[quote]batman730 wrote:
[quote]mapwhap wrote:
Canada, eh? If that’s the case, I can’t speak to how academies or the job goes up there. I would think most problems and disputes up there can be solved over a Molson and a nice plate of Kraft dinner, no?[/quote]
Well, I’m more of a microbrew and pulled pork poutine type of guy, but the principle still applies.[/quote]
They probably don’t know what poutine is.
[quote]Will207 wrote:
[quote]batman730 wrote:
[quote]mapwhap wrote:
Canada, eh? If that’s the case, I can’t speak to how academies or the job goes up there. I would think most problems and disputes up there can be solved over a Molson and a nice plate of Kraft dinner, no?[/quote]
Well, I’m more of a microbrew and pulled pork poutine type of guy, but the principle still applies.[/quote]
They probably don’t know what poutine is.
[/quote]
Ah yes, I travel to the States so rarely that I sometimes forget that our friends south of the 49th are lamentably deprived of this delicious foodstuff.
However their 2nd amendment rights to keep and bear tactical crossbows with coils of white rope must come as some consolation.
[quote]batman730 wrote:
[quote]Will207 wrote:
[quote]batman730 wrote:
[quote]mapwhap wrote:
Canada, eh? If that’s the case, I can’t speak to how academies or the job goes up there. I would think most problems and disputes up there can be solved over a Molson and a nice plate of Kraft dinner, no?[/quote]
Well, I’m more of a microbrew and pulled pork poutine type of guy, but the principle still applies.[/quote]
They probably don’t know what poutine is.
[/quote]
Ah yes, I travel to the States so rarely that I sometimes forget that our friends south of the 49th are lamentably deprived of this delicious foodstuff.
[/quote]
It is fucking french fries with gravy and cheese curds. It’s not like it is 50% truffles and saffron.
I’ve tried it a couple times and I am not a huge fan, at least not most of the time.
I didn’t care for the cheese and poultry gravy, and it had very short “table life” before the cooling did bad things.
I also had some that I think used seasoned stock/base instead of the gravy. That was damn good. All in all I am pretty sure I still rank strippers as Quebec’s greatest gift to the rest of North America.
I do get told to fuck myself in quebecois french fairly frequently though, so that may give me some acculturation.
For beer I think my taste is broken. I seem to like the yellow tastless stuff(Molson Golden, Labatt’s, American Pilsners, ect.) or Guiness. Everything “good” or “craft” passes me by.
[quote]
However their 2nd amendment rights to keep and bear tactical crossbows with coils of white rope must come as some consolation. [/quote]
You see this shit mapwhap? They hate us for our freedoms.
Coiled Rope!,
Robert A
idaho,
Great pictures. Thank you. I confess I am not that into planes, mostly due to the fact they go up.
Regards,
Robert A
[quote]batman730 wrote:
On another note, I’ve got the final background interview/polygraph for the police agency I’m currently applying to coming up at the end of this month. Not sure if this falls under the category of “Bad Ideas”, but I suppose it’s possible…
[/quote]
Congratulations. I know you have been working towards this for a while. I can’t really offer any focused advice but the following is general interview stuff.
Psych
First, don’t be nervous. A certain number of sociopaths sneak by any standard evals, so someone who isn’t hiding holy shit levels of demon should be fine.
If they give you a Rorschach test(ink blot) do not say “Where did you get all these pictures of my parents not loving me.” Especially, if that is what is in the pictures.
IF during the administration of the test you realize the word therapist is basically the-rapist, don’t blurt that out. A lot of folks have bad senses of humor.
Polygraphs basically are shitty measure of tension. They can be foiled a bunch of ways. Either on purpose, or by you just relaxing. In case you don’t know, most guys who administer them “cold” read during the conversations around the testing. So, that is smoke and mirrors and you aren’t going to get worked up about it.
The version of this particular warning about high stress/high responsibility jobs tailored to LEOs I have heard is “The badge will get you pussy, but the pussy will get your badge.” A lot of other careers have statistically high rates of divorce and infidelity, medicine is very high, so I am writing this with no comment about you or your family life.
A lot of people manage to do stupid shit they regret when they get in high stress, high power, high responsibility jobs. I am always hearing about docs throwing away marriages in the stupidest and most awkward fashions imaginable. Be aware of yourself and just proceed with a full heart so you can own your choices. Also, realize that some of your academy classmates and future co-workers may not have your levels of resolve or self awareness. So don’t let them pull you into the crazy rabbit hole.
Because that is what crazy is. A rabbit hole, and you can’t tell how deep it is. You might step in and just stumble, or you could turn an ankle, or you could wind up with Alice as an FTO. Basically, don’t let other people put your life, or your career of choice in jeopardy. I know you know this stuff. But next month I will hear about another doc who is down 3/4 of his belongings and half of his practice equity because of it and he(or she) knew it too.
I keep reading about this anti cop sentiment in the other areas of this site, but I must not venture out enough to see it. It isn’t that I don’t believe you guys, I just must not be in the right/wrong threads.
[quote]
Any thoughts or advice, especially from those who have BTDT, would be more than welcome. I’ve been involved in policing for 4 years now in a volunteer capacity, so I don’t think I have many illusions of the Hollywood vs reality variety, but beyond that I remind myself daily that I know precisely sweet FA.
Thanks and, as always, be safe. [/quote]
Also, don’t make the “When do they issue us our penises, I mean guns?” joke. Don’t even think that.
When applying to a large organization/government entity I would keep in mind that conformity(at least to a point) is going to be valued quite a bit. If you can answer questions in a way that makes it clear you consider looking out for the organization’s/department’s interests is/will be important to you than I would hedge that way. Saying something like “I would respond using the agencies protocols, or failing that contact a superior.” is usually good interview for a larger group.
I don’t know if they try to ask any “gotcha” questions like “You find out your patient is a (insert child molester, murderer, rapist, ect.). Would that effect your care?" for LEO interviews, but I go for an honest "I would do my ethical duty as defined by. I am not going to let someone else make me lesser by compromising my ethics. I would then report them/dc them as a patient/whatever within guideline(only if you actually would.”
If you conduct yourself with any measure of the class and thoughtfulness that you display here I am sure you will do fine.
Don’t tell my “Help, my donut truck is being attacked by naked strippers” joke.
A lot of interview coaches try to get you to evade the “what is your biggest weakness?” question with some kind of complimentary flaw. That always seemed fake to me so I would prefer to deflect with either “Gummy bears. They are yummy and I will eat too damn many in a sitting.”. An alternative would be to simply say “Lack of experience. I tried to limit this by volunteering, but clearly I am much less prepared than an applicant with sworn law enforcement experience. I am however, trainable.”
I hope some part of that is helpful. I am way too tired.
Regards,
Robert A
Hmmmm…I’ve never tried the French fries and gravy thing. I’ll have to look into it.
Much to my chagrin, I must confess that IMHO, the greatest thing to come out of Quebec is the Unibroue brewery and their magnificent craft beers. If you have never tried La Fin du Monde, I weep for you.
I would also like to share some honest advice about police academy life and the job itself. At some point along the line, you may find yourself talking with female recruits, and later, with female officers. You will discover that you have much in common, you’ll study together, go to lunch together, etc. you’ll spend a great deal of time just talking to one another.
Never spend too much time alone with any one particular female officer or recruit. Never stop communicating with and truly talking with your wife. Realize that people latch onto one another for all the wrong reasons in stressful environments. Stay focused on your long term goal of making a better life for you and your family.
Temptations as a police officer are everywhere, especially when you are new. Avoid them. Don’t lose sight of why you are there.
Congratulations though, and I do wish you the best of luck.
Also…envy us not for the draw length of our crossbows, but rather, for the girth of our rope.
Freedom! And coiled rope!!
[quote]Robert A wrote:
[quote]batman730 wrote:
[quote]Will207 wrote:
[quote]batman730 wrote:
[quote]mapwhap wrote:
Canada, eh? If that’s the case, I can’t speak to how academies or the job goes up there. I would think most problems and disputes up there can be solved over a Molson and a nice plate of Kraft dinner, no?[/quote]
Well, I’m more of a microbrew and pulled pork poutine type of guy, but the principle still applies.[/quote]
They probably don’t know what poutine is.
[/quote]
Ah yes, I travel to the States so rarely that I sometimes forget that our friends south of the 49th are lamentably deprived of this delicious foodstuff.
[/quote]
It is fucking french fries with gravy and cheese curds. It’s not like it is 50% truffles and saffron.
I’ve tried it a couple times and I am not a huge fan, at least not most of the time.
I didn’t care for the cheese and poultry gravy, and it had very short “table life” before the cooling did bad things.
I also had some that I think used seasoned stock/base instead of the gravy. That was damn good. All in all I am pretty sure I still rank strippers as Quebec’s greatest gift to the rest of North America.
I do get told to fuck myself in quebecois french fairly frequently though, so that may give me some acculturation.
For beer I think my taste is broken. I seem to like the yellow tastless stuff(Molson Golden, Labatt’s, American Pilsners, ect.) or Guiness. Everything “good” or “craft” passes me by.
[quote]
However their 2nd amendment rights to keep and bear tactical crossbows with coils of white rope must come as some consolation. [/quote]
You see this shit mapwhap? They hate us for our freedoms.
Coiled Rope!,
Robert A[/quote]
From what I’m told, real poutine isn’t made with actual gravy.
Where in Quebec were you? I assume Montreal. Quebec is well known for it’s poutine and poontang.
And in other news, it appears government thugs have used their tank to kidnap children from a school and murdered a citizen exercising his rights.
Thanks for taking the time to reply gentlemen. The advice and kind words are appreciated.
Robert, as always your thoughts are welcome. You’re right, I’ve been working toward this for more than 5 years now, volunteering with police, search and rescue and the homeless, studying, training and working security on the side to build work experience. It’s all been fun and rewarding, but It’ll be good to finally bring it home.
Regarding polygraphs, I have done one in the past as part of another application process (I was ultimately unsuccessful due to my somewhat lacking selling myself skills). I actually really enjoyed it. The operator was a contractor who’d worked all over the world and who was one of the most skilled interviewers I’d ever seen. I somehow suspect he would have had a pretty good idea of how truthful I was being, with or without the machine. As I didn’t intend to lie, I didn’t find it especially stressful.
Regarding interview prep, this is not an especially strong area for me, so feedback is welcome. I do get markedly better every time I blow one and have to go again hahaha. I also don’t care for the “complimentary flaw” answer to the biggest weakness question. “I’m a bit of a workaholic/perfectionist/overachiever” always sounds to me more like “I’m a self important douchebag who can’t own a genuine flaw”. That said, I have already successfully completed the “job interview” portion of this process. What lies ahead is the “full rectal exam of my past” portion where we go over in minute detail every time I smoked/toked/stole/lied/cheated/pillaged/looted etc. I’m not tooooo worried as it is what it is, and they’re either okay with it or not.
I’m sorry to hear you don’t recommend the donut stripper joke. I was actually gonna lead with that.
mapwhap and Robert, the family concerns are very present in my mind. I can only assume that nobody plans to cock that stuff up, and yet somewhere along the way so many somehow manage to do it anyway. I’ve seen so many guys with sexy, high speed tacti-cool jobs and absolutely trashed personal lives. I had considered the potential perils of academy life, living and training in close proximity to female recruits and supporting each other through shared challenges in a high pressure environment while being physically removed from family could definitely put you in higher risk of being an idiot situations.
Regarding poutine. I have had some very good poutine, but as it’s generally served, I find it to be fairly overrated. I also cannot ice skate. These two elements alone constitute treason up here. If the government knew the truth they would seize my igloo and my dog sled and very politely send me out on an ice floe to die. That’s how we execute people, we just let nature take its course. In part this is because we don’t support capital punishment and in part it’s because, as everyone knows, we don’t have firearms. Or crossbows. We do have coiled rope, but it’s really not the same on its own.
Thanks again guys.
[quote]Will207 wrote:
And in other news, it appears government thugs have used their tank to kidnap children from a school and murdered a citizen exercising his rights.
http://www.policeone.com/SWAT/articles/7533298-Nev-SWAT-rescues-kids-during-manhunt/[/quote]
Jackbooted goons! Where will this tyranny end???
[quote]batman730 wrote:
Thanks for taking the time to reply gentlemen. The advice and kind words are appreciated.
Robert, as always your thoughts are welcome. You’re right, I’ve been working toward this for more than 5 years now, volunteering with police, search and rescue and the homeless, studying, training and working security on the side to build work experience. It’s all been fun and rewarding, but It’ll be good to finally bring it home.
Regarding polygraphs, I have done one in the past as part of another application process (I was ultimately unsuccessful due to my somewhat lacking selling myself skills). I actually really enjoyed it. The operator was a contractor who’d worked all over the world and who was one of the most skilled interviewers I’d ever seen. I somehow suspect he would have had a pretty good idea of how truthful I was being, with or without the machine. As I didn’t intend to lie, I didn’t find it especially stressful.
Regarding interview prep, this is not an especially strong area for me, so feedback is welcome. I do get markedly better every time I blow one and have to go again hahaha. I also don’t care for the “complimentary flaw” answer to the biggest weakness question. “I’m a bit of a workaholic/perfectionist/overachiever” always sounds to me more like “I’m a self important douchebag who can’t own a genuine flaw”. That said, I have already successfully completed the “job interview” portion of this process. What lies ahead is the “full rectal exam of my past” portion where we go over in minute detail every time I smoked/toked/stole/lied/cheated/pillaged/looted etc. I’m not tooooo worried as it is what it is, and they’re either okay with it or not.
I’m sorry to hear you don’t recommend the donut stripper joke. I was actually gonna lead with that.
mapwhap and Robert, the family concerns are very present in my mind. I can only assume that nobody plans to cock that stuff up, and yet somewhere along the way so many somehow manage to do it anyway. I’ve seen so many guys with sexy, high speed tacti-cool jobs and absolutely trashed personal lives. I had considered the potential perils of academy life, living and training in close proximity to female recruits and supporting each other through shared challenges in a high pressure environment while being physically removed from family could definitely put you in higher risk of being an idiot situations.
Regarding poutine. I have had some very good poutine, but as it’s generally served, I find it to be fairly overrated. I also cannot ice skate. These two elements alone constitute treason up here. If the government knew the truth they would seize my igloo and my dog sled and very politely send me out on an ice floe to die. That’s how we execute people, we just let nature take its course. In part this is because we don’t support capital punishment and in part it’s because, as everyone knows, we don’t have firearms. Or crossbows. We do have coiled rope, but it’s really not the same on its own.
Thanks again guys.[/quote]
I wouldn’t worry about the polygraph. You’re not going to lie, so unless you have done some really shady stuff, you will be fine. I know a lot of guys who aren’t angels who have told the truth and made it through, though every single one of them could ice skate.
Good luck with the process.
Batman730…people’s assumptions are hysterical, are t they? I actually was born and raised in New Hampshire, so people make a lot of the same assumptions about me as they probably do you as a Canadian. For example…I don’t ski. Never have. Tried once, didn’t like it, and have never done it since. I actually pretty much hate snow, period.
My favorite, though, was when I was in Army basic training in Alabama. It dropped to something like 10 degrees outside, and we got about 4 inches of snow. Everyone knew I was from NH, so they were saying stuff like, “Oh, you’re used to the cold and snow. You should be enjoying this.” My response was, “When it gets like this in NH, we go inside, dumbass.”
And I don’t play hockey, either, contrary to popular belief. I skate like a baboon with two club feet.
What part of Canada are you in, by the way? I’ve heard the western provinces are fantastic scenery.
WII207…that article really opened my eyes to how militarized we have become. I am turning in my badge and gun on Monday. I hope to grow out my soul patch, and get a job as a barista at Starbucks.
I can only hope you see the light soon as well, bro.
[quote]Will207 wrote:
And in other news, it appears government thugs have used their tank to kidnap children from a school and murdered a citizen exercising his rights.
http://www.policeone.com/SWAT/articles/7533298-Nev-SWAT-rescues-kids-during-manhunt/[/quote]
Well, once Chis Hayes sees this (Fuck him) he will have a panel of law inforcement experts from some blog site no one outside a flaming liberal has ever heard of, declaring how these poor children will be psychologically traumatized and require specialized counseling for the rest of their lives. Let’s see, how would Chris Hayes (fuck him) handle the situation? Oh, I see now, he cant handle it, just scream about the police from the comfort of his broadcast studio.
Batman730,
I wish you success in your final anal probe, believe me, I know how you feel. The first time I went through a background check for a Top Secret clearance, they went back to my high school years and then worked their way forward, took 11 months, 3 interviews, and one polygraph.
I wish you all the luck and if are accepted into the academy, why dont you start a thread here on the forum about your daily experiences? I dont know anything about Canadian law enforcement requirements and would be very interested to see how they compare to a major agency in the states.
[quote]idaho wrote:
The first time I went through a background check for a Top Secret clearance, they went back to my high school years and then worked their way forward, took 11 months, 3 interviews, and one polygraph.
[/quote]
Wonder why we can’t get the same for our Prez? LOL
[quote]idaho wrote:
[quote]Will207 wrote:
And in other news, it appears government thugs have used their tank to kidnap children from a school and murdered a citizen exercising his rights.
http://www.policeone.com/SWAT/articles/7533298-Nev-SWAT-rescues-kids-during-manhunt/[/quote]
Well, once Chis Hayes sees this (Fuck him) he will have a panel of law inforcement experts from some blog site no one outside a flaming liberal has ever heard of, declaring how these poor children will be psychologically traumatized and require specialized counseling for the rest of their lives. Let’s see, how would Chris Hayes (fuck him) handle the situation? Oh, I see now, he cant handle it, just scream about the police from the comfort of his broadcast studio.
Batman730,
I wish you success in your final anal probe, believe me, I know how you feel. The first time I went through a background check for a Top Secret clearance, they went back to my high school years and then worked their way forward, took 11 months, 3 interviews, and one polygraph.
I wish you all the luck and if are accepted into the academy, why dont you start a thread here on the forum about your daily experiences? I dont know anything about Canadian law enforcement requirements and would be very interested to see how they compare to a major agency in the states. [/quote]
I can’t imagine the training being that different. It’s between 4-6 months depending on the service. Larger municipal services usually have shorter formal training with more field training with a coach, and the federal and provincial guys have longer training periods and are thrown to the wolves a bit sooner.
[quote]mapwhap wrote:
Batman730…people’s assumptions are hysterical, are t they? I actually was born and raised in New Hampshire, so people make a lot of the same assumptions about me as they probably do you as a Canadian. For example…I don’t ski. Never have. Tried once, didn’t like it, and have never done it since. I actually pretty much hate snow, period.
My favorite, though, was when I was in Army basic training in Alabama. It dropped to something like 10 degrees outside, and we got about 4 inches of snow. Everyone knew I was from NH, so they were saying stuff like, “Oh, you’re used to the cold and snow. You should be enjoying this.” My response was, “When it gets like this in NH, we go inside, dumbass.”
And I don’t play hockey, either, contrary to popular belief. I skate like a baboon with two club feet.
What part of Canada are you in, by the way? I’ve heard the western provinces are fantastic scenery.[/quote]
Yep, assumptions are hilarious. My father in law worked for many years in the far northern part of the country. The stuff people ask him is pretty ridiculous sometimes.
I happen to be from western Canada. About as far west as you can go without getting wet feet. It is, without a doubt, pretty friggin spectacular out here, scenery wise. If this interview goes my way, I’ll need to move.
I’m applying to the RCMP (our federal police service). As well as the usual federal jurisdiction type stuff like organized crime, domestic EOD/BNC, cross border stuff etc, they also provide contract policing for many if the the more rural/remote areas that can’t support their own departments. As I’m sure you can imagine, some of these postings are very… ummm… scenic indeed.
Generally you move every 2-5 years (depending on the job you’ve got and/or the job you want) and God only knows if and when I’ll ever see the ocean again. It’s all good though. When I finally get the call I’ll be over the moon, wherever they decide to send me.
[quote]idaho wrote:
[quote]Will207 wrote:
And in other news, it appears government thugs have used their tank to kidnap children from a school and murdered a citizen exercising his rights.
http://www.policeone.com/SWAT/articles/7533298-Nev-SWAT-rescues-kids-during-manhunt/[/quote]
Well, once Chis Hayes sees this (Fuck him) he will have a panel of law inforcement experts from some blog site no one outside a flaming liberal has ever heard of, declaring how these poor children will be psychologically traumatized and require specialized counseling for the rest of their lives. Let’s see, how would Chris Hayes (fuck him) handle the situation? Oh, I see now, he cant handle it, just scream about the police from the comfort of his broadcast studio.
Batman730,
I wish you success in your final anal probe, believe me, I know how you feel. The first time I went through a background check for a Top Secret clearance, they went back to my high school years and then worked their way forward, took 11 months, 3 interviews, and one polygraph.
I wish you all the luck and if are accepted into the academy, why dont you start a thread here on the forum about your daily experiences? I dont know anything about Canadian law enforcement requirements and would be very interested to see how they compare to a major agency in the states. [/quote]
Thanks for the warm wishes, Idaho. I might just start up an academy life thread/log (if I can do so without landing myself in hot water).
Regarding the differences, I expect that as Will207 suggests, they won’t be too drastic. Some regional policy/legal stuff for sure, but you get that from state to state, as far as I can tell. One difference, however, that is relevant to this discussion is that a number of major agencies here still train and permit the application of lateral neck restraint (which is treated as very distinct from a choke hold - which is not permitted outside a lethal force context).
There are some very specific guidelines, criteria and standards that need to be met in terms of subject behaviour, officer training, correct application, risk management, duty of care etc, but it is generally not treated as a last ditch/lethal force tactic.
Here’s an open source report from 2007 on the topic, if it’s of interest.
[quote]mapwhap wrote:
WII207…that article really opened my eyes to how militarized we have become. I am turning in my badge and gun on Monday. I hope to grow out my soul patch, and get a job as a barista at Starbucks.
I can only hope you see the light soon as well, bro. [/quote]
idaho,
We have hope. If mapwhap can see light about how utilizing an armored vehicle to evacuate children from danger is a violation of civil rights perhaps you and I can find our empathy.
Regards,
Robert A