Any Ventura County Reserves or Former Reserves?

[cirrus]

I am considering putting myself through the reserve academy in Ventura County and am wondering what anyones experience may have been in the various VC departments- good, bad, so-so.

Also, what hours does the academy operate? I have found some general info on the net but not much detail. Thanks.

[ejay]

I am a graduate of the reserve academy and worked as a deputy reserve.

As I recall, the hours are from 1700 or 1800 to 2200 three days a week and all day Saturday from 0700 to 1700 hours. I think it was Tues Wed Thurs. Depending on what time of year you go, some days are traded because of holiday and you will be required to go on a few Sundays. You pay for your class dues, your PT gear, your class A and B, and I think your ammo. Your sambrown, handcuffs, key, duty weapon, magazines, and learning domains are all provided to you free of charge.


My experience with VCSO was semi positive. When I was a reserve I and many others were treated more like cadets than deputies. Sure, we went to the calls and such but many of the assigned deputies had little faith in our abilities. That was then. One guy from my class is still a reserve and he loves it. I have been out of that scene for some time now so my info is outdated.

Oxnard is the city that basically runs the academy. 99% of their reserves came from that academy. I have had a few buddies work for them and Santa Paula and most went on to work for those respective departments full time.

The next class isn't until January.

[hbliam]

http://www.copquest.org/academy/#COURSE%20OUTLINE

From reading through the page for the VC academy it sure sounds like it's only a Level II class. I would absolutely ask if Level I is included or not. If not I wouldn't attend the class unless you have a way to complete the Level I portion lined up immediately after.

It's quicker to find a class that's already going to do the full Level I then to start and stop. Once you start this ordeal believe me you don't want to start again later. I had to do that and it was very difficult both in terms of time and family.

Level II you can never work alone. This doesn't just mean you can't patrol alone (which some departments may or may not let you do anyway) but it means you really can't do barely anything on your own. You will be treated like a "trainee" forever.

You also do not have the full basic class completed and as such you cannot transistion to full time if that's your plan or if you enjoy it so much that you decide to go that route. That means you get to do the entire academy again.

You don't do EVOC until Level I which means whatever agency you are with should not let you drive. You get in a wreck rolling code without EVOC and they are gonna pay a large settlement. You can't take traffic colllision reports because you haven't had the required training (this isn't a bad problem to have:) )

My goal (and what I would think anyone would want to do if they signed up to be a Reserve) was to be as trained and competent as any full time Officer. Actually in this business you would be crazy not to. After a 1000 hours of academy, 1000 hours of FTO, and another 2000 hours on my own I regularly get guys now that are shocked to find out I'm not full time.

I work my own car, take people to jail, clean what I catch, take my share of paper, etc. I have a 187 suspect that I wrote the main report on that just got 70(!) years and I never had to go to court (Great homocide detectives is the key there), I have a child molester that my partner and I arrested that has been in jail for two of his 30 years now. We were notified of a string of burglaries one night and they named a suspect. I pulled a FI card out of pocket and told my partner we had the guy on our hood not an hour before. Went back and found him. They cleared almost 15 burgs off that guy, he got two strikes, and he led us to his accomplice.

The key for any Reserve IMO is for you to be consistant with working week in and week out. You do that and you will gain the trust and confidence of the Officers you work with. You will also get involved with good stuff like I did and feel like you actually accomplished something.

Of the agencies in that area...if you are going to be a career reserve with no intention of going full time....pick the busiest department you can. You are there to have fun and patrolling Santa Paula or Fillmore is going to be a joke. Go to Oxnard.

Good luck.

[Rogerthump]

http://www.copquest.org/academy/#COURSE%20OUTLINE

From reading through the page for the VC academy it sure sounds like it's only a Level II class. I would absolutely ask if Level I is included or not. If not I wouldn't attend the class unless you have a way to complete the Level I portion lined up immediately after.

That academy is level two certification only.

It's quicker to find a class that's already going to do the full Level I then to start and stop. Once you start this ordeal believe me you don't want to start again later. I had to do that and it was very difficult both in terms of time and family.

Very true. I had to complete another academy at Fullerton to get my level one certification. I only wish I had just gone the basic the first time around.

Level II you can never work alone. This doesn't just mean you can't patrol alone (which some departments may or may not let you do anyway) but it means you really can't do barely anything on your own. You will be treated like a "trainee" forever.

Some agencies are worse then others. Santa Paula for example is dependant on their reserve officers to keep the city running. They treat everyone there as equals.

You also do not have the full basic class completed and as such you cannot transistion to full time if that's your plan or if you enjoy it so much that you decide to go that route. That means you get to do the entire academy again.

You don't do EVOC until Level I which means whatever agency you are with should not let you drive. You get in a wreck rolling code without EVOC and they are gonna pay a large settlement. You can't take traffic colllision reports because you haven't had the required training (this isn't a bad problem to have:) )

Not true. The VCPSROC offers an EVOC course. The academy is on the grounds of an airport and they use an airstrip for the EVOC course. I don't know if there is any certification involved in it. I also know that the CHP offers the same EVOC course to those academy cadets as they do for the LAPD but at a monitary cost.

My goal (and what I would think anyone would want to do if they signed up to be a Reserve) was to be as trained and competent as any full time Officer. Actually in this business you would be crazy not to. After a 1000 hours of academy, 1000 hours of FTO, and another 2000 hours on my own I regularly get guys now that are shocked to find out I'm not full time.

Something you can do in California. But would be hard pressed to do it in any other state.

I work my own car, take people to jail, clean what I catch, take my share of paper, etc. I have a 187 suspect that I wrote the main report on that just got 70(!) years and I never had to go to court (Great homocide detectives is the key there), I have a child molester that my partner and I arrested that has been in jail for two of his 30 years now. We were notified of a string of burglaries one night and they named a suspect. I pulled a FI card out of pocket and told my partner we had the guy on our hood not an hour before. Went back and found him. They cleared almost 15 burgs off that guy, he got two strikes, and he led us to his accomplice.

The key for any Reserve IMO is for you to be consistant with working week in and week out. You do that and you will gain the trust and confidence of the Officers you work with. You will also get involved with good stuff like I did and feel like you actually accomplished something.

Of the agencies in that area...if you are going to be a career reserve with no intention of going full time....pick the busiest department you can. You are there to have fun and patrolling Santa Paula or Fillmore is going to be a joke. Go to Oxnard.

Santa Paula gets their share of violent crime. Fillmore is VCSO and they also have their fair share. Oxnard is very busy too. Other agencies such as Simi Valley and Port Hueneme will get you some action but not as much. Ventura city doesn't have a reserve program anymore. Also worth mentioning is that there are plenty of agencies here in Los Angeles that need reserves too.

Good luck.

[hbliam]

Some agencies are worse then others. Santa Paula for example is dependant on their reserve officers to keep the city running. They treat everyone there as equals.

They may treat you well which is a good thing but there is a differance in being fully trained.

Not true. The VCPSROC offers an EVOC course. The academy is on the grounds of an airport and they use an airstrip for the EVOC course. I don't know if there is any certification involved in it. I also know that the CHP offers the same EVOC course to those academy cadets as they do for the LAPD but at a monitary cost.

Unless you pay and go to a CHP, LAPD, or other POSt certified EVOC course you are not certified. We had a EVOC course in my level II course as well. Still didn't mean you are POST certified to roll Code 3. Any department that will let you drive on patrol (transport or other activities are fine) is just asking for trouble.

Something you can do in California. But would be hard pressed to do it in any other state.

We are talking about CA right? :)


Santa Paula gets their share of violent crime. Fillmore is VCSO and they also have their fair share. Oxnard is very busy too. Other agencies such as Simi Valley and Port Hueneme will get you some action but not as much. Ventura city doesn't have a reserve program anymore. Also worth mentioning is that there are plenty of agencies here in Los Angeles that need reserves too.

I lived in Ventura for 4 years. I dated a girl in SP and another (not at same time:) ) in Fillmore. SP's a minor dot in the road. Again if you are going to be a career Reserve I would go somewhere with action. That's the point of it for most guys from what I gather.

[cirrus]

Thank you all for the info. I live in Ventura so an academy outside of the county would be difficult for me to attend and balance work, family, etc. This is likely my only option at the moment.

All right. So that I understand this correctly. In order to reach Level I status, it is necessary to attend an entire academy over again if you graduated at a Level II? It isn't possible to complete any remaining portions separately and "work" toward Level I? Further, if I did decide to go full time, having graduated as a Level I would allow me to skip the academy and be hired directly as a full time officer?

Thanks again.

[ejay]

Yes you can attend a level one academy. It will provide you with a basic POST. It is shorter than a full basic because you would already have instruction up to a level two.

The closest of the level one academies are Allen Hancock, College of the Canyons, and as Rog mentioned, Fullerton.

[hbliam]

You can attend a Level I class after completing Level II. It is not "shorter" then a basic class to go that route you are just doing the class in modules or sections. In the end it takes much longer to receive and more hours are required by POST. If you are hireable and your intent is to go FT just get hired and get paid to go. If you are not hireable now you probably won't be even with a Level I class under your belt.

It does not provide you with a Basic POST. It qualifes you to receive a Basic Certificate after working FT for a year. Some agencies will hire you as an academy trained or lateral with a Level I certification. Some will not. (Not includes LAPD, LASD, CHP)

Fullerton runs an Extended Format not modular. You can't just do the Level I portion of an extended format class. If you went there you would end up doing the entire Level III, II again along with the Level I requirements.

Closest stand alone Level I class to you would be LASD or Rio Hondo. I believe LASD will only accept you if you are with an agency.

Edit: Allen Handcock and College of the Canyons have no listing for Reserve Modules only Full Basic classes.

[ejay]

By shorter I ment the level I class as opposed to a full basic course all at once.

HBLIAM is right in that if you are planning to go the full time route in law enforcement then you're better off going for your basic cert. He is also right in that when you take a level II and level I class you must work for an agency to get your basic certificate. Eveybody I have known including myself was already hired with an agency before they took the level I course.

Rog graduated from Fullerton. As I understood it he took a modular level one class only. He can clearify that for you.

College of the canyons had a level I course run by LASO. That must have changed because you're right, they only list a basic academy now and don't mention LASO at all.

Bottom line is that if you're in a situation where you need to keep a job and only want to try the water of LE then the reserve academy is for you. Otherwise, apply with the agency of your choice and let them sponsor you though a basic academy. You will be paid to go.

[hbliam]

He is also right in that when you take a level II and level I class you must work for an agency to get your basic certificate. Eveybody I have known including myself was already hired with an agency before they took the level I course.


Yep, as a Level I even if you finish FTO and "probation" you still only get a Reserve Peace Officer Certificate. You must be FT to get a basic POST Certificate.


I know this has been alot of info for the OP. If you have any questions PM me. The reason I am giving you so much info is because I wish I had it when i started. If would NOT have gone the route I have if I had the right info from the beginning.

I went the Level II only, Level II FTO program, Level I later at a class 2 hours EACH WAY away, Level I FTO with no credit for Level II FTO, wait for my PD to hire me for going on 2 years, get frustrated and apply elsewhere route. Not the way to go.

[cirrus]

Hey Gents,

I appreciate all the info, although some of it I admittedly do not completely understand b/c you are speaking in the professions lingo. That's fine. That just means I have things to learn. Truthfully, I have pretty strong employment but am also very strongly drawn to LE work, although I have no more true knowledge of it than your average dope. So, testing the waters may really be the best approach for me. Doing so may give me an opportunity to find out what LE is really about without jumping in head first and realizing that it really isn't my gig, wasting time, $$$, and ending up looking for work again 5-6 months later.

I currently volunteer with a local agency which is cool but more depth would be more gratifying. If the VC academy does graduate recruits as Level II's only, and considering my life situation in what I described above, would it seem more reasonable to enter a reserve program as a II and be as HBLIAM explains "treated as a trainee" than commit the extra time to a Level I?

I mean will full timers be willing to put up with someone who has such an agenda?

[ejay]

Go for it. It's not really the agency but the officer you are assigned to that either treats you well, or poorly.

Say hi to ol' stone face Elliot for me. lol

If you decide to go, PM me for some tips on that specific academy. I have been a proctor and actor during critical incidents there off and on for years.

[hbliam]

eJay's right it depends on each Officer on how you will be treated.

My personal style is to be well trained in everything I do. I took SCUBA with friends. They got the basic cert and stopped. I got the Basic, Advance, Rescue, and am working on my Master cert. I tool sailing classes with friends. They took the first class and then I took every class at the school including all the racing classes. It's just me.:)

Go for it. Have fun.

If you don't understand something we are talking about... ask us. Save yourself figuring it out the hard way.

[cirrus]

Thanks, guys. I have the next couple of months to make my decision and continue to do research. I'll drop you a line if it all comes together (I don't know why it wouldn't) and with continued questions. In the meantime, I'm waiting for my info packet from VC and I'll lookout for...this... Stone Face. lol!

[ejay]

BTW, isn't Cirrus a trance group out of Los Angeles? I remember them.

And about stone face, you will know him when you see him. Kind of a mix between Gunny R. Lee Ermey and John Wayne. He has relaxed a lot lately but he can still stare straight through you.

[cirrus]

Cirrus may have been a trance group, lol. But, for me it is a model of guitar that I play.

John Wayne, huh? Oh boy... Make a man out of me in no time. :rolleyes:

[sbtrauma]

When is the next academy? How the PT portion for Reserves?