Does it help to start out small or are "inner dept polotics" rumors true?

[OKCLEOHopeful]

OK I did some digging last night and found that 2 different municipal PD's are looking for a Dispatcher/Jailer. I printed out their aps, filled them out and turned them in. They said I should hear back from a supervisor later this evening. I'll hope for the best. Your opinions.... if I actually get lucky enough to land this position with one of the two, would that be helpful in my pursuit to later be hired as an offcer by that dept.? I hear a big help in getting on somewhere is knowing people on the "inside". Obviously I am in no way stating thats how you get the job but it sure as heck can help. True/False?

[Washingtonian]

True. It's not necessarily a political thing. If you have a group of people that are roughly equally qualified, and you already know that one of them is a good worker and gets along well with the other people on the department, who are you going to be inclined to go with? Or maybe politics will be involved. Either way it will most likely benefit you to get "connections".

[federale083]

If your heart isn't set on going with one of these two departments, there are a number of agencies that will hire you directly to an officer position. Obviously, there are a number of considerations that will affect your decision (pay, bennefits, reputation, etc) more than who will hire you first, but if you're interested in getting on as a police officer, you may want to look elsewhere.

[C-15]

when i first started i worked for a dept with 15 officers and the politics were a nightmare. starting as a disp or jailer you might not see much of it. and a small dept brings less competion. all you want is that minimum standards # then you can go where you want