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U-Lowell PD

3K views 23 replies 13 participants last post by  daxxkid 
#1 ·
I am currently in the application process with the U-Mass Lowell PD. Can someone who works there or has worked there give me candid advice on the department?

Also, my ultimate goal is to somehow work my way into MSP. Unfortunately, I am a white/male/non-veteran so that puts me somewhere near a cockroach on the MSP list..and probably most municipalities as well. WIll becoming an officer at U-Lowell help my cause better than staying at my current position in the administrative office of the Lowell PD?
 
#2 ·
there have been plenty of postings regarding the department... you may want to review those as well as the department's website. Any further questions, you can PM me if you want to.
 
#3 ·
It shows experience in the field if you take the Umass lowell position. More so over the administrator job. However, i would think that if you took the test you could network your way onto lowell PD once they have an opening. Especially if you work in their department. MSP is hard to get onto and since they had several classes go through the academy they wont be hiring anytime soon.

Or you could take this route, get on at UMASS work there for a few years gain experience then try to work for a PD with a reserve/perm officer position and try to sneak on there. That way you have your foot in the door and when a full time position opens up they usually take the reserve officer first over the list. Hate to say it buddy but MSP is a crap shoot. Unless you score really high you arent going to get on.
 
#4 ·
Focus your energy and attention on getting hired by UMASS. Don't concern yourself with the MSP until the next exam is announced. Lastly, I'm not suggesting that you lie but I wouldn't go out of my way to advertise to UMASS that you are looking to use them as a resume builder. Good luck.
 
#9 ·
Its a good department to work for and plenty of overtime as far as I know. They are looking to keep their cops so don't tell them they are a stepping stone. Also they send there cops to the SSPO Academy not a municipal. A job as a cop is a job, it doesn't matter if its a college, muni or state police so definetley take the position if it is offered to you. Good Luck.
 
#13 ·
I was interviewed there twice, 3 years ago and about 18 months ago, the next contact I get from will be the first. There is nothing that bothers me more than taking time away from family, taking tests, interviewing, taking the time off from work, and of course having the risk of the boss finding out you're looking for another job. and NEVER hearing back after the interview. These departments want professionalism yet they act as unprofessional as a two bit security company when it becomes post interview time. Good luck hope it works out for you.
 
#14 ·
there is a two-pronged answer to your question...

1. you are dealing with a state school and for whatever reason the HR department won't allow the back fill of a position until there is actually a vacancy. This obviously slows the process down considerably. Also, there is always a fight with regards to how many officers they will be able to hire at a certain time.

2. UML PD's hiring process notoriously takes a long time. By the time they get around to hiring people, they have already written the department off and have moved on.

Any further questions, please feel free to PM me.
 
#15 ·
I just had my interview friday, has anyone else had theirs? How did it go?

serg
I interviewed with UML that Friday as well, I felt it went good. Not great, I didn't feel that they were blown away or anything however I don't feel that I turned anyone off either. I actually ran into one of the officers who did interview me and he recognized me, so I would think thats positive.

I did ask at the interview about how many they were planing to take on, they told me that 71 took the written test, 39 passed, they were planning to interview all 39 applicants, and they plan to hire 2.
That is less than 3%.
They also said that they were planning to form a list to hire from on the basis of the test/interviews.

I also know that they offered someone a job while I was waiting to be interviewed and that whoever they were talking to on the phone declined becuase of the salary.

Interviews are tough. I have been working the same job for almost 5 years so I don't get much practice. I got offered a few EMS jobs however the pay was lower than I make now, and with college I really don't have time to work the OT- I'd love to work as an EMT, even with the lower pay I could make more with the amout of OT available.
I had an interview with BEMS this past August, and at the start of the interview the MD looked at my resume and basically told me that he considered me to be a "bad investment" becuase he was afraid I would leave for the next availble police position after the city spent thousands to train me.
whatever. Interviews are difficult and it is hard for someone to pick a handfull of applicants after only talking to them for 20-30 minutes.
Police/Fire jobs are tough to get, and there is often a large group of qualified applicants. It is not like a job at the taco stand where just anyone can walk in and be hired. People who have at least an associate degree or related military experience often don't get the job. Almost half of the people who took the UML police test failed. Another 37 will get interviewed and not get hired this time around. Like you, I will keep working hard and not give up.
Please let me know if they call you back.

If you don t mind me asking, what did you score on the UML written exam?
 
#17 ·
LandShark9C1 said:
I interviewed with UML that Friday as well, I felt it went good. Not great, I didn't feel that they were blown away or anything however I don't feel that I turned anyone off either. I actually ran into one of the officers who did interview me and he recognized me, so I would think thats positive.

Interviews are tough. I have been working the same job for almost 5 years so I don't get much practice. I got offered a few EMS jobs however the pay was lower than I make now, and with college I really don't have time to work the OT- I'd love to work as an EMT, even with the lower pay I could make more with the amout of OT available.
I had an interview with BEMS this past August, and at the start of the interview the MD looked at my resume and basically told me that he considered me to be a "bad investment" becuase he was afraid I would leave for the next availble police position after the city spent thousands to train me.
whatever. Interviews are difficult and it is hard for someone to pick a handfull of applicants after only talking to them for 20-30 minutes.
Police/Fire jobs are tough to get, and there is often a large group of qualified applicants. It is not like a job at the taco stand where just anyone can walk in and be hired. People who have at least an associate degree or related military experience often don't get the job. Almost half of the people who took the UML police test failed. Another 37 will get interviewed and not get hired this time around. Like you, I will keep working hard and not give up.
Please let me know if they call you back.

If you don t mind me asking, what did you score on the UML written exam?
Kid you can't even spell or write and aren't you that retard with the old Police Impala that was pissed because NHSP pulled you over and asked why you are such a dweeb driving around with a MEMA-SEMA or some other shit uniform and your girlfriend in the car?
 
#18 ·
i spoke to the captain who did the interviewing and i guess they selected two applicants who are now in their final stage of the process - interviewing with Chief Pray. She also told me that they did form a list and ranked people based on their oral board and written exam score, and will be plucking people from that until the next round of hirings. so i guess better luck next time. on the upside, i guess they have one officer who will be retiring and will have 3 supervisor positions to fill, which will most likely occur from within, so there is potential for 4 additional spots come springtime. so i guess to new hampshire we go....
 
#21 ·
I worked for UMass Lowell and can give you some insight. If you have the opportunity to get hired by them - take it. They send you to a full-time academy, which many colleges don't, and you can at least use that to gain experience and training. I only lasted there about 3 months after I graduated the academy because I couldn't take it anymore. There's good crime going on, but they defer all of that to Lowell PD so it doesn't reflect poorly on their crime statistics, which could reflect on enrollment. The other HORRIBLE part of that job was KEYS, KEYS, KEYS!!! It might have changed since I was there 10 years ago, but on the overnight shift, you had to go around and lock all of the building doors with this GIANT key chain that had nothing labled as to what key went where, and it took almost all night. The worst part was by the time you finished locking everything, you had to go back and unlock it all for the morning. It was rediculous! You could write motor vehicle citations, but then they made you write an actual report for each citation. You have to take the good with the bad.
 
#22 ·
From what I know now it's an SSPO not full-time anymore, but any police job is good to get into if that is what you want to do, would be a very good start. I got my letter today, it said they got 2 people for now:( , but I will be placed on the waiting list, it was a good experience.
 
#23 ·
Don't get discouraged. When I took that test 10 yrs. ago, I got a letter saying that I didn't even do well enough to move on to the next stage! All of a sudden, I got a call on a Tuesday asking if I was still interested in a job with them. Of course I said yes. I went for my physical the next day, my psych on Thursday, and my PAT on Friday. The acadmey started that next Monday! It was crazy how quickly I had to get things going, but it worked out. How about UMass Boston, Tufts, or Northeastern University? I believe all of those colleges send to full-time academies. I actually teach in some of the academies and have seen recruits from those agencies - but that was a while ago. A huge plus is a break on tuition if you do go work for a college. That's worth any bad that you have to take with the job. Good luck!
 
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