From push-ups to interviews, Eastern CT officers guide prospective police applicants

NORWICH — The Law Enforcement Council of Connecticut offices in Norwich on Saturday were arguably some of the safest spaces in the region as representatives from more than a dozen local police agencies walked prospective candidates through the process of successfully applying to become a police officer.

For several hours during the gray, drizzly morning, 23 men and women – including recent college graduates, stay-at-home parents, retail managers and restaurant cooks – took part in a series of interactive sessions aimed at easing their path toward becoming sworn officers.

Officers from Norwich, Putnam, East Lyme, Waterford and several other departments led mini-classes on how best to pass written exams, oral boards and physical tests before conducting one-on-one interviews sessions and critiquing resumes.

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'PATH to Becoming a Police Officer' shows candidates the hiring process

The “PATH to Becoming a Police Officer” forum was the first regional iteration of classes already conducted regularly by the Waterford Police Department. Chief Marc Balestracci said he started holding the seminars locally years ago after seeing a number of unprepared applicants try and fail to get hired.

“They were struggling during the hiring process, in the written and agility tests and the interviews,” he said. “We tried to create a program to get them better prepared, to show them what books to read before taking a written exam, how to pass the physical test and how to sell yourself at an interview.”

Communities benefit as well as candidates

Balestracci noted it’s not just an applicant who benefits from such advice, especially in a time when departments are facing recruitment and retention challenges.

“The better candidates we have filling out the ranks, the bigger benefit to the entire region,” he said.

Police officers suggested reference materials for written exam preparation, demonstrated proper push-up techniques and – in the most animated session – pushed the civilian participants to hone their interview skills.

When asked why they wanted to become cops or why they should be hired, candidates who initially gave generic answers (“To protect and serve my community") were called out and encouraged to respond more honestly.

“Give me more, be more personal,” Balestracci said, urging participants to translate their personal experiences into the policing sphere. “You need to sell yourself.”

Glastonbury resident Jestina Gilbert, a transfer and detention center worker taking criminal justice courses, was lauded for her response on why she would be an attractive hire.

“I’m comfortable with the uncomfortable,” she said.

Gilbert, who said she's still weighing what to do after graduating but is considering a job as a counselor or nurse in the corrections field, used the seminar as an opportunity to do a little interviewing of her own. As the only Black female at the seminar, Gilbert said she wanted the chance to meet a large group of officers all at once and gauge their people skills.

“I wanted to see their human nature off the streets, how they respond and interact with people," she said. "In a time of community policing, having more people with faces like mine is a benefit. But fewer of those kinds of faces also benefits me when it comes to hiring.”

Several of the participants said they had very little idea of what the police hiring process entailed before arriving on Saturday.

“Just very minimal information and nothing specific,” said Moosup resident Anthony Leo. “I’m here to gain that information.”

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Leo, who recently graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts, said he’s still recovering from a knee injury suffered on the football field.

“Once I’m done with rehab, I’ll start applying to the state police,” he said. “I think the challenges I’ve faced equates to life in law enforcement."

Several members of the council’s current police academy class were also present and were slated to give details of academy life.

Cody Nichols, a 27-year-old recruit recently sworn-in to the Norwich Police Department, said he would have benefited from the kind of seminar offered on Saturday.

Interview tips and guidance

“Standing in front of three to five officers at an oral interview is very intimidating, especially if you don’t have the practice,” he said. “I didn’t know going into everything what the process was going to be like. Something like this allows a person to prepare mentally and physically.”

Even seasoned officers said they wished such pre-application seminars were available when they applied for the job.

Detective Daniel Hammett and Sgt. Jamon Jennings, both members of the Groton City Police Department, recounted their nervousness ahead of being hired.

“I did a lot of researching myself, but it was on my own,” Hammett said. “My advice to applicants is start researching, be yourself and be upfront with your answers.”

Kourtney Batson, a 30-year-old Ledyard resident and retail manager who took criminal justice courses in Norwich, said she’s long been interested in a law enforcement career, even during the years when public sentiment may have dissuaded others.

“It never really went away,” she said.

Mohegan Tribal Police Deputy Chief Mike Surprenant, who previously spent decades as head of the Plainfield Police Department, grimaced when thinking back to his first hiring interviews and the battery of background checks involved.

“I was nervous and wasn’t prepared,” he said. “It took two or three interviews before I understood how to respond correctly. My advice to these people here today is to live your life like you’re a police officer already.”

John Penney can be reached at jpenney@norwichbulletin.com or at (860) 857-6965.

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Norwich, Putnam, East Lyme, Waterford police help job applicants