# Cambridge



## MiddleGround (Jan 14, 2009)

Good afternoon, all.

I am quite new to the forums, so first of all, hello.

I believe in brevity in these things, so here it is: I am aiming to become an officer in Cambridge. I do qualify for residency preference, will be 29 at the time of the test in April, and am not a veteran. Can anyone who is an officer in Cambridge, or anyone with general advice, please let me know if there is anything that you think would help me attain my goal? If you are an officer in Cambridge, what do you think of the job?

Background: B.A. in Sociology from a "good" school. 8 years' experience in EMS as a Basic (5 working for a major city doing only 911), federal disaster-relief experience as a member of a response team, and certifications in dispatch, HAZMAT, and ICS among some others.

Thanks in advance for your time, and be safe.


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## Goose (Dec 1, 2004)

If you're not a veteran or have some special preference other than being a resident (as in being a minority or being fluent in other languages), you pretty much have no chance...welcome to civil service.


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## StbbrnMedic (Nov 28, 2008)

I don't have any advice unfortunately. Just wanted to say best of luck to you!!


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## OfficerObie59 (Sep 14, 2007)

MiddleGround said:


> Background: B.A. in Sociology from a "good" school. 8 years' experience in EMS as a Basic (5 working for a major city doing only 911), federal disaster-relief experience as a member of a response team, and certifications in dispatch, HAZMAT, and ICS among some others.


As I'm sure you'll read in the other forums, residency and vet preference are needed to get you high enough on the list to get a postcard for an interview; the rest helps distinguish you from other interviewees when the time comes.

I don't know anyone who works in Cambridge, but it is a big department which is usually a good thing when it comes to hiring.

Good luck working there though. I could never enforce some of those looney ordnances that city council passes...
"Sir, did you know that leaf blower causes noise pollution and is illegal in the city?"


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## MiddleGround (Jan 14, 2009)

I must admit that that does have me a bit concerned. Being married, I am not in a position to join the military (wife would kill me long before any insurgent got the chance), though I have the utmost respect for those who have. I have chosen to serve my country through the disaster-response work... Katrina was awful in particular.

I will still give it my best shot, of course, but it's somewhat disheartening to hear that I may not even have a chance because of the system. In my (I hope) honest self-assessment, I feel that I would be a good cop, and I certainly have the passion for it. I have the experience working the streets of Boston to know the reality of dealing with people and stressful situations.

My thanks for your responses, if nothing else hearing that I may be up against the wall will make me prepare that much harder. Anyone else with anything to add, please do... any information is good information.



OfficerObie59 said:


> As I'm sure you'll read in the other forums, residency and vet preference are needed to get you high enough on the list to get a postcard for an interview; the rest helps distinguish you from other interviewees when the time comes.


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## Guest (Jan 15, 2009)

Good luck, ruin some of the upper classes days for me.


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## Guest (Jan 15, 2009)

Cambridge took laterals the last time they hired, so I don't know if that's a good sign for your prospects.


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## MiddleGround (Jan 14, 2009)

Does the taking of laterals indicate that the list was exhausted?


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## Goose (Dec 1, 2004)

No, not at all - just that their fiscal situation was such that they wanted to hire experienced officers without having to pay for training, or that for whatever reason they wanted guys who had a little salt rather than a complete rookie.

Framingham is a department that to the best of my knowledge, hasn't hired any new officers other than civil service laterals in years. I think the only department that has exhausted their list (or come close) that I know of is Boston...of course, that was more than a year ago.


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## sulldog6 (Sep 7, 2005)

Middle,
I'm on CPD. 1st do well on the test. Over the past 4yrs the dept has hired approx 10 every year. As far as laterals that does not seem to affect the new hire process. 

If you're lucky enough to get on it is a great dept (opportunity/ advancement, pay, benefits, ect.)
Good luck!


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## Killjoy (Jun 23, 2003)

Try to get on in *any *department in Mass, not just one department....the "one town or nothing" attitude limits your opportunities. There are many opportunities at some campus departments in Cambridge; MIT and Harvard Police are both excellent departments.


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## MiddleGround (Jan 14, 2009)

Thanks for the advice, guys. I've joined up to a gym and am working out fairly regularly to get ready for the physical. I'm prepared to do whatever is necessary to get on... this is something I've wanted for a long time, and I feel that it is my calling. A couple of months ago, I made inquires into MIT and Harvard, and neither indicated they were hiring. I will choose my "three" and hope I get on... Cambridge is my ideal, as I live here, and I love my city.


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## Guest (Jan 20, 2009)

MiddleGround said:


> Thanks for the advice, guys. I've joined up to a gym and am working out fairly regularly to get ready for the physical. I'm prepared to do whatever is necessary to get on... this is something I've wanted for a long time, and I feel that it is my calling. A couple of months ago, I made inquires into MIT and Harvard, and neither indicated they were hiring. I will choose my "three" and hope I get on... Cambridge is my ideal, as I live here, and I love my city.


It's great that you are working out, but you haven't even taken the test yet right? You need to go well beyond 'choosing your three'. There has been so much written on this site, that I am not going into it, but just READ. Put your eggs in a couple baskets in this economy.


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## 7costanza (Aug 29, 2006)

> and I love my city.


You love The Peoples Republic.


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## Guest (Jan 20, 2009)

5-0 said:


> Put your eggs in a couple baskets in this economy.


As far as police jobs in this state, put your eggs in every basket possible, regardless of the economy. Take every exam, and send an application everywhere that doesn't have an exam.

Then, prepare to be humbled; I accumulated an impressive stack of rejection letters, but then I got three job offers in the span of a few weeks, so you never know which way your fortunes will turn. I took the best of those three offers, then worked towards my #1 choice, which eventually came six years later.


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## OfficerObie59 (Sep 14, 2007)

Killjoy said:


> the "one town or nothing" attitude limits your opportunities.


 I could not agree more.

IMO, getting the academy under your belt is the biggest obstacle, whether you're under civil service or not. It's the most marketable of all qualifications. With it, you can get on virtually anywhere within a common civil service status. If you get on a non-CS dept., continue to take the test. Talk about marketability--all of your other qualifications will seem like nothing.

If you really want Cambridge, like Delta said, shoot for it by continuing to take the exam, but certainly don't let it be you're only option.


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## MiddleGround (Jan 14, 2009)

Thanks for your advice and time, I appreciate it. I'm looking to get in where I can, but obviously do have an ultimate goal.

One question, which I have not been able to find an answer to elsewhere on the site: if I were not to get an offer, would trying to attend a reserve/intermittent academy make any difference in terms of hiring, and if so, at what point would that come into play in the process?


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## Guest (Jan 21, 2009)

For a full-time position, the R/I academy will be of little value, since you'll have to attend the full academy anyway.


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## dcs2244 (Jan 29, 2004)

Sociology? They still issuing degrees in that?

(nobody took the cheap shot, so I figured it must be my turn!)


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## Guest (Jan 21, 2009)

dcs2244 said:


> Sociology? They still issuing degrees in that?


There's a reason why McDonald's applications have a space for "College or University"....it's so Sociology and Liberal Arts majors have someplace to list their accomplishments.


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## KozmoKramer (Apr 25, 2004)

The only thing I miss about the People Republic is The S&S, John Harvards, and Franks.
R.I.P. The Eidelweiss & Woolworths counter.
Other than that, we never looked back.


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## MiddleGround (Jan 14, 2009)

Man, eeeeveryone cracks on the Soc degree.  I was one of the few legitimately interested people in my major... I have always enjoyed the study of how people live, and I try to get to know the reality of different ways of living across different cultures. No BS, it's how I was raised... to try to know people as individually as possible and keep an open mind.

Kozmo, you just made me crave a Reuben from S&S like you wouldn't believe. After I'm done posting this, I will have to go get one. Cambridge does have a pretty unique population, no doubt, but I like the variety, even if I sometimes don't agree with how people see things.


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## Guest (Jan 22, 2009)

MiddleGround said:


> Man, eeeeveryone cracks on the Soc degree.  I was one of the few legitimately interested people in my major... I have always enjoyed the study of how people live, and I try to get to know the reality of different ways of living across different cultures. No BS, it's how I was raised... to try to know people as individually as possible and keep an open mind.


A Sociology major studies why we do things.

An Engineering major studies how we do things.

A Philosophy major studies if we should do things.

A Liberal Arts major says "Welcome to Walmart".


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## KozmoKramer (Apr 25, 2004)

MiddleGround said:


> Kozmo, you just made me crave a Reuben from S&S like you wouldn't believe. After I'm done posting this, I will have to go get one. Cambridge does have a pretty unique population, no doubt, but I like the variety, even if I sometimes don't agree with how people see things.


MiddleMan - I drive about 60 miles each way for the S&S eggs Bennie, 3 Absolute Bloody Marys and a to-go order of a pound of chopped liver.
That place is the sack! Reubens, omelets, oh man...

Grew up on Franklin Street, moved out when the hippies moved in next door.
My old man said "either we move, or I kill one of em'..." We moved.


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## Pats2009 (Aug 24, 2007)

lol , "_either we move, or I kill one of em'_..." one of the best quotes I've heard


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## MiddleGround (Jan 14, 2009)

KozmoKramer said:


> MiddleMan - I drive about 60 miles each way for the S&S eggs Bennie, 3 Absolute Bloody Marys and a to-go order of a pound of chopped liver.
> That place is the sack! Reubens, omelets, oh man...
> 
> Grew up on Franklin Street, moved out when the hippies moved in next door.
> My old man said "either we move, or I kill one of em'..." We moved.


Man, I just about dropped a lung on that last one. Most of the people I've met here don't seem to believe that criminals are anything but wayward people who really mean to do good things but got caught up in the wrong circumstances. Riiiiight. Then those people complain when said wayward souls rob them, do a smash-and-grab on their car, etc, that the cops aren't "doing enough". The hypocrisy of "everyone is equal, but I am superior" continually astounds me, as does the entitlement sense that some of their kids have.


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## quality617 (Oct 14, 2003)

KozmoKramer said:


> My old man said "either we move, or I kill one of em'..." We moved.


Shouldn't have moved....


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