Long Beach PD

[SoCalHopeful]

Hey all, haven't seen any recent threads for Long Beach PD so I was thinking maybe we can start one.

Anyone have any idea how competitive they are? How similar the hiring process is? What they tend to look for in their applicants, etc.

[clof2001]

When I tested with them, there were over 3,500 applicants for 60 spots. I made it all the way through, but ended up being #70 overall (or somewhere around there) and didn't end up going to their academy.

I don't know if they've changed since, but their background process was 9-12 months long...after passing all the written and physical tests. LB is high population and very diverse city and has a significant population of east Asian immigrants. Also very large LGBT+ that is influential in politics. Know as much about the city as you can... history, current events, transportation (one of the largest sea ports in the world), airport, university, etc.

I remember their PAT was challenging, so be in your best shape. Good grades in school and any college coursework will be a plus. My BI actually went and interviewed one of my high school teachers.

They don't use any of the CA POST written or physical standards in their testing, everything they did was the "Long Beach way." They have a lot of pride in their department and the way they do things, so be prepared to tow the company line. Know who their fallen officers are. Know the history of the department. They are a pretty big agency and have lots of special assignments and things to do in a career. Pay and benefits were good from what I remember, but it's expensive to live there.

I remember them coming across as the CHP of municipal police departments. If I could go back and test with them again I would, but I no longer live in the area. Good luck.

[SoCalHopeful]

Lots of great info, thanks! Seems to be what I've found while doing research. It seems like a really good department and I've only heard good things about them, so makes sense that they're pretty competitive.

Currently in the process with LAPD and LASD so I might apply if either of those departments don't work out.

[SoCalGuy25]

i used to work in LBPD. PM me with any questions you have.

[SoCalHopeful]

PM'd I think, not sure how it works on this site.

[SoCalGuy25]

For anyone who’s interested in applying or already in the process, class 94 (next LBPD academy) will start Thursday August 29th with selection calls going out June 20th. The current batch didn’t yield enough applicants so it’s re-opened for additional applicants to add to the selection pool for the August academy.

[BlackEdge702]

Any idea when their next orientation/PAT is?

[Beachdude49]

-April 13-PAT/Orientation
-April 14-BAI

[SoCalHopeful]

Just applied!

[SoCalHopeful]

Guess I'll post my progress in here, maybe we can keep this Long Beach thread like other departments for future applicants. But I took the Frontline NTN test. Got 96% in reading, 93% in writing, and 84% on the video testing so I passed. Now just waiting to hear from Long Beach about the orientation/physical test.

If anyone has any tips on the interview, that'd be great! I'm pretty certain I'll pass the physical test.

[Dt1911]

Guess I'll post my progress in here, maybe we can keep this Long Beach thread like other departments for future applicants. But I took the Frontline NTN test. Got 96% in reading, 93% in writing, and 84% on the video testing so I passed. Now just waiting to hear from Long Beach about the orientation/physical test.

If anyone has any tips on the interview, that'd be great! I'm pretty certain I'll pass the physical test.

For the interview, know about the city, the department, and how community policing works...etc.

For the PAT, try to keep your 1.5 mile under 12 minutes and you'll be good.

[SoCalHopeful]

Definitely plan on knowing lots about the department and community policing. As far as knowing about the city, I always get tripped up on this part. Do I just mention what I like about the city and how much it has to offer? I doubt they care if I know the square mileage and what year it was founded, right?

But yeah, I'm hoping to at least keep my 1.5 mile under 12 minutes. I'm actually gonna run a mock 1.5 mile today after work. I generally do sprint intervals for running, I don't test my times too often.

[cruz0311]

Why do you think theyre not going to care what the square mileage, the year the city was founded, who the mayor is, whats the demographics. You are wanting to work for their city, if you dont care to learn or find out about the city, why should they take your application seriously. Good luck, LBPD is super selective. You can go through the hiring process only to be axed at selections for things in your background that others may not have.

[SoCalHopeful]

Guess square mileage makes sense so that was a bad example. I can see how the current mayor and current demographics are important. But I personally don't see the importance in knowing that the city was settled by the Spanish in 1784.

But I can look into that since it's important. See that's why I ask these questions.

[BlackEdge702]

No dude, dont dig that deep. Keep it simple. Size, colleges, airport, infrastructure like the port, yearly events like the pride festival. Dont go back 100s of years. Give them the basics of the city.

[SoCalHopeful]

Yeah that's what I figured. I'm not there to give a history lesson, I'm there to talk about the city today and why I'd want to work there.

I have seen several people mention the LGBT population so I'm definitely going to mention something about that.

Thanks!

[SoCalGuy25]

For the interview, know about the city (size, population, mayor, attractions and events such as LGBT parade, Grand Prix, etc) and PD (chief, size of the dept, various assignments).

[SoCalHopeful]

Totally forgot about the grand prix! Slipped my mind. But I'll be sure to remember that too. Thank you!

[SoCalHopeful]

Just got the email to attend the orientation/physical testing on April 13 but unfortunately I've had a trip planned for months that's already paid for. The email did mention that I will still be eligible for the Fall testing process so I just have to wait until then. Kind of a bummer but since graduating college, I've been putting off family vacations to save PTO at work so I could attend tests for various departments. So while I'm torn because this is something I do want, I've been frustrating my fiance who I know has been wanting to take a vacation.