking down on the other academies.

I think it would be great if someone would challenge this double standard through Missouri POST... after all, it's a State certification, not local, with State-mandated standards. I can understand giving preferential treatment to your own academy grads, but to completely exclude others I think is wrong. And I can understand if the Highway Patrol, Water Patrol, etc. have extra requirements, that they might require a short additional course after you are hired (boat handling, etc. kinds of stuff). I could also understand a short course after you are hired for the local ordinances, but Constitutional Law is stll Constitutional Law, etc. no matter which academy taught it.

[purdinpopo]

I think it is high time we got rid of more than one certification class, Most of us with the Class B have in excess of ten years experience, which come on, is the Veteran Officer going to handle things better or is the rookie just out of academy with no experience and his shiny class A.

I remember when the 470's first hit the street we had a kid at a place I was working then tell me I knew nothing as I was a product of the 120,and he had the 470, I had seven years experience and the advanced 120 (Final one) from Highway Patrol.

[rugbyguy2000]

Thanks guys for all of your support and input...I aaplied for the Columbia Police Department.. I hear really good things about Columbia..Does anyone know about the hiring process..and how hrad it is to get into the department.

[Samba25]

I used to work for Columbia PD as a CSA (limited commission) when I was in college! I don't know what the hiring process for POs is like, but I still have several friends there and would be glad to ask - just send me a PM. What program did you go through at FLETC?

KCPD is starting to experiment with accepting Class A's from outside their academy, namely people who attend reputable out-of-state academies (Highway Patrols or major PDs) and get it transferred into a Missouri Class A. I'm pretty sure they've always allowed St. Louis and MSHP grads onboard without attending the full academy. They still don't accept Class A's from the in-state non-affiliated academies.

[PPDMO373]

KCPD is starting to experiment with accepting Class A's from outside their academy, namely people who attend reputable out-of-state academies (Highway Patrols or major PDs) and get it transferred into a Missouri Class A. I'm pretty sure they've always allowed St. Louis and MSHP grads onboard without attending the full academy. They still don't accept Class A's from the in-state non-affiliated academies.

KCPD only takes folks that have gone through their academy (and working for another agency at least one year), St. Louis City or the MSHP. That's it.......

If you have gone through another academy in the State of Missouri.....or have no LEO experience, you must go through the same process....

HR will tell you that if you call them.... 816-234-5400

[Samba25]

That may be HR's line, but I know for a fact (from KC academy instructors) that they recently hired a Tennessee State (Patrol? Police? Whatever it's called there...) officer, and that he was only required to do the 5 week crash course (not the 28 week week academy), learning KC specific use-of-force, geography, and city ordinances. As stated in my other post, KC is experimenting with waiving the academy rule for people who've graduated from major out-of-state academies. Graduates from the smaller in-state academies are still S.O.L.

[PPDMO373]

That may be HR's line, but I know for a fact (from KC academy instructors) that they recently hired a Tennessee State (Patrol? Police? Whatever it's called there...) officer, and that he was only required to do the 5 week crash course (not the 28 week week academy), learning KC specific use-of-force, geography, and city ordinances. As stated in my other post, KC is experimenting with waiving the academy rule for people who've graduated from major out-of-state academies. Graduates from the smaller in-state academies are still S.O.L.

I just talked to someone yesterday (11-23-2005) from KCPD's academy and said that your information is not correct....

The only ones allowed to go through the lateral academy are graduates of the KCPD Academy that are working for other agencies, MSHP Trooper Academy, and St. Louis City Academy......

[Samba25]

My info's a few months old, but came from a friend who's a senior instructor there. Take it for what it's worth...

[nosofast]

most bigger cities make you go to thier academy they pay you instead of you paying them

[purdinpopo]

Uh, there are only Seven agencies in the state of Missouri that send/pay for people to go to academy in the whole state, Yes there are the occasional S.O. that will send some Usually politically connected person, or a fair haired.

There are only four agencies in the state that have their own full time Academy.

[KCSpartacus]

Which seven agencies might that be?

[PPDMO373]

Which seven agencies might that be?

1. Missouri State Highway Patrol
2. Missouri Dept. of Conservation
3. Missouri Water Patrol
4. City of Kansas City
5. City of St. Louis
6. County of St. Louis
7. City of Springfield Missouri

That's all I can think of but I maybe missing someone.

You really work in Oakview...? :D PM me sometime.....I know someone that works there.....and needs to be kept in line or he will get you in trouble.... :D

[NBW791]

I may have overlooked this, and I apologize if I did because it's kind of late, but the Class A allows you to work in any county, as previously stated. A Class B allows you to work in any county EXCEPT:

1. Jackson (Kansas City)
2. St. Louis (Obvious)
3. St. Charles (St. Charles)
4. Greene (Springfield)

Source: http://kcmetro.edu/blueriver/policeAcad/PA_faq.htm

The Western MO Regional Police Academy in Independence, MO.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What do 855, 470 and 130 mean?
855 is Class A certification - which upon completion of the Academy will allow you to work in any county in the State of Missouri;
470 is Class B certification - which upon completion will allow you to work in any county except Jackson, St. Louis, St. Charles, or Greene counties;
130 is the Advanced Basic Training program that is usually taken upon 470 certification (not necessarily Class B).

-Nick-

[KCSpartacus]

1. Missouri State Highway Patrol
2. Missouri Dept. of Conservation
3. Missouri Water Patrol
4. City of Kansas City
5. City of St. Louis
6. County of St. Louis
7. City of Springfield Missouri

That's all I can think of but I maybe missing someone.

You really work in Oakview...? :D PM me sometime.....I know someone that works there.....and needs to be kept in line or he will get you in trouble.... :D

Here's a couple more for grins...that's why I thought 7 sounded kinda low.

8. City of North Kansas City
9. City of Lee's Summit

I know there's more than 7 :D

[PPDMO373]

I was talking about agencies that have their own academies.... :o

If your talking about agenicies that will send someone not certified through an academy, there are a ton of places.....

Hell, St. Joe, Maryville, and several in the NW MO area will send you through an academy if they can't find anyone that isn't already POST certified when they are hiring.

[KCSpartacus]

Well wasn't that what was said in the first place? :rolleyes: there are only Seven agencies in the state of Missouri that send/pay for people to go to academy in the whole state?

Maybe I was the only one who thought that meant own agency or otherwise? LOL

[PPDMO373]

Well wasn't that what was said in the first place? :rolleyes: there are only Seven agencies in the state of Missouri that send/pay for people to go to academy in the whole state?

Maybe I was the only one who thought that meant own agency or otherwise? LOL


It was....I just read it wrong. I thought he was talking about agencies that make you go through their own academy no matter your experience.....and that's what I came up as being the 7 that are out there......

[purdinpopo]

Water Patrol goes through Highway patrol, a couple of their Officers come over and give a couple of department specific classes, so mark them off.

St Louis County, is the St Louis County and Municipal police academy, From what I was told an actual St. Louis County only class is rare as hens teeth, and they just pull from currently working and folks that are in the academy, or they are the actual sponsor for someone at the academy.

As I said, there are just a few that do it all the time, I accepted that a few will send you on the rare occassion but trying to break into law enforcement in Missouri without getting your own academy is a losing proposition.