Police Officer Exam For Dummies

Tracey Vasil Biscontini

• Publisher: For Dummies
• Year: 2022
• ISBN:
  9781119860570
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Study Aids
• Subtopic: Study Guides

Prepare to serve your community with this easy-to-follow guide for future police officers

Open positions for police officers and detectives are expected to expand dramatically over the next decade. The time is right if you're looking to become a new police officer in your town or city. And whether you're hoping to become a local, county, state, or federal law enforcement official, the Police Officer Exam For Dummies has all the info you need to prepare for and pass the National Police Officer Selection Test or your local police officer exam with flying colors.

From the low-down on physical ability testing and the personal background interview, to targeted reviews of judgment skills, map reading, memory, observation, and recall, this guide will whip you into shape for the police officer test in no time at all.

In this book, you'll:

• Get the instruction you need to find your confidence and banish test anxiety for good
• Learn memory aids and tips so you can master the observation and recall test
• Get actionable and practicable test-taking strategies that actually improve your performance on the exam

So, stop rubbing that rabbit's foot and start preparing like the pros do, with the Police Officer Exam For Dummies!

Part 1

The Road to Landing a Job as a Police Officer

IN THIS PART …

• Find out what it takes to land a job as a cop — from the screening process to written and physical tests to an interview and medical and psychological evaluations.
• Discover when and how to apply for a police officer job and how to prepare for the police officer tests.

Chapter 1

Signing Up, Getting Screened, and Other Prep Work

IN THIS CHAPTER

Taking the beginning steps to become a police officer

Completing tests — written, physical, oral, medical, and psychological

Giving it a second try if necessary

The job of a police officer isn’t easy. Police officers investigate crimes, arrest criminals, assist citizens in emergencies, collect and secure evidence, write reports, and testify in court. They keep a community safe by enforcing the law. Their job is an important one, so police departments carefully screen job applicants.

To land a job as a cop, you have to undergo a lengthy screening process. You must be able to solve quadratic equations and bench press 500 pounds. Okay, we’re just kidding, but the screening process to become a police officer does involve passing several tests. The good news is that getting a good score on these tests is within reach for most individuals.

In this chapter, we tell you about the screening process to become a police officer. To get a job as a cop in most police departments, you must obtain a Notice of Examination (NOE), complete an application, pass a written exam and a physical ability test (PAT), and undergo a background investigation, an oral board review, and a medical and psychological evaluation. But hold on! You’re not finished yet. You still have to contend with the police academy. Whether you must do this on your own before the screening process or after you pass the medical and psychological evaluations depends on the city and state where you’re applying for a job.

In some parts of the country, a police department will pay for you to attend a police academy. In other areas, you must enroll in a state-certified academy at a community college, and you have to pay for this academy yourself. Should you do this before you apply for a job? You could, but keep in mind that some large cities, such as Los Angeles and New York City, still require you to attend their academies even if you’ve attended a state-certified academy at a community college. The moral of the story? Find out what’s required in your city and state before you apply for a job and begin the screening process.

Starting with the Notice of Examination (NOE)

The first step to becoming a police officer is to find a Notice of Examination (NOE), which is also called an Exam Announcement. While many police departments post an NOE because they have job openings, other departments give the written test every so often, and the NOE may simply announce the time and place of the test. If the NOE is posted because of job openings, it indicates where and when you should submit a job application, the time and place of the test, and the test registration fee. You can see an example NOE for a job opening in Figure 1-1.

How do you find an NOE? The easiest way is to periodically check the websites of nearby police departments. Another option is to access a national police officer website such as the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) (www.theiacp.org), where you can search police officer job openings by state, city, and zip code.

FIGURE 1-1: A sample Notice of Examination for a police officer position.

TYPES OF LAW ENFORCEMENT JOBS

Those who want to work in law enforcement are committed to protecting people and property. They are good communicators and in good physical condition. That said, there are different types of law enforcement jobs. The educational requirements and training range from having a high school diploma and training at a police academy to more formal training, such as a college degree. These are some common types of law enforcement jobs:

• Local Police Officers and Sheriff’s Deputies: Local police and sheriff’s deputies must uphold the laws of their jurisdiction. They patrol their area and investigate crimes. Local police may work for their town, county, or region. Most local police departments in the United States are small and employ only a few full-time police officers. California, New York, and Texas are the states that employ the largest number of police officers in the country.
  Many of the other job titles found within local law enforcement agencies include automobile patrol, foot patrol, traffic officer, bicycle patrol, motorcycle patrol, horse patrol, marine patrol, aircraft patrol, juvenile officer, canine officer, crime scene investigator, crime prevention officer, community policing officer, hostage negotiations team, bomb squad officer, warrant officer, airport police, housing police, port authority police, and transit police.
• State Police: Also known as State Troopers or Highway Patrol officers, state police officers engage in highway patrol and state investigations. State police assist local police with large-scale emergencies and investigations. State police departments may have more stringent requirements for candidates than local police departments. Some states require candidates to have a college degree.
• Federal Law Enforcement: The federal government has two broad categories of law enforcement positions — Uniformed Police Officers and Special Agents.
  The U.S. Capitol Police are a good example of a uniformed police agency whose job it is to protect the personnel and property of the U.S. Capitol. Another example are FBI Police officers who protect the facilities and personnel of the FBI. The Customs and Border Protection agency is moving away from using the job title “agent” to “officer,” as in “Border Patrol Officer.”
  Special Agents are federal law enforcement criminal investigators who don’t wear a uniform. They’re typically categorized in the GS-1811 job series. Special Agents have the statutory authority to carry firearms, conduct searches and seizures, and make arrests. Special Agents work for a number of federal agencies such as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), and U.S. Secret Service (USSS).
• Tribal Police: Tribal police are a type of local police. They work on Native American reservations and serve as liaisons with local and state police. Their job involves keeping the public safe and completing incident reports. They also prepare special documents that are required by the Tribal Court System.
• Specialized Jurisdiction Police: Specialized jurisdiction police are local police who work in a specific area. For example, they may work for railroads and in hospitals, parks, airports, and schools.

Completing a Job Application

Before taking a written police officer test, you must pay a fee and submit a completed job application like the one shown in Figure 1-2. You must complete the application in black ink or type it, depending on the instructions on the application. The application should be neat and complete, and the information on it should be accurate. Read all the directions before you fill out the application. Keep in mind that a mistake or an omission on the job application is grounds for disqualification.

Make a few copies of the application and practice completing it. After you finish the final copy, photocopy it. You may need the information on the application later in the screening process.

Remember that neatness counts — if a police department can’t read your writing, you’re not likely to receive a job offer. An application for a police officer job is different from most other job applications because it asks for very detailed specific information, such as the address of every home you’ve ever lived in since elementary school. Why do police departments make their job application so difficult to complete? Think about it — a police officer carries a gun. Should a police department give a gun to an unstable individual who has had past run-ins with the law? Absolutely not.

Rounding up required info and paperwork

Gather the following information before you complete an application for a job as a police officer:

• Birth certificate.
• Driver’s license.
• Education information (names of your high school, college, and/or business school; the years you attended; and the diploma or degree you received).
• Employment information, as shown in Figure 1-3 (list of your former employers, the position and type of work you did, the dates during which you were employed, and your re...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Part 1: The Road to Landing a Job as a Police Officer
• Part 2: Breaking Down the National Police Officer Selection Test (POST) and the NYC Test
• Part 3: After the Written Test: Meeting Other Requirements
• Part 4: Practice Police Officer Exams
• Part 5: The Part of Tens
• Part 6: Appendixes
• Index
• About the Authors
• Advertisement Page
• Connect with Dummies
• End User License Agreement