Idaho police qualifications

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tahunua001

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hello all,
I'm currently serving in the navy but when I get out I am considering settling down in idaho and trying my hand at law enforcement. a buddy of mine in the nez perce county sheriffs dept was telling me that their pistol qualifications were much more difficult than the navy quals so I was wondering if there were any Idaho state police(region 2 preferably), Lewiston PD or nez perce county cops on this site that know the exact course of fire so I could train in my own time. from what I understand all of their live fire quals are pretty similar.
 
I'm active duty in the navy so I'm used to a semi annual physical fitness test. I think the ISP, LPD, and NPCS is only an annual test though so that'd be a little less hassle. also I believe all of these LE entities require you to come in as a jailor and once you get through all of your quals and training they let you work up to beat. my way of thinking is that the less training I need going in, the sooner I'd get out of the drunk tanks.
 
"...used to a semi annual physical fitness test..." Hi. Read the requirements. You don't get a choice about how much training you need anyway. Passing the POST is required. There's a physical test just to get in. Suspect you'd be treated just like you were as a Navy recruit but with higher expectations given your experience.
You may find that despite the minimum education is High School/GED, a degree will make a difference. (Up here, it's far more important than anything else.) Mind you, your Navy time and what your job is there will make a difference too. Life skills matter. Shooting skills are way down on the priority list for any cop these days.
 
I beg to differ. Some of us LEOs recognize that it's a vital skill, to be sought diligently and honed regularly. Granted, far too many of my LE brethren think differently, but I respectfully disagree with such a blanket statement as "shooting skills are way down on the priority list for any cop".
 
you are right, I cant do anything without post, but even after I pass post, I still have to qualify with the specific department's service pistol before I get do do the job I signed up to do. then I will have to qualify with my own backup gun and then I get to qual with a personally owned service pistol should I choose to do so. I'm merely trying to get ahead of the curve so that I can get ample practice in on my own time so I at least dont have to worry about training with my own weapons on top of shooting well with the depts adopted firearms.
 
I go to church was a police officer here is eastern Idaho. I know is he is former military Ill have to ask him tomorrow. I think this is region 6 though (not 100% sure on the number but I am sure its not the same area you are talking, we are a long ways from the Nez-Perce)
 
Most LE positions are Civil Service and require taking the CC exam [written], an oral board and a physical agility test to get on the "eligibility" list for the agency(s) you are interested in. Depending on where you place on the list... the hiring authority Then chooses from the top three candidates on the list for each position. THEN:

Each candidate chosen goes through an in-depth background check, psychological exam, polygraph exam, and another oral interview or board. THEN:

If you are chosen and provisionally hired you get sent to the LE BAsic training academy where "eventually" you will get to shoot your gun "the way they want you to". After you have been through all this you will probably go through a period of field training with a trained FTO.

Some Sheriff's Offices are indeed responsible for running the county jail in their jurisdiction and it is not uncommon for new deputies to be assigned there for a while before a road assignment, but many jurisdictions have different "departments" with their own training for corrections officers.

Bottom line in this long ramble is that how well you shoot or how much you like to shoot is so far down the list of the agencies concerns it is not even on it as far as initial hiring considerations. Of course once trained you will be expected [required] to maintain proficiency and qualify regularly.

Good luck with your search. As important as any physical skill, OR MORE SO, is to bone up on your oral and written communications skills, reading comprehension [law is written in an interesting language], and inter personal communications. They will get you a much higher place on that initial eligibility list than any physical skill. And that's as it should be.

Teaching shooting is relatively cheap and easy to do, Good Judgement, Common Sense, ect... not so much.

Again good luck... keep after it... it is a worthwhile and honorable profession.

Mike J
 
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Forgot to mention that some agencies / civil service districts DO give preference ["bonus"] points to veterans on the scoring of the original eligibility test/list.
MJ
 
also I've already checked, an active security clearance can exempt you from the psych screening, polygraph, background check etc...I should be good to go
 
Never heard of that exemption with any of the agencies I've been connected with, but it would cut the costs somewhat. At least up front. Many county/city/state risk management [ read LIABILITY ] departments err on the side of over-caution regarding due diligence in hiring and the threats of "negligent hiring or retention" lawsuits down the road. So chances are that in most places you'll have to jump through the same hoops everyone else does.
Remember the security for military clearance concerns are somewhat different that the concerns of a civilian police agency as far as employee qualifications are concerned.

MJ
 
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Idaho Handgun QC

I found the basic qualification course on the Idaho POST website:

http://www.post.idaho.gov/Forms/documents/FirearmsQualForm.pdf

Idaho POST Basic Handgun QC
NRA TQ-20 target scored 5-4-1
60 rounds fired. 300 points possible
85% (255 pts) minium required to qualify

*FIRST STATION: 25 Yards - 60 Seconds
9 Rounds Kneeling Behind Barricade
6 Rounds Standing Behind Barricade-Strong Hand
3 Rounds Standing Behind Barricade-Support Hand

*SECOND STATION: 15 Yards - 35 Seconds
18 Rounds Point Shoulder At Eye Level

*THIRD STATION: 7 Yards - 20 Seconds
12 Rounds Eye Level

*FOURTH STATION: 3 Yards - 15 Seconds
8 Rounds Below Eye Level-Strong Hand
4 Rounds Below Eye Level-Support Hand
 
I would hope a military vetran would receive preference in selection for any law enforcement job.

Seems, around here, they are hireing any gung-ho 21 year old with nothing more on the resume than a HS diploma and an attitude.

I wish you well, the Idaho PD would be smart to take your application.
 
I don't know about Idaho, but here in Florida don't even think about applying for a police job until you've gone through the academy. Yes there are some agencies that could theoretically hire you and send you to the academy but with the glut of qualified applicants available now they just won't look at anyone who isn't already an academy grad.
 
wow talk about a thread resurrection batman...

um... I guess you could say that interest in joining one of Idaho's respected LEAs has faded and so I have little need of this information anymore.... although I am still interested in trying the course laid out back in january :D
 
Shooting skills are way down on the priority list for any cop these days.
Click to expand...

When I thought I wanted to be a cop, 25 years ago, I was surprised that the only physical test that you could repeat until you passed, for one department, was the the trigger pull test; cycle a DA revolver six times in five seconds. A lot of people would short-stroke it, or had trouble reaching the trigger, so just keep doing until you pass.
 
As a teacher of H S Seniors and Jr College students on the high desert of SoCal, I watched as the County Sheriff's departments around me (San Berdoo, Riverside, Kern, and Inyo) did their recruiting visits to our career days each year. They paid a lot of attention to the Jocks and the organized Explorer Posts and Aux. Reserve groups on all the local H S campus's.

For awhile in the late 1990's Kern County even dropped the minimum age for applicants to 19 (from 21). They were that short of qualified candidates.
 
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