<p>3 points of view-</p>
<p>In my state, a student can self-pay to attend the law enforcement academy. S2’s class had several of these students. It makes one much more employable to a local PD because he can go on the road immediately. Otherwise, the PD has to pay for 16 weeks of wages while the recruit is at the academy.</p>
<p>S1 is a State Trooper. The hiring process was long, multi-faceted, difficult, and spanned 14 months from application to graduation. There is a written test, physical test, psychological testing, and several rounds of interviews, including in the applicant’s home. People are cut all along the way. </p>
<p>The trooper academy is 24 grueling weeks. S1 made it to the final cut his first application. The 2nd, they extended 85 offers to over 3,500 applicants, including S2. 46 made it to graduation. Then he had 3 months on the road with various supervisors before he got his own car. S1 has a Sociology degree with heavy emphasis on Spanish from a T20. Many (most?) of those without a degree had military training.</p>
<p>S2 is a city officer in a small town. This hiring process was longer than I would have thought. He is one class short of an AS in criminology. What got his foot in the door though was being a jailer for 18 months–a really crappy job with horrible hours and low pay. They also aren’t allowed to carry. He did a lot of transports. He was 19 and 20 during this time. He had to be 21 to be hired as an officer.</p>
<p>City/county officers attend an academy at the same location, but different classes, for 16 weeks. His was arduous too, but not as grueling as the State Police class.</p>