Portland PD (OR)

[NPDeLeon]

So my buddy did did a written test for an entry level position at Portland PD. He said he didn't have any probs with the written test itself, but he was very confused with a background questionnaire that he had to fill out after the written exam. He said there was multiple questions regarding if he'd taken any drugs and stuff like that, Marijuana is something he tried awhile ago, so he checked yes on that on. One other question that was asked if he'd had a warrant for an arrest regarding traffic violations. Apparently there was a time when he did have one, but it was a mistake by the court and it was dropped, but when he asked the moderator they said that he should just check yes to be 'safe'. Apparently if you lie on any question you can never test for portland PD ever again. I guess what I'm getting at is if these questions are used as screeners or do they actually look into the answers, like the pot one, are they going to look past him for answering yes; or even the warrant one?

Now here's a question regarding me, when I was 15 I lived in Oregon but my father lived in Washington, I went up to visit him and my little brothers and we went camping and decided to go fishing. My dad said the legal age for fishing w/o a liscense ws 16. Apparently he was dead wrong, so the fish/game officer cited me for fishing w/o a liscense and the court date was 2 weeks later. My dad asked the officer if he could take my place in court since I was only there for a few days and he said that should be no problem...well it was a problem and when my dad stood in court for me the Judge said he was giving wrong info and they issued a warrant for my arrest at 15!!! We got it taken care of the next day and everything was peachy. SO if i have to answer a question like that, have you had a warrant or something, do I answer yes, or would it be cleared from my record from now it has no bearing?

Sorry so long...just want to get the info right to you guys...

[pkagel]

Answer honestly. Any box you check yes will req further explaination and you give them an honest explaination. I wouldn't really worry about any of that stuff affecting you on your app w/ PPD, they are smart enough to know that kids make mistakes and in some rare instances they are not your fault. Your father probably did this the age was 16 and he'll explain that to PPD when they BI you.

[Serpico]

I was looking into Portland Police Bureau. They offer relocation money as well as assistance finding a house. Outside of DC, I've never seen anything like that in a large department.

Your buddy took the test on the 25th? Did he mention how long he was in there for the writtens & background??

[NPDeLeon]

Yes Sir on the 25th...He said he got there @ 8 am, took the writ and was done by 11, then he said something about a long break for lunch, then had to be back for the background/psychology screens. He said he was done by 3 pm. Hope that helps!

[Serpico]

Yes Sir on the 25th...He said he got there @ 8 am, took the writ and was done by 11, then he said something about a long break for lunch, then had to be back for the background/psychology screens. He said he was done by 3 pm. Hope that helps!

7 hours isn't bad for all that. Did he mention anything about the number of applicants at the testing?

[lfinest]

I was scheduled to take the test as well, but I received a job offer before the 25th. I can't remember the number taking the test, but they are currently hiring 75!!!

[NPDeLeon]

He said roughly 300 people taking the written part.

[concon02]

He said roughly 300 people taking the written part.

75 out of 300 police officers is still a really big ratio to be hiring. That's awesome. Portland seems like a chill city. My aunt and uncle live there, but I haven't been up there since I was pretty young.

[Serpico]

The next writtens are on October 29th. I plan on having my 60 credit hours done by next May, so hopefully I can test while I'm still in school.

[NPDeLeon]

Good idea man! Good luck with the test! I still have 1 year left till I can graduate so I'm looking to test around marchish or even after i'm done w/ school totally. I think Portland PD would be a great place to start, but I think I'm going to try and get on with a smaller agency first, hopefully where I was an explorer, get some actual work experience under my belt and then think about moving up lateraly!

[Serpico]

Could you describe Portland to me? I've never been, is it similiar to Seattle?
If they're hiring 75 officers now and they estimate they lose 40 a year to retirement, they're gonna be hiring steady for the next few years anyways.

[NPDeLeon]

Well, i'll try my hardest to do the best I can to explain portland:

I would say that as a city it is similar to Seattle, just not as big. I'm not from portland but go frequently to shop and such. downtown is always crowded, there is a very good mixture of diverse people in the city and there is always something to do. Has an amazing waterfront area where the Saturday Market is located which is a great attraction, especially in the summer. It's a seasonal area, doesn't rain as much as Seattle, winters can get ugly, spring and summers are primetime for tourism. My friend went on a ride along the night before he tested and the officer who was a younger guy said that there is always someing the MDT for them to do, more geared towards responding to calls as opposed to traffic stops, i guess the officer said that traffic stops aren't very common with portland PD; it's always busy. I could have my girl right something up for ya giving you a better feel for the city since she lived there for 2+ years before moving to Eugene with me. Keep in touch w/ me, i'd like to know how your progress goes with them!

[jakflak]

That's no big deal at all, but you need to tell them about it. When in doubt, write it down.

[jakflak]

Could you describe Portland to me? I've never been, is it similiar to Seattle?.

I used to live there; it's a great town. Traffic sucks, but most big cities have that problem.

The coolest thing is there are two active volcanos in site of the cite .

(there are actually 120 extinct small volcanos throughout the city)

[Serpico]

Thanks for the info everybody. I'm definately liking how they offer 5 large to move you out, payable over 10 years with zero interest. That's gonna help me a great deal. NPD, I'm thinking about heading out there within the next year to check the city out and go on a ride along. If you can get a line on some places of interest, I'd really appreciate it.

Also, I'm contemplating taking a few Spanish courses. Is there a large Spanish speaking population in Portland?