[ShortyCO]

Hi Everybody,
I am currently employed as a Corrections Officer in the state of Maine, I was wondering if anybody knew if my certification would carry over to Mass or if i would have to get re-certified in mass as a corrections officer??

Please let me know...

 

[JGH_7223]

Shorty,
You will have to take the civil service exam. I work with allot of guys from N.H..and R.I. . I would keep a eye open for the next exam it should be soon.JGH

 

[Irishpride]

This is from the Essex County Sheriff's Office website www.eccf.com

If certified out of state, must have a minimum of two (2) years experience and proof of current resident's state certification. Each lateral transfer applicant will be evaluated individually, based on experience, training and education.

 

[GateKeeper]

ShortyCO, if your looking to be a Mass CO, being that your employed out of state, you will first need to take the state civil service test. Second, I believe you will still have to go through the Mass DOC Training Academy. We just had a new guy start that had 9 or so yrs with Worcester County Sheriffs Department. Well I guess you can’t say “new guy“. He’s actually a good kid with a head on his shoulders. I will talk to him again. But I’m pretty sure he had to go through the DOC academy despite all of his past training and experience. What the DOC offers isn’t any better as fair as training, could be even worse. They just want to cover their own butt when it comes to training and policies.

You can call the DOC Recruitment Office, it can be reached during normal business hours at (508) 850-7784. They should be able to answer your questions. Just don’t try them during lunch hour (s), LOL.

Irishpride also offered a great website to visit. And depending on their staffing needs, it might be a little faster. There are many counties in Mass that could be looking for help. The DOC is sometimes a long, drawn out process.

Please feel free to post your questions here. This is a great learning and educating site offered to all interested in any LE field, by all of the MassCops members.

 

[ShortyCO]

I am originally from Franklin county and would really like to move back. I saw on the FCSO website that they do their own training but I don't know if civil service is involved with county jails, does anybody know??

 

[JGH_7223]

I am originally from Franklin county and would really like to move back. I saw on the FCSO website that they do their own training but I don't know if civil service is involved with county jails, does anybody know??

Shorty,
I thought you meant State DOC. I believe you are but I am not sure all set with County.I don't know of any County Department in Mass. that is C.S.. JGH

 

[Irishpride]

Each sheriff's office in Massachusetts has their own separate hiring process, it has nothing to do with Civil Service. The best thing to do is call the personnel department of the FCSO and speak to someone over there.

 

[ejk55]

When I went through the DOC Academy, there was a guy going through who had worked 7 or so years for the Nevada DOC and then a few years with New York DOC. He still had to take the civil service test and go through MA. DOC academy. Every state has different policy and procedures so you need to go through the academy to learn them.

 

[PearlOnyx]

Interestingly though, the DOC will accept county officers who attended the state academy, but never worked for the state. I can think of one example, an officer who attended the state academy as a county employee, and was then hired off the civil service list by the state after a year or so at the Sheriff's Department.
The quote above regarding Essex appears to be correct. There is an officer who I know of who transferred from out of state, without having to re-do the academy.

 

[ejk55]

Lets turn this around a little bit. If I wanted to take a sheriff's exam and pass it and get offered a job, would I have to go through the academy for the sheriff's dept., where I am already a state C.O.?

 

[GateKeeper]

Ya PearlOnyx I forgot all about that. The only thing I remember them doing different was the firearms training seeing how we still have the old wild west 6-shot S&W .38's.

Do you know if they are still doing it? Its been a while since I heard of someone from the County going through the DOC academy. Essex does have there own academy, correct? I assume they only sent guys through the DOC because they didn't want to start up there academy for only a few guys?

 

[PearlOnyx]

EJK,

Again, I don't speak for the department, just from my own observations...but, we do have at least one officer who transferred from the DOC, to us, with no academy. Hope that helps.

Gate,

Yeah, I was in class 284 with the state, and went through with three other state CO classes at the same time. We did the same exact thing, except range week, and the occasional class, where policies differed.

As far as accepting laterals, according to the department's website, with certain specifications, they are. Essex had their own academy for a long time, and then stopped doing it for a few years. During those years, we went to the DOC, Norfolk, Worcester and Suffolk. We just started up our own academy again last year.

 

[JGH_7223]

Interestingly though, the DOC will accept county officers who attended the state academy, but never worked for the state. I can think of one example, an officer who attended the state academy as a county employee, and was then hired off the civil service list by the state after a year or so at the Sheriff's Department.
The quote above regarding Essex appears to be correct. There is an officer who I know of who transferred from out of state, without having to re-do the academy.

I know of a officer that went through the State Academy and after a few years with County transfered to the State D.O.C. and his start date was his academy start date.

 

[PearlOnyx]

JGH,

When you say start date, what exactly do you mean? We have guys with two different dates. Their date of hire with the state, used for vacation accumulation, retirement etc. and their union seniority date, used for vacations job bids etc.. If you have worked in two different positions in the state, your dates may be different.

 

[ShortyCO]

:jump: Thanks everyone... I actually got a hold of FCSO, they aren't part of Civil Service and they do an 8 week long training. Unfortunitely they wont take my cert from Maine. Thanks to everyone for the info...

 

[JGH_7223]

Shorty,
Glad to see everything worked out for you.