Totally random question about being a cop in the city...

I have a friend who wants to be a cop, but he wants to obviously be in suffolk County - whats the prorocol? I hear thats hard to get?

so, do you start off in the city and wind up in Suffolk?

Or, do you apply to be a city cop and then reapply for LI?

Sorry for my ignorance - its just an idea he is batting around, and am trying to sound a little more informed by going to my resources here on LIF!

anyone here a city cop or DH a city cop? How does it work? Where are they and where are they planning to wind up?

TIA!

Re: Totally random question about being a cop in the city...

My friend is a Suffolk County cop & he took the Suffolk County test, etc and got in that way...

He did not start out in the city

Re: Totally random question about being a cop in the city...

dh and i are both city cops... my father is retired suffolk and my brother has been suffolk since 1991, so i can offer you quite a bit of insight

the city dept, as well as nassau as well as suffolk are completely different departments with different tests and different academys. the city, to be honest, takes pretty much anybody and anything at this point... suffolk, well let me put it like this - they offer their test every 4 years. this past test in may, 30,000 people took it and they expect to hire approximately 400 in the next 4 years.
i think 25,000 out of the 30,000 that took it were city cops

for example there is a guy i work with, he got 100 on the suffolk test. so when he gets called, he will start going through suffolk's background checks, paperwork, medicals, agilitys, psychologicals, lie detectors etc etc and IF he passes everything, he will then go through suffolk's academy, start fresh all the way at the bottom.

there are SOME smaller departments... like lloyd harbor for example, who hires off of suffolk's list, and accept other acdemys. like another guy i worked with, got a 90 on suffolk's test back in 2003 - in 2007 lloyd harbor called him and he passed all the testing with them, they decided to hire him and all he had to do was like a 2 week training course, but didn't have to go through another 6 month academy.

anybody who wants to be a cop, wants to be on suffolk because they are the highest paid... but counting on getting that job is not something i would recommend to anyone. it's just too competitive. it doesn't matter who you know... my friend was a suffolk dispatcher for 12 years with her father as a suffolk chief and 2 brothers as lieutenants; it took her over 12 years of taking the test and hoping and praying and waiting to finally get in.
my father did NOT want me to take the city job, but all i wanted at the time was to be a cop, somehow someway. so if it's a cop they want to be, city is the way to go. but they will be poor. if money is what they are after, suffolk is the way - but they could die holding their breath.
HTH.

Message edited 3/5/2008 8:59:36 PM.

Re: Totally random question about being a cop in the city...

It's not like a teaching job where it looks better to have experience....they have to take the test and get a high score and wait to be called for the academy. Not sure when the next Suffolk test is being offered. He may want to take the city test just to take it...they give that pretty often they are desperate for city cops.

Re: Totally random question about being a cop in the city...

Re: Totally random question about being a cop in the city...

Re: Totally random question about being a cop in the city...

Posted by MrsKelly

Posted by beautyq115

It's not like a teaching job where it looks better to have experience....they have to take the test and get a high score and wait to be called for the academy. Not sure when the next Suffolk test is being offered. He may want to take the city test just to take it...they give that pretty often they are desperate for city cops.

the next suffolk test won't be offered until 2011. they put in MAYBE 100 cops a year. the city takes about 2-3,000 a year and gives the test probably every other day at this point

Re: Totally random question about being a cop in the city...

Posted by MrsKelly

Posted by beautyq115

It's not like a teaching job where it looks better to have experience....they have to take the test and get a high score and wait to be called for the academy. Not sure when the next Suffolk test is being offered. He may want to take the city test just to take it...they give that pretty often they are desperate for city cops.

the next suffolk test won't be offered until 2011. they put in MAYBE 100 cops a year. the city takes about 2-3,000 a year and gives the test probably every other day at this point

Re: Totally random question about being a cop in the city...

Posted by lipglossjunky73

Posted by beautyq115

It's not like a teaching job where it looks better to have experience....they have to take the test and get a high score and wait to be called for the academy. Not sure when the next Suffolk test is being offered. He may want to take the city test just to take it...they give that pretty often they are desperate for city cops.

You saw how I was thinking - it sounded sort of like teaching where everyone wants a job in LI and not in the city, and its harder to get something on LI!!!!

Re: Totally random question about being a cop in the city...

Posted by beautyq115

Posted by MrsKelly

Posted by beautyq115

It's not like a teaching job where it looks better to have experience....they have to take the test and get a high score and wait to be called for the academy. Not sure when the next Suffolk test is being offered. He may want to take the city test just to take it...they give that pretty often they are desperate for city cops.

the next suffolk test won't be offered until 2011. they put in MAYBE 100 cops a year. the city takes about 2-3,000 a year and gives the test probably every other day at this point

And I don't believe they even ask you to pay for it anymore....

I would say for him to take every test being offerered at this point

Re: Totally random question about being a cop in the city...

Posted by MrsKelly

Posted by beautyq115

Posted by MrsKelly

Posted by beautyq115

It's not like a teaching job where it looks better to have experience....they have to take the test and get a high score and wait to be called for the academy. Not sure when the next Suffolk test is being offered. He may want to take the city test just to take it...they give that pretty often they are desperate for city cops.

the next suffolk test won't be offered until 2011. they put in MAYBE 100 cops a year. the city takes about 2-3,000 a year and gives the test probably every other day at this point

And I don't believe they even ask you to pay for it anymore....

I would say for him to take every test being offerered at this point

i took the test 5 years ago and didn't have to pay for it. and they weren't desperate then... so maybe they are paying people to take it now

Re:

Message edited 3/29/2010 9:49:26 PM.

Re: Totally random question about being a cop in the city...

Like MrsKelly said suffolk is extremely hard to get into, and just because you score high on the test does not mean you are in. Your name is then put into a lottery.

Dh was a city cop for 5 years, then was called for suffolk. The investigation process started in March, and he signed with suffolk the end of August. It was a very intense process. A test was just given last year, so your friend would have to wait until the next one is given. If he really wants to become a cop he should lean towards the NYPD right now. Get some experience then he could always move on.

Message edited 3/7/2008 9:01:41 PM.

Re: Totally random question about being a cop in the city...

ITA with MrsKelly...DH just came out over a year ago to Nassau from the city..that was a test he took 5 years ago...they are putting in one more Nassau class and they are done for a long time hiring...they put 3 back to back classes...Sufffolk goes by scores then the lottery system..
Nassau was very open about pay scales and informed all the recruits it was like hitting the lottery now that they are in.
If your friend really wants to be a cop, doesn't care where, have him work in the city, they hire 1K recruits about 2x's a year and with all the Nassau/Suffolk academy going on the city is losing people like crazy.
Best of luck to your friend!!!