PAT on Saturday

[PrivateEyes]

Something cool happened to me last Friday. I had tested with the Travis County Sheriff's Office earlier in the year, but since I failed the PAT by 15 seconds (had trouble getting over the 8ft "A" shaped wall), I was DQ'd until March 2002. Well, anyhow, they called me out of the blue this past Friday asking if I was still interested. They have over 47 openings right now. (For Corrections). Anyhow, so I am taking the PAT again this Saturday. I have lost weight, so I now have less weight to pull over the wall, and have been working on my upper body strength. I am female, so I have less upper body strength to begin with. Any helpful advice?

Also, I know almost all SO's require you to start working in the jail. Anyone know what they look for, as far as the people they choose to eventually promote to deputy?

Thanks in advance!

[Farrside]

PrivateEyes,

First off, good luck this weekend. I too started off working in corrections with a Sheriff's Department. However, the department I worked for was a small department which patrolled a large rural county. Needless to say, I did not work inthe jail for very long before I was put in patrol.

It really depends when you work for a larger department how long they will keep you in detention. I've know people from larger Sheriff's Departments who have worked in detention for several years before getting the call.

If you have to start in detention, just treat people as humans, no matter how they are when they come in to central processing. You have to realize most people when they first get to jail/detention are not the same people you will deal with 12 hours into their incarceration. Some will mellow out and some will freak out. Just put youself in their shoes and think how you would react in their situation.

Some you will have to be more firm with, other you won't. You'll see what I'm talking about once you get hired. See, I'm being positive for you. Don't worry, you'll do fine.

Take care and good luck with the rest of the process.

Stay Safe!!!