University Police Laterals

[ford_nut]

I got a question that I can't seem to find an answer to on the web. I want to be a law enforcement officer, I'm not particular as to which department as I know it's very competitive from the few departments I have applied for. It seems as if the most important thing is to apply anywhere and everywhere to make your chances greater of finding employment. I don't mind working somewhere less desirable and lateralling in the future to somewhere closer to home. I was recently looking through jobs with university of California and California state schools and thought about applying to them because they seemed like a good opportunity as well as to have more irons in the fire to land a job. My question is if say I got the job with a college, could I lateral to a local PD or Sheriffs dept. if I find I don't enjoy working in a university setting? Or would I have to go through that particular agencies academy and go through the process like an entry level position?

Sorry for the winded response. I appreciated the help.

[omgwtfbbq]

I think you can because both positions require the same P.O.S.T academy.

[ford_nut]

^Ok thank you

[RickD427]

The job market is already changing and many large agencies are finding it difficult to locate well qualified applicants.

If your desire is to work in a municipal agency, then I'd really recommend that you focus your efforts there.

I started with the University of California Police while I was a student there. I took a quarter off to complete the academy and then stayed three years. I later went to a very large Sheriff's Department. They required me to complete their academy. We did have a lot of officers that were accepted to smaller departments without having to complete an academy.

University police work is quite a bit different than municipal work. In some ways it's a lot slower than municipal work, and in others its a lot more challenging. You deal a lot with 18-22 year olds who "know it all" and who often, through immaturity, create all sorts of interesting police problems for you to deal with. The professors are worse.

If you appreciate the campus environment, and I did, you can learn a lot, and you can do a lot, that you just can't in a municipal agency. I once spent two shifts tracking down a simple bicycle theft. It was good learning experience and I ultimately identified the suspect. The campus PD viewed that as good police work. If I took two shifts to follow-up a bicycle theft with the Sheriff's Department, my sergeant would have taken me to task for my poor time management.

I also don't know what it was about the campus, but I did more protective custody/child abuse and 5150 cases than I ever did with the Sheriff's Department.

[ford_nut]

Rick thank you so much for the help. So it sounds like it really depends on the municipal agency you lateral to wether or not you'd need to go through an academy again. I need to do some thinking on if I'd like work in a college environment or not because it sounds like it might not be easy to lateral somewhere else once you get on.


It is nice to hear from someone first hand that you can in fact lateral because you have the same P.O.S.T credentials as municipal agencies but it just depends on the agency's policy wether or not you have to go to an academy. Thank you again for the reply, I found what I needed haha.

[Untamed1972]

Rick thank you so much for the help. So it sounds like it really depends on the municipal agency you lateral to wether or not you'd need to go through an academy again. I need to do some thinking on if I'd like work in a college environment or not because it sounds like it might not be easy to lateral somewhere else once you get on.


It is nice to hear from someone first hand that you can in fact lateral because you have the same P.O.S.T credentials as municipal agencies but it just depends on the agency's policy wether or not you have to go to an academy. Thank you again for the reply, I found what I needed haha.

Most agencies would not require you to attend the academy again. Laterals are big money savers to most LEAs in the state, especially the smaller ones, because they can basically put you right to work.

That's not to say an agency, especially some of the lager ones might not require you to attend some "in-house" training at the beginning to get you up to speed on agency specific protocols and policies. But your POST certificate, once you've completed your field training and probation would be good at any LEA in the state, and is often accepted by some out of state agencies as well.

[ford_nut]

Most agencies would not require you to attend the academy again. Laterals are big money savers to most LEAs in the state, especially the smaller ones, because they can basically put you right to work.

That's not to say an agency, especially some of the lager ones might not require you to attend some "in-house" training at the beginning to get you up to speed on agency specific protocols and policies. But your POST certificate, once you've completed your field training and probation would be good at any LEA in the state, and is often accepted by some out of state agencies as well.

That makes sense that you'd have to do some supplemental training for that particular agency.

So I guess one other question would be do you guys, who are already in law enforcement, see applying for a UC or Cal State police department as a good idea or a good opportunity wether you stay there for your career or lateral elsewhere? I see it as being a good opportunity with good pay, benefits, stability and a career with a future. Just curious to know what people With experience have to say

[CBR_rider]

That makes sense that you'd have to do some supplemental training for that particular agency.

So I guess one other question would be do you guys, who are already in law enforcement, see applying for a UC or Cal State police department as a good idea or a good opportunity wether you stay there for your career or lateral elsewhere? I see it as being a good opportunity with good pay, benefits, stability and a career with a future. Just curious to know what people With experience have to say

I will say this: CSU PD has great benefits including college education for you and your family. If you want a bachelors/masters/PHD; starting at a CSU could get you vested in their retirement system (pretty good medical), college paid for, and then with your foot in the door allow you to potentially lateral elsewhere. Obviously, going to college and working full time is a challenge but it is doable (and pretty nice if you get to do it for free...).

[ford_nut]

I will say this: CSU PD has great benefits including college education for you and your family. If you want a bachelors/masters/PHD; starting at a CSU could get you vested in their retirement system (pretty good medical), college paid for, and then with your foot in the door allow you to potentially lateral elsewhere. Obviously, going to college and working full time is a challenge but it is doable (and pretty nice if you get to do it for free...).

Wow I didn't know about the college education, that is a BIG plus. Also in the future if I decide I want a family and kids.

[razorscs]

Right now, at least in Sacramento County, departments are hiring at a rate that hasn't been seen for quite some time. If working for a County SO or City PD is what you want to do, I would say you have a better chance than ever to find a position.

[HP911]

I used to work with a buddy who failed FTO at a medium sized busy department and he now works for a CSU campus as a police officer. He told me he was going to get a master's degree for free or something along those lines which is a really nice perk.

He also told me he doesn't have an MDT in his car and has to run everything over the air....

Last I heard he was trying to lateral over to a large municipal police department because he wanted a little more action.

[LtJim]

You ask an interesting question. The way I take it, you are simply looking for a Police Officer Job. Granted the job market is tough. Do yourself a favor. Research thoroughly the position you desire to get. School/Muni/Sheriff/State/Fed etc

It is clearly obvious to Oral Board Interviewers the type of applicants who are just looking for jobs, and those who have really researched the position that they are interviewing for. they ones that take the shotgun approach are quickly eliminated.

[003]

One of the main aspects of working for a Police Agency other than a City, County or State agency is how you view yourself and your career goals. While working for a Campus Police Department will get your foot in the door, it is most certainly not the same as working for a Municipal Police Department, the County Sheriff, or the CHP. While Campus and for that matter Airport Police agencies do some aspects of Police work, they do not do the full spectrum. It is certainly not my intention to demean either the Airport or Campus Police, but in truth and fact, they are viewed by many as “second tier” police departments.

Ask yourself, other than as a start, why would anyone who wants to be a cop want to work for either the Airport or Campus Police. While the pay and benefits are on par, and the initial training comparable, the daily activity is not ever close. The basic staples of Municipal/County police work, family fights, residential/commercial burglaries and convenience store robberies are not the kind of work that is done by 2nd tier agencies. My advice, if you can get hired, go for it, but view it as a stepping stone to help you reach your career goals.

[ford_nut]

You ask an interesting question. The way I take it, you are simply looking for a Police Officer Job. Granted the job market is tough. Do yourself a favor. Research thoroughly the position you desire to get. School/Muni/Sheriff/State/Fed etc

It is clearly obvious to Oral Board Interviewers the type of applicants who are just looking for jobs, and those who have really researched the position that they are interviewing for. they ones that take the shotgun approach are quickly eliminated.

Yeah I am looking for a police officer job, that is my career aspirations. Yeah I have been researching heavily on what I want to do. And it was just recently that I started looking into campus police only because I truthfully did not know they were sworn personnel that's why I had to ask here haha. Since the market is tough like you said I'm looking to cast the biggest net to find a career in the profession.

[ford_nut]

Without doing much research as of right now on campus police careers I think that is how I would view it, as a stepping stone. A good one at that. Get my education and experience to make myself more marketable. Still have to research and even apply, because I don't want to jump into it blindly.