Questions for Reserve Officers

[Nick96]

I'm seriously considering going to the local Sherrif's office and volunteering as a reserve officer. For those of you that have chosen to serve - what are the requirements and prior life experience requirements they typically look for? I believe I have a lot to offer. I just want to get a feel for the general qualifications, age, physical & temperment requirements that are typically sought. I'm at a station in life where I'm not looking for a career change. Rather, I'm at a point where I'm financially & personally able to devote a considerable amount of time to giving back to my communitity - and am physically fit and emotionally mature enough to endure the rigors of public LE service (at least in my opinion). And, I have always thought the LE profession was a great opportunity to make a meaniningful impact on the quality of life of the communitity in general (I just needed to squirrl away a few bucks first).

Any feed back or opinion would be appreciated. Thanks in advance for opinions & advice. And for those of you that currently serve - thank you for your dedication & service.

 

[Ankeny]

I'm at a point where I'm financially & personally able to devote a considerable amount of time to giving back to my communitity - and am physically fit and emotionally mature enough to endure the rigors of public LE service (at least in my opinion).

Most departments would do back flips to have a guy like that.

 

[rock jock]

Nick,

I was going to do this a couple of years ago, but my wife became pregnant with our second child around the same time which made it basically impossible to do. In Texas, new reserve officers must be fully TCLEOSE certified, which means you must attend a LE academy and become fully credentialed just like any other LEO. Most academies offer only a full-time curriculum lasting 13 weeks, IIRC. Some offer an evenings/weekends course that lasts 9-11 months and takes 16-20 hours/week. It is a big committment and you will have to pay for the academy yourself.

 

[Reservecop55]

Reserve officers

Requirements vary from program to program. We took the same tests and underwent the same invasive background check as the regular officers. Our Academy was done on weeknights and weekends, took six months and was essentially identical to the regular academy. We are issued sidearms, but pay for our own body armor. You need to have a squeaky clean background and be in good enough condition to pass defensive tactics and the rest of the physical skills offered at the academy. We also had to produce a dozen personal references. We are utilized in every position that the regular officers are, except for the motorcycle unit and the SERT (SWAT team). At least two duties a month and attendance at a monthly meeting are required. I went through the academy at age 54 and am glad I did it. maturity and the ability to deal with people on the street do make a difference. Good luck!

 

[Serpico]

In Los Angeles the academy is free....so are the uniforms and gear. You are issued a Beretta but it belongs to the county. The acceptance rate is somewhere around 2/100 applicants. Seems the older you get, the more background you have to catch up to you. Our academy was 5 months, 2 nights a week and weekends....came out to around 400 hours for a level ll patrol deputy.

 

[Andrew Rothman]

Serpico -

That sounds like the only way an Angeleno can legally carry! (A friend of mine is an LAPD reserve officer. Guess he made the cut!)

So are you, as a reserve, allowed to carry off duty?

 

[Paul "Fitz" Jones]

Reserve Officer Qualifications

I helped teach the POST update courses held at the Pasadena Police department range for applicants that had previously been officers and did background investigations on men wanting to be reserve officers.

My depaartment checked for any police or FBI records.

I would speak to neighbors on his block, talk to his employer and supervisors and check his driving record for infractions and particularly for speeding tickets.

Those would show negatives in the applicants personality but what I looked for most strongly was indications that the applicant could be "Badge Heavy" which was the most undesireable feature in our reserves.

Paul