University
Police set high standard
Employment:
CSULB Police department may be more difficult
to find employment with than the Sheriff's
Department.
By
Tina Page
On-line Forty-Niner
Aspiring
law enforcement officers may have a better
chance for employment at a large agency
than a small operation like Cal State Long
Beach's police department.
CSULB's
police department only hires on an as-needed
basis.
"We
generally hire one sworn officer every 14
to 16 months," Capt. Stan Skipworth
said.
Larger
agencies are constantly seeking applicants.
Los
Angeles County Sheriff's Department is always
accepting applications, as are larger private
schools such as USC.
"It
is usually easier to get onto a larger department
than a smaller one because there are more
positions available," said Deputy Miller
of the Sheriff's Department.
The
agencies always open for applicants tend
to advertise more than CSULB's police department.
"We
are always hiring and accepting applications,"
Sergeant and former training coordinator
at USC, Joe Lovercio said. "We do a
lot of recruitment and advertising at job
fairs and recruitment fairs at places like
CSULB."
The
Sheriff's Department advertises on an even
larger scale.
"We
advertise all over," Miller said. "We
advertise on billboards and bus stations
-- pretty much anywhere you would see other
advertisements."
While
CSULB's police and L.A. County sheriffs
are considered on-duty at all times, USC
employs what are technically called peace
officers, who are only granted law enforcement
powers while on-duty.
This
disparity is not carried over to the way
the various departments hire new officers.
CSULB's
University Police employ many people, sworn
and civilian.
When
the University Police need to hire a new
officer, they make an announcement on campus
and after 21 to 30 days, the announcement
is made to the public. An applicant must
first pass a physical ability test. If the
applicant is successful , he or she is scheduled
for an oral interview and a written exam.
Depending upon the results of the interview
and the exam, a successful applicants is
then placed on the eligibility list. While
on the list, a background check and medical
screening is performed.
"[When
hiring a new officer] I look at the applicants
as people first," Skipworth explained.
"When there are 100 applications and
only one spot and every person has the same
qualifications, I ask myself if that is
a quality person. Is that the kind of person
that I would like to be next-door neighbors
with? College experience is not a great
indicator because college experience may
not provide life experience."
USC
employs 70 sworn officers and 100 community
service officers at any given time. Since
it is a private school, the peace officers
are granted their powers from a memorandum
of understanding from the Los Angeles Police
Department. The basic requirements to be
considered for employment at USC is the
same as CSULB and the sheriff's department
-- an applicant must be 21, have a high
school diploma, have a good driving record,
a good credit record and not have any recent
major criminal convictions on their record.
The academy is the next step, where about
2 to 5 percent go on to become sworn officers.
"After
22 weeks of training, a new officer is given
six more months of field training depending
on their past experience," Lovercio
said. "USC has a lot of activity, it's
like a small city. We are situated right
in the center of Los Angeles -- we get calls
for stabbings and rapes."
At
the sheriff's department, new hires usually
have to work at prisons and jails for a
couple years before they get put out onto
the streets. Once on a street beat, deputies
are assigned to a veteran officer for six
months.
Education
is important in each of these law enforcement
agencies. University departments provide
fee waivers for officers and some other
employees. The sheriff's department rewards
education by increasing salary based on
the level of an employee's education.
"If
we hire someone really young I would encourage
them to take classes," Skipworth said.
"I want them to develop as a person
first and then as a cop. It is important
for officers to be quality people as well
as quality cops."
CSULB's
police officers are paid a starting annual
salary of $39,030. USC's peace officers
start at $45,600 annually, while the L.A.
County Sheriff's deputies are paid a starting
salary of $66,000 annually.
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