orange county so

[k9rocco]

just hired on starting this month with orange s.o. new to the area so any hints or tips about the area, fto, or agency anyone can give me would be appreciated

[sureshot015]

just hired on starting this month with orange s.o. new to the area so any hints or tips about the area, fto, or agency anyone can give me would be appreciated

If you're not from around here, learning your way around is going to likely be a challenge. With the exception of Orlando, most of Orange county is endless web of roads that go, then end, then restart miles down with no apparent system to them. Who knows what part of the county you'll start in, so your best bet is going to be to at minimum learning the main roads and main features of the county. Once you know the area you'll be working, go out on your off time and drive around learning the back ways to get around. How to avoid the main roads. The general layout of your apartment complex's. and etc. Also get a copy of their 10 codes and dispatch signals and start memorizing those things. Once you are issued a radio listen to it when ever you can untill you feel comfortable with listening to it understanding what is going on, and knowing what you would say in the situation.

Another thing that helped me significantly through FTO is reading several reports my FTO has written before my first day with them. I'm assuming that OCSO will assign you to multiple FTO's before you complete the training. The difficulty with this, is that each will do things diffrently. By reading their reports it gives you an insight into how they do things. Reports are probably the leading reason why people are washed out of FTO in my dept, so I would put a big emphisis on getting good at your report writing.

Also remember that even in FTO, you are a deputy. When you check out on a call the public doesn't know its your second day. You're a Deputy to the public. Use this to your advantage. Fake it till you can make it. If you act like you've done this before, they'll think you have. And lastly, dont be afraid to back up your fellow deputies. If they need help--give it to them--dont wait to be asked to jump in on something.

[ICE-MAN]

Do not let your guard down in Orange County very tuff area. Mentally prepare your self to go call to call non stop at times. If you have previous LEO experience then you will be okay. Half the calls are BS, lots of fun no doubt.

[k9rocco]

thanks for the insight, been here for about a month and im learning the main roads pretty well. i am working in the sector that i live so its not too bad. im also having a gps locator installed next week on my laptop to help me out even more. and ice-man you are correct, its tuff and there are a ton of calls.

[ICE-MAN]

One of my buddys is going to the OCSO by the end of the month. I know he is going to enjoy it, am sure lots of fun. Take car and be careful.

[OrlandoExp103]

How is everything going for you so far over at Orange County?

[DS Michelle]

What sector are you working in? How are your FTO's so far?

[NBK 89]

Hey I also just started with OCSO

[BayCityBrawler]

For those of you that just started did you have prior experience, college or military?

How fast was their hiring process?

[LAWENFORCER]

Do you get take home cars with OCSO or Orlando PD?

[NBK 89]

I applied in May of last year and got picked up on Jan. I only have military exp.

[k9rocco]

take home cars with the so not sure about opd but i think they do. hiring process varies

[MPSGT]

opd has take home cars.

[OrlandoExp103]

opd has take home cars.

as far as i know, only those street officers working out of the southeast sub-station get take home cars. may be wrong, but...

**EDIT**
I was wrong, all sworn patrol officers get a take home car.

[DS Michelle]

Do you get take home cars with OCSO or Orlando PD?

At OCSO we get take home cars.

[ucpd27]

Hi I was wondering what is the process. I'm police officer in Georgia and will be relocating to Florida around the end of the year due to marriage. I will be moving to Ocoee, FL and considering Orange County Sheriff's Office. Just wondering how's the morale, equipment, technology of the department etc, pay, extra jobs, area assigned, advancement opportunities



Your help will be greatly appreciated

[Floridaboy]

Seems like almost every agency in florida gives out take home cars to sworn personal. At least where Ive lived in tampa and orlando, they are in EVERY neighborhood...

[Sentinel]

Hi I was wondering what is the process. I'm police officer in Georgia and will be relocating to Florida around the end of the year due to marriage. I will be moving to Ocoee, FL and considering Orange County Sheriff's Office. Just wondering how's the morale, equipment, technology of the department etc, pay, extra jobs, area assigned, advancement opportunities
Your help will be greatly appreciatedMarion County is nice. Growing fast. Most of the people moving here are from further south in FL. Cheaper than Orlando area, less congestion, city enough though, some hills as opposed to the typical FL flatness, and lots of horse farms. Less hurricane risk as well.

[maminel]

i called OPD and asked about take home cars...she recruiter told me they don't issue them.

[ucpd27]

Well considering that I've already made plans to have a home built in Ocoee I'm looking for good progressive departments around that area. Such as Orange County, Seminole County and local departments as well too. I also noticed that most departments in Florida drive Chevy Impala's any reason other than they are cheap or less expensive lol than Crown vic's. Just looking for a good department with good equipment around that area other than Orlando Police department, not really impressed with them

[Sanford&Son]

Hello to all here! :)

I am a reserve officer and a reserve deputy, with 10 years combined law enforcement experience, from out of state and am going through the Orange County Sheriff's Office's recruitment process.

So far, I have completed:
-CVSA
-Basic Interview
-Written Test
-Panel Interview
-PAT
-Swim Test

The last phase I did was the PAT. The PAT deputy said that all of the paperwork will be turned into investigators for the background investigation part of the process.

To those of you who recently got on the OCSO, can anyone tell me how long it might be before I hear anything? When should my chief expect a call? References? I took the PAT the first week of March.

I have everyone on "standby" at this point.

Thanks and be safe! Hope to join you in the future! ;)

[ICE-MAN]

i called OPD and asked about take home cars...she recruiter told me they don't issue them.

Not true OPD does issue take home cars, there new union contract states you have to live in Orange County to get one.

[Sanford&Son]

Hello to all here! :)

I am a reserve officer and a reserve deputy, with 10 years combined law enforcement experience, from out of state and am going through the Orange County Sheriff's Office's recruitment process.

So far, I have completed:
-CVSA
-Basic Interview
-Written Test
-Panel Interview
-PAT
-Swim Test

The last phase I did was the PAT. The PAT deputy said that all of the paperwork will be turned into investigators for the background investigation part of the process.

To those of you who recently got on the OCSO, can anyone tell me how long it might be before I hear anything? When should my chief expect a call? References? I took the PAT the first week of March.

I have everyone on "standby" at this point.

Thanks and be safe! Hope to join you in the future! ;)

Any takers? :D

[sco0437]

sanford,


get ready to go call-->call-->call-->call..
pretty much none of their cars even have radar.. thats because most of the time they cant be proactive.. I guess it depends what you want.. They do have any specialized unit you could want though.

It appears like their Sheriff Beary is on the way out... they have started a new no pursuit policy, no stopsticks, anything... basically for any crime..

I'm from Orlando... Seminole County is the place to live.. but the s.o. there isnt really hiring..

Good Luck

[Sanford&Son]

LOL! I know what I am in for....I just was wondering how long it might be before I hear anything from them or get a conditional offer. :)

As far as radar goes, I'll just have to buy my own. :D

[Sanford&Son]

(shameless bump!) :confused:

[MPSGT]

[QUOTE=ICE-MAN]Not true OPD does issue take home cars, there new union contract states you have to live in Orange County to get one.[/QUOTE

There are OPD officers who live in Lake County who have take homes, so they dont have to live in Orange County.

[ftlaudcop]

someone told me....." phil williams" former brevard sheriff is working for orange county s.o.....true ?

[Sanford&Son]

someone told me....." phil williams" former brevard sheriff is working for orange county s.o.....true ?

Correct. He is now Orange County Sheriff Chief Deputy Phil Williams

[ftlaudcop]

when i retire in 2008, with 25 yrs, he'll be my hook to get in for my 2nd pension...or jack parker....of brevard...... :D

[k9rocco]

As far as getting the conditional offer it varies greatly depending on how bad they want you. i was told when I first started that they only hire 1 out of every 15-30 applicants.

as far as our pursuit policity goes, we do chase still and we do use stopsticks it has just been modified so its not as wide open as it used to be.

getting a radar unit is a personal choice here, if you want one you can get one, we have a large motors unit (traffic enforcement) so i haven't found the need to get one.

overall im very happy here and would not want to go anywhere else. we have great, new equipment and some of the best training in my opinion. but thats just my 2 cents.

sanford,


get ready to go call-->call-->call-->call..
pretty much none of their cars even have radar.. thats because most of the time they cant be proactive.. I guess it depends what you want.. They do have any specialized unit you could want though.

It appears like their Sheriff Beary is on the way out... they have started a new no pursuit policy, no stopsticks, anything... basically for any crime..

I'm from Orlando... Seminole County is the place to live.. but the s.o. there isnt really hiring..

Good Luck

[Sanford&Son]

Hello to all here! :)

I am a reserve officer and a reserve deputy, with 10 years combined law enforcement experience, from out of state and am going through the Orange County Sheriff's Office's recruitment process.

So far, I have completed:
-CVSA
-Basic Interview
-Written Test
-Panel Interview
-PAT
-Swim Test

The last phase I did was the PAT. The PAT deputy said that all of the paperwork will be turned into investigators for the background investigation part of the process.

To those of you who recently got on the OCSO, can anyone tell me how long it might be before I hear anything? When should my chief expect a call? References? I took the PAT the first week of March.

I have everyone on "standby" at this point.

Thanks and be safe! Hope to join you in the future! ;)

Anyone? A month has passed - no work or anything from OCSO. Is "no news" good news?

I find it hard to believe that someone cannot tell me how long the BI goes.

PM me if you have stage fright. :p

[NBK 89]

I Know the next hiring date for OCSO is in June and in July

[Sanford&Son]

NBK 89,

Thank you for the information.

How far into things to they go before they call candidates for the medical/psych exams?

Any more insight you or anyone else can share, please feel free to post here or via private message.

Again, thank you.

[centurion229]

I too am at the same point you are at, pat passed, boards and vsa done and passed. I have a close friend who has retired once from Orange County and has went back to work there again. He told me when I asked him how long it takes to remeber that OCSO is a big machine and that things take time. So I guess we can just sit and continue to wait and stress, and by the way good luck.

[Sanford&Son]

Hi Centurian,

Thanks for the info and GOOD LUCK to you also! I know what you mean about stressing.....I have been with the same police dept for 9 years and I want out in the worst way. I have about 3 weeks of vacation time to use and I want to get some R&R down in Daytona Beach, but I'd hate to drive the 1260 miles down there, be there for a week, drive home and then get a call to come back in four days. ;)

Did you get any info as to how many they are hiring? I was told at the recruiter interview that they lose 8 guys per month (retirements/transfers) and they were hiring 50 and an unknown amount of "deputy trainees."

Again, thanks for the info and the PM you sent me - keep us in the loop and I'll post here if I hear anything on my end.

Stay safe.

[NBK 89]

before you get a phsych test and physical you get a conditional offer, at that point all you have to do is just pass those test and you are in. after the pat test a background investigator will call you in for a background interview, after that you should get a conditional offer. I think the next hiring class is going to be over 40 cadidates.

[centurion229]

Thanks I had my background interview not long ago so all I am waiting on now is the conditional I guess.

[Sanford&Son]

I remember my background interview. The investigator was super nice. He told me that even though I have no criminal record in my state, getting confirmation of that would be like pulling teeth, as my state is one of the two hardest states (in regards to red tape) to get criminal offender record information from. :D

[fl_sun]

:eek: Hello, I found you all. I don't want to call the police for something like this (psychic responses). I am sure you are aware of Jennifer Kesse, missing person in Orlando, FL since January 24, 2006.

Please read some of the information at this forum FORUM (http://flfiesta.com/forum). I set this forum up after a forum originally on the family website was removed due to a rediculous admin who banned so many people that it became worthless. I saved as much as I could from the 1st forum and now there is a lot of information that you should look at. One psychic has very detailed information (I know you probably don't consider psychic information but this is too detailed for me to ignore without letting you know).

The psychic's names are psychicladyshar and daisy

They have questions about a camero and details like check out the BP station, the guy went to get change, there is someone else involved. You don't know maybe this is a person who was actually involved.

Can you verify if some of the information matches information not released to the public?

Thank you!

[bulldog1097]

For those of you getting ready for FTO, you will be sent to a different sector every two weeks for the first part of your training. The last weeks will be spent in the sector you will be working in. If you can get yourself a GPS. It will make it easier to find you way around.

[NBK 89]

They stopped sending you to different sectors. Now the sector you train is where you will stay.

[COASTIE01]

I have never been to Florida. Is Orange County a nice area? How is the pay? Do you have to spend time in corrections? Sounds like a good dept, what are the negative other than call volume?
Thanks

[ftlaudcop]

orange county is busy as well as getting crowded,

the county commission right now runs the jail ,

that could change depending how sloppy they get, and give it back

to the sheriff, as by county ordinance he is chief corrections

officer, but rt now the orange county sheriff has road patrol and court house functions.

[Sanford&Son]

LOL, if I get the job, rest assured my Garmin StreetPilot III will be on the dashboard with me!

[fl_sun]

orange county is busy as well as getting crowded,

the county commission right now runs the jail ,

that could change depending how sloppy they get, and give it back

to the sheriff, as by county ordinance he is chief corrections

officer, but rt now the orange county sheriff has road patrol and court house functions.

Is it true that anyone can carry a firearm now (as long as they have a permit)? I am not an officer, but with the recent rash of crimes (just this past Monday an 18yo girl was raped), I am seriously thinking about packing heat ( :) but with a firearm, comes responsibility. :eek: Hey can anyone give me lessons? I don't know if we can keep guns in our glove compartments, purses or wear them?

[Sanford&Son]

I believe you need a concealed carry permit to carry on your person. You can keep you firearm in your glove box. In Mass, you can get your license to carry REVOKED if you leave a gun in your glovebox. Florida firearms laws are conservative - and that is a good thing.

Check out: http://www.packing.org for more Florida info. :)

[fl_sun]

Thank you very much. Can just anyone get a tazer gun?

[Sanford&Son]

Tazer? That I do not know.

[Sanford&Son]

I just got a call from my house....a rather large, heavy manilla envelope from OCSO recruiting arrived in the mail today. :eek:

[LAWENFORCER]

Always remember... big yellow envelopes are good. White 1 page letter envelopes are bad.

[Sanford&Son]

Always remember... big yellow envelopes are good. White 1 page letter envelopes are bad.

Actually....false alarm. It was a notice to appear for the Orlando PD Civil Service test. Whoever opened the mailbox doesn't know the difference between OPD and the OCSO. :rolleyes:

The OCSO suspense is killing me.

[orlandofed5-0]

OCSO is kind of wacky. They set up intial testing through a phone call. There HR gives you a time and date to show up at the HQs by the county jail.

[fl_sun]

:eek: I'm suprised OCSO isn't hiring with the influx of violent crimes of late. Does anyone know about gangs in ORLANDO? I know there is a Carver Shores gang, but I notice there is a lot of symbols being painted in Orlando all over, more than normal.

[Sanford&Son]

They are hiring....we just don't know when. ;)

Seems like everytime I go to http://www.dailyrotten.com there is some weird news story out of Orange County.

[NBK 89]

they're hiring for this summer and theres also an aug hiring date also.

[Sanford&Son]

Thanks for the info. :)

So far, I am hearing of hiring in May, June, and August.

[adogntime]

It sounds like I picked a good place to get hired ..
Im starting there 02JUN06. Is there anything you could tell me that might help?
What are some of the FTOs like ?

[Sanford&Son]

adogntime:

Congratulations!

How long after all of your testing was done did it take to get a conditional offer?

Are you FL LE Certified?

[adogntime]

I started the process before I got out of the academy so it was about 4 months . Yes Im Florida certified and I have 7yrs with the California Dept of Corrections .
I got the offer before my Psy/Phy so about 3mo inti it ..

[Sanford&Son]

Thanks for the info. I am not FL certified, but they are allegedly hiring a group of "trainees." Just have no idea when.

Thanks, good luck, and be safe!

[adogntime]

Hey when I took my PAT test there were some guys there that were taking the test to be put in the academy, they said all the other stuff was going on and some said this was the last thing they needed. I know the wait is tuff but its well worth it !!!!! Good Luck and stay SAFE!!!

[fl_sun]

I wish they would hire more officers sooner with what has been going on. It seems like a car jacking or home invasion every day now (at least 1), then they get away constantly, sometimes with guns etc.

Do a great job :)

I listen to the scanner all the time SCANNER (http://heliosj.iddings.us/main/javaplayer)

[LAWENFORCER]

Ofcourse they get away. Orlando PD is one of the most liberal dept. What's uo with that no pursuit policy? I bet they would terminate on murder suspects...

[e-man]

OK guys, I hate to post like this and sound like a rookie BUT Iam contemplating a move to FLorida. Ihave been a cop for 11 yrs, Yeah I know Iam not that close to retirement though. I have all the training etc. and my background work wise is spotless. What about areas near Daytona,? anything in an hour os so away, maybe more near the coast.
I dont have military or a college degree.. Is the swim test hard? I can do the 500yard run, push-ups etc. but swimming isnt really me. I guess its not that hard right? SOunds like Orange county is hiring and growing
ANy help you guys could give me is much appreciated.

SORRY- I wanna add, do the sheriffs office usually run the jails too? I have ZERO interest in being a corrections officer. Sorry not my cup of coffee.
Eman

[Sanford&Son]

I was told during one interview that the OCSO does not run the jail anymore, which is a good thing.

The swim test was tough but if you can swim at all, you'll be fine. If I passed it, anyone can pass it. :)

[orlandofed5-0]

OCSO got rid of the jail I think 93 or 94. County corrections which is under public safety and is run by a former OPD Chief who reports to the County commission.

OCSO isnt a bad agency but I personally dont care for Sheriff Beary. If your looking and want beach area, why not check out the Brevard county agencies? Its a straight shoot from Daytona on I-95 and about an hour from Orlando.

[fl_sun]

Ofcourse they get away. Orlando PD is one of the most liberal dept. What's uo with that no pursuit policy? I bet they would terminate on murder suspects...

No persuit? I had not idea.. no wonder I see them running interference and boxing them in etc. Actually, I hope OSCO does, in fact while listening to the scanner, an officer chased a car jacker all accross town.

I just heard a suspect was shot, another is DOA. Incredible. Every day someone is getting shot. Crime has increased. Now Orlando Auto Auction (again) 2 signal 10's.

[LAWENFORCER]

They had an article somewhere that some anti-pursuit organization named Orlando as having the best "Pursuit policy", which in return means a no pursuit policy, and from what I have heard a lot of small PD's adopted that same policy around Orlando.

I would assume they still chase for VIOLENT felonies.

[LAWENFORCER]

http://pursuitwatch.org/index.shtml#Outrageous
Anti pursuit website.


Orlando, Florida-One year anniversary of restrictive pursuit policy passes



On March 1, 2004 the Orlando Police Department adopted what PursuitWatch believes is the most restrictive pursuit policy in the United States. This followed the adoption of a similarly restrictive policy by the Orange County Sheriff's Office in the fall of 2003 and preceded adoption of the Orlando model by the remaining 8 agencies in Orange County. OPD Chief Mike McCoy's Staff Inspections Unit has reported that in the 12 months since the policy was adopted OPD has made 40,460 traffic stops. The department had 11 pursuits and 107 suspects who refused to stop. To sum up-118 suspects fled and 40,342 obeyed the order to stop. OPD reports that in 2003 there were 20,291 reported felonies which declined slightly in 2004 to 20,065. Given the fact that Orlando is the 3rd fastest growing metropolitan area in the county and one of the top tourist destinations as well, these results soundly contradict those who predicted that there would be large increases in the numbers of suspects who flee. Anarchy was not the result. The result is that Orlando is a safer place to live, work and visit-thanks to the foresight of Chief Mike McCoy and the dedication and professionalism of the members of the Orlando Police Department. Truly one of the nation's finest.

[HeineyGirl]

Hey, there's always FHP! Take home cars, work when you want to and dont work when you dont want to. If you go looking there is always something on the Turnpike to get into. But, then again, if you want to slug by and only write 6, yes six, tickets a week, we'll be more than happy to have you!!

God I'm bitter right now!! And I'm gonna stop!!!

Ok, one more question: With the FHP academy class attendance dwindling, what will happen when there are no new recruits for FHP? Like a year ago, FHP said it will not start a new class if there were not atleast 80 classmates. Right now, for the upcoming class there are only like 32 recruits. And the next academy start date is not until the end of Sept. ????

[Sanford&Son]

I already wasted good time and $$$ applying with the FHP just to be ousted by a "fixed" polygraph test.

How's that for bitter? :rolleyes:

[Sanford&Son]

Any other OCSO applicants hear anything?? I finished my testing the first week of March and haven't heard anything since then.

[Floridaboy]

yes maybe if FHP eased their insane poly and upped the pay a bit they could get alot more people

[fl_sun]

Any other OCSO applicants hear anything?? I finished my testing the first week of March and haven't heard anything since then.

OCSO needs help. There were at least 3 or 4 murders this past weekend. I know they are under-manned.

[Escape02]

Hey all,

I'm from NJ and also trying to get on with OCSO. I've done everything but the physical (which is in July) and was told that they are looking to have a January academy.

[Sanford&Son]

**UPDATE**

As of Friday, my three references, one of my neighbors, and my Police Chief received questionnaires about me as an applicant with the OCSO in the mail.

Finally....some action. ;)

I did check the Valencia College website....the next academy date is 07/17. I would imagine that the next class, if hired, would be in December.

Anyone have any insight on this?

I mean, the way I see it, I find it hard to believe that the OCSO would want me to leave my police dept without two weeks notice....and the two week deadline would be 07/03. Not to mention I'd still have to take the psych and medical exams.

We'll see what happens I guess. :)

[Bossfan]

I got my conditional offer today. The med and psych are next.Looking at a Aug 25th FTO start.... :)

[fl_sun]

Congratulations! I wonder if Orlando or Central Florida has an SRT Unit like in Miami. Special tactical unit.

[Sanford&Son]

Congrats! :)

[jadr426]

Hi everyone,

I also just got a conditional offer from OCSO for Reserve Deputy, and have just taken the Psych and physical.

I have a few questions I hope those in the "know" could clear up if it's not to much trouble.

In what capacity does OCSO generally use it's Reserve Deputies in? How much time are they required to work a month? Exactly how will the FTO program work out being on a Reserve schedule? Are they allowed to serve on special units after the probationary period?

What is the FTO program like with OCSO? Any tips on DOs and DON'Ts while on FTO? Common reasons for a trainee being let go?

What is OCSOs policy on BUGs and patrol rifles?

Thanks in advance for clearing up these questions:)

If anyone has any questions about the hiring process I could shed some light on I'd be happy to answer :)

[SW1]

In Florida, Corrections is an entirely different job title from Law Enforcement so unlike many states you do not start out as a jail deputy and eventually make your way to the road.

[ftlaudcop]

In Florida, Corrections is an entirely different job title from Law Enforcement so unlike many states you do not start out as a jail deputy and eventually make your way to the road.
************************************************** ********

correctly re-worded

corrections officer is a entire different job title from police officer

************************************************** *******
in florida: both are law enforcement officers

including: deputy sheiff's
probation officers
correctional / probation officers
state's attourneys
s

[fl_sun]

:eek: A friend of mine has documented all 34 murders in Orlando 2006 here: http://flfiesta.com/forum/

I wonder what's going on? :mad: