Sgt. Daryl Brown can thank the Navy for not only training him and getting him ready to join the police force after leaving the sea service, but also for introducing him to his second career.
Brown grew up in Texas, but left the Lone Star State to join the Navy. He served as an intelligence specialist and took part in Desert Storm. After serving four years, he came back to Texas to get his college degree, but he stayed in the Reserve and was eventually activated. During the activation, he trained with police officers from New Orleans and Houston.
I had taken a personality-profile test at the University of Houston, Brown said. It said I had similar thoughts and ideas to two occupations: police officer and optometrist. I guess it was meant to be.
He joined up and then served 13 years on the police dive team and even went back to the Navy dive school with a group of other police divers. He has also served in the vice department, had duty as a city marshal, done undercover work and for the past year-and-a-half worked in recruiting.
The military translates right into our line of work, Brown said. We also have rules of engagement, a command structure, equipment to use and maintain, a code of conduct we are expected to adhere to in all circumstances and important policies and procedures.
The Houston Police Department is the largest municipal police department in Texas. Because of that, according to Brown, its officers have more opportunities and better chances to move up than in other police departments. He points to his own career when it comes to someone having a diverse choice of opportunities. I may not have been able to have these kinds of opportunities in other police departments, Brown said.
Applicants are screened carefully before they are brought on board by the Houston Police Department. There is a credit check, pre-screening questionnaire, interviews, physical agility test, polygraph exam, background investigation, drug testing and physiological testing and evaluation. Its similar with other police departments of about the same size and something that the Houston PD takes very seriously.
The next class isn't until March 2010, but Brown says that applicants shouldn't wait to get their paperwork in and to contact the department. There is a second class in May of next year, but at press time there were no other classes scheduled in 2010. Brown, however, expects more classes to be added later in 2010. About 70 applicants are accepted in each class.
Each application is good for one year, so if a service member is thinking about getting out (of the military) and would like to join the department they should turn in their application about three months before their last day in the military, Brown said. I would encourage anyone who is considering joining us to take part in our ride-along program to see what it is like to be a police officer.
Brown also noted that Houston has grown in recent years and that the police department is currently determining who is retiring. He expects the department to be hiring for a number of years and also noted that it has never laid off classified personnel.
Houston is also a great place to live and work, Brown said. There is affordable housing and lots of diversity and culture. Veterans will take to it and working at the Houston PD right away.
By Jim Van
SlykeSearch & Employ Magazine
http://www.recruitmilitary.com/
