The Police Academy Experience Part 1: The Oral Board Interview

How to make sure you're the best candidate

So you’re interested in learning about the police academy? After scouring the Internet, I discovered there’s not all that much information on what to expect. What does exist is either really, really general to the point of uselessness, or it just covers a tiny sliver of the experience. This series will hopefully fill that void!

In a matter of days, I’ll be starting a police academy in Colorado. The plan is to document the experience as closely as possible to give you, the reader, an accurate perception of what to expect. This first post will cover the interview process, also known in law enforcement circles as an “oral board.” Yeah, I still chuckle at that, too.

Anyway, you will probably encounter the oral board process conducted by folks from the academy as a prerequisite to entering the academy, or with a law enforcement agency to be sponsored to attend the academy. Being “sponsored” just means the agency will pay for you to attend the academy by covering tuition, books, and other costs, and in many cases, paying you a wage of some sort.

Before I get to the details of the oral board, it’s worth noting there are other requirements for either of the paths above. You will have to undergo a background check of some sort (to assure you’re not a criminal, you’re not in financial trouble, you’re not a junkie, and so on. You will also likely have to pass a physical test of some sort, which will be another post I’ll write in the future.

In my situation, I did my oral board with the agency that’s sponsoring me, which I’ve worked at for a little over a year. I also had an extremely informal “oral board” with the academy I’m attending, but it more for the purposes of getting o know me than vetting me as a cadet. This post will focus on the “sponsorship” oral board I did with my agency.

If you’re not sponsored and paying your own way through the academy, you’ll most likely still have an oral board interview to get in, but it won’t require this much work. However, once you get through the academy and are looking for a job, the lessons that follow will apply.

Understanding the Big Picture of Why They are Hiring

Every employer hiring employees does so for the same reason - they’re trying to solve a problem. In most cases, that problem is they don’t have anyone internally who can fill the role they’re hiring. So your goal in the interview (or oral board) is to convince the people doing the hiring that you are the best solution to that problem.

The interview process is a competitive process, meaning you’re competing against every other candidate they’re interviewing. The person who “wins” is the person they’re going to hire. Treating the process like any other competition isn’t a common approach, but it’s the simplest, most direct way to be extremely successful.

Fortunately, winning this particular game is pretty easy because VERY few candidates frame interviews as a means of the employer solving problems, and even fewer candidates understand they’re competing against the other candidates. Treating the process in this manner will pretty much guarantee you’ll be an extremely strong candidate.

Step One: Know Yourself

Before you start the process, it’s important to know yourself well, and understand how other people perceive you. If you’re an introspective person, you probably already have plenty of insight. If you’re not, taking a few free online personality tests can be helpful. Try these:

• 16 Personalities: My personal favorite. This is a version of the Myers/ Briggs test. This particular version is helpful because the results actually give you a list of strengths and weaknesses.

• The Big Five Test: Another good, free test based on the Big 5 Personality traits.

• High 5 Test: A good test that will assess your five greatest strengths.

The goal here is to identify the five greatest strengths YOU can bring to THIS job that will solve the problem the employers are trying to solve. In general, law enforcement agencies are looking for people which excellent communication skills, exceptional people skills, great critical thinking and problem-solving skills, a strong sense of duty, a track record of ethical behavior, etc. The next step gives you insight to exactly which strengths YOU can offer that will solve a particular agency’s problem.

Step Two: Identify the Problem the Agency is Trying to Solve

In general, every agency is trying to fill vacancies with people who will become great cops. Their problem, then, is trying to identify who will be a great cop for their agency.

To determine what a specific agency is looking for, I HIGHLY recommend doing as many ride-alongs with the agency as possible. Ride-alongs pair a member of the general public with an officer, and they literally ride along as they patrol their community. During the ride-alongs, ask questions about the agency, their philosophy, things they like and dislike about the agency, what common problems they encounter in the community, and so on. The goal is to learn everything you can about the agency that can later be used in the oral board.

Notably, many agencies will be looking for candidates who solve problems they’ve had in the recent past. If they’ve had a lot of turnover, maybe they’re looking for people who seem like they’ll stick around for awhile. If they’ve had people leave for higher pay elsewhere, maybe they’re looking for candidates who care about more than a paycheck. If they’ve had a recent scandal, maybe they’re looking for people who have impeccable ethics. All of this can usually be identified through conversations on ride-alongs.

Do any other research you can about the agency. Read everything on their website. Read reviews on Google and Yelp (if they exist.) Search for news stories from the last few years.

Finally, do research on the community. Learn about the demographics, neighborhoods, and most common crime issues. Learn about the role the agency plays in the community, including where the agency fits into the local (or state) government.

Step Three: Develop a Sales Pitch

You know what you have to offer, and you know what the agency is looking for. Now you need to convince the agency you’re the best solution to their problem. You’re essentially selling yourself to the oral board committee, which will usually consist of three to six people, most of which work in various roles within the agency.

This sales pitch should highlight your strengths, and address your weaknesses they will likely perceive. There’s no one universal right way to do this; each of us are unique and will have different strengths to highlight and weaknesses to address.

For my strengths, I highlighted the fact that I’m very good at learning new stuff, possess excellent people skills, am very good at creative problem-solving with minimal resources, can be extremely independent while also working as a productive member of a team, and had worked with every member of our current patrol division extensively for the last year.

The biggest weaknesses the oral board would likely perceive was my age (46, though addressing my age directly would be a violation of labor laws) and the fact that I’ve jumped around to several different jobs over the last decade or so.

My game plan would need to highlight all of those strengths in some way, and address both of those weaknesses. To do this, go back to the qualities that make a good police officer in general, and what you think the agency is looking for in particular. You’ll use this information to develop answers to common questions, which we’ll do next.

Step Four: Anticipate Questions You’ll Be Asked, and How You Will Answer Them.

The oral board is going to ask you a bunch of questions, most of which will be pretty predictable. At the end of this post in the appendix, I included 118 commonly-asked questions. Some of the questions are redundant; this is intentional to practice different wording of the same ideas. Each of the questions should be answered in a way that highlights one or more of your strengths and/or addresses one of your perceived weaknesses, and done in a way that convinces the oral board that you’re the best solution to their problem.

This process is time-consuming, but well worth the time. The mental process of considering each answer will create a bunch of thematic “scripts” in your head. When you’re asked similar questions in the actual interview, the script will give you a roadmap to follow so your answers are coherent and persuasive. Most of all, this will make your answers feel genuine (which they are… that’s the point of the earlier exercises.)

One specific question deserves special attention. Pretty much every oral board will ask what you’ve done to prepare for the interview. Almost everyone will fumble this question. Which is unfortunate, because the oral board will usually select the person who has done the most preparation. And this is your opportunity to let them know everything you’ve done. I actually make a ONE page bulleted list of everything I’ve done, which usually includes, in order:

• All ride-alongs I’ve done and with whom

• Any volunteering I’ve done with the agency

• Anything I’ve done to get to know our community

• Any research I’ve done on the agency and the members of the agency

• Any books I’ve read on law enforcement

• Any law enforcement podcasts, websites, or social media personalities I follow

• Any training I’ve had in defensive tactics, driving, shooting, emergency medicine, the law, or the Constitution

• Or anything else that might prepare you for a career in law enforcement.

When the oral board asks this question, I’ll hand each of them a printed copy of this sheet (with my name prominently printed at the top), then briefly discuss the most important points. This creates a really powerful “I’m taking this job interview seriously” vibe.

Step Five: Plan the Questions YOU Ask at the End

At the end of the interview, the oral board will ask you if you have any questions for them. Have at least two questions ready to ask them. The best questions reiterate a strength of yours, while also expressing genuine interest in the agency.

The first time I interviewed with my current agency, I was interviewing for their animal control position. Based on information I learned during a ride-along, I knew they didn’t have a formal training plan for the position. Every animal control officer they had hired had prior experience, so they didn’t require training. Earlier in the interview, I had already repeatedly highlighted that I was an independent, self-directed learner, so I could teach myself the position. But I also knew they wanted to develop a training plan for the future. So one of my final questions was (paraphrased):

“I understand the agency doesn’t have an animal control training plan. As a former high school teacher, I’ve spent many years developing curriculum, which is basically a training plan. When I get this position, will I have the opportunity to develop a plan for the animal control position?”

I already knew the answer; the sergeant I had done a ride-along with mentioned nobody else in the agency had the thorough knowledge or the desire to develop said plan. But this question gave me the opportunity to highlight my strengths AND solve a specific problem nobody else wanted to solve.

Step Six: The Optional Bonus Material

Those five steps will be more than adequate. However, you can go even farther in your research and try to anticipate who will be on the oral board, and who the other candidates might be.

If you find out who might be on the oral board, you can tailor information specific to them. As an example, for my last high school teaching job interview, I knew I would be interviewed by a panel consisting of an assistant principle and at least two people from the department I would be a part of if hired. The pool consisted of about ten people. I scoured social media and local news (TV, newspaper, and radio) to learn as much as I could. The specific information that was useful were the places they’ve lived, their hobbies and interests, and their children and pets. All of that information can be subtly woven throughout your answers, which is an incredibly effective method to build rapport and be more likeable. Using this method, I was able to make a personal connection with each of the people on that committee, which was instrumental in landing the position.

If you find out who the other candidates might be, you can use the same process to learn about them. Their information is much trickier to use, but the idea is to SUBTLY minimize their strengths and maximize THEIR perceived weaknesses by highlighting YOUR strengths. This can be a dangerous game if you’re not good at reading people and skilled in the use of nuanced suggestion. Screw this up and you run the risk of making yourself look really bad. But if you can pull it off, this can give you a huge advantage over your competition.

Putting it All Together for the Actual Oral Board

If you have an opportunity to schedule the time slot for the interview, it’s best to go last. Second best is to go first. Those two positions are the most impactful, and will be remembered by the oral board in the most detail. In psychology, we call these the recency effect and the primacy effect, respectively. If you get scheduled somewhere in the middle, ask to change to the first or last slot.

The day before the interview, get some rigorous exercise and avoid caffeine after noon. That will assure you get plenty of sleep. Stay hydrated, and eat balanced meals. Avoid spicy or exotic foods you don’t normally eat. Review your questions and answers at least once, preferably twice at different times during the day. Have your clothing and any other materials laid out. Speaking of clothing, men need to be wearing a suit and women need to be wearing the equivalent. Make sure you’re exceptionally well-groomed. You will be graded on appearance.

On the day of the interview, show up fifteen minutes early. Be friendly with everyone you encounter. When you meet the members of the oral board, make eye contact, shake their hand firmly, and introduce yourself. When you sit down, maintain a relaxed, upright posture. As you answer questions, make eye contact with each member of the board. Your demeanor should express enthusiasm for the opportunity. Don’t be afraid to express passion. When you finish, shake hands again and thank the board for the opportunity.

After you leave, send a brief thank you email to each of the oral board members, and express you’re excited about working for the agency.

Conclusion

This is a long, time-consuming process. But it works. If you really want a job, following this process should give you a tremendous advantage.

I’ve used some variation of this process since I was a teenager, and it’s worked for 22 of the 24 interviews I’ve done. The only two times it didn’t work were because I was beaten by a phenomenal candidate (for a head football coaching job) and I simply choked (for a school security guard job.) Every other time, I got the job.

Give it a shot! If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email to curvyroadproject “at” gmail “dot” com. Put ORAL BOARD QUESTION in the subject line so I don’t ignore it (damn spammers!)

In the next post in this series, I’ll discuss physically preparing for the police academy. At the academy I’ll be attending, we do a pre-test using the Cooper testing standards, which involves one minute of pushups, one minute of situps, a vertical jump, a mile and a half run, and a 300 meter run. Each “event” is graded superior, excellent, good, fair, poor, or very poor based on age. To get into the academy, you need to have an average of at least “poor” for the five events.

~Jason

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Appendix: Big List of Oral Board Questions

1. WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO BECOME A POLICE OFFICER?

2. TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF

3. WHY DO YOU WANT TO WORK AT THIS AGENCY?

4. WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST WEAKNESSES?

5. If you saw another officer completing a crime, what would you do?

6. If a superior officer told you to do something you knew was against regulations, what would you do?

7. If you had to arrest a family member, what would you do?

8. You and your partner are driving a dangerous prisoner to jail. On your way, you see a car accident and there seem to be injured people as the cars are quite damaged. What would you do?

9. You are driving alone when you see a man grabbing a woman’s purse. They both engage in an argument and the man starts to strike the woman with his hands in order to get control of the purse. What would you do?

10. Your supervisor assigns special tasks to all of your co-workers but not to you. When the next assignment comes, she gives it to another police officer who has already participated in a similar task. What would you do?

11. You are investigating a store for possibly selling fake items such as bags, shoes, clothes copying a famous brand. While in the store, the owner offers to give you a discount voucher to use for yourself or your family for any future purchases. What would you do?

12. Due to excessive work on a given assignment, someone needs to work late hours. Everybody in the office has done their share of late shifts except for one person who is refusing to do so. This makes the burden unevenly distributed among you and your colleagues and you see that there is tension. What would you do?

13. Explain three reasons we should hire you.

14. Have you applied to other departments or agencies?

15. Have you had any car accidents recently?

16. How many speeding tickets or driving infractions are on your record?

17. How do you think your friends would describe you?

18. What do you expect from this department?

19. And what are your expectations from the position?

20. What are your career goals?

21. In what areas did you excel in your previous position?

22. Tell us what you know about this department.

23. What is your biggest source of motivation?

24. How do you manage your personal fitness?

25. Do you generally work well with others?

26. What methods do you use to communicate with colleagues?

27. How do you collaborate with your subordinates?

28. Where do you see yourself in five years?

29. What are the three qualities of a great supervisor?

30. What are the three qualities of an outstanding police officer?

31. Name your three best assets.

32. Tell us about the biggest problems you've faced, and how you've remedied them.

33. Do you practice your skills at home or outside of work?

34. How often do you dedicate time to developing your skills?

35. A citizen approaches you and voices their concern that there are reckless drivers frequently causing dangerous situations in their neighborhood. How do you respond?

36. After stopping a reckless driver, they refuse to show you their license and registration. How do you respond?

37. If a superior ordered you to do something against regulations, what would you do?

38. Late one night, you and your partner respond to an armed robbery. Your partner sustains a bullet wound, and the assailant leaves the scene on foot. How do you respond?

39. Would you write a speed ticket for your sister?

40. You are on patrol when you come across a fellow officer committing a crime. What do you do?

41. What did you do to prepare for this interview?

42. Would you arrest a friend or family member?

43. You and your field training officer arrive at a warehouse. He orders you to stand on the corner and watch a door on the side of the building no matter what. He enters to clear the building. You hear the sound of boxes falling. What do you do.

44. Tell us a little about yourself.

45. Why do you want to be a police officer?

46. Who are the County Commissioners? Can you tell me about the Sheriff?

47. “You are in a high speed chase when you come upon railroad tracks. The railroad lights are flashing and the crossing bars are moving down with a train at full speed closing in. You see the suspect barrel through the crossing bars. Do you proceed in the chase?”

48. ”You are off-duty at a friends party. While at this party you observe several individuals who you do not recognize using illegal substances. What do you do?”

49. “You respond to a call about an alleged suicide attempt. You walk into a room where you see a person seated holding a gun to there head. The person states that if you leave, he/she will shoot themselves but if you stay he/she will shoot you. What do you do?”

50. “You and a fellow officer are responding to a domestic incident and when preparing to leave the scene, you notice your partner taking a small item of value from the home and put it in his pocket. What do you do?”

51. “You respond to a call to assist another officer and arrive as the officer is placing the cuffed suspect into his patrol car. After placing the suspect in the car, you witness the officer punch the suspect. What do you do?”

52. “You are called to the scene of a loud party at a private residence and after arriving, notice the underage son of your best friend in the corner of the room holding an alcoholic beverage. What do you do?”

53. “How do you define ‘ethics’ and how do ethics affect your decisions?”

54. Why do you want to work in this industry?

55. Why are you leaving your current job?

56. Where do you see yourself in five years?

57. What's your greatest weakness?

58. Why should I hire you?

59. What is your greatest failure, and what did you learn from it?

60. When were you most satisfied in your job?

61. What did you like least about your job?

62. Describe a time when you did not get along with a co-worker.

63. What motivates you?

64. What are 2-3 qualities that would make for a good police officer?

65. Do you work well with other people?

66. What makes you a suitable candidate as a police officer?

67. What is your greatest accomplishment in life?

68. Give us an example where you did NOT lose your cool in spite of the circumstances.

69. Tell us about a time when you had to resolve a conflict with someone.

70. Give us a situation when you had to deal with someone who was irate and/or hostile towards you.

71. What are the sources of stress in your personal and professional life. How do you manage such stress?

72. When have you had to take charge of a situation in order to resolve a problem?

73. What have you learned from mistakes on the job?

74. When was the last time you were criticized? How did you handle it?

75. Tell us a time when you faced a major obstacle at work. How did you work through it?

76. You are investigating a crime scene and notice a wad of cash missing. You assume your partner took it. What do you do?

77. You are called to a school and when you arrive a man is pointing a gun at you. What do you do? What if it was a 12 year old pointing it at you?

78. A superior officer orders you to do something that goes against policy and/or breaks the law. How do you react?

79. There is a block party going on with about 200 people there. You receive an anonymous loud music complaint, in addition to a tip that there are gang members attending and they may be armed. How do you proceed?

80. You are called to the scene of an accident in the middle of the freeway involving multiple vehicles. One of the persons involved is bleeding and appears to be seriously injured. How do you approach this situation?

81. You pull over a car for not stopping at a stop sign. As you approach the vehicle, the person inside claims that the only reason that you pulled him/her over is because of their race. How do you respond?

82. You and your partner are responding to a call at a local convenience store. As you finish up the investigation and on your way out, you notice that your partner is eating a candy bar. You didn't see him pay for it. What, if anything, would you do?

83. You and your partner are on patrol. As you are driving around, your partner is trying to make conversation, and continually uses racial slurs/derogatory terms towards people of different races. How would you respond?

84. You are on patrol at night a notice a car driving erratically. You pull the vehicle over and find out that the person is intoxicated. This person happens to be the chief of police. How would you handle the situation?

85. You pull over a driver and ask to see his license. The driver refuses. What do you do next?

86. "You are a new officer, and you stop a car for speeding. In the car is a woman who is screaming hysterically about having to leave quickly because her ex-husband just "stole her baby." She won't calm down and she won't shut off the car and get out like you ask. She wants to leave, and you are trying to think about what to do or say to calm her down and have her act rationally. She rolls the window back up before you can react and begins to drive away. What do you do?"

87. Are you opposed to persons with sex-change operations becoming a police officer? If a police officer looked like a male but had the mannerisms and voice of a female, why might they not be able to gain the public's respect?

88. The Chief of Police arrives at a crime scene involving the shooting death of a drug suspect by a police officer. You are guarding the scene and have been told by the Lieutenant Watch Commander that NO ONE, with NO EXCEPTIONS is to enter the crime scene. You tell the Chief this but he tells you to ignore the lieutenant's order and then orders you to step aside and let him pass. Take a few moments to collect your thoughts. (The board waits about one minute before continuing), Okay, now tell us specifically, in 50 words or less, EXACTLY the words you will use in your police report to describe what happened when the Chief of Police arrived on the crime scene.

89. Why do you think you are the right person for this position?

90. What makes you qualified for this position?

91. Give us two reasons why we should hire you.

92. What have you done that shows initiative? Problem solving?

93. What major problems have you faced in your career? In your life? And how have you solved them?

94. How do you get along with co-workers, supervisors, and subordinates?

95. A fellow officer calls for assistance on a family dispute that is getting out of control. Upon your arrival to the house you see the requesting officer struggling with a male subject on the floor. The male subject is on top of the officer attempting to punch him in the face. What are you going to do, and why?

96. What is the biggest law enforcement challenge you see in this community?

97. What do you hope to achieve as a police officer?

98. How do you keep yourself calm in high-stress situations?

99. When faced with a long shift, what steps do you take to stay motivated and alert?

100. What part of your training experience did you appreciate most?

101. If you respond to a physical altercation in progress, how would you break up the fight and diffuse the situation?

102. Tell me about a time you faced a moral dilemma. What was the situation, and how did you approach it?

103. How do you ensure that you can work with different personality types?

104. While on patrol, if you encounter one or more of the persons you need to talk to that don’t speak English, how do you handle the situation?

105. If a superior gave you a lawful order, but you disagreed with it, what would you do?

106. Tell me about a time where you responded to a call and made a mistake on-scene. How did you recover?

107. Why do you think you make a good police officer?

108. Tell me about your greatest weakness and how it impacts you on the job.

109. What strategies do you use to stay objective when responding to a call?

110. Paperwork is a big part of the job. What steps do you take to ensure you remain organized and that all of your reports and documents are finished in a timely manner?

111. As a police officer, how will you make a positive impact on our local community?

112. How would you handle a person who repeatedly called the police for personal issues?

113. How would you handle someone who makes a false report?

114. What did you do to prepare for this interview?

115. Where do you see your law enforcement career taking you?

116. Are there any aspects of traffic laws that you feel you don’t know well?

117. Which of the day-to-day tasks associated with being a police officer do you feel is most important?

118. If you took a violent offender into custody and while en route to booking, you came across a serious vehicle accident, what would you do?