APPLYING TO BE A POLICE OFFICER

[TravRollTide]

I am taking the police entrance exam for the San Diego Police Department in March and was wondering if anyone had any advice for the written exam, physical exam, and possible interviewing (I say possible because I have to pass both exams first).
I will graduate from The University of Alabama with a Criminal Justice degree in May of this year, and I have no criminal record/don't use drugs or even drink alcohol. Any information or tips are greatly appreciated!!

[clipofblanks]

Written is easy, grammer punctuation and spelling take your time to pay attention to the details. And Train for physical, push up pull up, cardio, sit up. Website should have what is expected, how many reps. As for interview ....just good luck and dont lie

[Country_Jim]

Two words to remember during the process ...................

DON'T LIE.

Good luck in your endeavors.

[fal_762x51]

1. You lie. You die.

Ride alongs, physical fitness, don't be "that guy," and ask questions.

[WyattandDoc]

Keep your credit spotless!!! And good luck.

[ldsnet]

Good mix of Strong and Smart - the physical fitness standard is just that - the minimum standard. Don't need to be the fastest guy in the bunch, but you don't want to be the "just passed" either.

The written is your resume . . . it is the document they review to determine your writing ability.

And as been said above, at any time in Law Enforcement: You lie, you die. They catch you in a lie and you are done.

[KD714]

During your oral be personable, use common sense and don't be cocky.
This may come natural to you but you would be surprised so I'm going to say it. Make sure you're clean well groomed and dress in a suit.
When you get to the background portion make sure you write down every thing, check it and check it again.
Because if you leave something out because you think it's minor your background investigator may think you were trying to omit something. Knowingly omitting something equals lying.

[Bobby Ricigliano]

The above advice is good. Best of luck in your pursuits. Police work is a calling. It has been 15 years since I was a cadet at the academy and it seems like yesterday.

[ogarcia_02]

I'm in the process with the Sheriff's department. I took the test last month and got my results this week. The test is mostly grammar and reading comprehension, go to the library and look for study guides. They have practice tests and explanations for the questions.

[SDDAVE56]

Well lets see what I can remember from the PAT in 1981. There was running, down and up steps (a long set of steps by the way), and you had to step on each one. A 150lbs dummy drag. Go over a four foot wall, and a six foot wall. I think that was it.

[Moemoe1]

Do not lie. Not a single lie.

[Atomic Donut]

Written and Pt exams are gimmes in my book. During the interview remember, integrity is everything! If they can trust you to report ethical decisions to your supervisor or to treat everyone as an equal regardless of title, how can they trust you with the authority to take someone's life.

[Axelgear]

Be a real human being - basically, dont go out of your way to seem impressive or try to look cool because that will bullseye you as a no-go! As said many times above, DO NOT LIE as the tiniest lie can destroy the entire process. No matter how uncomfortable a question is for you you must not try to avoid it or get around it somehow because believe me, they WILL know if youre lying or trying to be clever and avoid the question. Just be up front and honest no matter how embarassing a question is because frankly they've heard worse, and they also understand that all people have a dark side.

Also go to the Miramar training ground to practice the PAT (physical course) even though they dont use that course anymore, its the best place to train and practice for it. The stairs will wear you out and make jumping the three walls hell, but thats the hardest part of the physical course so do it until you can go down and up the steps (remember that they make you touch every step going up and down!) and immediately over the three walls (4 ft, 5 ft and 6 ft) without stopping or slowing down too much three times in a row. If you can do that, you can bet youll have a good score on the physical test!

Best of luck to you - Im trying again too

[ogarcia_02]

Hey Axel is the training ground open to the public?

[Axelgear]

It is - Ive never been asked to leave after going several times, and theres no better way to practice for the real thing!