Wow, you made it. Months or weeks have gone by, you have passed through this gauntlet of process. One thing left. The “Chief’s Interview.” If it is a sheriff’s department, it is the “Sheriff’s Interview.” Depending on the size of the department, it could be an “Administrative Interview.” That means someone of higher rank, like a Captain, would be doing the interview. Sometimes the interview has already happened upfront.
What happens in the interview? It is usually an informal “getting to know you” kind of interview. The interviewer has already read the “Executive Summary” prepared by the background investigator.
Not to make you nervous, but the administrator can say, naw, we are not hiring her because I don’t think she’s a good fit for this department. What!? Yes. As long as the reason is not because of race, creed, color, religion, etc., it can happen. I have seen it happen. The administrator, after a 10-minute interview, has that power. Wow, that sucks. I have seen who I thought were A+ candidates get dumped at this point. It doesn’t seem fair. Well, no one said life was fair.
It does not happen that often. In some departments, it happens more than in others. The larger the department, the more often it happens. In small departments, it is rare. When I was the chief in a small department, I had the interview upfront before spending our limited resources doing the background, psych, and medical.
What happens now that you have passed everything? If you are a trainee applicant, you will be sent to the academy. If you are an academy grad, you will be set up for the “Field Training Program.” Each one lasts about six months…more gauntlets. Once you graduate from the academy, you too will go through the “Field Training Program.”
A trainee takes about a year, once hired, to be on their own. An academy grad, about six months if all goes well. Not to worry you more, but a lot of people fail during the Field Training Program. Happy times!
If you are an officer/deputy with another department and want to get hired at a different department, you must go through this process again. The only thing different is that once through all the background, the Field Training can be shortened.
Some other states are not like that. So this big call to make it so officers who do wrong in one department can’t be hired in another does not apply to California…they can’t be hired (legally) if they committed a crime or worse.
A side note: I would venture to guess most people have no idea what it takes to become a peace officer in California and many other states. I have spoken to people that think ole Leroy, the chief’s nephew, can get hired, slap on a badge and gun, and go to work. While that may have been the case 60 years ago, it is not the case now.
The following link has much more detailed and accurate information to help you understand and prepare you for the Chief’s Interview. https://golawenforcement.com/articles/chiefs-interview/
Scattered Thought 