Any help would be appreciated...

[Ene803]

I am a junior in college and am interested in becoming a police officer. All I know right now is that I have to take a civil service test first(correct me if I am wrong). Afterwards, I think you wait until someone calls. Anyway, I am interested in working in Westchester County. I have checked and the exams are given every 4 years. Is this correct? If so, do I take a business job after graduation and wait until 2008 to take the exam? Are there any other exams given? I have a lot of question and would appreciate any of them being answered. Also, I would accept any of your advice or input. Thank You.

-Eric

[EMTFirefighter]

There are tests given every December all across the state that you may be able to take (some require residency). If you're really interested in Westchester, you will have to wait until their test comes out to take it again.

[Shield22]

You can find many PD's in Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Rockland, Orange and Ulster that have parttime officers. Find out which ones do, apply to them and see if they will sponser you to attend an academy. If you get this foot in the door, once the test comes around it would put you ahead of anyone in your score range.

[EMTFirefighter]

Originally Posted by Shield22

You can find many PD's in Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Rockland, Orange and Ulster that have parttime officers. Find out which ones do, apply to them and see if they will sponser you to attend an academy. If you get this foot in the door, once the test comes around it would put you ahead of anyone in your score range.

That's what I thought once.

[1code12]

Originally Posted by Shield22

You can find many PD's in Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Rockland, Orange and Ulster that have parttime officers. Find out which ones do, apply to them and see if they will sponser you to attend an academy. If you get this foot in the door, once the test comes around it would put you ahead of anyone in your score range.

Thats fine, but what do you do when you want to be a full time civil service police officer? You still need to get on the list and a high enough score to get hired.

I know guys that applied at the smallest police departments as full time police officers and were able to get hired. After a year or so, they simply applied to transfer to the departments they wanted to work at. Most police departments like this since they don't have to send a guy to a police academy. (You are simply more attractive to an agency if you're not going to cost a bunch of $$$ for training)

[Ene803]

So I can join the NYPD and after a year or so I can transfer to another county in NY?

[1code12]

Actually, NYPD is a little different. DCJS (Department of Criminal Justice Services) does not recognize NYPD's academy (at least not all of it). You could get hired and after a year look to transfer to another department, but you'll have to go through the academy again.

[EMTFirefighter]

Originally Posted by 1code12

Actually, NYPD is a little different. DCJS (Department of Criminal Justice Services) does not recognize NYPD's academy (at least not all of it). You could get hired and after a year look to transfer to another department, but you'll have to go through the academy again.

You got most of that right. You'll just have to go through the civil service process of getting hired at the next department. No need to attend the academy again if it's in New York.

[Shield22]

Code is right....very few dept's recognize NYPD's academy...you would more then likely have to attend another academy if you came from NYC.

[EMTFirefighter]

Originally Posted by Shield22

Code is right....very few dept's recognize NYPD's academy...you would more then likely have to attend another academy if you came from NYC.

The police department I used to dispatch for accepts transfers from NYPD all the time. They only have to get hired off the list, no need to take another academy.

[Shield22]

We only have one dept that will do that in our county....NYSP academy is not accepted alot of places either...not saying its right...just the way it is.

[1code12]

Originally Posted by EMTFirefighter

You got most of that right. You'll just have to go through the civil service process of getting hired at the next department. No need to attend the academy again if it's in New York.

[SlowDownThere]

I've never heard of another NYS agency that wouldn't accept the NYSP Academy. It's always been my understanding that the NYPD and the NYSP wouldn't accept other academies. Not the other way around.

But I've never worked for another NYS agency. But that's my understanding.

[EMTFirefighter]

Originally Posted by SlowDownThere

I've never heard of another NYS agency that wouldn't accept the NYSP Academy. It's always been my understanding that the NYPD and the NYSP wouldn't accept other academies. Not the other way around.

But I've never worked for another NYS agency. But that's my understanding.

I've heard of quite a few, actually.

[1code12]

Originally Posted by SlowDownThere

I've never heard of another NYS agency that wouldn't accept the NYSP Academy. It's always been my understanding that the NYPD and the NYSP wouldn't accept other academies. Not the other way around.

Nor have I. It would seem to be a waste of money to hire someone who has had a NYPD or NYSP academy and send them to another police academy. As long as the curriculum is approved by DCJS I don't see any problem.

[AmericanMan]

I just found out yesterday that a standard pd agency like rpd has a different civil service set up. They said they cannot take latterals from NYSP, UP, NYPD, tansit and housing police.

[SlowDownThere]

Originally Posted by EMTFirefighter

I've heard of quite a few, actually.

Give me a few names. I'll call them and ask.

[SlowDownThere]

Originally Posted by LT. EXPLORER

I just found out yesterday that a standard pd agency like rpd has a different civil service set up. They said they cannot take latterals from NYSP, UP, NYPD, tansit and housing police.

This may be true, but it's a different question.

We were talking about accepting the training certificate, not accepting a lateral transfer.

[wannabeenytrp]

Originally Posted by EMTFirefighter

I've heard of quite a few, actually.

Those agenies would be?

[1code12]

Originally Posted by EMTFirefighter

I've heard of quite a few, actually.

(tick...tock...tick....tock...) still waiting.......

[mark7777]

Originally Posted by LT. EXPLORER

I just found out yesterday that a standard pd agency like rpd has a different civil service set up. They said they cannot take latterals from NYSP, UP, NYPD, tansit and housing police.

true but why would you want to transfer from the sps to rpd anyways? yes I know it is a different type of policing but the sps get some of the best pay around.....

and yes I know pay is not everything..... then againe it helps alot

[Sentinel]

I know many guys that left NYPD and went to others departments in NYS that did NOT have to go to another academy. The NYSP does not accept the NYPD academy. The NYPD does not accept any other academy as far as I know. But I do know for a fact (at least when I was on the job) that other departments in NYS will accept the NYPD academy and that the NYPD academy is certified and accredited.

Depending on which department it is you may have to go for a few days to a few weeks of "localization" training. And this of course is not the same as lateral transfer. That has more to do with pension plans and seniority than anything else. You may get the time credited at the end but rarely do you get it up front.

I have a friend that went from NYPD to Rochester PD and he did not have to do the academy again. Within a few days he was in a car in Rochester. He did not get his NYPD time up front (toward seniority) but he did get it credited at the end toward his retirement. In other words he still had to do 20 years in Rochester to get his pension but he got a 25 year pension because he already had 5 yrs NYPD.

[ChrisF202]

You can go from the NYPD to the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office but arent real cops (full police officer powers but no patrol unit so the opportunties to do police work are limited to traffic stops, riots, crimes in progress you come across, etc).

As far as I know the Suffolk County Police Department does not allow latteral transfers. They might but you would probably have to go through their academy.

[SMPPD87]

are you looking for a specific department or just westchester county in general?

either way my advice would be to take the Mt. Vernon, White Plains, New Rochelle, Yonkers (hey, you never know ) and Peekskill civil service tests in december this year. they are all given yearly and if you get a 70-75 or higher, have a clean record and are in decent shape one of those jobs will definitely pick you up. they are all good jobs and you will learn a lot working any of them, they're not all places you might want to work the long haul though.

so what most people do is this:

-get hired by mt. vernon and put on 18 months probation
-20 week academy (might be 22 now?) and 4 weeks field training
-work one year on the road and then either
a) lateral out to a different job
b) wait till the next county towns and villages test rolls around and get your name on the list if the job you really want doesn't take laterals. (it's a weird policy but some jobs make you do it, i'm positive yorktown does.

[EMTFirefighter]

Originally Posted by SMPPD87

-20 week academy (might be 22 now?) and 4 weeks field training

26 weeks. Only 4 weeks field training? It's 4 months at my local PD.