about reserve officers

[zsolez]

I was just wondering if someone could enlighten me about the general requirements of joining as a reserve officer.

Is this considered to be good if you would like to join the same unit later as a full-time officer? (kind of obvious since I just read an opinion in a recent post but still I would like to see more comments on it...)

Is it hard to get into a reserve unit?

What are these guys doing during a shift?

Do they have limited rights compared to the active duty officers?

How many hours are you required to put in each month if you're a reservist?

How long is the training? Can you do in the evening or weekends?

Do reservists patrol with a full-time officer or alone?

What do full-time officers think abut the reserves? Is it like (dead weight in my car) or actually they appreciate the help and the company.

finally: Is this a good way to get a real inside view of LE? (I know you can ask for a few ride-alongs too but that does not look to me like the real experience.)

I know these questions all fall to the "it depends" category, but I would be happy to read different opinions, experiences.

Perhaps every agency/state has different rules about reserves, so I would love to see inputs from officers working at different locations.

THANK YOU!!!

Krisztian
P.S. if this has come up than just let this post drop and point me to the right direcion please :)

[Birky]

Like you said it depends on the agency you are interested in and the state you want to work in. In Virginia reserves (auxillary) officers have the same powers as a full time officer while on duty if the department wants that. Alot of departments do not allow reserves to act in an offical capacity off duty where they will a full time officer. Some reserve officer's are dead weight but some full time officers are dead weight also. I believe it would be a good way to get your foot in the door and prove yourself to the agency in which you work. Most agencies I have seen require 24 hours a month work. After Field Training most reserves ride by themselves but some agencies require them to be with a full time officer. Again it all depends on the agency you work for.

[Raven231]

In my department (CO) you need to be a fully certified peace officer and apply to our department just as any fulltime officer. The reserve has to do the exact same standards as a fulltime officer and make as many training classes as possible.

When working on duty they must ride with a fulltime officer and are under his/her control. I believe they have to do 20 hours a month of training or actual patrol work to remain on reserve status.

These officers have full powers of a peace officer while on duty and handle the calls that they are dispatched to as well as run traffic etc.

I think having a reservist on is a good addition to man power you have a 2 man car and don't usually have to send a back up car to a call unless requested by the 2 man unit.

Most of the reservist I have seen are good hard workers, most of them are doing this for nothing but service back to the community. In my opinion doing the reserve thing is a great way to find out what LE is about casue I know I make the Officer do the paperwork and the contacting if he is with me to get them more acustom to the job. If your not sure if its what you want to do I would try it out. Nights and weekends are in my opinion the best time to have an extra hand around.

Raven231

[Gotabeme_d]

I am currently pursueing this avenue. In California, a lot has changed. It use to be a pretty short academy would get a person in a car by him/herself. Now a days it is a lot different.

We have a Basic Academy Extended and Basic Academy Modularized. The extended means that it is all at night-part time, and it goes straight through. Something like 10 months. The modularized is also at night but broken up into levels which match the abilities of the levels of a California Reserve Officer. Level III means no gun. Level II means a gun and must still ride with a full time officer. Level I means your good to go! Level I Post certification also means certified for full time duty. The modularized format ends up being about 14 months. The difference is that if you fail/don't pass/have trouble/ encounter personal problems/ etc... you only have to come back for that Level.

As far as what a reserve does...It is all up to the department on how they want to utilize the reserves. A few (and I mean a few) departments pay their Level 1 reserves. Some only allow their reserves to work festivals and parades. USUALLY the reserve is in a car with a full time officer and often they are relatively well regarded. USUALLY they have the same requirements and responsibilities. OFTEN (Not always) there is one slight uniform ensignia, that only a trained eye would know, that marks them as different.

So being...the requirements are USUALLY almost as selective as the full time officers. There are more things that are overlooked regarding backgorund, giving the applicant a chance to prove themselves but the integrity must be just as high.

As far as is a good avenue to go full time later...Yes and no. If you have no problems in your background and you know this is what you want to do...Why waste your time beating around the bush? Get out there and do what you want to be doing. If you do have slight issues in your background or your not sure this is what you want to do then, yes, this if perfect for you.

I am currently applying to a department as a reserve. They have to work 20 hours a month and attend a reserve officer meeting once a month. I recently went on a ride along and I ate with not only my officer but an FTO and his rookie. Both my officer and the FTO were once reserves. Infact, half the shift were reserves at one point or another for one department or another.

Hope my situation here is helpful to you there!

[zsolez]

Thank you guys for the replies!

I am amazed by the fact that the reserves in some states are really part-time officers. I mean, I can understand that the academy is a long process if you will do the exact same job, in some cases even on your own.

All what I have heard here, and at another forum about reserves sounds pretty good if you find the right department. I would not want to be a reserve at a place where you can only work on festivals or at a place where you can't carry a weapon. Just like I also don't think it is safe to send a reservist on his way alone, but who knows if he has to get all his stuff together just like the full-timers... well may be.

Why I would look into the reserves before thinking of becoming a full-timer is because by the time I may be able to join any LEA, I will (I hope I will) have a career in aviation. That is a job which is well paid and also gives a high degree of job satisfaction... after a while...

Although my heart says go LE, nothing guarantees that after the first serious situation I wont run away. I am really not a quitter type but I truly believe that the real test is reality, and not the final exam.

Getting that other job takes 6-8 years of ladder climbing, a whole lot of money and efforts, and once you resign you can't just jump back again. So better be careful.

After the posts here I look at these reserve programs as excellent opportunities to test yourself. I think I will try to get a spot once I will be eligible and I don't care if it will take me 14 months to train and a few $k, or if I will have to do it as a volunteer, at least until I can see clearly. Education is never a waist of time. And if I like it when I am doing it, then I will be in a competitive position to make a move which I wont regret for sure.

Again, thanks for your time!!! Anyone else with inputs please keep posting :)

THANKS!

Krisz

[EagleEye]

It sounds like you're in about the same boat as me, Krisz. I've been in aviation (general aviation, not airlines) for a lot of years and have grown tired of it. That's why I'm exploring my longtime (but never acted upon) dream of a law enforcement career.

I would agree with the posts you've seen here; I've been told a number of times on this board, and others, that the reserve LE program is a good way to explore the field. You might decide that LE isn't for you but then you might be motivated to pursue it as a career. Or maybe just continue as a reserve and keep your other career.

Good luck to you in whatever you pursue.


EE

[Kahuna5150]

EagleEye,

If you have a commercial rating on your pilot license, (and especially if you have rotary wing aircraft) you can probably find many agencies that would be interested in hiring you as a reserve, (many S/O's have reserve deputies that do the flying for the S/O).

I don't know your background or training, but you can also find a few places, (rare) that hire pilots and then make them cops.

East Bay Regional Parks District here in the bay area of California is one such agency. They were looking to hire a helicopter pilot and would put them through the academy if they hired them.

Don't have the website right now, but a search should hit you into it!

Good luck!

Kahuna

[zsolez]

Kahun5150,

You are reading my mind. That was about to be my next question.

Flying a chopper for a PD while being an officer is an optimal solution for someone who loves both flying and LE.

However, until now I have heard that it is very competitive to get into any special units, including the aviation unit. Most PDs prefer former military pilots. Applicants go through 3-5 years patrol before they become eligible. Am I way OFF here?

Btw: Is here anyone who can tell a few sentences about the usual days of a helo pilot? Do those guys still have take home cars? Do they still patrol once in a while or they are only flying. I think it is great to fly, but being on the streets seems to me as the real thing. (But then again, I am only an outsider.)

[EagleEye]

Thanks, Kahuna. I've often thought about combining the two interests.

But believe it or not, I could almost walk away from airplanes entirely. Well, OK, I might keep doing a little instructing on days off. But I've come to terms with the idea that not everybody ends up in the front seat of a 777. And I'm motivated more by service to the community than ever before; I don't care about money or glamour the way I did when I was younger.

I don't have any rotor experience, anyway. Unless you get those tickets in some branch of the military, it isn't really practical to do so. The cost is astronomical compared to fixed wing. And as someone else pointed out here, most departments hire you first as a cop *then* as a pilot -- usually after a number of years of regular patrol duty.



EE

[BBradley]

It seems your only probelm is that the vast majority of depts and states (incl FL and CA) require citizenship to become a reserve officer and to become a pilot. In any event, I don't think that you can even compare the two jobs, being a Patrol Officer is completely different to flying, even if you are piloting law enforcement aircraft.

I also have to say that I am very concerned at your comment, "Although my heart says go LE, nothing guarantees that after the first serious situation I won't run away". If this reads the way it is written, who would ever work with you?

[zsolez]

BBradley,

I know I can't join without citizenship.

About your comment:
I don't know but may be you are one of those who have been tested in combat or whatever. But I think most average guys can't say that: "I can shoot a human" or "I am having no problems being shoot at"...

All I said that you cannot be sure that you can take all this until it has not happened to you, you haven't been tested in the real situation. Everyday people (also LEOs) leave their job because they find out that it is not for them for whatever reasons. That is all I meant while I was trying to put it down in a humorous way. Anything else you have read out of it, other than what I have just explained here, was not meant by me.

I don’t know may be I am wrong but I myself would have 2nd thoughts about working with anyone who jumps into conclusions without real reason or proof.

Thanks for the reply anyway.