Police Reserve Questions

[Clackamas Jack]

Hello,

I have been recently interested in becoming a Police Reserve officer. I been wanting to serve the community in my spare time think this would be an great opportunity. I have served in the US Army for 8 years and now my current career I investigate commercial vehicle auto accidents. I believe I meet the requirements to become an reserve officer but don't know much about it. How hard is it to become one? Does every department have a reserve unit or at least have an option to be a reserve officer? Any members have experience in being a reserve officer and if so how do/did you like it?

Thanks!

 

[L.C.]

You would need to check if your local department has a reserve program. If so the department will have Or link up with another department and have a Reserve CLEET Class and get certified as a Reserve Police officer.
The law block is the hardest part but I don't think you will have any problem with it.(It's not as extensive as full time certified police officer)
Just go and ask your local department or one of your local police officers.

 

[Gunbuffer]

Reserves are second class police officers in many/most PDs.
You are on the hook with the same responsibilities but yet have less training and less experience. Go volunteer at the local Animal shelter if you want to do good and feel good about it.

 

[OK Corgi Rancher]

The only experience I have with reserves is in Colorado. At many departments there all full time/regular officers are hired from the pool of reserves. Not sure if it's that way here or not. Also, they were usually fully P.O.S.T. certified, Level 1 officers...just like a full time officer.

 

[OK Corgi Rancher]

I have to say, volunteering at a local animal shelter is a pretty good way to help out your community. I did it for over 20 years. Aside from wanting to take them all home and not being able to it was very rewarding.

 

[SoonerP226]

I don't know how many PDs in Oklahoma have reserves, but I think most, if not all, of the county sheriffs do. I used to know a few regular and reserve deputies, and I don't recall any of them giving any indication that the reserves were being treated as second class deputies, but that's just my perspective from the outside.

I know one guy who used to volunteer as a reserve deputy (getting paid would've somehow affected his pension). He was on their outstanding warrant task force and got to do a goodly amount of door kicking with them--from what I gathered, they were generally out looking for bad dudes, not your college kid who failed to appear for a hearing on a speeding ticket. Of course, he'd been working as a reserve deputy for many years before he pulled that duty.

 

[user 51785]

Reserves are second class police officers in many/most PDs.
You are on the hook with the same responsibilities but yet have less training and less experience. Go volunteer at the local Animal shelter if you want to do good and feel good about it.

don't listen to this guy he don't know what he's talking about. reserves are not second class. broken arrow has reserves and they go thru all the same training as full time cops and they have the same authority as the full time guys. there are a lot of departments that have reserves you just have to call and ask.

 

[Toothpick]

Most smaller departments have reserves. They can send you to a reserve academy which is often done on evenings and weekends or to Ada for the entire training. I see that you are from Tulsa, you might check with Skiatook, Kiefer, Collinsville, etc.
And you will have the same authority as a full time PO.

 

[Roy14]

You’ll save more lives and upset less of your neighbors as a volunteer fireman.

 

[ttown]

Just don’t screw up, this case comes to mind. Helping the elderly get to doctors appointments and shopping needs in your area or someone you know is far less risky imo.

Tulsa Reserve Deputy Convicted of Manslaughter in Death of Eric Harris

Jurors recommended that Robert Bates, 74, serve the maximum sentence of four years in prison. Bates said he meant to grab his Taser and not his gun.

www.nbcnews.com