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Helicopter Pilot Careers in Law Enforcement

Sunday, August 29th, 2010


In recent years there has been an increase in the use of helicopters by law enforcement. Helicopters provide a clear advantage to law enforcement. They offer speed, a bird’s eye perspective, and the use of specialized sensors such as infrared that enable them to “see” in the dark. A career flying law enforcement helicopters is definitely within your reach and can offer excitement as well as financial rewards and job security.

Most, but not all law enforcement agencies require that you be a law enforcement officer before you become a pilot. This means attending the police academy and spending time in a patrol car or walking a beat. This will expose you to the situations that police officers on the ground encounter daily and you’ll be better able to determine the best way to assist with an air unit. Some police aviation units, like the Maryland State Police Aviation Unit, are comprised of civilians. Others hire agencies to provide the helicopters and the pilots.

The scope and depth of law enforcement operations varies with the department. In general, larger departments have more capabilities than smaller departments. Some departments fly under VMC (visual meteorological conditions) only which means they need to be able to see the horizon to maintain the proper orientation of the aircraft while others operate in IMC (instrument meteorological conditions) which is flight solely referenced to the flight instruments. Some departments have forward looking infra red while others only have a spot light and others fly using night vision goggles.

Law enforcement flying for the most part is done close to the ground. Law enforcement helicopters are usually trying to find people and vehicles that are hidden or are trying to evade and/or escape. Because of this pilots who fly law enforcement helicopters must remain vigilant for obstructions such as towers and wires.

Pay for law enforcement pilots covers a wide range. As you might expect larger organizations receive more pay than smaller organizations. Pay can range from $40,000 per year to $100,000 per year. The benefits received are what any police officer would be entitled to such as a pension, health and dental care.

Law enforcement flying can be very exciting and rewarding. Each police department has its own guidelines on how it recruits and trains its pilots. If you’re interested in flying for a certain department contact them and ask about their requirements. You also may want to speak to one of their pilots. They’re usually very willing to share information.



By: Kevin Crockett

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Police Polygraph Questions

Thursday, August 26th, 2010


Police polygraph examinations fall under the guidelines for employment interviewing of title VII of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, so examiners are obliged to conduct the examinations in a way that would not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, etc. One central principle of ethical standards is that relevant questions be related to the job applied for.

Here are typical questions asked on the police polygraph exam:

Did you tell the complete truth on your job application? Have you deliberately withheld information from your job application? Have you ever been fired from a job? Since the age of ( ) have you committed an undetected crime? Since the age of ( ) have you been convicted of a crime? During the past year, have you used marijuana more than ( ) per ( )? Have you used any other narcotic illegally in the past ( ) years? Have you sold marijuana or other narcotics illegally in the past ( ) years? Have you ever stolen more than ($ ) worth of merchandise in any one year from any of your employers? Have you even stolen more than ($ ) in moneys in any one year from any of your employers? Have you ever used a system to cheat one of your employers? Have you ever had your drivers license suspended or revoked? Have you ever had any traffic citations in the past five ( ) years? Have you deliberately lied to any of these questions? Values, such as age and number of years is determined by the specific department.

The method used by John E. Reid & Associates employs four standard relevant questions: In the last five years did you steal any merchandise from previous employers? In the last five years did you steal any money from previous employers? In the last ten years did you take part in or commit any serious crime? Did you falsify any information on your application? These standard questions may be modified depending on admissions made during the pretest (e.g., a revision may be, In the last five years did you steal any merchandise other than minor office supplies?).

In addition to the standard questions a fifth relevant question (e.g., concerning the illegal purchase or sale of merchandise; use of narcotics) may be added. The Reid firm also uses what it regards as control questions in pre-employment interviews. Control questions include, Did you ever steal anything in your life? and Did you lie to any of the questions you answered during the application process for this job? It is not clear, however, how the Reid pre-employment control questions differ from the relevant questions. It seems reasonable to suppose that both truthful and non-truthful subjects (in terms of the relevant questions) may be just as concerned with the subject matter of the control questions as they are with the relevant questions. It is also not clear why employers would be less concerned with the control than with the relevant questions.

Remember, the police polygraph is only a tool used by law enforcement agencies to gather background information on the candidate. Though it is seen as a form of intimidation, there are proven techniques and strategies that should be employed to ensure you pass the polygraph.



By: George M. Godoy

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Law Enforcement Interview Question

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010


Law Enforcement Interview Sample Question

Whether you are just out of college, or you’re simply thinking about a career in law enforcement there is one thing that you need to know right now- there will be a slew of exams that you’ll need to pass in order to become a police officer. Your very first hurdle will be the physical assessment test which will measure your physical abilities to perform the job like running, jumping, pulling and so on. The agility test shouldn’t be hard if you train properly prior to the test date.

The next biggest hurdle is the law enforcement interview which will measure your ability to make accurate decisions while under pressure. You’ll be asked a lot of hypothetical questions concerning how you would respond to varies situations. The questions are pretty intense, but if you prepare properly you shouldn’t have any problems.

Here’s a typical law enforcement interview questions that you may be asked during your initial interview by the panel.

Law Enforcement Interview Questions #1:

1.) You are driving north on Washington St., when you observe a blue passenger car speeding. You stop the vehicle, and discovered the driver is your mother.

What is your next course of action since the violator is a relative?

Explanation:

This particular question is not designed to stomp you. The purpose of this question is to see if you’ll be honest. The panel know in a real life situation that you wouldn’t issue your own mother a citation so don’t lie and tell them that you would. In fact, the panel who is made- up of cops may kick you out of the interview room if you tell them that you would issue your own mother a ticket (I’m dead serious).



By: EL Forestal

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A Blue Christmas For Law Enforcement

Monday, August 23rd, 2010


No doubt this holiday season as we celebrate with our family and friends, our thoughts will turn to our brave military men and women who are fighting a war in a far-off land. It will be especially sad for those families who have friends and loved ones in the armed forces.

But let us not forget that a war is being fought on the home front as well. A war that is fought daily and one that will continue for as long as humanity inhabits the earth. Let us remember our Law Enforcement, those men and women who fight crime on a daily basis so that we can be safe in our homes and on our streets.

We can do this by placing a blue candle in our window during the holiday season. This one blue candle will let those officers who drive by our homes know that they are remembered and appreciated. It is such a small gesture, but it is something that would mean a lot to those officers who will be riding patrol on Christmas Eve while we are celebrating with our families and enjoying the holiday.

Why not take the time to add a blue light to our Christmas decorations in honor of our Police Department, Sheriff Department, our Highway Patrol, and also in remembrance of all the fallen officers who have died in the line of duty. This would be a way to honor them and a way to show our appreciation for all they do.

Many officers have lost their lives in the line of duty. They deserve to be honored and remembered. A website called the “Officer Down Memorial Page” is dedicated to these fallen officers and can be accessed at http://www.ODMP.org.

The memorial page at ODMP.org is dedicated to fallen officers who have lost their lives while protecting the citizens of this country. The website serves as a lasting tribute to them. According to statistics, more than 18,000 officers have made the ultimate sacrifice in the United States alone.

If you check out this website you will find that the numbers of fallen officers increase on a near daily basis.

So let us all do this one small thing this year and add a blue candle or a blue light of some kind to our windows to let our local law enforcement know that while we are safe in our homes on Christmas Eve, they have not been forgotten and that they are appreciated.



By: Leeuna Foster

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Law Enforcement Articles – How Most Law Enforcement Officers Interview People

Monday, August 16th, 2010


Most Law Enforcement Officers rely on confrontational, accusatory methods of interviewing, coupled with an assessment of non-verbal behavior (body language) to elicit admissions and confessions.

Yet, these methods are not successful in a large percentage of cases.

Consider the following:

o At least 50% of interview methods currently being taught to law enforcement officers are non-productive (Fisher, Geiselman and Raymond).

o Law Enforcement Officers score no better than chance (50/50) when asked to evaluate body language for truthfulness or deception (Ekman & O’Sullivan).

o Law Enforcement Officers put blind faith in the principles that advocate judging deception by evaluating body language (Gudjonsson).

o The published success rates of officers getting admissions or confessions, using a confrontational approach, averages less than 40% (Gudjonsson, Baldwin, Leo).

So why do we continue to use methods and principles that are not very productive (at best) or counter-productive (at worst)?

Primarily because that’s what we’ve been taught in Law Enforcement basic training and what’s been in use over time.

The Law Enforcement community has been likened to a great train. It takes enormous time and energy to start the train moving and, once moving, it doesn’t want to stop. Moreover, the train always wants to stay on the same track because switching to another track is a laborious, time-consuming process.

We know from scientific studies conducted by behavioral scientists, coupled with the untold work experience of polygraph examiners and law enforcement officials, that there are essentially two types of interviews used in law enforcement: the accusatory (confrontational) approach (which is primary) and the narrative (non-confrontational) approach, used as a secondary approach.

We know from those same studies that the following is true:

o The most predominate interview method employed in law enforcement today is the accusatory, (confrontational) method, even though every modern, published shows it to be the least effective.

o The most productive interview method studied is the narrative, subject-driven (non-confrontational) approach, yet this method has not traditionally been emphasized.

Aside from the fact that confrontational interviewing doesn’t work as well as conversational interviewing, it suffers from a huge problem: it looks bad to the public.

When a member of the public, the media or a juror sees a high-energy, confrontational interview, the net effect is a feeling of coercion.

There are some interviewing techniques which are conversational in nature and provide a narrative, non-confrontational approach to interviewing which has proven to be very easy to use and extremely productive.

It has the added bonus of being “politically correct” when viewed by members of the media and public.



By: Chip Morgan

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Law Enforcement Tests – Techniques For Top Scores

Friday, August 13th, 2010


In this article I will cover a technique called the ‘Process of Elimination’ when taking the law enforcement multiple choice test.

Although there is no substitute for having studied and possessing the knowledge in the first place, there will be times while taking the law enforcement test that you will have to use the process of elimination to score valuable points. This technique has saved many people from failing a test!

The concept behind the process of elimination is that it is often easier to determine why an answer is incorrect than argue why a choice is correct.

Eliminate Obviously Wrong Answers

In multiple choice tests it will always seem that two of the answers will jump out at you as being wrong. They will hit you right in the face. By eliminating these obviously wrong answers immediately you will greatly increase your odds of choosing the correct answer. If you eliminate just one of the four choices your odds of finding the correct answer goes from 25% to 33%. Eliminate two answers and your odds go from 33% to 50% of choosing the correct answer… this is where you want to be.

If you are allowed to write on the test booklet, make a small mark next to obviously wrong answers. If you need to, come back to the question later, this will save you valuable time; you won’t have to re-read all the answers again. Strive to maintain a steady pace and complete all the answers you know first. This is very important.

Trust Your Judgment

Above all, have confidence in your judgement. If an answer doesn’t look right to you, then it probably isn’t.

Example

Here’s an example of how it’s done using a vocabulary question from one of my law enforcement practice tests:

The prerequisite training for this course is a class in basic firearms.

a. required

b. optional

c. preferred

d. voluntary

Both ‘b’ and ‘d’ would indicate you have discretion in taking this class and should be immediately eliminated.

Put a mark next to both of them:

x b.

x d.

Now that you have eliminated two choices, you make an educated guess between the remaining two choices, a and c. If you break down the word prerequisite you know ‘pre’ means before, and ‘requisite’ means require. So, you’d most likely guess ‘a’ — and you’d be right!

In summary: Immediately eliminate the obviously wrong answers. If an answer is partly wrong, eliminate it. If any part of the test answer is wrong, the whole answer is wrong. Eliminate it. If the answer is a true statement but doesn’t relate to the question, eliminate it. The technique of the process of elimination regarding the law enforcement test is crucial to a top score. In many cases, when looking for the correct answer it will show up as a choice you can’t find a valid reason to eliminate. It will be the only answer left standing after the others are gone.



By: George M. Godoy

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Radar Detectors – Some Things You Need To Know

Sunday, August 1st, 2010


Radar detectors are instruments with so many applications. Nowadays, such devices used by police officers especially those given the task to guard the streets against traffic violators. Radar detectors in this case are used to detect over speeding drivers.

Once the police officers detect through the device that you are over speeding, then, you have with you one big headache that no medicine can ever cure.

Radar detectors are new things brought to us by technology for many purposes and reasons. One of its purposes as already mentioned is to help traffic enforcers apprehend people who disregard traffic rules which oftentimes is a detriment to peace and order in the very community we live in.

Without detectors, traffic officers would have much difficulty in proving when somebody has just violated an ordinance or law. Radar detectors afford them solid and almost undisputable fact that will be effective in proving the commission of a violation.

Radar detectors work because of radio waves, electromagnetic waves and electricity. The atmosphere has so much radio wave which is the primary things necessary for the functioning of detectors, radios and televisions. Radio detectors have mechanisms like radio receiver and transmitter, amplifier and other sorts of things that are needed so that they will function properly.

When radio waves are transmitted by the apparatus they bounce back when they hit solid object like a car. When the waves bounce back they will be received by the detectors. The radio detector has a special mechanism that calculates the speed of the car by means of the transmission and reception of the radio waves. So, the officer gets solid evidence if indeed there is over speeding.

Radar detectors are of many types, too. There is what we call as radar gun. A radar gun is a kind of a device that detects speed of a specific moving target. This enables the police officer to pinpoint the offender with definite certainty because of the certainty that the moving object’s speed is the one measured by the radar gun.

This and some other things are the foreseen and verified benefits of a radar gun and radar detectors in general. That’s why many leaders believe that it would be a good investment for police forces to buy radar guns for their groups.

With the advantage offered by radar detectors, there is no doubt that it will help police officers in maintaining peace and order in the locality. But the cost of a unit of these devices is one reason why some places and many places in the world for that matter have not yet purchased radio detectors for their organizations.

There are however measures undertaken by governments to equip their police forces with radar guns. Radar guns and radar detectors are more likely to be considered as must-haves today for traffic law enforcers.

If you are looking for more technical details on how radar detectors work, you can easily access them from the Internet. Understanding how they work can be very helpful for people who will use them like police officers and students, as well.



By: Alex Baumm

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Law Enforcement Background Investigation – A Key Step in the Hiring Process

Friday, July 30th, 2010


If you are contemplating beginning a career in law enforcement, one of the key factors in whether or not you get hired by a given agency or department is the background investigation. This step occurs midway through the entire hiring process and involves an individual or team of investigators looking into various aspects of your personal history, the results of which help determine if you are fit to hold a position of public trust. General items that always receive scrutiny on a law enforcement background investigation are things like driving records, criminal records, any record of civil litigation, financial records, and employment history. Passing the background investigation portion of the hiring process is crucial, so here are a few things to think about before answering the questionnaire for your desired agency.

Do not lie, embellish, or attempt to conceal anything! Most background investigators will turn up more dirt than you can shake a shovel at, so be truthful and upfront to start. If you’re looking to hold a position of public trust, you have to ask yourself why you would lie or conceal something to get the job in the first place. If an investigator catches you being untruthful, you can be certain you’re name will be the first dropped from the list of potential candidates and you can forget any chances of being hired by another agency.

While your personal history is a significant aspect of the background investigation, it is not the entire the only thing about you that an investigator takes into consideration. Some candidates have excellent employment history, family life, no criminal record, high credit score, and academic achievement but still fail to get hired. Sometimes it’s the unquantifiable factors like your interpersonal skills during the background investigator’s interview or the fact you have a decked out Crown-Vic patrol car in your driveway and you run around in faux-police uniforms all day. Obviously this kind of person would likely not be the best fit for a number of departments.

Background investigations take time, so don’t stress out or agonize over your answers on the questionnaire if it seems to be taking some time for the department to get back to you. Most background investigators have more than one case they are working, so it is very normal for any one case to take between two to six weeks, especially if you’ve applied to a smaller department that doesn’t outsource their investigations. Just remember to be patient, since being patient throughout the process is part of the testing as well.

If you’ve decided on a career in law enforcement and you’ve made it to the background investigation portion of the hiring process, it is normal to worry and wonder whether or not you’ll get hired. Above all, honesty is the key. The overwhelming majority of the time, assuming you no felony record or major personal issues, it’s not a given issue that will get you disqualified from the hiring list, it’s the lack of truthfulness or having a laundry list of excuses for past actions that will do the most damage during your law enforcement background investigation.



By: Joel Henderson

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Martial Arts Schools For Law Enforcement Officers

Friday, July 30th, 2010


Law enforcement officers have no time to waste with useless techniques in their martial arts training. What they need is something that works and the conditioning and stamina to execute these techniques in a high intensity confrontation.

I once enrolled a new student who possessed the characteristics of the ideal student: polite, respectful and willing to learn. She told me that she was a police officer who was looking to polish her defensive skills. She had abandoned her membership in a competitor’s school because the classes lacked any practical application. Nothing that was being taught was of any use on the streets. The system was chock full of flashy jumping and spinning kicks, which are perfect for the movies, but disastrous for self-defense.

It is the obligation of a marital arts instructor to prepare not only police officers, but also the general public, for such unhealthy or life-threatening confrontations. Unfortunately, some martial artists are making a lot of money marketing a lot of empty promises.

I had a new student who decided to spend $2,500 on a 4-hour seminar in California that promised a lot of fancy fighting techniques and a certificate of completion. When he returned, I was curious to see what $2,500 could buy in 4 hours. I asked him to show us. In order to do this, I had to find him an opponent.

I looked around and decided to pair him up with an 18-year-old woman who had been training real life self defense techniques for only one month. The only rule I set to this match was that she was to use simple logical techniques to keep her safe and he was to use what he learned at the seminar. It took all but 30 seconds for this young lady to bring him to his knees. So much for the seminar!

I’ve seen students with world-class martial arts credentials, by this I mean lots of titles, trophies, and medals. One gentleman said that he was the best and he only trained with the best. He boasted about paying his last instructor $18,000 for one year.

One day the class was doing a lot of two-person drills. The “best of the best” gentleman was paired up with a heavy student who could throw a decent roundhouse kick to the leg. It took this student two shots to the leg to hurt this world-class champion. He was too embarrassed to come back after this episode. It was obvious that the $18,000 he spent wouldn’t help him if he was a police officer.

To many of the police officers we have worked with training is not about belts, trophies, or flashy techniques; it is about survival. When choosing a martial art school, choose the practical path. Ask yourself, “Are they teaching me something that could one day save my life?” If you haven’t had enough experience to know the difference, find someone who has and bring them with you before you sign a contract and turn over your money. Especially if you’re in law enforcement and your life depends on your training everyday.



By: Calasanz Martinez

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Law Enforcement Schools for Careers in Criminal Justice

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010


The need for qualified law enforcement professionals is growing every day, and law enforcement schools are ready to provide a wide variety of certificates and degrees in criminal justice to meet the demand.

The field encompasses much more than police officers and security guards. Before beginning any training, the student should consider the type of career he or she desires. Positions such as police officers, probation officers, forensic psychologists, parole officers, crime scene investigator, crime technician, forensic scientists, and juvenile corrections officers are all possible with the right training in law enforcement.

Across the U.S., specialized law enforcement courses can lead to certifications as well as Associate degrees, Bachelor degrees, and Master degrees. Majors can include Corrections, Law, Forensics, Psychology, Crime Scene Investigation (CSI), Homeland Security and Counter terrorism, Public Safety, Computer Crime, and many more.

The field of criminal justice is experiencing rapid growth and jobs for law enforcement specialists are available in both the private sector as well as with government agencies. With the right credentials, you could find gainful employment with a local police force, private business, school, prison, jail, forensics lab, or even the CIA or FBI. The possibilities are endless, and limited only by training, education and certification.

So, if you are someone who is concerned with public safety and looking to make a difference in the world, perhaps you should look into law enforcement training today. Take a moment to submit a request to a few choice schools found on our website. You will soon have all the information you need to take that first step to an exciting and rewarding career.

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERAL OVERVIEW and may or may not reflect specific practices, courses and/or services associated with ANY ONE particular school(s) that is or is not advertised on SchoolsGalore.com.

Copyright 2008 – All rights reserved by Media Positive Communications, Inc.

Notice: Publishers are free to use this article on an ezine or website, provided the article is reprinted in its entirety, including copyright and disclaimer, and ALL links remain intact and active.



By: Michael Bustamante

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