Looking for Police Work

Yo, Foster!  Good luck with your search.  This is a very tough time to be looking for police work as most agencies are cutting back, not hiring.  For instance, in Philadelphia we average losing one officer per day due to all causes (retirement, death, firing!, medical discharge, etc).  That's about 365 per year.  We recently went about 18 months without any new hires and just recently graduated a class of about 60 new rookies.  Our total manpower has dwindled down so low compared to the often cited total of 6,600 sworn officers that the City is guarding the actual number like a top secret since if the public knew what it was there would be a hue and cry.  We as employees don't even know the real number, though we are trained snoops and have ways of estimating the actual number.  But we are sworn on pain of suspension of ever revealing how many officers we have on duty at any given time or the total number city-wide.  So that should tell you it's frighteningly low.  However, we do occasionally start a new Academy class so it's worth a try.  The PPD Academy is 215.685.8777.  Whoever answers may refer you to the Recruiting Unit but I can't find that number quickly (that should tell you something right there).  You can ask about the hiring process and if there is an accelerated process for people with out of state training (I don't think there is).  One advantage for you is that if you are accepted for the next Academy class you will be paid for the whole 6 months you are in training (I think recruits are at about $40K).  The bureaucracy moves at the pace of glacier, so be patient.  From the time I first inquired, took/passed the civil service test, passed the background investigation and started the Academy was 14 months, and that was back when they were hiring large numbers.  

If you're interested in a tour in Hell and living in the People's Republik of New Jersey, the City of Camden (the poorest and nearly most violent in the country) is in the process of demolishing their police force, voiding their contract, and creating a new county force with much lower salary and benefits.  It's ugly, but so is unemployment.  The Dept's number is 870.836.5755.  Here's a recent article on the process:  http://www.nj.com/camden/index.ssf/2013/01/camden_hires_first_members_of.html

Also remember that if/when you do get hired somewhere you will still be very vulnerable to being laid off if your employer experiences economic hardship (last hired, first fired).  In addition, our latest contract included for the first time a provision to allow for up to 30 furlough days/year at the discretion of the mayor.  It hasn't been used yet, but I doubt they put it in just for fun.

I looked into police jobs in New Hampshire as a possible step toward retirement.  NH does have an accelerated training track for people with outside training.  I believe it is a 100 hour course followed by a State test.  Here's a link to get you started:  http://www.nhchiefsofpolice.com/Jobs.htm

If it hasn't already occured to you, you should inquire in areas that are experiencing rapid economic growth.  For instance, I hear that in North Dakota, because of all the shale oil drilling, employees of all types are in very high demand.  I assume municipalities are looking for police just as eagerly as they are building out their infrastructure to handle the boom.

Tom