Any tips for the civil exam?

Just wait until you hit 40 and it will happen. Especially if you spend 8 - 12 hours a day driving a car or sitting on your ass. No need to be a cop for it.

Yeah. Had no real problem keeping weight off till after 40. Now trying to lose even a little is a lot of work.
 
It was so disgusting and Gil didn't care, so I quit many years ago.

Here is a synopsis of a MA cops post. I'm not exaggerating either, just paraphrasing for brevity:

"Hey I'm number 50 in the list in my town. Any tips for the academy?"

"Your mom is a whore!"

"Dude that's not nice"

"Dude??? What are you a pot head ? You won't make it on the job."

"Ive never used drugs. I just don't like you insulting my mother."

"You need to have thick skin if you want to be a cop. You won't last long. Besides, Steven Meyer of 26 ocean lane in Westport, you have too many tickets to be a cop."

"How the Fxck did you find my name"

{ notification: you have received an infraction for swearing}

"Hey Steve Meyer, your mom is still a whore! And I play golf with chief Jones of Westport PD. I'm gonna tell him you came on here and started shit."

"Wow. I just asked a question. You didn't have to be a dick over it."

{notification: you have been banned for insulting members. And your mom really is a whore.}

Ok maybe a little exaggerated, but not by much.
 
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My brother went through the Worcester Academy and he said it was pretty tough at first but after a few weeks they let up since they'll be working with you after you graduate. Occasionally they'd get Regatta and Dunkins between PT and Class. I went to the Boylston Academy, we never got Regatta.

They just graduated a class of 30 or so about a year ago, and a few friends transferred there 3 months ago. Not sure how many or when they'll be hiring but best of luck and message me if you have any questions about the academy. I work for a bordering town.
 
Here is a synopsis of a MA cops post. I'm not exaggerating either, just paraphrasing for brevity:

"Hey I'm number 50 in the list in my town. Any tips for the academy?"

"Your mom is a whore!"

"Dude that's not nice"

"Dude??? What are you a pot head ? You won't make it on the job."

"Ive never used drugs. I just don't like you insulting my mother."

"You need to have thick skin if you want to be a cop. You won't last long. Besides, Steven Meyer of 26 ocean lane in Westport, you have too many tickets to be a cop."

"How the Fxck did you find my name"

{ notification: you have received an infraction for swearing}

"Hey Steve Meyer, your mom is still a whore! And I play golf with chief Jones of Westport PD. I'm gonna tell him you came on here and started shit."

"Wow. I just asked a question. You didn't have to be a dick over it."

{notification: you have been banned for insulting members. And your mom really is a whore.}

Ok maybe a little exaggerated, but not by much.

Yup that's about right. I have an account there, and basically just watch the attitude of those pig****ers. It seems that the good ones there don't say much, and the douchebags pipe up the most.
 
Looks like we got dropped to #50 spot.


If you have a ****ing Facebook account, either delete it, or make it %100 rated G, mormon style. That means no pictures of you doing kegstands with puke all over your face, having an ice cold Shlitz on the Green Monster, or even drinking the church wine into blood thingie. Background investigators love to see either zero social media, or pleasant happy wholesome good old Main Street USA pictures. Dogs, Christmas trees, fishing trips with family, picket fences, etc. When it comes to hobbies, stick to the basics, fishing, hunting, shit like that. Motorcycle roadracing? dont even bring it up unless its mentioned, and keep it beyond simple. Same with shooting. Remember, most cops are not gun guys and shoot once or twice a year, and thats because they have to. Most background investigators know how to read a DD214, so dont lie, embellish, or imply anything about being knee deep in grenade pins and turning the tide in some far off war somewheres. Definitely dont tell your background guy that you cruised the streets of Tikrit, during The Surge, inflicting massive amounts of death and destruction with your trusty and never rusty M2 BMG, that you of course know inside, and out. Of course, if you DO happen to say this, youd better make sure that when your background guy casually flips the BMG M2 headspace and timing gauge that he keeps on his desk as a memento and asks you if you know what it is, youd better be able to tell him.

Needless to say the guy that didnt know what it was did not get past the background invest, even though he was # 1 on our list, and a veteran. Hes a federal security guard somewhere now in Georgia or something.
 
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If it hasn't already been mentioned, show up to your interview in a suit and tie. Leave your firearms home if told not to bring them, one recruit we had showed in sweatpants and a Bud Light Tshirt (sent home and dropped) another showed up carrying 3 firearms (sent home and dropped) and a couple who have shown up actually had warrants for their arrest.

You'll be given very simple instructions, follow them to the letter.

To the kid applying who said something about the older guys being fat slobs, not a great attitude to start with. Trust experience over muscles. You'll learn this as you go. As an academy instructor, I'd say you should also learn a little more situational awareness, lest someone seek you out on Day 01 for a little extra love.

And one of the best quotes I've ever heard about policing came from Frank Reagen (Blue Bloods) when he stated to a young cop with a heavy hand, "This job is not about being strong enough to use force, it's about being strong enough not to."
 
The interview is everything. As cams said, show up in a suit and tie. The interviews can be hostile, so keep your cool and don't let them shake you.

Have an answer ready for questions like:

"Why do you want to work for our department?"

"Why do you want to be a cop?"

"What is is your biggest weakness, character flaw, etc."

"Do you think people are mostly good?"

Stuff like that. Go online and research common questions asked in police interviews. Expect them to question your answers in a manner that insinuates that you are lying. Don't fall for it. They will give you the "are kidding me?" Look or shake their heads while writing down your answer. Ignore it.

Be prepared for the awkward silence after you finish your answer. It will be accompanied by facial expressions that lead you to believe that they want more info or want you to clarify your answer. Don't do it or say anything else unless they actually ask. It's an old interrogation technique.

Stick to your answers, don't change them and be ready to meet the blank stare after you answer. Don't blink and STFU until they ask you another question.

Shake everyone's hand that is in the room when you walk in. Make eye contact when answering questions. At the end of the interview, they will ask if you have any questions for them. Have a couple of questions ready.

Know approximately how many residents are in the town and what the crime stats are. Make sure you include those in your answers so they know you did some research.

Don't look desperate or be obsequious. Very slightly convey the impression that you want to know why YOU should work there. Be calm and don't smile.
 
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Posts #101 and # 102 are worth their weight in ****ing gold, heed the advice given within.

Im the 29 year veteran looking to shake you in the interview, and I absolutely promise you, I will without a doubt, find a flaw in your answers, demeanor, attire, facebook, wife, kids, shoes, high school, what you had for breakfast, you name it. If youre not a white guy, Im going to insult your ethnicity. If you are a white guy Im going to insult your ethnicity. My goal is nothing but to get you out of your comfort zone, rub salt in the wounds I am going to find, and see how you deal with it. Think of it as a mental Parris Island or Ranger School, if that makes sense. If I blow my wad using all the tricks I have up my sleeve, and you manage to not say something to me like " Oh yeah? Your son is a Marine veteran? When is HE getting MY job?" , then you get the magic checkmark in the "yes we want this guy" box.

No one cares that you:

bench press 400 pounds.
have a current pro MMA card
can shoot better than Audie Murphy
do crossfit
have always wanted to be a cop
want to help people
and countless other bits of flotsam and jetsam that have been barfed out.

A good cop has 2 skills that come to him/her easier than picking their nose does:

common sense

people skills (the ability to talk to anyone, anytime, anywhere, about any subject, and seem genuine while doing it, even when the battle in your head is raging about your kids, wife, dog, bills, etc)

Cops are nothing but used car salesmen; but they are used car salesmen that are not allowed to take it personal when they dont close the deal.

This of course, is only if you want to do it right. There are an abundance of examples of the ones doing it wrong, we see it every day.
 
Thank you all for the advice. Keep it coming. Learning a ton!

Just don't overthink it. There's a point where you can study too much, and then blank out during a test. This will be all about common sense, sound decision making abilities and situational awareness.

I understand it's important to you and it's probably exciting having an opportunity for a long and dreadful career, just clear your head and go in easy and smart.

It may have changed in the decades that I've been doing it, but if your list of choices leaves you too high in number, say you're # 300 on a town that will only hire maybe 3 every 5 yrs, a person used to be able to go into the civil service building downtown and adjust their choices of towns giving them a better chance depending on who's hiring and what the numbers look like. Did I explain that well enough without causing confusion? Something to check into anyway to advance your goal.
 
Also, I'm not sure if its still the same, but they used to automatically put you on the list for the MBTA police.

I know of a few cops that got picked up there first and then Either stayed or transferred to another civil service department.

Transit had a higher turnover rate than most towns so chances are good you will get a call from them first.
 
Hope that you don't get sent to Lowell, thats where my law enforcement career began and ended. At the time I was going up Reading had the reputation as being the easiest and the T academy was supposedly the toughest, at least according to the guys on the Chelsea PD
 
"What is is your biggest weakness, character flaw, etc."

I'd get up and walk out of any interview where that question was asked. All that question does is signal that the interviewer has no training in interviewing and is asking a retard question because they think it's a standard question. It's not. Smart interviewers never ask it. It's insulting to a candidate and would never result in an honest answer anyway. I wouldn't want to work for a boss as stupid as one who would ask me that question. I've never been asked it other than in entry level interviews.

It's rude to put someone on the spot and ask them to give a list of their shortcomings. It's rude to talk down to someone like that. I'm here to see if your company is a fit for me just as much as you want to see if I'm a fit for you. You didn't hear me ask what you suck at, what your company or department sucks at. Plus the answer is always a lie, where the candidate turns a skill or positive thing into a fake weakness that's really a strength......Well I'm such a perfectionist that sometimes I over work myself and my wife gets mad. But it's ok cuz I get twice as many TPS reports out as anyone else. Who cares if my wife divorces me for working til 10 every night.

A better answer is, Well I'm always working on self improvement and getting even better at things I'm good at and interested in. I'd rather do that than focus on things I was never meant to do, like computer programming (assuming you're not applying for a programming job)....Then turn it back into a question "I assume you're asking me that question to determine if my skill set is compatible with the requirements of this job. Is there anything on my resume that I can clarify, or special skills that this job requires that we haven't discussed yet?"
 
I'm here to see if your company is a fit for me
I would guess that most police candidates are eager to get onto any department that will take them, not "determine if a particular department is a good fit".

But then, I could be wrong.
 
you've never been in the military i take it?

I'd get up and walk out of any interview where that question was asked. All that question does is signal that the interviewer has no training in interviewing and is asking a retard question because they think it's a standard question. It's not. Smart interviewers never ask it. It's insulting to a candidate and would never result in an honest answer anyway. I wouldn't want to work for a boss as stupid as one who would ask me that question. I've never been asked it other than in entry level interviews.

It's rude to put someone on the spot and ask them to give a list of their shortcomings. It's rude to talk down to someone like that. I'm here to see if your company is a fit for me just as much as you want to see if I'm a fit for you. You didn't hear me ask what you suck at, what your company or department sucks at. Plus the answer is always a lie, where the candidate turns a skill or positive thing into a fake weakness that's really a strength......Well I'm such a perfectionist that sometimes I over work myself and my wife gets mad. But it's ok cuz I get twice as many TPS reports out as anyone else. Who cares if my wife divorces me for working til 10 every night.

A better answer is, Well I'm always working on self improvement and getting even better at things I'm good at and interested in. I'd rather do that than focus on things I was never meant to do, like computer programming (assuming you're not applying for a programming job)....Then turn it back into a question "I assume you're asking me that question to determine if my skill set is compatible with the requirements of this job. Is there anything on my resume that I can clarify, or special skills that this job requires that we haven't discussed yet?"
 
I would guess that most police candidates are eager to get onto any department that will take them, not "determine if a particular department is a good fit".

But then, I could be wrong.

Yeah a police department is not a business and they couldn't give a F less if you walk out. There are a million kids in the state who are qualified for the position and most of them will actually felate you for it.

I was prepared for the question and said "there is nothing about myself that makes me unqualified for this job." And left it at that. The room was silent about 30 full seconds and the questioner gave me a dirty look and "THATS your answer?" I said yes and we moved on.
 
Yeah a police department is not a business and they couldn't give a F less if you walk out. There are a million kids in the state who are qualified for the position and most of them will actually felate you for it.

I was prepared for the question and said "there is nothing about myself that makes me unqualified for this job." And left it at that. The room was silent about 30 full seconds and the questioner gave me a dirty look and "THATS your answer?" I said yes and we moved on.

Did you get the job?
 
Don't sell yourself short. Take the exams for BP, Customs, ICE/HSI, DEA, Capitol police etcs.

I'll give the Feds credit for one thing. For the most part, take the exam, score high enough get the job. None of this political BS.
For the most part......
try the county sheriffs depts as well.....political as hell...but decent pay,no age restrictions, get deputized and can work police details.
 
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