AZ Deputy

[Deputy10-8]

Hello!!! I'm curently a Deputy in Arizona and love my job.....however.... The wife and I are looking at moving to the State of Colorado. Anyone who has challenged the CO POST, or has any suggestions on how I should do it, please drop me a line. If you work for or know of a good agency to work for in Colorado, let me know.

Thanks for the help,

Deputy 10-8

[gibby11]

First of all, I can't help you with the CO "challenge", but I wanted to welcome you to the board!!

I am sure that someone on here will provide helpful info. Until then enjoy the board, and post away!!

gibby

[bigz]

I took the Colorado POST test a few years ago so I'm not sure how much the test has changed. When I took it the questions came from several sources. The questions on the test were taken directly from several books so you would definitely want to read the books which included the series on patrol tactics from Calibre Press. The test also had a lot of Colorado Revised Statutes questions, so you should try and get your hands on a copy of the Colorado Peace Officers Handbook or the statutory sourcebook which you can get through the Colorado Police Protective Association. Several academy directors offer courses which basically prepare you for the POST test so you might want to look into one of those as well. I believe there are several people on the board who are currently going through the academy so they might have more up to date info on the POST test.

As for departments there are a bunch. If you have 3 or more years of patrol experience you might want to look at Denver PD. They are going to be hiring a bunch of laterals in the next couple of years because of retirements. You go through a shortened academy and then if your not certified in Colorado you sit for the POST test. I don't think there are any bad departments in the front range area of the state. All of them pay reasonably well and are progressive agencies. All of the larger sheriff's departments require new deputies to start out in the jail. I think even with previous experience it's tough to start out straight on patrol but you might want to also check with them. Douglas County has a very good sheriff's department that pays as well or better in some cases than alot of the PD's. The State Patrol also just got a large raise which makes it a much more attractive option. They don't have a lateral program however so you would have to go through the full academy and could be sent anywhere in the state upon graduation. You would also be working traffic almost exclusively which might or might not be something your interested in. If you have any specific questions let me know. Good Luck!

Z