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 Preparing
for the Police Academy
any candidates are concerned about successfully completing academy
training. If you have similar concerns it's best to begin preparing
now for the rigors that recruit training will produce. We've provided
some general guides on this page to aid candidates in their endeavors
to become Philadelphia Police Officers.
Physical Training
In order to prepare you physically for training, a potential candidate
should diet and exercise. Be sure that your height is commensurate
with your weight. In addition; attention should be given to cardio-vascular
exercises and aerobics. A candidate should also develop a jogging-running
pro- gram so that they may be able to run approximately two miles
in a limited amount of time.
Mental Preparation
Much of police work is standardized, routine, and even boring.
If you are the type of person who needs excitement eight hours
a day, you may be disappointed. However; the police profession,
especially in a large urban environment can be exciting and rewarding.
You will be exposed to every human emotion and condition.
A candidate needs to make an honest assessment of themselves in
order to determine if they have the type of personality which
can handle the vast range of situations they may encounter. A
police officer, may for example, find a lost child one moment
and then, respond to a shooting or a hostage situation, the next.
Practice Exams
The best way to prepare for an examination is to know something
about the exam you are about to take, and then practice. You must
be able to look at a street map and determine the shortest distance
be- tween two points. For example, how to get from City Hall to
Police Headquarters while obeying traffic laws regarding one-way
streets.
In addition; you will be tested to see if you can associate a
face with a crime or other characteris tic. For example; you may
be shown several drawings of people with their names, occupations,
or type of crime they are known to commit. You will then be asked
to identify a face with a name, or crime, etc. This is known as
learning by association and with practice, you will become proficient
at it. Learn to observant of other people and surroundings.
Interview Preparation
As part of the hiring process, you will be interviewed by members
of the police department. There are two things you need to do
in order to prepare for this interview; practice and be honest
with the inteviewer.
Some people feel uneasy or uncomfortable when being interviewed.
One way to alleviate this problem is to practice. Begin with holding
a normal conversation with a friend or relative. And then, progress
to a question and answer session, having them ask you a series
of questions. For example; why do you want to become a police
officer? Or, what would you do if you witnessed an assault in
progress? Remember, practice makes perfect.
Again, be honest and straightforward with your responses. The
interviewers are professionals who are able to detect misleading
or evasive answers.
Suggested Reading
In addition to becoming familiar with maps and directional charts,
you should read books which test your associative memory, as mentioned
earlier. Finally, learn as much as you can about the City of Philadelphia,
its history, government, geography as well as, the history of
the police department.
| Information
listed here is believed to be current at the time of publication.
However, some of the material presented here may have expired
since it was posted. Persons should contact a Philadelphia Police
representative whenever relying on dated material or information
that is subject to change. |
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