Boston Area Hiring?

[bradzzo]

I currently work for as a Deputy Sheriff in North Georgia, but am looking to move to the Boston Area with my fiance sometime in the next six months. (She is from there and wants to be close to her family again). What are some good agencies in the burbs of Boston, or county, or maybe just straight Boston PD? I am looking for a good area as well, hopefully where we can raise a family. I am young and fit and don't mind the hard parts of the job. I've had my share of fights and general hardships of shift work, so going to Boston PD wouldn't necessarily scare me off. However, I'm just thinking long term, whice means family first. I have never even been there, but will happily look into wherever looks good.

Also, I looked up general hiring practices of a few agencies, and a couple strongly emphasized the need to live in Mass. for a minimum of a year. I am not moving up north to sit on my *** for a year waiting to get hired. At the same time though, it would still be hard to go for interviews and drug testing and such. What advice do you have on the matter? Is there any way i can consolidate my trips up there? Does anyone have any experience in the matter?

Let me know any advice you may have. I greatly appreciate it.

Thanks

~I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it...

[harty]

I grew up in the Boston area and I can say that getting an LE job is extremely difficult. There were/are waiting lists for campus police jobs. You absolutely need to establish residency! MA has what is called a police civil service test. ITs usually only given every 3/4yrs. This is basically the police test for nearly every town or city in MA. You can only choose 3 cities in which u would like to work for. Usually, u are only considered for employment for the city in which u live, so choosing 2 others is really just a sham, unless u have a hook. You will never get called for those towns. Also, keep in mind that there will be 100's of people who have grown up in said city waiting to get on w/ that dept. The fact that u have prior LE is great, but having residency means more. My suggestion to u is to look into Corrections while establishing residency (Suffolk County, Norfolk County) or even Federal, as they will appreciate your experience. Also, some towns have an auxilary force, if u hook on w/ one of these it may give u a leg up a few yrs down the road. U can also look into New Hampshire or Cape Cod forces if u don't mind a commute. Cape Cod usually hires for the summer, so now might be a good time to look inot it and maybe they ask u to stay on. U have to take a longer a view of this and don't think u are going to get a job overnight. MA is very "political". Does your wife no anyone in police work who can give u advice? I wish u the best of luck.

[flash40]

I don't really understand the way hiring works in the Commonwealth. It's a civil service exam state, so you take the exam and wait around a lot. Although there are Sheriff's Departments, the county governments are almost nonexistent and most policing is done at the town/city level. People I've talked to confirm that it is VERY difficult to get hired and it is common to work a seasonal or university/college position before getting hired. Since you mentioned residency requirements, Boston PD, for example, not only has that, but I think you need to reside in the city a certain amount of time before you can even be considered. Something to think about before making the move!

[1895FED]

Bradzzo,

Took the Boston PD test probably back in 2000. At the time, I was stationed at Ft.Carson CO with no residence in MASS. I was originally from NY and was trying to get back east at the time. The long and short of it was I received a 100 on the test and my 5 points vetreans preference were added in which means I got a 105. My three locations were Boston, Salem, and Peabody.

I DIDN'T EVEN GET LOOKED AT!!!

4 year degree, Military Police with Canine experience didn't even get looked at!

Just as HARTY stated it is next too impossible to get into unless your grandfather,father and then MAYBE you might have a chance!!

My suggestion is New Hampshire State Police, excellent State agency. In fact before we got covered I was thinking of jumping into NH State Police. I have talked to NH State Troopers and they are very happy! And you are not too far from Boston!

Just my 2 cents keep it!!!

[mcall80]

For MA you need to reside in a city or town for a complete year. The next civil service test is in 2009 they just had one in May 07. If you have verterans status and residency you have a shot at landing a job. The city or town that you reside in for a complete year is basically the only one you will have a chance for.

EX: If you live in a suburb of Boston and put Boston as a choice everyone that has residency in Boston goes in front of you on the list, doesnt matter if you scored higher than the person who has Boston residency.

Veterans status is a big key in landing a job. Anyone who has veterans status goes to the top of the list. Veterans Preference (See Website)

http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=hrdhomepage&L=1&sid=Ehrd&L0=Home

Look up MA veterans definition: