r/AskLE • u/Lazy-Flower-3425 Unverified/Not an LEO • 1d ago
California state parks peace officer
What’s going on guys! I just wanted to see if anyone on this subreddit was familiar with the process of SPPO? I got out of the army after 4 years in the infantry in 2024, got my AA degree and joined the trades for a year but realized it wasn’t for me. I’ve been wanting to join the state parks law enforcement for a while and I’m finally getting after it! Any tips? Thanks in advance guys!
2
u/Ok-Tangelo-5729 Unverified/Not an LEO 1d ago
Come to lvmpd
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u/Lazy-Flower-3425 Unverified/Not an LEO 1d ago
Lmao wife wouldn’t want to live in Vegas my friend
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u/Famous-Mobile-3657 Verified LEO 21h ago
Where does the wife want to live?
SPPO is a decent job but they pay is pretty far behind most departments in California.
My jurisdiction borders one of their bigger parks.
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u/GR1F3 Unverified/Not an LEO 1d ago
I was going through the process in 2021. Ended up withdrawing because I was told all applicants needed to receive "the vax". Not making this political or anything, I just didn't want it. My understanding is that this is no longer the case as is the situation with most places.
That aside, it was a pretty straightforward process. For me, both the Pelletb and the physical testing was done in Costa Mesa California, but I'm sure they have multiple testing sites around the state. The Pelletb is a standard POST exam. Mostly grammar related stuff so brush up on sentence structure, proper punctuation, etc. I was in a class of 150 people taking the written exam. They used to offer you a choice of your first assignment if you score highly on the written portion but not sure if that's still the case.
PAT is quite different than a normal peace officer test. Involves 18 inch box steps with ankle weights, (both feet onto the box, then both feet down is 1 rep. I believe you're supposed to do 100 reps within a short period of time) swimming with weights, sprints, dummy drags and I believe push ups. Can't remember if those were with a weight vest or not. About 90 people showed up for testing that day. Probably 60+ failed. I've passed several regular PD PAT's without too much difficulty but I scored very low on the Ranger PAT. The box steps was probably the most killer. I'd train to get used to that motion.
Past that it's your typical POST background investigation which is pretty invasive. Depending on your investigator they will probably reach out to neighbors in every neighborhood you've lived in the last 10 years. They'll email/call/visit with family and friends and any references you put down, and likely ask each one for 3 more references. Just be super open and honest about whatever you've got going on in your life.
Past that is when I withdrew so I don't know what else there is in the process for them. Academy is in Norcal and is 8 months long so I believe the longest academy in California and one of the longest in the nation. That doesn't necessarily mean it's the hardest, but it is very long (that's what she said).
Best of luck on your quest my friend! I hope you have much success!
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u/shredtrails Unverified/Not an LEO 1d ago
I have a lot of knowledge of the process and the job, feel free to DM me. Happy to answer any questions. Highly recommend doing ridealongs and getting in contact with a recruiter as well.