I finally have one step left before potentially receiving a conditional offer from my state agency. My oral board interview is in less than three weeks.

I got my navy suit in the mail today, and thankfully, I think it fits okay? I’m planning on ironing it to smooth everything out before the interview.

I’ll be wearing a fitted black shirt with a higher neckline than what’s pictured, black flats, and no jewelry.

I’ve never worn a suit before, so I’m not entirely sure what to look for when it comes to proper fit. I know it needs to be ironed, but are the vertical lines going down the pants normal, or will that come out after I iron it? Also, am I supposed to cut the little stitching on the back of the blazer so it separates? I’ve heard of people doing that.

Apologies if this isn’t the usual type of post here. I figured this would be a good place to get some advice. All feedback is appreciated. Thank you.

26M here, looking to get into law enforcement. I’ve been thinking about relocating from Minnesota to Texas for awhile. I have a bachelors degree (unrelated field) and currently working hospital security.

Ideally I’d like to find a department that officers genuinely enjoy working for, and that also pays you to be in the academy. San Antonio and Round Rock are ones that I’ve been looking at.

What departments would you suggest looking into? Sounds like Houston, Dallas and Austin are all ones I should avoid.

I previously shared Brain Preflight on r/ROTC and wanted to get a police recruitment perspective too.

I’m the developer. The app includes exercises taken from past pilot selection and other aptitude tests. Some are 1:1 recreations of past tests we’ve collected. Assessment providers can reuse similar task formats across different selections, which is why I thought there could be some overlap here.

There’s mental maths, memory, spatial reasoning and multitasking. One exercise has you track a moving target, match shapes and check sums at the same time.

Heads up: some exercises are genuinely hard. It’s built for training, not really entertainment.

Brain Preflight on iPhone

For anyone who’s taken a state or local police entrance exam in the US: did you encounter tasks like these, or was the test quite different? Which state or department did you apply to?

*This is not a joke post, and I would appreciate serious answers only.

Almost six years ago, I did something stupid. I had recently gotten out of my first relationship and I decided to go on dating apps. I ended up matching with two different girls where we chatted for a bit. The conversations started off innocent, but then they started getting suggestive. We started talking about hooking up and we agreed to meet up. On both occasions, both girls asked me to send money just to make sure I was real and was not going to do something bad to them. I foolishly sent money thinking they would finally tell me a date and time to meet. Then they kept asking for more money after that, claiming I had to pay more fees before hooking up. At this point, I realized I was being scammed and that what I was doing was dumb and I blocked both girls.

In the beginning of 2026, two of my work friends decided to apply for the Long Beach Police Department and they convinced me to apply as well. When I was filling out the personal history statement and background questionnaire, I got to the sections about illegal sexual activity. One of the checkmarks was soliciting prostitution. I put yes and wrote down the same story of what happened with the two girls. I had also checked yes on the other section regarding work history where I admitted to attendance issues and unexcused absences from work.

I attended the physical abilities test where they had a team of background investigators going through the background questionnaire and PST packets for every applicant. Eventually, my name got called and the BI briefly glazed over my story about the prostitution. He never questioned me about it for some reason. What alarmed him more was my attendance and unexcused absences. He brought my paperwork to the LT and Sergeant in charge of recruitment and he came back with a decision. He gave me the option to voluntarily withdraw instead of getting a disqualification and so I withdrew.

Do I have any chance of becoming a cop or will I always get disqualified because of what I did? I would rather know now instead of wasting time and getting my hopes up. If I still have a chance, what can I do at this point? If there is any helpful advice at all, I am open to DMs. Thank you.

My uncle works in crisis/mental health sector of our city police (Austin TX). He has expressed a need for childcare support for officers working overnight who are single parents/shared custody and such. What would be a reasonable rate? I have 3 years experience babysitting with a range from 6m-10y & 2 years experience in the daycare setting ranging from 9w-17y. Additionally I have a bachelors and masters in early childhood education/development. I currently work for $25/hour. I was thinking of a base rate for a “sleep window” of 10 hours for $150. And any extra “wake hours” being my regular $25 an hour.

For example 7pm- 7am would essentially be $150 + $25x2 =$200.00 for 12 hours. Is this too steep? I’m trying to take into account that not every parent has the luxury to pay for childcare but my credentials as well. Any suggestions?

I’m currently 19 years old. I applied to a police department a few months ago and finally received an email with my civil service exam date. I received the study guide, went through it, and answered all the questions. Everything seemed pretty easy to understand. I plan on studying the guide religiously and taking a couple of paid practice tests. What else would you recommend I do to prepare?

Thank you to all current and former LEOs for your service!

Hey everyone, for officers in Ontario, just wondering if anyone has passed the PREP circuit without ever having practised on the push-pull machine beforehand?

I’ve passed the beep test, but I’ve never had any exposure or experience with the push-pull machine, so I’m a little unsure what to expect. Has anyone gone into the PREP circuit without practising on it and still managed to pass?

Would appreciate hearing about your experiences. Thanks!

I’m 31 years old, prior Marine with an accounting background. I’m looking to move out of NY and down to NC, but also want to make a career change. I’ve applied to a few BLET sponsored agencies in NC in the triangle area, including Cary.

Given that I’m an out of state applicant with no LE experience, would that hinder my chances of going through the hiring process?

Can I join federal law enforcement fbi, secret service, etc with diagnosed ocd even if I've been off meds for 3 years?

Looking to get a different duty belt because my service provided one is uncomfortable, sags and digs into my sides when I sit in the patrol vehicle.

I’ve been inundated with ads about a padded rachet style duty belt from badgeboys. Wondering if anyone has tried it? The rachet micro adjustments sound appealing but I can’t really find reviews online.

Anyone work for a department in the Austin area? I’m moving to Texas and trying to decide where I want to work? I currently work in a decently busy area but usually not call to call and have time to write my reports before the end of shift half of the time. I don’t wanna be the new guy that comes from a another department that has no clue how to handle stuff. We don’t have a high violent crime rate in the area I work in currently either.

1 year, 5 DQ's, and 20+ applications later in the PNW.
Younger guy, questionable background, but corrections experience.
Applied in May, Oral Board in July, Hired in October.
To top it all off I ended up getting a better agency than I expected with few vacancies, vs the so called "desperate" ones.

The Chief told me I start in 2 weeks and to put my 2 weeks notice in now. However he said HR needs a couple days to finalize the final offer paperwork, seems a little fishy but I have to to get my pto paid out.

Any advice moving forward transitioning from a high speed jail to the academy and a high speed fto program?

Thanks to all you guys for your information on the process that helps guys like me get hired!

Like the title says, I’ve considered leaving law enforcement after 5 years. I don’t enjoy the job the way I did when I first started but I don’t feel fully prepared to leave and am not really sure what I’d end up doing after. The biggest push is my wife, who was okay with my career before we got married and now brings up how she wants me to have a “safer” and more family-friendly job when it comes to scheduling. Have any of you experienced this or have any ideas of how to handle this. Also I have discussed with her that I don’t feel like I’m ready to hang up the belt and vest yet. Thanks for any help.

As the title say, have you ever thought you blew an interview and got the job overall? I only ask because I just interviewed for a suburb department that has 3 openings but about 20 of us interviewed with some guys already with LEO experience (I have no none). I did fairly well but some answers could’ve been better. (Just to note, I’m not banking on the job and if not selected to move forward we go next fellas!)

As with everyone ever probably, after the interview, you always think “damn I could’ve answered that better”. Has this happened to you? If so what was your overall experience?

I was wondering if i’ll have a competitive edge as a correctional officer applying to a municipal police force

For Halloween, my family is doing a Spartan theme, which includes helmets, armor, prop swords for the kids and real (not sharpened but definitely real) swords for my wife and I. My question: is it legal to carry a sword (in a sheath on my waist) while trick or treating? My wife (a life time Illinois resident) says it’s legal as long as you don’t carry it with the intent to use it unlawfully (720 ICLS 5/24-1). However, according to 720 ICLS 5/24-6, the law states that it is misdemeanor to “carry or possess a knife with a blade exceeding 3 inches on any land supported in part or whole by public funds,” which to me, would include public sidewalks. However, my wife says that “lands supported by public funds” does not apply to sidewalks that are not adjacent to government buildings or within 1000 feet of a school, government building or public park because if it did, people with valid CCL’s would not be allowed to carry guns on public sidewalks just as they’re not allowed to carry in public parks and government buildings, which we know is not the case.

Another thing is that the law specifically says “dangerous weapons or any instrument with a likeness thereof” which to me would include plastic prop swords as well but my wife argues that does not apply to plastic props.

What do you guys think? I would encourage any lawyers or LEO personnel to weigh in, but all responses and interpretations are welcome.

Thanks!

I’m a 30 year-old construction project manager with about 5 years of experience in the construction industry. For a long time, I’ve been interested in pursuing a career with either the FBI or ATF, but my dad wasn’t too happy about that career choice when I was younger.

Now, I’m at a point where I’m getting tired of the constant headaches, politics, and BS that come with working in construction. I’ve been thinking seriously about making a career change and finally pursuing something I’ve always wanted to do.

I’m just not sure whether making this kind of transition at 30 is a realistic move. I’d appreciate any advice.

I am not a law enforcement official, but from the shows I watch, mostly law enforcement couldn't apprehend and search suspects with evidence more effectively or quickly because of how bureaucratic the warrant request process is.

If you could change or improve that, what would it be?

In my eyes, I was thinking of maybe a digital warran process, where officers can simply request and describe close-ended details on the phone then type in open-ended details with specific wording and submit it to the system. And all it takes for the warrant approval process is for the chief or other leaders to sign it with a single button.

All my fellow police officers. What are ways you make extra income without pulling overtime. Just a father of two trying to make ends meet

I have recently resigned from the SO to join a smaller local PD closer to home, I was not at the SO for a full year, I needed to do what is best for me. I am being called a traitor by the SO for committing to a PD that offers higher pay, better hours, and a take home car. Despite doing what is best for me and my family, I can’t help but feel it has left a negative stain on my reputation. I will be going from a 1 hour 10 minute commute to 6 minutes.

What is the general consensus on this? My SO has no contract etc, I was still a probationary employee.

Hey all has anyone here had experience hiring coaching like armoganct ? I applied for 1 department and got a non select i do have a couple of blemishes on my background from teenage years getting into fights and whatnot im just wondering if its worth pursuing other departments with some coaching or these hurdles from my past wont even get me to an interview.

All advise is welcomed