OfficersAgenciesEveryone

Hiring timelines

Agency pages, and job posts from agencies, can show a Hiring timeline with two clearly labelled parts.

Agency-provided

A verified agency lists its steps (application, written test, physical fitness test, oral board, polygraph, psychological exam, background investigation, academy, field training) with a typical duration for each, and its lateral policies: whether it accepts certifications from other states, whether laterals get an abbreviated academy or a waiver, and how lateral pay steps are set. The agency is responsible for this information. Agencies edit it from the dashboard under Hiring process.

Officer-reported

Verified officers can report how long hiring took them: weeks from application to offer, the year, and whether they were a lateral. Every report is checked by a moderator.

• Shown only as a median once at least 5 different verified officers have reported for that agency. The middle-half range needs 8, and the lateral median needs 5 laterals.
• A single report is never shown, and never with a name. Agencies can't see who reported.
• One report per agency per officer: sending again replaces your earlier one. You can delete it any time.

Timelines are for planning only and change over time. Confirm with the agency.