Relevance and Usefullness of Police Foundations?

[mariomike]

Police Foundations in the news.

Dec 4, 2012

TPS Public Safety Alert:
http://www.torontopolice.on.ca/newsreleases/release.php?id=25171
"they stated they were Police Cadets and were wearing Police Foundations Training shirts and also wore Toronto Police Service buttons"

"One of the men was in a police foundations program at a Toronto college":
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/12/04/two-men-pose-as-police-cadets-prowl-high-rise-building-asking-for-donations/

 

[The_Falcon]

A Guy in the PF program at Centennial College when I was there beat the crap out of his girlfriend on campus.  It was really easy to tell, since at Centennial uniforms are mandatory.  Unless you are set on joining the MPs, or an organization which requires it as a hard and fast requirement (most special constable agencies in Ontario for example), don't bother with PF.

 

[brihard]

That's one of the problems with PF right there. It's proven to be such a money maker for the colleges that some programs are very unselective about who gets admitted. That in turn has greatly hindered the regard with which the programs are held by many police forces.

 

[The_Falcon]

That's one of the problems with PF right there. It's proven to be such a money maker for the colleges that some programs are very unselective about who gets admitted. That in turn has greatly hindered the regard with which the programs are held by many police forces.

Well to be fair to the point, most programs are offered by publicly subsized colleges, beyond vetting your academic/credentials, there isn't much else they are going to screen for (and it's possibly the only thing they are allow to screen for).  Some even have disclaimer that in order to get hired by a police force, one must still complete that services screening process.

 

[noneck]

I have to agree with Brihard and his advice. I've been a LEO for 13 years, I think you'd be a more competitive applicant with a tech diploma,financial certificate or trade behind you. If you want to add relevant policing experience I would suggest getting involved in a volunteer program with the agency you aim to join such as victims services, crime watch or at a community policing office. These are great try before you buy options for both you the applicant and also a future employer....it can make or break your application!

Noneck

 

[mariomike]

Police auxiliary may also be an option worth considering.

You gain volunteer hours wearing the uniform of the service you hope to be employed by. 

 

[Dissident]

Reserve Military Police might be a good place to start looking. I sadly do not have contact info for 2 MP Regt recruiting.

 

[Thompson_JM]

I have to agree with Brihard and his advice. I've been a LEO for 13 years, I think you'd be a more competitive applicant with a tech diploma,financial certificate or trade behind you. If you want to add relevant policing experience I would suggest getting involved in a volunteer program with the agency you aim to join such as victims services, crime watch or at a community policing office. These are great try before you buy options for both you the applicant and also a future employer....it can make or break your application!

Noneck

I echo all of these guys before me. I'm in a weird place, as I am actually going back to finish my PFP Diploma, however I am doing it, as it will open up more doors into the secondary LE type jobs such as Courts, Campus and transit Cop jobs. All of which are a good stepping stones, and/or alternate law enforcement career options.  It's easier for me to go back for a semester and finish up, than it would be to start all over in a new program at 31.

To anyone young, and new, do what these guys are saying. Get a different program. Do some labour market research and see where the job and career trends are. Find something in-demand, that you think you would enjoy and learn that. 

PFP is a useless waste of time at 17. You'll come out of there at 19 and end up having to go to uni or whatnot to build more life experience, before the services will look at you. 

If you've got it in your heart to do it, I wont stop you, but you're better off learning a fallback career, and doing some solid volunteer work.

Just my .02

 

[The_Falcon]

I am almost in the same situation as you Tommy. I started taking PF 10 years ago, and learned very quickly how useless it is.  And once I got into the working world I really didn't want to go back full time to finish because I can't stand wasting my time in classrooms.  But I really didn't want to leave it unfinished, which means I have been completing it off and on when I have the time and money part time.  Perhaps now that I am in the sandbox as a civy I will finally finish.

 

[Renkluaf]

These posts are unfortunately and reasonably disheartening, haha.

I strongly believe if you put in the work you will get hired.

thanks for all the advice, I have decided to take the course, I am going to try and get "into the system" asap, unfortunately the victim services unit in my city just closed (really unfortunate) and I am going to benefit from this course as much as possible, I mean if anything in policing doesn't open up, I would gladly try to get into MP or Corrections as an alternate. I also have 0 problem relocating to anywhere for a job.

I mean, does anybody think that this is a bad plan?

Thanks for the all the insight guys, all the information is appreciated.

 

[Container]

you are not in the system because you are in police foundations. No matter what you learn in the program.

As has been said- police foundations is a cash grab. I have the diploma as well. I moved it over into a degree program- it did zero to assist me in getting hired.

This is the same as the Blueline thread. A bunch of people in the biz say its a waste......and then people keep asking for the answer they are shopping for.

 

[brihard]

These posts are unfortunately and reasonably disheartening, haha.

I strongly believe if you put in the work you will get hired.

thanks for all the advice, I have decided to take the course, I am going to try and get "into the system" asap, unfortunately the victim services unit in my city just closed (really unfortunate) and I am going to benefit from this course as much as possible, I mean if anything in policing doesn't open up, I would gladly try to get into MP or Corrections as an alternate. I also have 0 problem relocating to anywhere for a job.

I mean, does anybody think that this is a bad plan?

Thanks for the all the insight guys, all the information is appreciated.

Yeah man. Respectfully, any plan incorporating police foundations or law and security adminsitration that doe snot culminate with rising through the ranks of a mall/institutional security organization is not a sound plan. If you want to be a cop there's been a bunch of good advice offered already.

Victim services is far from the only thing out there. See if there's a boys and girls club affiliated with your local police force, or any other community programs- police are often big into that. Look at any youth diversion programs. There may be cadet or auxillary programs for police forces present in your area. And there are a broad range of services working with the vulnerable sector who always need dedicated volunteers.

'Into the system' doesn't need to mean being formally tied to a police force. There is a lot out there that's of great value. And there's always opportunities in policing, especially if you're willing to relocate (Calgary, Edmonton), but you need to be very competitive. Police foundations simply will not contribute more than negligibly to that competitiveness.

Here's the Police Foundations thread at Blueline. There's nothing need be added to what experienced officers there have already said. Choose to take them at face value or not. http://forums.blueline.ca/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=28831

 

[RCDtpr]

These posts are unfortunately and reasonably disheartening, haha.

I strongly believe if you put in the work you will get hired.

thanks for all the advice, I have decided to take the course, I am going to try and get "into the system" asap, unfortunately the victim services unit in my city just closed (really unfortunate) and I am going to benefit from this course as much as possible, I mean if anything in policing doesn't open up, I would gladly try to get into MP or Corrections as an alternate. I also have 0 problem relocating to anywhere for a job.

I mean, does anybody think that this is a bad plan?

Thanks for the all the insight guys, all the information is appreciated.

The mps are just as competitive to get into as civvie police.  I don't know why people have this notion that the mps are somehow easier to get on with.

Cold hard facts are this.....the mps for this fiscal year had 8 spots for external hires and received over 900 applications.

 

[Dissident]

And I'll mention again that reserve MPs are recruiting. My platoon has ~20 positions to fill and we are doing better manpower wise than the rest of the LFWA PRes MP platoon and probably one of the better ones across Canada. In a time of fiscal restraint where positions are difficult to get, the reserve MPs are actively looking to hire/recruit.

http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/107314.0.html

 

[Container]

And I'll mention again that reserve MPs are recruiting. My platoon has ~20 positions to fill and we are doing better manpower wise than the rest of the LFWA PRes MP platoon and probably one of the better ones across Canada. In a time of fiscal restraint where positions are difficult to get, the reserve MPs are actively looking to hire/recruit.

http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/107314.0.html

It is unfortunate that RCMP members are excluded. Oh well! 

 

[Dissident]

I'm pretty sure that changed recently. As it is I have two good troops who are Auxiliaries with the RCMP. Post the question in the thread I linked and let ResMP do the leg work...