Police Hiring Standards

Police Hiring Standards

Every employer has expectations for potential workers. They want to make sure that the people they hire will uphold their mission, vision and standards. Companies today have vigorous hiring processes that may include phone interviews before an actual in-person interview. Police departments around the United States have hiring standards that are used to screen prospective officers before they can be sworn in to serve and protect the public.

All applicants looking to become a police recruit must meet some general requirements. The requirements range from city to city, but are closely related to each other. Some include obtaining a high school diploma or GED, maybe even college credits, be a minimum of 20 years of age or older when the academy begins or 21 years of age of older by the academy graduation, the applicant must be a United States citizen and must possess a motor vehicle operators license. Other requirements may include a criminal background check, a pre-employment drug screening, physical and psychological examinations, and no felony convictions.

Testing an individual's physical ability is essential. The City of Virginia Beach requires the completion of a vigorous test. According to the Virginia Beach Police Department website, the test consists of four components that measure your upper and lower body muscular strength, muscular endurance, and anaerobic power. No candidate will be allowed to participate in this test without first providing the signed Physical Medical Waiver form, signed by a physician within sixty (60) days of the test date. The Physical Ability Test battery is a two-tier test; the scores from each test are combined to determine the overall score. In addition, there are baseline or minimum scores that must be obtained for each test (www.vbgov.com). If an applicant is unsuccessful, they must wait three months to reapply.

Written examinations are given to test the reading comprehension, spelling, grammar and ability to follow directions. The test can consist of multiple choice questions, pictures, diagrams or graphs. The Virginia Beach Police Department test covers several critical areas that have been found to be important for law enforcement personnel. They are practical skills, interpersonal skills, emotional outlook and basic educational skills. Practical Skills refer to the ability to handle everyday changes and situations. Law enforcement personnel must be able to use good judgment and common sense, think clearly, quickly, and logically, and identify, analyze, and solve problems in complicated situations. Interpersonal Skills refer to the various abilities required to relate well and get along with others. Law enforcement personnel should demonstrate empathy, courtesy, a customer service orientation, and an ability to interact effectively with supervisors, co-workers, and others in daily work and communal living situation. Law enforcement personnel must be able to work cooperatively with diverse groups of people within the department and in the area in which they serve. Emotional Outlook refers to the ability to recognize and deal effectively with the emotions of one's self and others, handle problems and challenges with appropriate emotional responses, and act confidently and effectively in situations that are challenging, stressful, or dangerous. Law enforcement personnel must be committed to maintaining high standards, ethical conduct and be dependable in meeting commitments and work hard to complete assigned tasks. Basic Educational Skills refer to measures of acquired knowledge. Law enforcement personnel must have these abilities to succeed in an academy and on- the-job training, and must be able to comprehend, learn, retain, and present the information necessary for performing the job (www.vbgov.com).

There are automatic disqualifiers that vary from state to state. They include, but are not limited to criminal convictions, drug usage, a poor driving record and dishonorable discharge from the military. Criminal convictions as noted on the City of Norfolk website include, any felony violation, conviction of drunk driving or driving under the influence within the past three years, a conviction of hit and run (if personal injury involved), a conviction of any offense involving moral turpitude, larceny, concealment,