# Transfer from Florida(auxiliary/special police opportunities)



## florida_cop2000 (Oct 20, 2008)

I attended a police academy in Florida in 2000 and I have been a reserve since 2001. I am qualified to work full-time as a police officer in florida if I wish. My wife recently attended an academy and has been hired full-time since last year.

Since I am a reserve (not an auxiliary in florida terms), I hold a full-time job and I may end up having to transfer to the Boston area.

Questions in the event we move to Boston:

1) I would like to keep volunteering as a reserve police officer. I contacted via email someone at MPTC and they advised absolutely no way could I get an academy exemption. This is confusing to me since I hold a basic law enforcement certificate in FL (I believe nearly 800 hours) and I have full police powers (arrest, etc). I patrol I just do not get paid. Any info on how I can avoid having to take a reserve/auxiliary academy over again MA when the certification, experience, and training that I already have surpasses those requirements would be appreciated.

2) Since my wife has less then 2 years of experience, would she be able to get an exemption and then work a full-time gig somewhere? She also speaks spanish and portuguese, which are probably good skills to have. 

I believe our academy training (and passing of the state test) is equivalent to that in MA but I am not sure.

Any comments or experience on the exemption process for both full-time and reserves are appreciated.

Thanks

Jeff


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## Guest (Oct 20, 2008)

*Re: Transfer from Florida*

There is an exemption process, but it's only for someone leaving a full-time police job in another state and who has already been hired as a full-time officer in Massachusetts. It might work for your wife, but it wouldn't apply to you;

http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=eopsterminal&&L=5&L0=Home&L1=Funding+%26+Training+Opportunities&L2=Law+Enforcement&L3=Training+and+Courses&L4=Municipal+Police+Training+Committee&sid=Eeops&b=terminalcontent&f=mptc_exemption_process&csid=Eeops

I think you're going to find volunteer law enforcement in Massachusetts a LOT different than Florida. Because of both state law restricting the authority of volunteer police and (relatively) strong police unions, there aren't many volunteer police programs (usually called auxiliaries up here) where you have the trifecta of carrying a firearm, going on patrol, and having full police powers. The good news is that you would only have to attend the reserve/intermittent academy as an auxiliary, which is a part-time, much abbreviated version of the full academy.

You may get more responses from people knowledgeable about those programs if you start another thread specifying auxiliary/special police opportunities; the title of this thread makes it seem like you're a full-time officer looking for a full-time position in MA.


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## Killjoy (Jun 23, 2003)

Good response, Delta!


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