Do you know what kind of test a deputy sheriff has to pass in order to be hired in the Los Angeles county? I did not know until a friend of mine decided that this is what he wanted to do. Since I have great respect for police and sheriffs, I became interested in knowing what it involves to become a deputy sheriff. I sat down with him one day, and he told me what is required of him.
The first thing I noticed about him, since I have not seen him in awhile, was his hair. He had a butch hair cut. I did not know that this was one of the requirements. I thought that he just decided to change his hair style. It did make him look a lot younger, and I told him so. Although he Is in his late thirties, he told me that you have to be 201/2 years of age at the time of the application and 21 years at the time of the appointment. I was surprised to learn that there is no maximum age limit.
Other requirements are: You have to be a U.S. citizen, a U.S. high school graduate or had passed the G.E.D. You cannot have a felony conviction, have never been on probation. Misdemeanors may be disqualifying depending upon the amount, type of violation, and date of violation. Vision has to be 20/1000—uncorrected, corrected to at least 20/30. There is no minimum vision requirement for soft contact lens wearers. You have to have a valid California license prior to the appointment, and a valid photo I.D. in order to take the written exam. You also have to be able to communicate effectively orally and in writing.
The more my friend talked to me about his future exam in order to become a sheriff, the more I realized that to become a sheriff, is not that easy. There is a great deal of mental tests as well as physical in order to get this rewarding and sometimes dangerous job.
The first test is a written test. Before taking this test, a video scenario of a crime scene is presented. There are actors who perform on this video. There are 82 videos of crime scenes presented. After these videos have been viewed, there is a follow-up of 82 multiple choice questions. My friend emphasized how stressful this test was for him because he was only allowed a few seconds to respond to each question. This test is two hours long and is given on the first day of the test.
The second part of this test is a reading and comprehension test, and also consists of report writing. The comprehensive part is a multi choice test.
Report writing also consists of watching a video. After viewing the video, each person has to describe all the details in chronological order and has to be able to describe everything , such as: was he/she looking down at such and such time. Did he/she/ raise the right arm when such and such happened. This test allows the tester to know how observant and alert the person is. This test also takes an hour.
The third part of the test is math. It’s called “counting.” A booklet is passed out with various examples and questions. “The questions are common sense questions,” said my friend, “but they get more complex as the test goes on.” This part of the test has to do with prisoners; how many were in a certain cell, how many were transferred, etc. Here again, a video of prison scenes are shown using actors and actresses. It will show something that is illegal like robbing. The robbing will be done in such a hidden fashion, that this will test observation. The test also determines if those who are being tested have common knowledge as to what to do in certain circumstances. For example, there might be a question such as: If a prisoner gives you a note, are you allowed to take it? If you say no, and the prisoner asks you again, what are you supposed to do? The answer is to tell the prisoner that you have to write up a report on him/her . In other words, the officer is not allowed to condescend.
Another example of a video scene is a chasing scene. There are questions as to what an officer is supposed to do after he/she catches the violator. The film may show that the officer asked the violator to get out of the car. When this person does get out of the car, the officer handcuffs that person behind the back. The question about this scene might be. Did the officer do the right thing or should the officer throw that person down to the ground and then handcuff him/her?
There is an agility test. The goal is to jump over a chain-link fence that is 6 feet high. They also have to jump over a 6 ft. solid wall. They have to run 500 yards in two minutes. They have to be able to carry 165 lbs. There is no preference. Women have to pass the same test as the men.
I am on my friend’s list for those he wants to have a letter of recommendation from, regarding his present job and how well he performs. I will certainly give him an excellent recommendation for the job that he is now doing which is a Teacher’s Aide at Gateway’s Hospital.
