nor cal

[COASTIE01]

I was looking through agencies in nor cal and they almost all seem to be hiring laterals only. Is this a new trend? Before i joined the cg almost all agencies were hiring entry. I saw richmond and emeryville were still hiring entry anyone know anything about those depts? Also anyone know some good area agencies?

[gaffler]

not really a new trend, just about everyone has open postings for laterals all the time. Entry tests are help regularly but not posted in perpetuity.

Emeryville: Small wedged between Oakland and well, Oakland. Small PD. Did I mention they are small? Emeryville used to have a heavyhanded and corrupt reputation in the 70's but now it is clean. Most of thier activity is along San Pablo ave catching overflow dope and hookers from well Oakland. Then there is Home Depot etc. for shoplifters. Just a very small department (30-40 officers) with limited opportunities as i see it. I know of nothing else derogatory.

Richmond: This is one of those trauma room PD's, Very active, lots of violence, dope, gangs and a total lack of community support and few resources. A great training ground but there is a pretty good burnout rate too. FTO used to be a real bitch for alot of folks, very demanding. Richmond coppers are usually squared away, adept coppers who can make a fire out of a bucket of water. Respect. You will love it or hate it from what I know, hear and see.

If I was moving in from out of state and was not exactly sure what I wanted- I would be thinking BART PD (Bay Area Rapid Transit). They pay well, are full 830.1 coppers, have a huge geographic jurisdiction covering four counties (albeit 50 feet wide), alot of contact with many agencies, they have alot of toys and special assignments and a moderate to low call level and a good reputation. They are well funded, politically attractive and self sustaining thru fares and Fed money. I am not affiliated w/ BART in any way but if I wanted to get out here and look around for another agency- BART is one a place I would consider. There are so many different agencies here you will find at least one to your liking. Oh yeah they hire entry level too. http://www.bart.gov/about/jobs/job_105.asp

San Jose PD rocks too. Great pay, tons of ovetimeif you want it, huge department that seems to have a strong POA, & lots of community support with a great tax base. Excellent training, lots of toys, alot of opportunities for assigments.Neato white/silver stripes on thier pants. Everyone I know at SJPD is HAPPY generally speaking.

Just my .02 cents worth.

[COASTIE01]

Thanks i wouldnt be new to the area i was born and rasied there just be returning. i was thinking seriously about bart and san jose

[sgttom]

I would suggest:

PD: (all "larger" agencies) Hayward, Fremont, San Jose, Santa Clara, Daly City,
Oakland, Berkeley
(smaller agencies) Burlingame, San Mateo, Newark, Union City, San Pablo,
Pleasanton, Livermore,

SO: Alameda, Contra Costa County

Specialty: BART, East Bay Regional Parks, UC Livermore

Schools: UC Berkeley, San Jose State

[LeeRoy]

I'm not BART PD but I've worked with them for years and my buddy is leaving his department for BART as he likes the culture there better and they have opportunities his agency does not offer.

Originally Posted by gaffler

I would be thinking BART PD (Bay Area Rapid Transit). They pay well, are full 830.1 coppers, have a huge geographic jurisdiction covering four counties (albeit 50 feet wide), alot of contact with many agencies, they have alot of toys and special assignments and a moderate to low call level and a good reputation. They are well funded, politically attractive and self sustaining thru fares and Fed money.

BART gets their authority from 830.33 PC, not 830.1 which seems to narrow their authority on paper but in the real world they might as well have full 830.1 authority.

Positives:

- Variety of work locations from urban, to suburban, to ghetto.
- Growing special assignments. K9's, SWAT, Detectives, JTTF, Plain Clothes
- Low pressure work environment. Be active or kickback.
- Good pay and benefits.
- Lots crooks take the train. Lots of self initiated work if you want to pursue it.

Potential Downsides:

- No motor cop positions
- Contrary to popular believe the district does have money issues. Grant money does not often go to the district. They did just get some explosive dogs from TSA. Prior to this they didn't get much homeland security funding in proportion to the liklihood the system may be targeted by terrorists. (This is from a friend who is one of their lieutenants).
- In emergencies you may have to depend on local agencies to assist you. This means you call BART dispatch for help, they phone the local agency who then dispatches help for you. Cover not always as available as with many suburban and urban agencies.
- Lots of geography to learn during training. You also have to know court procedures for four different counties.

[18C3V]

Go for large agencies with good benefits. The cops in large agencies seem to be able to get time off a lot easier than smaller agencies. I just came back from a two week supervisor class with cops from San Jose, San Diego, and other various agencies. Our agency has it pretty well compared to those with FTO pay, POST incentive pay, comp time, vacation time, sick time, fitness time, and being able to take time off.

[iamlindoro]

Another vote for San Jose. SJPD is recruiting aggressively after a hiring freeze for a while, and are trying to hire several hundred officers in the next four to five years. The new contract tops out at about $108K/year for top step officers.

I can answer specific questions about the SJPD hiring process and academy if you would like to PM me.