Careers In Law Enforcement

A Guide to the Basics

Provided by the

Yarmouth Police Department

through the

Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School

Police Services Unit

(all underlined items are hyperlinked)

There are nearly 800,000 police officers in the United States and over three hundred and fifty-seven law enforcement agencies in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts alone. Law enforcement is a very competitive field. This guide is meant to answer only the most basic of questions and to get you going in the right direction.

WHAT ARE YOU GETTING YOURSELF INTO?

The Yarmouth Police Department has sixty-one sworn police officers, fifteen civilian employees including a mechanic, clerical staff, and public safety telecommunicators and three K-9s. We operate 39 vehicles, several bicycles, two 4x4 ATVs and two motorcycles. Our operating budget is about 6 million dollars a year. We serve a community of 26,000 year-round residents plus as many as 60,000 to 70,000 visitors at the height of the tourist season. The Yarmouth Police Department is a community oriented agency and we truly are “Committed To Our Community”.

Many new recruits are surprised to find out that law enforcement is not all catching the bad guys. Police work is a service-oriented people business. The Yarmouth Police Department responds to more than 33,000 (2024) calls for service a year. We handle a wide range of situations, from bank robberies and domestic disturbances to giving directions to lost tourists and providing information at neighborhood meetings. Most of those calls were service activities as opposed to law enforcement calls. The Yarmouth Police Department, like many other agencies, runs a Citizen Police Academy. This intensive program provides the participants with a tremendous amount of information about what police work is really like and can be an excellent resource to those considering law enforcement as their career field.

HOW DO I GET A JOB IN LAW ENFORCEMENT?

Watch the newspapers! Most agencies must advertise when they begin their hiring process. If you do not know when they are hiring, then you cannot apply. Every law enforcement agency has its own hiring process, but many of the elements are generally the same. Here is the hiring process of the Yarmouth Police Department as a typical example. Only applicants who pass each stage move on to the next:

This process will proceed at a rapid pace. There is no rescheduling of events for any reason.
To compete in this process, you must submit an application accompanied with a cover letter and resume.
You are NOT eligible for employment with the Yarmouth Police Department if you have been convicted of a felony or if you have been dishonorably discharged from any military service.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

You must meet the following qualifications in order to be considered for a position with the Yarmouth Department.

- Age: Twenty-one (21) years of age at time of submission of the application
- Education: You must be a high school graduate or possess a GED AND have a minimum of 60 College Credits or Currently Serving Active-Duty U.S. Armed Forces or Honorable Discharge from U.S. Military Service Minimum 1 year of Duty or Full Time Police Academy Trained with 1 Year of Full-Time job experience. Police Academy must be MPTC or equivalent.
- Licenses: Applicants must possess and maintain a valid driver’s license; applicants are required to obtain a Massachusetts Class A License to Carry Firearms.
- Residency: Candidates must be U.S. citizens.
- Drug Testing: Candidates shall be required to submit to a drug test as part of the pre-employment medical examination.
- Character Requirement and other factors: Candidates must meet the highest legal and ethical standards. Honesty and integrity are paramount to our profession. Candidates will undergo a rigorous background investigation before any offer of employment.

THE SELECTION PROCESS

The selection process will include, at minimum, a detailed review of your application packet, and the successful completion of the Department’s selection process which includes but may not be limited to the following:

- Complete application and submit resume
- Oral Interview(s)

Detailed Background Investigation
Chief’s Interview

A list is formed and each applicant has a specific ranking on that list. As openings come up, a conditional offer of employment is extended to the person ranked number one on the list.

Applicants are given a psychological screening to ensure they have the appropriate disposition for police work.
A physical screening is also conducted to ensure an applicant is physically capable of doing the job.
A Physical Ability Test (PAT) is held that, by law, each candidate must pass in order to be hired as a police officer in the Commonwealth. The PAT standards are set by the Massachusetts Human Resources Division and the test is conducted by their personnel. Applicants must also meet the criteria for acceptance to the academy as set by the Municipal Police Training Committee.

Applicants passing all phases and accepting the job are appointed as police officers by the Honorable Select Board. Unless they are already academy trained, new hires are given a date on which they begin the six months of police academy training.

This process is typical for an agency about the size of the Yarmouth Police Department. The process will vary from agency to agency. A very large number of law enforcement agencies in Massachusetts, including some on Cape Cod, subscribe to the Civil Service Commission. Civil Service is a division of the Commonwealth’s Human Resources Division. They administer a written general-knowledge test about every two years for all their subscribers. Applicants are required to list several agencies that they are interested in working for. A list of the applicants interested in a specific agency and their scores is generated and submitted to that agency by Civil Service for consideration. Those scoring highest on the written test move forward in the hiring process of the individual agency.

MAKE YOURSELF MARKETABLE

Law enforcement is generally a buyer’s market. In other words, there are more applicants than there are jobs. Most agencies have the luxury of picking and choosing who they want. Making yourself marketable is crucial.

COLLEGE EDUCATION

While some agencies do not require a college degree, almost all prefer a minimum of an Associates Degree. Degrees in Criminal Justice, Emergency Management or similar fields are preferred. The Yarmouth Police Department now require an applicant have at least 60 college credits, the equivalent of about two years of higher education or one of the other qualification categories listed below to apply.

MILITARY SERVICE

The Yarmouth Police will accept an Honorable Discharge from any branch of the United States Armed Forces in lieu of the 60-credit requirement. Civil Service also provides for a military preference in its testing process.

EXPERIENCE

Applicants who come to the job with experience are very attractive. The armed forces also offer excellent training and experience in their Military Police Schools, both on active duty and in the reserves. One of the newest qualifications for application to the Yarmouth Police Department is pertinent life experience.

POLICE ACADEMY TRAINING

Applicants who are graduates of a Municipal Police Training Committee operated or authorized police academy are very desirable. The hiring police department can put the academy trained applicant to work immediately and not wait the normal six-month training lag between hiring and active duty. Most applicants who are already academy trained are coming from other police departments where they have had the opportunity to get some experience under their belt. A few others are sponsored by a police department. These people are few and far between because they must commit to the rigors of six months of training without pay. They are also responsible for providing their own uniforms, equipment, and health insurance. Not many agencies participate in sponsorship.

CRIMINAL RECORD

You must keep your nose clean. Even the smallest infraction on your record can keep you from getting a job. Many state and federal laws carry a prohibition from carrying a firearm upon conviction. In minor cases where no prohibition exists, the impact can still be significant. Think of it this way: if it came down to someone with a “minor in possession of alcohol” charge on his or her record, or the next person whose record is clean, who would you pick to be a police officer?

PART-TIME OPPORTUNITIES

Since recent changes in Massachusetts law there are virtually no part-time police officer opportunities. Reserve, special, or auxiliary police officers were used to increase manpower to meet the needs of seasonal population increases, and during special events or major police deployments. Those serving in a part-time capacity used to attend an abbreviated training program called the reserve/intermittent academy. New certification regulations require all law enforcement officers in Massachusetts to attend the same basic and in-service training. Almost all part-time officers are police officers who have retired from full-time service.

Many agencies hire seasonal "community services officers". These are non-sworn people who preform pseudo-police or service orientated tasks like parking enforcement and non-enforcement foot patrols of tourist areas during busy seasons. These jobs are a great way to gain experience working with the public and learn the culture of a police agency.

MUNICIPAL (LOCAL)

Municipal government is the home of the bulk of police employment opportunities. The average police agency in the United States is comprised of fifty sworn police officers or fewer. Agencies like the Dennis Police Department comprise the vast majority of law enforcement jobs in the United States. The serious candidate should consider going where the work is. Once he or she has earned some experience in the field it is easier to shop for a preferred location or agency as an attractive candidate. There are fifteen local police departments on Cape Cod.

COUNTY

Sheriff's departments in Massachusetts, like the Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office here on Cape Cod, are primarily responsible for corrections and not law enforcement, though some have a small staff of criminal investigators whose role is to provide forensic and photographic support to local police departments and act as clearing houses for information such as fingerprints. In other parts of America, the sheriff's department is the local law enforcement agency, and they general cover a wide area. Each sheriff’s department has their own hiring process.

CAMPUS LAW ENFORCEMENT

Most large colleges and universities maintain a private police force on campus. In many cases these officers are granted their arrest powers by the local or state government where the campus is located. These officers must be POST certified and receive their basic academy and in-service training alongside municipal police officers at state accredited training centers. Campus police agencies such as the Boston College Police, Stonehill College Campus Police, and the University of Massachusetts Police (Amherst) offer tremendous career opportunities and excellent benefits packages.

STATE

The Massachusetts State Police is a large agency that offers a diverse range of specialty units from ballistics to aviation. The State Police hold their own Civil Service style entrance exam and run their own academy when they have a need to hire new troopers. The Massachusetts State Police Academy is located in New Braintree. The state also operates other agencies such as the Environmental Police, the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) Transit Police and the Massport Police. Some of these agencies are Civil Service subscribers.

OPPORTUNITIES AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL

The federal government has a large number of law enforcement agencies, usually with small staffs. Almost every federal agency has some law enforcement branch within it. These agencies have a wide range of jurisdictions and specialties to choose from. Most train new recruits at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers. Each has its own extensive hiring process. This is just a partial list.

Department of State

Bureau of Diplomatic Security

Department of the Treasury

Department of Defense

Department of Justice

Department of the Interior

Department of Agriculture

United States Forest Service Law Enforcement and Investigations

Department of Veterans Affairs

VA Police

Department of Homeland Security

Other independent federal agencies and departments that have one or more law enforcement organizations under their auspice:

United States Postal Service
- - United States Postal Inspection Service (the oldest law enforcement agency in the United States)
Environmental Protection Agency (Criminal Enforcement)
Social Security Administration
- - Office of the Inspector General

United States Congress

United States Capitol Police

United States Supreme Court

United States Supreme Court Police

MILITARY LAW ENFORCEMENT

Each branch of the armed forces is served by its own law enforcement agency. The Army and Marines have the Military Police Corps; the Air Force has Security Police; the Navy, Master at Arms. Each branch has battlefield obligations on top of its law enforcement responsibility. They are each charged with security, force protection, and law enforcement on military installations at home and abroad. Serious crimes are investigated by the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division (C.I.D.), and the Air Force Office of Special Investigation (O.S.I.). The Navy and Marine Corps fall under the jurisdiction of the Marine Corps Criminal Investigation Division and Naval Criminal Investigative Service (N.C.I.S.). C.I.D. and O.S.I. do not take direct enlistments. You must serve in the respective branch for a period of time before being considered. N.C.I.S. is actually a civilian branch of the Navy and hires personnel in much the same way other federal law enforcement agencies do. C.I.D. is a hybrid agency employing civilian agents to work alongside Army personnel. The United States Coast Guard, a division of the Department of Homeland Security, is responsible for enforcing criminal as well as environmental and maritime law on the high seas and in port. All offer excellent training, opportunities and assignments all over the world. The M.P.s and S.P.s offer excellent training for prospective civilian police officers and can be a good starting point for young people who do not choose the college route.